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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Acknowledgement (2)
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Rosette bit her cherry-red lip so hard it turned white.
‘They aren’t my family.’
I once thought of them as family. No, to be more precise, I tried to fit into their definition of "family."
Marquis Dallas must have known, because whenever she grew weary, he would whisper sweet words.
"Yes, that's my girl."
Every time Rosette heard those words, she felt she had become part of their family.
But she had come to realize she'd been completely deceived.
‘That’s not what a family is.’
If Marquis Dallas had truly loved her like a daughter, like his beloved Elisha, he would never have made her do such things.
But the Adrians were different. They never forced her to do anything. They even made sacrifices for her.
How could she possibly compare the Adrians and the Dallases?
“I was never a Dallas. Marquis Dallas is not my father, either.”
“But I remember Marquis Dallas doting on you.”
“That was only because he was worried I would run away. He just used me. That can’t be what family is.”
Rosette trembled with rage. Joshua watched her, his thoughts turning serious.
‘She’s definitely changed.’
Rosette had changed so much that she seemed like a completely different person from the one he had seen in the past.
Seeing her so appalled, it seemed unlikely she would ever side with Marquis Dallas, even if they met again.
‘Still, I'm uneasy about keeping her with the Adrians.’
Joshua made a suggestion to the trembling Rosette.
“Then how about leaving for a place where you won’t have to see Marquis Dallas?”
“What?”
“Didn’t you say so yourself last time? That at first, you didn’t want to get involved with Marquis Dallas.”
He continued, not giving Rosette a chance to object.
“I intend to repay you handsomely for helping me. Even if you leave the Adrian family, I’ll make sure you live without want for the rest of your life.”
“…”
“I’ll buy you a mansion wherever you wish and ensure you receive any education you desire. I’ll also provide you with trustworthy servants. When you come of age, I’ll even find you a suitable husband. On top of that, I’ll give you a substantial reward.”
It was an extraordinary offer. Just as he said, she could live as luxuriously as she did with the Adrians.
No, objectively, she could live an even more comfortable life. She wouldn't have to get involved in any troublesome matters.
But…
“I didn’t say I wanted to stay with the Adrians just to live comfortably. I told you. As an Adrian, I want to keep my family safe.”
“Of course, I plan to keep the Adrian family safe as well. Isn’t that enough?”
“But…!”
She was at a loss for a rebuttal.
Rosette clenched her skirt with both hands, trying to think of another reason, but nothing plausible came to mind.
Even if she thought of something, it was clear it would be shut down by Joshua's logic.
Nevertheless, she didn't want to leave.
“I…”
Rosette spoke her final, heartfelt truth.
“I love the Adrians.”
“...?”
“That’s why I want to stay here. There’s no other reason. That’s just how I feel.”
Joshua listened in silence. Encouraged, she rushed on.
“Of course, as Your Highness said, I could live a life others would envy. But my family wouldn’t be there.”
Rosette placed her right hand over her heart. Beneath her palm, she could feel its pleasant beat.
“So, I want to keep living here with my family.”
Joshua stared blankly at Rosette.
She wore an expression he had never seen before. It was resolute, yet at the same time, it seemed as if the mere thought of her family made her happy.
‘I was originally planning to drive her out no matter what…’
Until he gave her the grace period, he was determined to send Rosette away from the Adrians.
If she succeeded in saving Ophelia, he would give her a suitable reward, and if not, she would leave empty-handed.
He had thought it was fine since he never promised Rosette she could stay with the Adrians permanently.
But seeing Rosette in the Empress's Palace had softened his heart a little. Because she had acted with such sincerity.
And even now, his resolve was wavering.
‘Besides, my master seems to cherish that child more than I thought. If she disappears, he'd probably stop at nothing to find her.’
Joshua unknowingly began to rationalize his actions.
“Fine.”
“If you would just give me one more chance… What?”
“I said, fine.”
Rosette blinked, not understanding his words.
“Then…?”
“I’ll extend the grace period a little longer.”
“Then for how long?”
“It’s undecided for now.”
Joshua let out a short laugh.
“I’ll be watching you. If you do anything foolish, I’ll kick you out without mercy, by any means necessary.”
He knew it would be difficult. The longer Rosette stayed with the Adrians, the harder it would be to send her away.
Yet, Joshua decided to let her stay. It was an emotional decision, the reason for which even he couldn't understand.
“Yay!”
Rosette, who had been extremely tense, threw her hands high up in the air.
“Bbi-bbi, did you hear that? The Prince said I can keep staying with the Adrians!”
[Peep! Peep!]
Sharing Rosette's joy, Bbi-bbi hopped around on the wolf's head.
“You’re that happy?”
“Yes, of course!”
Rosette clenched her fists tightly.
