The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 106

106. Michael Röscher’s Proposal

A man with silver hair tinged with red and striking red eyes.

He possessed a delicate appearance, poised between boyhood and young manhood, instantly reminding Rosette of a child.

‘Michael?’

Seven years ago, an unidentified child had suddenly appeared in her life, only to vanish without a trace. A child she hadn’t heard from since that day, leaving her to wonder whether he was dead or alive.

And now, someone who looked exactly like Michael was standing before her.

As if sensing Rosette’s gaze, the man, who had been conversing with someone beside him, turned to look at her. The moment their eyes met, a bright smile illuminated his face.

The instant she saw his beautifully curving eyes, Rosette was certain.

‘It’s Michael.’

No other man possessed such a rare appearance and captivating smile.

‘I see, he’s from the Shelton Kingdom; that’s why I couldn’t get any news about him.’

It would be a lie to claim she had constantly worried about Michael for the past seven years.

She had been concerned for Michael’s safety, the one who had saved her, but not to the point where it consumed her life.

She was merely occasionally curious about his fate.

Seeing him safe and sound now, she felt a sense of relief, as if a small weight had been lifted from her heart.

Rosette excused herself briefly from the Empire’s welcoming party and approached Michael, who noticed her and stepped forward.

“What’s the matter?”

“Um…”

Unsure of what to say, Rosette carefully chose her words before finally speaking.

“Michael… is that you?”

Michael smiled, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

“My name is Michael, but who are you to know my name?”

“…Pardon?”

Rosette was taken aback.

‘Why doesn’t he recognize me?’

Rosette wasn’t as strikingly unique as Michael, but she still possessed a fairly noticeable appearance. She didn’t know about the Shelton Kingdom, but at least within the Ernhardt Empire, pink hair was a rarity.

Besides, Rosette and Michael had been kidnapped together by Marquis Dallas and had shared a life-or-death experience.

How could he forget someone like Rosette?

“Oh? Don’t tell me you don’t remember me? We were, um…”

Rosette hesitated, unsure how to define her relationship with Michael.

Michael, who had been listening intently, chuckled softly.

His voice was a little deeper than she remembered, but it still held that clear, distinct laugh.

“I’m just kidding.”

He smiled, his eyes slightly reddened with mirth.

“There’s no way I could forget you, Rose.”

Rosette finally felt relieved and returned his smile.

“I told you not to call me Rose.”

“But Rose is sweeter than Rosette.”

“That…”

She didn’t quite know how to respond to such a direct compliment.

Rosette was still stammering, unable to formulate a reply, when a servant announced the Emperor’s arrival.

Rosette quickly glanced at Michael before returning to Antoni Huxley’s side.

“Do you know him?” Antoni inquired.

“Yeah. I guess.”

“How do you know him?”

“He’s a child who came to the Empire before. I met him then.”

Antoni looked as if he wanted to ask more, but just then, the Emperor entered the hall.

The Empire’s welcoming party offered an Imperial greeting, while the Shelton Kingdom delegation gave a royal greeting.

The Emperor, wearing a red sash across his shoulder, greeted the delegation with a benevolent smile.

“Welcome. Thank you for your efforts on the long journey.”

A middle-aged man, seemingly the head of the delegation, knelt on one knee and kissed the Emperor’s ring.

“Thank you for welcoming us, Your Majesty.”

“I hope this visit will strengthen the relationship between the Ernhardt Empire and the Shelton Kingdom.”

“We share that hope.”

“Then, I’ll leave you to greet each other. I’ll see you again at the welcome party this evening.”

“Thank you for your kindness.”

After the Emperor’s departure, the welcoming party and the delegation exchanged greetings. Rosette found an opportunity to speak with Michael again.

Rosette took Michael’s arm and led him to a less crowded corner.

“What’s going on?” Michael asked, shrugging lightly.

“What do you mean, what’s going on? I came as a member of the delegation.”

“No, not that.”

Rosette lowered her voice slightly.

“What happened seven years ago?”

“Ah, you’re talking about that time.”

Rosette frowned, a hint of worry in her expression.

“I was so worried about you all this time. Back then, you…”

Rosette couldn’t speak freely, glancing around to ensure privacy. This time, Michael took her arm.

“Let’s go outside and talk.”

“Huh?”

Rosette was slightly flustered. Michael glanced back at the Shelton Kingdom delegation.

“I heard that the Imperial Palace gardens are beautiful, and the Princess is going to show me around. Would anyone like to join us?”

Fortunately, or perhaps not, no one volunteered. Michael spoke again, as if he had anticipated this.

“I guess I have no choice. Then I’ll just have to go alone.”

“Ah, I’ll go with you…” Antoni began, attempting to intervene. However, someone from the delegation addressed him.

