The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 101

101. I’m Not Interested in Being Empress

February 9, 2024

It was Joshua Ernhardt.

“Oh, um……”

Rosette looked behind Joshua, flustered. Louis was standing a short distance away. He looked more embarrassed than she had expected, the smile gone from his face.

Not only that, but the people around them were waiting for Rosette’s answer with great interest.

Joshua chuckled.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No, um……”

Rosette didn’t know how to react in this situation. In fact, she had never imagined that Joshua would ask her to dance.

‘Is it okay to do this when the Adrian family is still neutral?’

Of course, Joshua was close to the Adrian family, so he could ask Rosette or Isabel to dance.

But she wondered if other people, especially Louis or Duke Lillis, would think the same way.

Rosette turned her gaze and searched for Daniel and Isabel. The two hesitated and then nodded lightly. Still, Rosette couldn’t take Joshua’s hand with a comfortable heart.

After a little more deliberation, Rosette took Joshua’s hand. The answer was already decided anyway. She couldn’t refuse a dance request from Joshua, a prince.

Rosette headed to the dance floor with Joshua’s escort. She took his hand with one hand and placed the other on his shoulder, assuming a standing position.

Joshua also placed his hand on her waist, taking his stance.

“Is this okay?”

“What do you mean?”

“Um……”

Rosette couldn’t bring herself to say, ‘Won’t it be difficult for you, Your Highness, if you dance with me?’ and hesitated.

As if reading her mind, Joshua replied nonchalantly.

“Everyone will just take it in stride.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Before he could finish speaking, a soft violin melody began to play. Joshua naturally led Rosette and continued to explain.

“Everyone knows that I care about Adrian. I danced with Isabel when she made her debut, so don’t worry. I danced with Isabel, so why wouldn’t I dance with you, who saved Her Majesty?”

“I see.”

Rosette understood after hearing his explanation.

‘If he danced with Isabel, he can dance with me.’

It might have seemed strange if he didn’t dance with Rosette.

It was definitely an understandable explanation. But…….

‘Why do I feel so strange?’

This feeling of relief and yet subtle disappointment.

What was she hoping Joshua would say?

She didn’t know why, but she didn’t have the confidence to look Joshua in the eye and dance, so she looked down at her feet. Joshua stared blankly at the top of her head and added a word.

“And, well, I wanted to dance with you too.”

After pondering the words for a moment, Rosette was belatedly surprised and ended up stepping on Joshua’s foot.

It was a mistake she hadn’t made when she officially danced with Huxley for the first time at the graduation party, or when she danced with her two older brothers.

“I didn’t know you had a hobby of stepping on feet.”

“I’m sorry. I was a little surprised……”

Rosette fidgeted as she watched Joshua twitch his eyebrows slightly.

“Why are you surprised?”

“Just, a little.”

“Hmm?”

Rosette lowered her head again, meaning not to ask any more questions.

‘It probably doesn’t mean anything.’

Saying he wanted to dance usually didn’t really mean anything.

Of course, there were cases where they asked a lady they were interested in to dance.

However, in most cases, they asked for a dance as part of social activities or simply to enjoy dancing as entertainment.

You could see that dancing had no special meaning just by looking at people with spouses or fiancés dancing freely.

So, Joshua’s words, ‘I wanted to dance,’ probably didn’t mean anything either.

But was it because there was no laughter or playfulness in Joshua’s voice when he said that? It sounded like it had a special meaning.

Rosette blushed without realizing it and muttered.

“Don’t tease me.”

Only then did Joshua chuckle.

“Was I found out?”

“……Yes.”

As Rosette continued to look at the ground and answer, Joshua pulled her waist a little closer and asked.

“But why have you been dancing while looking at the floor since earlier?”

Rosette hesitated for a moment and came up with a plausible excuse.

“I’m worried I’ll step on your feet.”

“Hmm.”

Joshua made a slightly displeased voice.

“You weren’t like that when you danced with Lucas and Daniel earlier.”

“My brothers and Your Highness are different. I can’t step on the feet of the noble Highness.”

“But you already did, didn’t you?”

“That’s……”

She had no excuse to make, so she just pursed her lips, and Joshua whispered softly.

“If stepping on my feet is the same whether you look at my face or my feet, shouldn’t you look at my face and dance?”

“Yes?”

“I’m saying it’s okay to step on my feet, so look at my face.”

“But……”

“It’s okay.”

There was a strange magic in Joshua’s low whisper. It was as if he was bewitching people with his voice like a siren [a mythical creature whose beautiful voice lures sailors to their doom] in a legend.

Rosette carefully raised her head. Then, she made eye contact with Joshua, who was smiling slightly.

‘Come to think of it, this might be the first time I’ve seen His Highness this close.’

She had sat facing him at a large desk, or sat next to him, but this was the first time she had looked up at him this closely.

From his straight forehead to the smooth bridge of his nose, his eyes with deep-set double eyelids, and his slightly reddish lips.