“I’ll do really well. I won’t do anything foolish, and I’ll fend off Marquis Dallas. I’ll protect the Empress so nothing happens to her, and I’ll protect my family too!”
She exclaimed excitedly.
“And Your Highness, too…!”
“...Me? What are you going to do to me?”
Rosette realized what she had said and unclenched her fists.
“Ahem, hm. I just meant… you know.”
She could never admit that she was about to say she would protect Joshua.
Joshua's eyes narrowed. Rosette stealthily backed away toward the wolf.
“You’re happy too, aren’t you, wolf?”
The wolf answered by rubbing its snout against Rosette's cheek. Worried that Joshua might press her, Rosette changed the subject entirely.
“By the way, Your Highness, why are you keeping it a secret that you summoned your familiar?”
He gave Rosette a look that suggested she was being dense.
“What kind of reaction do you think people would have if someone who showed no signs of summoning a familiar just yesterday suddenly did so?”
“Uh, they'd be very surprised.”
“And?”
“They’d wonder if you did something nefarious to summon it.”
“Yes, they would. That’s why I’m waiting for the right time.”
“Aha, I see.”
Rosette nodded.
“Then at what age did you originally summon your familiar?”
“Fourteen.”
“You summoned it really early.”
“I don’t think that’s something I should be hearing from you. At what age did you originally summon your familiar?”
“Eleven. I formed my mana core when I was nine.”
Joshua didn't offer any words of praise. However, his slightly widened eyes told her he was surprised.
Rosette feigned humility.
“It’s nothing special.”
Joshua let out a dry laugh.
“I never said it was special.”
Then he asked in return.
“But why did you summon your familiar right away? Didn’t you think people would be suspicious?”
“I did.”
“Then why did you do it? Did you want to be called a genius?”
“No!”
Rosette quickly denied it.
“I just! I wanted to protect Daniel!”
At the unexpected answer, Joshua pressed his lips together. Rosette flopped down on a tree stump, swinging her legs back and forth as she continued to explain.
“As Your Highness knows, Daniel was originally supposed to get into a carriage accident and injure his leg. I wanted to prevent that. But since it happened before I was adopted by the Marquisate of Dallas, I didn't know exactly when or how it would occur. I managed to find the Dallas spy I saw in the past, but that alone wasn't enough.”
“So?”
“That’s why I summoned Bbi-bbi. I needed him to tail the spy. Besides, you have to summon a familiar to use higher-level magic, right? In the worst-case scenario, I wanted to heal Daniel's leg if he ended up with a limp.”
“…”
“And in the end, I was able to resolve the incident thanks to Bbi-bbi. It was a bit surprising that the accident was aimed at Father and not Daniel, but anyway, I’m glad it was resolved well. That’s why I’m glad I summoned Bbi-bbi even a day sooner.”
Rosette quickly added.
“Oh, and of course, I saved the Empress, too.”
[Peep!]
Bbi-bbi once again took pride in his accomplishment.
“And I missed Bbi-bbi. He’s my only friend.”
[Chirp.]
Bbi-bbi affectionately rubbed his face against Rosette's cheek.
Rosette, who burst into giggles, asked Joshua again.
“Isn’t that why Your Highness summoned your familiar, too? Because you missed your friend?”
Instead of answering, Joshua just shrugged. Rosette, who had actually expected him to scoff and deny it, was a little flustered by his unexpected reaction.
“Did you really miss the wolf, Your Highness?”
“…”
Rosette realized he would never answer and changed the subject.
“Come to think of it, Your Highness. What's your familiar's name?”
“Name?”
“Yes, its name. You can't just call it 'wolf' forever. I actually asked the wolf for its name, but I couldn't understand what it was saying.”
Joshua looked as if he had just heard something bizarre.
“It doesn't have a name.”
“Why not?”
This time, Rosette's eyes widened as if she had heard something absurd.
For a moment, the two stared at each other in silent incomprehension.
Joshua was the first to break the silence.
“Does a familiar need a name?”
“Of course! A familiar is a friend! And of course, you have to give a friend a name!”
Rosette tickled Bbi-bbi under the chin.
“As you already know, my familiar's name is Bbi-bbi. I named him that because he chirps, ‘bbi-bbi.’ Lucas didn't even know that and called him ‘Bbi-yak’ while I was asleep. Lucas is an idiot.”
[Peep!]
*That’s right, an idiot,* Bbi-bbi chimed in.
“So? Are you really just going to call him ‘wolf’?”
Rosette looked up at Joshua, her eyes sparkling. It was a clear sign for him to hurry up and name the wolf.
Joshua was dumbfounded as he looked at her.
‘She’s fearless.’
The child who had trembled when he first saw her was gone.
Rosette now treated Joshua with complete ease. Until now, Daniel was the only one who treated him this way.
‘But it’s not bad.’
He let out a small chuckle.
