The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 129

129. Silver’s Confidence

Joshua couldn’t shake off his worries until the end of the hunting competition. As a prince, he had many duties, but he found it impossible to concentrate.

Even after returning to the Emerald Palace, he hesitated repeatedly about whether to send Silver to Rosette or not.

Silver also whined, eagerly expressing his desire to go, but Joshua insisted on waiting until night, when Rosette’s room would be empty. He worried Silver might be seen coming and going.

Time seemed to drag on endlessly that day. He was exhausted from chasing prey, yet Joshua couldn’t even close his eyes for a moment, anxiously awaiting nightfall.

When the usually bustling Imperial Palace finally quieted down, he sent Silver.

Only after hearing Rosette’s cheerful voice through the magic communication device a short while later did he feel relieved.

“Hoo……”

Joshua chuckled as he watched Silver, who had already devoured all his snacks and was now licking his lips.

Then, he suddenly remembered something and retrieved the necklace he had hidden deep in a drawer.

It was a magical artifact Ophelia had given him when he was young, designed to help Joshua, who had traveled back in time, remember his past.

The pendant, which had lost all its light and turned black when he first returned to the past, had almost completely regained its color.

Joshua clenched the necklace in his fist.

‘There’s bound to be side effects.’

This artifact had only preserved Joshua’s memories, yet it had nearly exhausted its power over ten years.

There was no way Rosette, who had directly turned back time, would be fine without any consequences.

‘Honestly, I didn’t care about it before.’

He had told Rosette he hadn’t thought about it before, but to be precise, he had dismissed it as something that didn’t concern him.

Even if something happened, he had thought it was something Rosette would have to deal with.

Since Rosette would have died anyway if she hadn’t turned back time, he figured it was better to turn back time even if there were penalties.

But at some point, Joshua began to fear the burdens Rosette would have to bear.

‘What if something goes wrong?’

Joshua didn’t even have a clue what kind of magic Rosette had used.

But the fact that even he, who had learned magic from the best teachers as a prince, had never heard of such magic meant it must be forbidden magic.

There was a reason why forbidden magic was forbidden. Most such magic was prohibited because it placed a heavy burden on the caster’s body.

Could it be that what Rosette used was also that kind of magic?

‘If the Princess Consort gets hurt, what will happen in the future?’

Joshua had received a lot of help from Rosette so far. He had boasted that he could change the future enough on his own, but he wouldn’t have been able to handle things so smoothly without Rosette.

It would be easier to reach his goal in the future with Rosette.

But it wasn’t just because of that.

Joshua was simply afraid that something would happen to Rosette.

He could count on one hand the number of people who had stirred such profound feelings within him: Ophelia, Duke Adrian, and Daniel.

And now, Rosette had been added to that exclusive list.

Reflecting on this, Joshua felt compelled to re-examine his own emotions.

‘Perhaps I’m… fond of the Princess Consort.’

Joshua began to objectively analyze his interactions with Rosette. Simply retracing the significant events left him feeling conflicted.

‘It’s not all good.’

Chasing after her the moment he saw her at Adrian’s mansion, demanding she distance herself from Adrian, pressuring her to save Ophelia, and so on.

There was little in his behavior that would endear him to Rosette.

At the time, Joshua had acted on instinct, but in hindsight, he realized he had started off on the wrong foot.

“Silver.”

[Woof?]

“What does the Princess Consort like?”

The question was impulsive, driven by a sudden urge.

Joshua felt a pressing need to redefine his relationship with Rosette and believed he should offer her something she would truly appreciate.

Silver tilted his head, puzzled by the unexpected inquiry. The silver wolf had never pondered Rosette’s preferences.

In truth, he hadn’t needed to. Rosette’s affection for Silver was evident in her every interaction.

Recalling Rosette’s radiant smile whenever she saw him, Silver barked confidently, “Woof!”

Me?

The self-assured wolf seemed to be saying just that. Joshua was momentarily taken aback.

“…So, you’re suggesting the Princess Consort likes you?”

“Wouldn’t you think so?” Silver responded, wagging his tail enthusiastically.

As Joshua continued to frown, gazing down at him with skepticism, the wolf elaborated.

“Rosette hugs me tightly and showers me with affection whenever she sees me! She brings me treats and tells me she misses me!”

It was a reasonable assessment, all things considered. Even Joshua acknowledged that Rosette genuinely cherished and adored Silver.

However, that wasn’t the answer he was seeking.

Joshua rephrased his question.

“I meant, aside from you or Bbibbi [likely a pet name], what else could I give her that would bring her joy?”

Silver groaned, his brow furrowing in canine concentration. But even Silver couldn’t conjure a suitable response.

‘What am I even doing right now?’

Joshua, who had been earnestly awaiting Silver’s insightful answer, let out a hollow, self-deprecating laugh.

“Forget it. It was foolish of me to expect anything from you.”

Silver whined, as if protesting the unfair judgment, but Joshua didn’t even feign attention.

“First, I should pay her a visit.”