Perhaps thanks to inheriting Ophelia’s appearance, he had a smooth yet soft appearance with a sharp jawline. It was just that people didn’t know it well because it was always hidden behind a cold expression.

But Joshua’s eyes, which were said to be cool, were soft today.

Rosette wanted to avoid his gaze again at the deep gaze looking at her, but she remembered Joshua’s words and looked straight into his eyes.

In fact, it was originally the right etiquette to look into the other person’s eyes when dancing.

Joshua smiled, slightly raising one corner of his mouth.

“Yes. It’s much better to look at each other like this.”

Once again, Rosette’s heart began to pound. It was beating so hard that she was worried Joshua, who was standing close, would hear it.

Rosette had to take slow, deep breaths until the end of the dance to hide the sound of her pounding heart.

* * *

After the dance, Rosette watched Joshua ask Isabel, who was leaning against the wall and drinking wine, for a dance, and then went out to the garden.

She was worried that Louis might ask her to dance.

She went to a place where no one was around and quietly summoned Pipi.

“Pipi, come out.”

[Beep!]

Pipi, who appeared in the air, flapped its wings happily. Rosette tied the pink ribbon she was wearing on her wrist around Pipi’s neck.

[Beep!]

Pipi was happy that it seemed to have become an aristocrat too. Rosette chuckled.

“You’re an aristocrat just by tying a ribbon?”

[Beep!]

Of course, of course! Rosette, you were wearing it.

“Then I’ll buy you a prettier ribbon next time. This one is a bit long for you.”

[Beep!]

Okay, I love it! I love it so much!

It was when Pipi, in high spirits, was flying around Rosette and acting cute.

“You’re here again.”

The sound of grass rustling was heard, and Joshua appeared.

“Ah……”

It was the same situation as in the past. Rosette, who escaped the party and came to the garden to talk to Pipi, and Joshua, who found her.

The only difference was that Rosette got up and greeted him instead of being surprised and running away.

“Why are you here already? Weren’t you dancing with Isabel?”

“I was rejected. To reject a prince, she’s really like Isabel.”

“I know. She’s like my sister. Actually, I didn’t think she would reject you.”

“So I came out to get some fresh air. Can I sit next to you?”

“Of course.”

Rosette and Joshua sat side by side. Joshua noticed Pipi looking at him and beeping, and summoned Silver.

While the two familiars were rolling around on the lawn and playing, Rosette and Joshua also talked.

“But you really don’t think people will think the Adrian family supports you just because I danced with you, do you?”

“Are you worried about that?”

“Of course. I want to protect my family as safely as possible. What if……”

What if Marquis Lillis targeted her dad or Daniel again like in the past?

Even though she had cast a soundproof spell so that no sound could be heard outside, Rosette swallowed the rest of her words, just in case.

“As I said before, no one will think Adrian supports me just because I danced with you today. The head of Adrian is still Master [referring to Rosette’s father, the head of the Adrian family], after all. Everyone will be cautious until Master takes action himself.”

“I see.”

“And even if Adrian maintains neutrality, Duke Lillis won’t leave Master alone anyway. In that case, it’s better to let them know that you’re my person.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Joshua closed his mouth, looking at Rosette, who seemed to be lost in thought.

‘Actually, that wasn’t all of it.’

The moment he entered the Diamond Hall today, he unconsciously looked for Rosette first.

He tricked himself into thinking he was looking for the people of the Adrian family, including Daniel, but when he saw the pink-haired woman among the people, he almost burst out laughing.

Today, Rosette was more beautiful and noticeable than anyone else. She was completely different from the shabby and gloomy woman during her Rosette Dallas days in the past.

It wasn’t just her appearance, but her attitude itself was completely different. Rosette was a little shy among the people, but she was confident without being intimidated.

Joshua, who was the only one who remembered her past, was very surprised and also pleased with the change.

Because unlike in the past, Rosette seemed really happy now.

Thinking that, he also felt better because he was upset about Louis.

Why was he doing this? What did Rosette have to do with him?

Even while thinking that, he frequently followed her with his eyes even when he was talking to other people. He watched Rosette dance with Lucas and Daniel without dancing himself.

It wasn’t an action he took with any thought. His gaze just followed her automatically.

He made up several reasons as excuses, but asking Rosette for a dance was also a bit impulsive.

He was thinking that it would be good to dance once, depending on the situation.

But when he saw Louis trying to ask Rosette for a dance like a beast aiming for its prey, his body moved on its own.

He couldn’t let Rosette be taken away by Louis, even if it was no one else.

‘No, actually, I think I would have asked for a dance even if it was someone else…….’

Why was he, who rarely acted impulsively, acting somewhat impulsively when it came to things related to Rosette?

While he was thinking that, Rosette sighed in relief.

“Anyway, I’m glad that Your Highness didn’t use me politically. Oh, now I know what the variable you mentioned was.”

“Is that so?”

“Just in case, let me tell you that I have no desire to become empress, so please rest assured.”