The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 103

103. Duchess Lilith

February 11, 2024

“It’s right next door, and you didn’t even visit?”

“I was too busy. During vacations, I usually visited the homes of friends I made at the academy. And there was no particular reason to go to the Shelton Kingdom.”

“By the way, why the sudden delegation?”

Daniel interrupted his younger siblings. Lucas, who had been playfully teasing Rosette, also focused on Duke Adrian.

“I heard this delegation is coming for a magical exchange program. So, His Majesty said he would give the empire’s top magicians a chance to interact with the delegation.”

“So, that means the little one gets a chance too?”

“Yes. His Majesty specifically requested that Rose attend the welcome party.”

“Hmm.”

Lucas, who had been pondering with his arms crossed as if it were his own problem, shook his head.

“Don’t do it, shorty. It’ll just be a hassle.”

Isabelle chided him.

“It’s not something to take lightly.”

Daniel agreed.

“Belle is right. It’s not an easy decision.”

“But! The little one has only been back in the empire for about two months, and she just had her debutante [a formal introduction into society]. Isn’t it too much to do something like that?”

Rosette now retorted quite confidently.

“Oppa [term for older brother used by females], I’m not a little kid anymore.”

“……What?”

Lucas’s face was filled with astonishment. Rosette repeated in a slightly clearer voice.

“I’m not a little kid anymore. I can do a lot of things too.”

“That…….”

Lucas’s expression became strange. He looked quite shocked.

“So…….”

Unable to continue, Lucas couldn’t suppress his rising emotions and scrunched up his face.

‘Right, the little one is twenty now.’

When he first met her, Rosette was eight years old and clumsy at everything. She didn’t even know what she wanted to eat and would tearfully stare at the many dishes in front of her.

Lucas decided to protect his younger sister, who was only two years younger than him. He always stayed by her side, taking care of her, and even taught her swordsmanship so she wouldn’t feel intimidated anywhere.

Until they were thirteen, Rosette followed Lucas around, even though she found him annoying. She didn’t say it, but she felt most comfortable with him among the three siblings.

Then Rosette went to the Ivelyn Kingdom alone. Lucas was very worried, but she managed everything on her own.

Rosette, whom he saw after three years, had become a complete adult. Not only had she reached adulthood in age, but her mind had also grown a lot.

The clumsy little kid who needed Lucas’s help had completely disappeared.

Lucas couldn’t help but feel proud and sad at the same time. Was this how a mother bird felt when sending her chick away?

But now, she was saying with her own mouth that she wasn’t a ‘little kid’ anymore. To exaggerate a bit, Lucas felt like the world was collapsing.

After much complicated thought, Lucas barely managed to ask.

“You don’t like me calling you ‘little kid’ anymore?”

His voice, as he whispered, was slightly tearful.

Rosette roughly guessed what he was thinking and quickly denied it.

“No, I like it when Oppa calls me ‘little kid’.”

It was a term of affection that only Lucas used. There was no way she would dislike it.

Rather, Rosette would be more upset if Lucas called her ‘Rose’ instead of ‘little kid.’

“But I also wanted to say that I’m now a proper adult who can do something for the family.”

“You working for the family…….”

“Rose is right, Lucas.”

Daniel gently chided Lucas.

“Now, Rose should be allowed to choose these things. However, Rose, you don’t need to do anything for the family. Just do what you want to do.”

Daniel, who said that, definitely felt like the successor. He used to be a kind and reliable older brother, but now he also had the dignity unique to a successor.

“Thank you, Oppa. Father, what do we do when we interact with the delegation?”

“Well, basically, it’s a magical exchange, so the goal would be to exchange knowledge about magic. But beyond that, we also need to introduce the Ernhardt Empire to the delegation.”

“I see. I’ll think about it a little more.”

Rosette was lost in her own thoughts during the meal.

‘It seems like it’s good to broaden my connections.’

If they’re coming to the empire as a delegation, they must be nobles with considerable standing in the Shelton Kingdom. If I interact with such people, it seems like it would be helpful to the Adrian family in the future.

‘It’s also good to have someone to talk to about magic.’

After pondering, Rosette declared near the end of the meal.

“Okay. I’ll do it.”

Duke Adrian seemed a little surprised, but as always, he respected Rosette’s wishes.

“Alright, I’ll let them know.”

“Thank you.”

Rosette smiled brightly.

The time left until the delegation arrived was one month. Her heart was already pounding at the thought of that day.

* * *

A few days later, an invitation arrived from the Empress’s Palace. A poetry reading by a famous poet was to be held.

“Lady Rivera is also attending. How about taking this opportunity to become friends with her?”

Rosette readily agreed to Isabelle’s suggestion.

On the day of the poetry reading, Rosette headed to the Empress’s Palace with Ines Rivera, who had visited the Duke’s residence.

Rosette once again observed Ines, who was sitting across from her.

‘She suits Daniel Oppa well.’

The Daniel that Rosette saw had a 외유내강 [a Korean idiom describing someone who appears gentle on the outside but is strong on the inside] personality. He seemed like the softest of the four Adrian siblings on the outside, but in reality, he had a stronger character than anyone else.

So, Rosette had often thought that it would be nice if Daniel met a woman with a similar personality.

