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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: The Meaning of Family (4)
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Soon, the carriage came to a stop. Daniel was the first to step down, helping his three younger siblings out.
As Rosette was the last to alight, Lucas jumped up and down excitedly.
“Where are we going first?”
“Let’s eat first.”
Daniel expertly led his siblings to a restaurant they frequented. The Adrian knights followed silently behind them.
The moment the four children stepped inside, all eyes in the room turned to them. The three platinum-blonde siblings were so famous that everyone recognized them instantly.
“Aren’t those the children of the Duchy of Adrian?”
“I think so. But that girl with the pink hair…?”
“She must be the youngest daughter Duke Adrian adopted a few months ago.”
Rosette shrank back under the weight of their attention. Lucas, as if to protect her, hid her behind his back. Daniel quickly spoke to the manager.
“We’d like a table where we can dine quietly by ourselves.”
“Right this way, Young Lords and Ladies.”
Thanks to everyone’s consideration, Rosette was able to eat in peace.
Afterward, the four children wandered through the shopping district, buying various items. People’s gazes still followed them, but Daniel handled it with practiced ease.
About three hours later, the servants who had accompanied the children had their hands full of large shopping bags. Most of them were for Rosette.
It was because the three siblings had bought things as if they were in a competition to see who could buy something Rosette liked more.
“I’m still the best, right? It was my idea to come out!”
Lucas boasted as they walked toward the waiting carriage. Rosette just smiled sheepishly. Lucas emphasized his point again.
“What do you think, kiddo? I’m the best, right?”
Having spent some time with Lucas, Rosette had a general grasp of his personality.
It was embarrassing for him to admit, but Lucas, who had always been the youngest, doted on his new little sister. Moreover, he loved playing the part of the older brother.
Rosette decided to willingly give him the answer he wanted.
“Yes, you’re the best, Brother!”
She even gave him a thumbs-up for good measure.
Instantly, Lucas’s ears turned red. He scratched the back of his head.
“Well, I was just doing what any older brother would. If you want to go out again next time, just tell me. I’ll ask Father for you.”
“Okay.”
“Alright, let’s head back. We have to unwrap all our presents!”
“Okay!”
Rosette was walking down the street, playfully fiddling with Lucas’s hand, when she heard a rather familiar voice from not too far away.
“Oh, Father, thank you so much!”
*Where have I heard that before?* Rosette was trying to recall who the voice belonged to.
“I’m glad you like it. Now that I’ve bought you the dress you wanted, you must pay better attention in your etiquette lessons.”
A resonant, though not particularly low, voice. It sounded a bit younger than she remembered, but how could she ever forget it?
*That man is…!*
Her body reacted first. Her whole body trembled, and her heart pounded in her chest. A shiver ran down her spine.
Rosette instinctively hunched her shoulders and looked toward the source of the sound.
As expected, a familiar red-haired man was standing there. Unlike Duke Adrian, who was a knight, this man had a slender build.
This time, she knew for sure.
*Marquis Dallas…*
And standing before Marquis Dallas was a girl in a wide-brimmed pink hat, smiling brightly.
Luxuriant, curly blonde hair. It was Elisha Dallas. The girl Rosette had always envied.
In that moment, Rosette was as shaken as when she had heard that Joshua had come to the Adrian estate. No, she was even more nervous than that time. At least she hadn't come face-to-face with Joshua.
*No…*
After returning to the past, Rosette had hoped she would never meet Marquis Dallas. She wanted to run as far away from him as possible.
But after coincidentally meeting Duke Adrian and becoming Rosette Adrian, she knew she couldn't avoid an encounter with the Marquis.
Still, she thought it would be fine. She thought she had forgotten all about the past while living with her new family.
But the memories of the past seemed to be deeply etched in her mind. The moment she saw Marquis Dallas, those memories came flooding back.
The way he had yelled at her, asking if she couldn't even do this one thing; the way he had raised his large hand high in the air; the way he had sneered at her.
At the same time, Elisha’s face came to mind.
The way she had plugged her nose, saying Rosette smelled vulgar; the way she had deliberately tripped Rosette and cackled with laughter; the way she had sneered that Rosette's hair was drab and weird.
Just then, Marquis Dallas looked in her direction.
The moment her eyes met his snake-like green ones, Rosette began to tremble and hid behind Lucas. She felt as if the Marquis would snatch her away if she didn’t.
“Hey, kiddo! What’s wrong?”
“…”
Rosette couldn’t answer. Her stomach churned, and a wave of nausea washed over her.
As she covered her mouth with a deathly pale face, Lucas began to panic.
“Brother! Something’s wrong with the kiddo.”
“What’s wrong all of a sudden… Rose?”
“Brother, let’s hurry back to the carriage.”
Supported by her three siblings, Rosette half-walked, half-ran. On the way, they passed Marquis Dallas and Elisha.
