The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 102

102. Moving Forward

February 10, 2024

“Just so you know, I have no desire to become Empress, so you can rest assured.”

Joshua paused, then belatedly asked, “What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

“I’m talking about the Second Prince and me.”

Rosette glanced around to make sure they were alone before continuing.

“The ‘variable’ His Highness mentioned is me, right? The Second Prince and Duke Lilith are aiming to make me his consort, aren’t they?”

“That’s right.”

“I’m saying that I would never join hands with the Second Prince with the goal of becoming Empress.”

“Ah.”

Joshua nodded as if he understood. Rosette elaborated further.

“I want to protect my family and set things right, but I don’t want to be used for political purposes.”

“Indeed, there’s nothing more chaotic than being swayed by politics. I completely understand your feelings.”

“Well, even if that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t want to be Empress in the first place.”

For a moment, Joshua’s face stiffened as he listened intently to Rosette’s words.

It wasn’t a big deal. Some women were desperate to reach the highest position, but others, like Rosette, didn’t want it.

The position of Empress had as much to lose as it did to gain.

His own mother, Ophelia, had been poisoned in the past due to political maneuvering, and she was still facing various dangers.

So, he understood Rosette’s feelings. What she wanted wasn’t power, but the safety of her family.

Even knowing that, he felt a strange pang.

What did Rosette not wanting to be Empress have to do with him?

Thinking that, Joshua couldn’t help but ask, “You don’t want to be Empress? Why not?”

“Just because. Do I need a special reason?”

“I suppose not.”

“But if I had to give a reason…”

Rosette dangled her feet as she looked at the stars in the night sky.

“I want to live freely.”

“…”

“In the past, I was trapped in the Dallas estate. So, I realized in this life how wonderful it is to do whatever I want.”

Joshua listened to her without even a slight nod.

“But if I become Empress, I have to live in the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Palace is certainly larger than the Dallas estate, but it still feels like my freedom would be restricted. Like a well-decorated birdcage.”

Rosette, who had inadvertently revealed her true feelings, glanced at Joshua.

“I shouldn’t have said that in front of Your Highness. I’m sorry.”

“No, you don’t need to apologize. It’s the truth.”

Joshua looked away from Rosette’s profile and gazed up at the stars with her.

“I know better than anyone how Her Majesty withered away in the Empress’s Palace.”

He smiled bitterly.

It was a truth he had never shown to anyone. The moment he revealed these words, he felt vulnerable, as if he and Ophelia would be looked down upon.

But strangely, he felt like he could reveal all his true feelings in front of Rosette now.

‘Come to think of it, I’ve already shown the Princess my worst side.’

He had shed tears, which he hadn’t even shed when Ophelia died, in front of Rosette Dallas in the past. He cried like a child.

That meant he was cornered, but to be precise, it was possible because Rosette was about to be executed.

After all, she would be dead in a few hours, and she wouldn’t remember his weaknesses.

However, Rosette had turned back time with all her memories intact. She hadn’t said anything, but she probably remembered him sobbing.

Yet, he didn’t feel ashamed or angry about it. Instead, he felt relieved. He felt like he could show his true feelings to her, who had already seen his worst side.

“In my childhood memories, Her Majesty was a bit more lively and cheerful than she is now. In fact, the maid who had served Her Majesty since the Ivelyn Kingdom said that she was quite a troublemaker.”

Rosette asked in disbelief, “The Empress?”

“Hard to believe, right? I wouldn’t have believed it either if I didn’t have childhood memories. But Her Majesty changed in order to survive in this Imperial Palace.”

“…”

“She hid her true feelings and restrained her actions to avoid being criticized. But inside, she must have been festering.”

“I see.”

“So, I understand why you feel that way.”

Joshua smiled bitterly.

Indeed, Rosette Adrian was not the right person to be Empress. She was too pure and warm to be Empress.

Of course, Rosette would never become Empress in the first place. She should never marry Louis, and Joshua had no intention of marrying her either.

But why did Rosette’s words about not wanting to be Empress shake his emotions?

“Your Highness?”

Only when Rosette asked, seeing him silent, was Joshua able to escape from his thoughts.

“Are you really okay? Or were my words truly unpleasant?”

“It’s nothing like that. I’m really okay.”

Joshua, who muttered dismissively, stood up.

“It might cause misunderstandings if we go in together, so let’s go in separately. I’ll go in first, so you can come in a little later.”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll be going. Silver, come here.”

Silver, who was licking Pipi’s feathers until they were wet, followed Joshua closely.

Rosette, who was blankly staring at his receding figure, suddenly snapped out of it at the sound of Pipi chirping on her lap.

[Pii!]

Ugh! That wolf got me all wet!

Pipi, shaking its body and chattering, tilted its head at Rosette’s expression.