In their younger days, Rosette and Joshua met more frequently than they did as adults. He would visit the Adrian estate, or Rosette would visit the Imperial Palace.

Alternatively, he would have Silver summon Rosette to the forest.

However, now that they were adults, their meetings were rare, due to the ever-watchful eyes around them.

Every move of Imperial Prince Joshua and Duchess Rosette was scrutinized. Thus, they had no choice but to be cautious.

But perhaps a brief visit with Rosette while he was already visiting Daniel wouldn’t raise suspicion.

Having made his decision, Joshua lightly tapped Silver’s nose, who was still grumbling, and entered his bedroom.

* * *

It was a leisurely afternoon. Bbibbi was overjoyed, gobbling up the biscuit crumbs Rosette had broken for him, while Rosette worked on the homework Celine had assigned, alongside Melody.

Although both had graduated from the notoriously difficult Evelyn Royal Academy, they continued to take lessons from Celine.

Celine claimed she had nothing left to teach them, but this was only after persistent begging from the two friends.

‘There’s still so much to learn from Celine.’

In terms of raw magical skill, Rosette had already surpassed Celine. Rosette could wield a significantly larger amount of mana, and her theoretical knowledge was greater.

After all, Rosette had been studying magic for over twenty years, including her past life.

But Celine’s experience and diverse career still offered invaluable lessons that Rosette, who felt like she had lived a sheltered life [like a frog in a well, meaning someone with limited experience], could learn from.

“So, Melody, what are your plans for the future?”

At Rosette’s question, Melody put down her quill and considered the question seriously.

“I don’t know yet.”

“How about receiving a knighthood like your brother? Even a mage can receive a knighthood. Then, as a quasi-noble, you’d have more opportunities than you do now.”

“Hmm, I’m considering that. Or maybe I should join the Knights or a magical research lab.”

Melody, after answering thoughtfully, returned the question.

“What about you, Rosette? What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to…”

Rosette couldn’t bring herself to answer honestly and offered a faint smile instead.

‘I need to protect the Empress from Duchess Lillis and help the Imperial Prince get appointed as Crown Prince.’

Leonie Lillis, perhaps shaken by the attempted poisoning of Ophelia, was currently keeping a low profile. She no longer frequented the Imperial Palace, which she used to visit constantly, and remained primarily at the Duke’s residence.

The Second Imperial Prince, Louis, also wasn’t making any notable moves.

However, this wasn’t necessarily a good thing. Rosette felt that this period of peace was like the calm before a storm.

“I’m just going to spend time with my family for a while. I was so busy at the academy. I’m too tired to do anything else.”

“That’s true. I feel the same way, actually.”

As Rosette solved complex formulas and chatted with Melody, she suddenly felt a familiar sensation of something trickling from her nose.

At the same time, Melody, noticing Rosette’s face, widened her eyes in surprise.

“Rosette, you’re having a nosebleed!”

Reflexively dabbing under her nose, Rosette found red blood on her fingers.

“Ah, again…….”

“Again?”

[Beep!]

Rosette pressed the handkerchief that Pipi hurriedly brought to her nose. Pipi cried worriedly, and Melody called for Joan.

Joan, who entered the room, seemed a little surprised, but soon regained her composure and pressed Rosette’s nose firmly on both sides.

“You must be tired. It would be best to rest today.”

“Okay, I understand.”

Rosette nodded in acknowledgement. After the nosebleed stopped, she returned to her room and lay down for a while.

A moment later, the door burst open, and Lucas rushed in.

“Hey, kid! I heard you collapsed again!”

“I didn’t collapse. I just had a little nosebleed.”

“That’s the same thing!”

Lucas, making an absurd claim, noticed the books on Rosette’s desk and started to fuss.

“Looking at those things is what’s causing the nosebleeds! I’m confiscating all these books.”

He gathered all the books into his arms. There were many books, and they were quite thick, so they must have been heavy, but he didn’t seem strained at all.

“Confiscate? What…….”

“You need to rest, but you keep doing other things, so you’re not getting better.”

Rosette felt wronged.

‘I’m really fine.’

Ever since she collapsed during the hunting competition, her family, especially Lucas, had been watching her with hawk-like eyes. Rosette had to be careful as if she had done something wrong, even though she hadn’t.

She had stopped her morning swordsmanship training and diligently took the medicine prescribed by her doctor. Of course, she also ate plenty. She ate as diligently as she had when she was a child, trying to get chubby.

She had been trying to take care of herself as much as possible, and then she just looked at some books today.

She had been living a more lazy life than usual, yet she got a nosebleed. She was the one who was dumbfounded.

Nevertheless, Lucas was firm.

“Anyway, no way. These are confiscated. I’ll give them back when you’re all better.”

Lucas placed the books in the hallway and then came back inside.

Rosette muttered, sounding utterly bewildered.

“I can’t read books, I can’t exercise… Then what am I supposed to do?”

Lucas grinned.

“Should this big brother read you a fairy tale or something?”