And Ines Rivera was a perfect match for the partner that Rosette had imagined for Daniel.

She looked fragile on the outside, but you could tell how solid she was on the inside just by talking to her a little.

Above all, Daniel looked very happy when he was with Ines.

‘I’m glad, because Oppa is happy.’

As Rosette smiled without realizing it, Ines smiled back and asked.

“What are you thinking about that makes you smile like that, Rose?”

“Just that I’m so glad Daniel Oppa met Ines Unnie [term for older sister used by females].”

“Oh, my.”

Ines laughed, waving her hand. As they chatted, the carriage arrived at the Imperial Palace.

Rosette, who was walking towards the Empress’s Palace while talking to Ines, suddenly noticed something strange.

‘A hood?’

A woman wearing a hood that didn’t suit the Imperial Palace was walking towards them. She had pulled the hood over her head, so you couldn’t even tell what color her hair was.

However, you could tell that she was a maid, not a noble, from the quality of the fabric of her dress, even though it had no accessories.

Overall, she looked very suspicious, but no one pointed her out.

Then Rosette noticed a woman with bright auburn hair walking in front of the hooded person.

“Oh, my.”

The auburn-haired woman noticed Rosette and Ines and approached them.

“Isn’t that Lady Rivera? What brings you to the Imperial Palace?”

Rosette was briefly curious about her identity, but Ines smiled brightly and replied.

“It’s been a while, Duchess Lilith.”

She emphasized ‘Duchess Lilith’ and gave Rosette a hint.

Rosette observed the woman again.

‘This is Prince Louis’s birth mother and the Emperor’s secret lover.’

She was a woman who gave off a different feeling than Ophelia.

If Ophelia had a graceful and modestly beautiful face, Duchess Lilith was a beauty with striking features.

Her hair color was also a dark reddish-brown under the sunlight, making her look even more glamorous.

Moreover, like Ophelia, she looked unbelievably young for someone with a grown son. And she walked around the Imperial Palace with a confident attitude.

If someone didn’t know, they would think she was the Empress.

Duchess Lilith scanned Rosette with her emerald-like dark greenish-brown eyes.

“A pink-haired lady with Lady Rivera. Then this must be the rumored Duchess Adrian. Am I right?”

Even though there was an age difference, Rosette and Duchess Lilith were both duchesses.

It wasn’t appropriate to speak informally to each other at their first meeting. Yet, Duchess Lilith spoke to Rosette very naturally in an informal manner.

‘She’s probably doing that because she’s Prince Louis’s birth mother.’

Rosette pondered for a moment. But in this situation, it seemed better to appease Duchess Lilith’s mood appropriately. There was no need to cause a commotion near the Empress’s Palace.

“Nice to meet you, Duchess Lilith. I’m Rosette Adrian.”

“‘Duchess’ Lilith?”

Duchess Lilith, who seemed displeased, repeated the word and burst into laughter. Judging by her attitude, she probably wanted Rosette to call her ‘Duchess,’ respectfully.

‘I’ll respect you, but there’s no need to use such honorifics between duchesses.’

Rosette deliberately straightened her back more confidently. Duchess Lilith’s eyes flashed.

“You’re a little different from what I heard. I heard you were quiet and gentle.”

In other words, ‘I heard you were timid.’

“I’m trying to be quiet. But my brother sometimes teases me for being like a wild horse.”

“Really? Well, I like confident children more than quiet ones.”

Duchess Lilith chuckled and looked back at the hooded woman, who had been silent all along.

“Come to think of it, Elisha. Didn’t you say you met Duchess Adrian?”

Rosette was surprised by the familiar name.

‘Elisha? Could it be Elisha Dallas?’

‘Surely not,’ she thought, but the woman took off her hood. The dark blonde hair that had been hidden inside cascaded down, revealing her face.

Her skin was a little rougher than the last time she saw her, but her face was still pretty.

It was Elisha Dallas.

Elisha, who had been looking down, finally looked at Rosette. Her doll-like green eyes blazed with anger.

‘By the way, how is Elisha here?’

Rosette later briefly heard what had happened to the Dallas Marquisate [a territory or rank granted by the crown].

After Rosette’s kidnapping, there was much discussion among the nobles about whether the Dallas Marquisate should continue to exist.

Duke Adrian argued that even though Marquis Dallas was dead, the Marquisate should pay a reasonable price.

Nobles who opposed him argued that it was not right to deprive Dallas of his nobility just for kidnapping a duchess and children.

They believed that everything would be resolved if Alex Dallas, who was innocent, inherited the title of Marquis Dallas.

They argued that there was no need to hold the Marquis’s children accountable through guilt by association.

Duke Lilith withdrew from the situation. She may have manipulated the nobles who followed her from behind, but that was how it appeared on the surface.

Duke Adrian, who usually did not strongly express his opinions, unusually insisted strongly.

In the end, the Emperor sided with Duke Adrian. He stripped the Dallas family of their noble status for kidnapping Rosette and for kidnapping and experimenting on innocent children.

The retainers were scattered.

Alex Dallas, who was at least an adult, managed to obtain a knighthood on his own and became a quasi-noble.

Elisha Dallas…….

‘It seems like the Lilith Duchess’s family took care of her.’