[Ppit?]

“No, it’s just…”

Rosette held out her palms, and Pipi hopped onto them. Rosette lifted Pipi up and looked into its eyes.

“I think I made a mistake.”

[Pii?]

“When I said that I didn’t like being Empress because it’s stifling, I felt like His Highness was a bit… how should I say it, displeased. He probably thought of the Empress. Why did I make such a mistake?”

[Ppi! Pii, Ppit!]

You didn’t do anything wrong! What did that prince say to you? Should I pluck out his hair and bring it to you?

Pipi was always like that. No matter what happened, even if Rosette was wrong, it always took her side unconditionally.

A reliable friend she could always trust.

Rosette smiled as she kissed Pipi’s beak.

“Unlike Lucas, we can’t pluck out His Highness’s hair. It would be a disaster.”

[Pii…….]

“But thank you for comforting me, Pipi. Shall we go in then?”

[Ppit!]

Rosette placed Pipi on her shoulder and returned to the Diamond Hall.

It was a night when the starlight was truly beautiful.

* * *

After her debutante [a formal coming-of-age celebration], Rosette was flooded with invitations to tea parties and social gatherings. Isabel advised her as she struggled with the piles of invitations.

“You’re an adult now, so I’m sure you’ll handle it on your own, but you need to carefully consider which invitations to accept. As an Adrian, society will be watching your every move.”

“Yes.”

“Your actions don’t necessarily represent the Adrians, but people won’t think that way. They’ll scrutinize and evaluate your every move, and in severe cases, they’ll tear you apart. You need to be prepared for that.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

Rosette, recalling those words, examined the invitations. Some names were familiar, and others were not.

She tried to exclude families who were close to Duke Lilith as much as possible.

‘It’s definitely different from when I was a child.’

When she was young, she lived comfortably within her family, especially in the arms of her father, Duke Adrian. She couldn’t do anything because Adrian always told her that she didn’t have to do anything.

But now it was different. Rosette had come of age and it was time for her to act as a member of the family.

‘And I need to organize what I need to do in the future.’

After meeting Louis and Joshua at the debutante party, she had a lot of thoughts. The first thing she needed to do was to organize her priorities and clarify her path.

‘First, I need to make His Highness the Crown Prince.’

Frankly, Rosette didn’t care much whether Joshua became the Crown Prince or not. It was his business, not hers.

What was important to Rosette was only to protect Adrian safely.

‘But to protect Adrian, His Highness must become the Crown Prince safely.’

The reason why Duke Adrian and Daniel died was because they were pro-Joshua. Louis Ernhardt could only become the Crown Prince easily if Adrian, who supported Joshua, fell.

That meant that to protect Adrian, she had to bring down Louis, which ultimately led to the conclusion that she had to make Joshua the Crown Prince.

‘But His Majesty still doesn’t favor His Highness.’

Would Duke Lilith have revealed Louis to the world on her own?

No. It was possible because the Emperor had tacitly approved it. That meant that he still supported Louis more than Joshua.

That’s not to say that Joshua had been idle. He had been working hard to gain the support of the nobles in his own way.

In addition, he personally took part in suppressing the pirates, racking his brains to win over some nobles and wealthy merchants engaged in trade.

‘I heard that public opinion has improved a lot.’

But that wasn’t enough. Even if Joshua pleased the Emperor, the Emperor would still weigh him against Louis.

Then there was only one way.

‘I need to make His Majesty lose interest in Princess Lilith and Prince Louis.’

The biggest reason why the Emperor supported Louis was love.

There were political reasons, of course, but more than that, he loved Princess Lilith, so he wanted to seat her as Empress and make Louis the Crown Prince.

People are surprisingly more emotional than rational at times.

Then let’s bring down Princess Lilith.

Rosette scribbled the words ‘Find Weaknesses’ on a piece of paper, then scratched them out. Then, she burned it with magic to erase even the traces.

The spring of her twentieth year, when she had killed Duke Adrian and Daniel in the past, had arrived. Contrary to her worries, the two were still safe. Although there were several dangers, Empress Ophelia was also alive.

It was a miracle created by Rosette and Joshua.

A chance that would never come again.

So, to protect her loved ones, it was time to move forward in earnest.

* * *

“I hear that a delegation from the Shelton Kingdom is coming soon.”

During breakfast, Duke Adrian quietly spoke. The four siblings, who were chatting and eating, all showed interest.

“A delegation?”

“If it’s the Shelton Kingdom, it’s the kingdom next to the Ivelyn Kingdom. Why is a delegation coming?”

“Next to the Ivelyn Kingdom? Kid, have you ever been there?”

“No, I haven’t.”

Lucas asked Rosette in disbelief, “It’s right next door, what have you been doing?”