Sensing the commotion, Elisha’s eyes widened as she stared at her.
Rosette desperately avoided that curious gaze and ran.
Just as she barely managed to climb into the carriage with Daniel’s help.
“*Ugh*.”
Rosette began to retch. She hastily tried to cover her mouth, not wanting to dirty the carriage, but it was no use.
“Hey, hey. Little sis. What’s wrong? Are you not feeling well?”
Lucas, his face pale, patted Rosette’s back. Daniel, who had quickly boarded the carriage, ordered the coachman to return to the estate at once. Isabelle took a handkerchief from her pocket and handed it to her.
It was a handkerchief that looked expensive and soft at a glance. Rosette hesitated to take it, but Isabelle pressed it into her hand.
“Just use it. We can wash it.”
“The carriage will get dirty… I’m sorry…”
“Who cares about the carriage getting dirty right now? You idiot!”
Lucas was on the verge of tears now. Rosette had no choice but to cover her mouth with the handkerchief.
The carriage reached the estate at a speed that was incomparable to when they had left for Roam Street.
By the time the carriage arrived, Rosette had stopped throwing up. To be precise, she had thrown up so much there was nothing left.
Rosette kept insisting she was fine, but her siblings didn't believe her. Her face was still deathly pale.
Before the slowing carriage had even come to a complete stop, Lucas flung open the door and started making a fuss.
“Call a physician! The kiddo is sick!”
He jumped down from the carriage and then grunted and strained, trying to give Rosette a piggyback ride. But he wasn’t strong enough. Although Rosette was small for her age, she was only two years younger than Lucas.
Seeing him struggle, Daniel took over, lifting Rosette onto his back and heading for her room. Rosette squirmed, asking to be put down.
“I’m really fine…”
“You’re not fine. Your face is completely white. You’re just making it harder for Brother Daniel by struggling like that, so stay still.”
“Your sister’s right. Your face looks like dough.”
Rosette said nothing more and quietly wrapped her arms around Daniel’s neck. No sooner had Daniel laid Rosette on the bed in her room than the family physician rushed in.
“I heard the Young Lady is unwell.”
“Our little sis, our little sis…!”
Lucas, who had been so spirited all day, began to sob.
“Sh-she! Threw up!”
Isabelle pushed his cheek with her palm.
“Be quiet.”
In the end, it was Daniel who gave a detailed explanation.
“We were so excited that we fed her all sorts of things, and I think it upset her stomach. She suddenly turned pale and started vomiting. It seems she threw up everything she ate, even stomach acid.”
Rosette wanted to protest that it wasn't true. She had overeaten a little, but there was nothing wrong with the food her siblings had given her.
She had simply been startled by the sight of Marquis Dallas and Elisha.
But she couldn’t bring herself to say that, so she remained silent.
“Let me take a look.”
The physician gently began to press on Rosette’s stomach.
“Does this hurt?”
Rosette shook her head. The physician continued to press different spots.
“How about here? And here?”
When Rosette just kept shaking her head, the physician looked puzzled.
“That’s strange. It doesn’t seem to be a stomachache.”
“Then why did she throw up?”
The physician muttered, sounding a little uncertain.
“Sometimes, eating unfamiliar foods can shock the stomach, but she’s been eating a variety of foods without being picky lately, so that seems unlikely. In that case, it’s likely due to psychological factors.”
“Psychological factors? What’s that?”
“Was the Young Lady perhaps nervous or startled by anything?”
“Nothing like that happened! We were having a great time! We were just walking around Roam Street!”
“Hmm. Young Lady, pardon me for a moment.”
This time, the physician felt Rosette’s neck and shoulders.
“Her muscles are tense. It seems she was startled by something. Young Lady, did anything happen in the city?”
When she shook her head again, Lucas pounded his chest in frustration.
“What is wrong with you?”
Daniel smiled and pulled Lucas behind him.
“Never mind the cause for now. Is she okay?”
“Yes. She seems to have calmed down, so I don’t think there will be any further issues. It doesn’t appear to be enteritis or indigestion, so there’s no need to worry. However, let’s keep an eye on her for today and tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
“Just in case, she should only have some light soup for dinner tonight.”
“But then the kiddo will be hungry.”
“It’s better than being sick.”
When Isabelle said this poutily, Lucas’s lips jutted out.
The physician smiled at the two of them, told them to call if they needed anything, and left the room. Yet, the three siblings did not leave; they remained by her side.
Rosette swallowed dryly as she looked at the three pairs of eyes staring blankly down at her.
“I’m okay now.”
Daniel brushed Rosette’s bangs, slightly damp with cold sweat, away from her forehead.
“I know. But we want to stay. Does it bother you? Should we leave?”
Rosette clutched the blanket tightly and shook her head. It was a little overwhelming, to be honest, but she liked having the three of them there.