“Ah, come to think of it, Lord Huxley, didn’t you say you were from the Ivelin Royal Academy? I’m an alumnus as well.”

Antoni, now engaged in conversation, looked back at Rosette with a pleading expression, but there was nothing she could do.

Rosette simply smiled, and Michael extended his hand to her.

“Well then, shall we go?”

Rosette hesitated for a moment before taking his hand.

A servant followed behind them, maintaining a distance where he could observe them without overhearing their conversation, as it was not permissible to leave the two alone without supervision.

Still uneasy, Rosette glanced at the servant, and Michael whispered.

“It’s okay. It’s a story that doesn’t matter if he hears it anyway. If you’re really worried, let’s use soundproofing magic.”

Michael lightly flicked his finger, and soundproofing magic enveloped them. The magic allowed them to hear external sounds, but the sounds spoken within the transparent barrier remained contained.

“Is this okay?”

“Yeah.”

“So you were very worried about me?” Michael asked, a hint of happiness in his voice. Rosette, however, didn’t notice, and quickly pressed him for answers.

“What the heck happened that day?”

She had felt composed until now, but her voice betrayed her anxiety as she questioned Michael.

“Well, where should I begin?”

“That day, you left to catch Marquis Dallas. But it was our dad who caught Marquis Dallas.”

At the time, Duke Adrian had claimed to have apprehended Marquis Dallas himself. Rosette had inquired about a platinum-haired boy, but he had denied seeing such a child.

“Ah, Duke Adrian said that, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Well, it’s not wrong.”

“What does that mean? Is there another story?”

“No. You’re right.”

Michael muttered cryptically and began to explain before Rosette could press him further.

“That day, I tried to follow Marquis Dallas, but I couldn’t find him. Then I thought, if I get involved, I might not be safe either.”

“…”

“So I decided to return to my country. With the help of a trader who traded with the Shelton Kingdom, I was able to return home after many twists and turns.”

He vaguely described it as ‘twists and turns,’ but it certainly hadn’t been an easy journey.

Michael claimed to be around twenty years old at the time, but Rosette still suspected he was joking.

‘Maybe he was sixteen or seventeen, even if his growth was slow.’

It wouldn’t have been easy for such a young person to return home in an unfamiliar place with the assistance of strangers.

Rosette patted Michael on the back with a sympathetic heart.

“It must have been hard.”

“Well, it wasn’t that hard.”

“Still, why didn’t you ask for help? You could have told me. You helped me, so I could have done that much for you.”

“I guess. I didn’t think of that.”

Michael chuckled softly.

He had been a child shrouded in secrets, even back then. His surname, origin, and age were all mysteries….

Michael had called Rosette a ‘friend,’ but in reality, she knew almost nothing about him.

“The old stories are boring, so let’s stop. How have you been?”

Michael changed the subject. Rosette, sensing his reluctance to dwell on the past, gladly moved on.

“Well, I’ve been doing well. Actually, I went to the Ivelin Royal Academy right after that and came back recently.”

“Ivelin Kingdom?”

“Yeah. Come to think of it, we were very close.”

“I know. If I had known, I would have gone to the Ivelin Kingdom.”

Rosette asked him, as he whispered his regret.

“What about you? How have you been after returning to the Shelton Kingdom?”

“Well, I didn’t do anything special. I just studied magic in my territory.”

“That’s right, the territory. Come to think of it, you said you were a noble too, right? Can’t you tell me which family you’re from now?”

“I guess so.”

Michael took a step back, bowed slightly, and extended his right hand. Rosette, a little slow to understand his gesture, placed her hand in his palm, and Michael kissed the back of her hand deeply.

“My name is Michael Röscher. Count Röscher of the Shelton Kingdom, no, now it’s Marquis. Anyway, that’s it.”

“Marquis?”

“Yeah. His Majesty the King highly praised my magical skills and granted me the title of Marquis, or something like that.”

Michael smiled and straightened his posture, still holding Rosette’s hand.

“Hey, Rose. Do you remember what you said last that day?”

“Last?”

She tried to recall their final conversation that day, but it was so long ago that her memory was hazy. She only vaguely remembered that he had saved her and they had said goodbye.

“Well. I don’t remember. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago, so it can’t be helped.”

He kissed the back of Rosette’s hand again.

“I said I’d come back to get you.”

Ah, she remembered. She seemed to have said that.

She had dismissed it without much thought at the time, but Michael was now standing before her, fulfilling his promise.

“I came all the way here to get you.”

Michael gazed down at Rosette with intense eyes.

“My Rose. If I asked you to come with me…”

He slightly parted his lips and gently nipped the tip of Rosette’s finger before releasing it.

“Will you come with me?”

“Can I ask what you mean by coming with you?”