The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 133

133. Request for a Date

March 12, 2024

Rosette was greatly surprised.

“You mean, the Prince chose them himself?”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s not that.”

Rosette’s voice trailed off.

‘He chose them himself?’

The image of Joshua wandering through a greenhouse full of flowers, carefully choosing each bloom, flashed through her mind.

Joshua, holding flowers under the soft sunlight filtering through the opaque ceiling.

It felt both fitting and somewhat unnatural.

Joshua had a lot of responsibilities as a prince. She had heard that he was so short on time that it was difficult for him to take personal time.

But he took the time to choose flowers just for her?

‘Calm down. He probably just instructed a servant to include pink roses and a few other flowers. Surely he didn’t go to the greenhouse himself to pick them out?’

That seemed more in line with Joshua’s personality.

But she wasn’t disappointed. Rosette was happy just knowing that Joshua had put a little more thought into the bouquet.

“Thank you. Joanne said she would arrange the bouquet in a vase and bring it to me. It’s probably in my room by now. It will brighten up the room, thanks to you.”

Joshua looked down at Rosette without a word.

‘He seems to be thinking about something.’

Rosette’s expression changed several times after hearing that he had chosen the flowers himself.

At first, she looked shocked, then her pale cheeks turned slightly red, and finally, she sighed in relief.

Joshua wondered why she seemed so relieved at the end.

‘Did she misunderstand me?’

If she had asked, ‘Did you really pick out the flowers yourself, Your Highness? Are you kidding me?’ he could have explained in more detail.

Before visiting the Adrian mansion, he had taken Silver with him to the large greenhouse next to the Empress’s Palace.

He pointed out delicate flowers that would suit Rosette and fragrant flowers, and the gardener following behind cut them and handed them to a servant.

The skilled servant then beautifully wrapped the collected flowers and handed them back to him.

So, saying he chose the flowers himself was entirely true.

However, it was awkward to explain all of that to Rosette, who didn’t ask anything.

Joshua, feeling somewhat uneasy, and Rosette, feeling reasonably satisfied, soon arrived in front of her room.

“Thank you for escorting me, Your Highness. Then, I’ll go in now. I hope to see you again sometime.”

At that moment, Silver nudged the back of Joshua’s hand with his nose, scolding him for not acting.

Receiving the wolf’s anxious signal, Joshua quickly stopped Rosette as she was about to open the door and enter.

“Lady Rosette, do you have any plans for this weekend?”

“This weekend? Um, I’ll probably just stay at the mansion. My family has repeatedly told me not to go out for the time being. Even though I’m really okay.”

She answered smoothly, then belatedly felt a sense of doubt and asked back.

“But why do you ask? Did the Empress perhaps ask for me?”

“It’s not that.”

Silver pushed harder behind Joshua’s thigh.

Half willingly, half forced, Joshua moved closer to Rosette and asked cautiously.

“Then, does that mean you’re free?”

“If you insist, yes.”

“Then, how about going on a picnic with me to Lake Herman that day?”

“A picnic?”

He slowly added, seeing Rosette startled.

“Of course, it would be nice if Daniel or Lucas could come too. The weather is nice, so it would be nice to go boating on the lake. I don’t think you’ve ever enjoyed boating before. You didn’t get to enjoy the last hunting competition properly either.”

“That’s right. When I was young, my dad wouldn’t let me because he said the water was dangerous.”

Rosette was tempted. At first, she was surprised, thinking Joshua was asking her on a date, but after hearing his additional words, it seemed he was just planning a picnic with Adrian after a long time.

It would be fun if the three siblings and Ines went together too.

“But will my family allow it? Especially Lucas, he’ll throw a fit.”

“If you want to go, I’ll take care of that.”

[Woof!]

Silver lifted his snout high into the air, as if to say, ‘Trust me.’ Rosette chuckled softly.

“Why are you so confident, Silver?”

Silver now raised his head even higher and howled. Rosette smiled again and looked up, then noticed Joshua’s face was a little stiff.

“Your Highness?”

Only after she called him cautiously did he move like someone thawing from being frozen.

“It might be a little difficult to persuade my teacher [Duke Adrian, Joshua’s mentor].”

Joshua sighed slightly, touching his forehead.

“That’s true. Dad worries about my safety the most. But I’m an adult now, so won’t he allow it?”

Rosette quickly added in an unsure tone.

“Of course, he might not allow it. But there’s nothing I can do.”

“…….”

“Even if I’m not there, Your Highness can go with Daniel or Lucas, so it doesn’t matter.”

‘I’ll be a little sad that I can’t go with Your Highness, though.’

Rosette barely swallowed the sincerity that was about to burst out.

“I…….”

Joshua hesitated for a moment. Rosette waited for the words to come out of his mouth.

A little later, Joshua changed his words.

“I’ll try to persuade my teacher well. I’ll definitely succeed.”

His expression was more serious than before, and even had a slightly determined atmosphere.

It was different from Silver, who was still confidently puffing out his chest as if to say, ‘Trust me,’ but somehow a little similar.

“There’s no need to go that far…….”

“I’m doing it because I want to, so you don’t have to worry.”

Rosette looked at Joshua’s face for a moment, trying to figure out what he was thinking. However, she couldn’t easily read Joshua’s thoughts.

Seeing her wrinkling her nose slightly, Joshua gestured to Silver. Silver barked and gently pulled on Rosette’s skirt. It meant it was time to go into the room.

“Silver is urging you. You should go in now.”

“No, that…….”

“Then, I’ll see you on the weekend.”

Joshua opened Rosette’s door for her. Rosette, pushed into the room by Silver, turned around, but the door quickly closed.

[……!]

Silver, who was suddenly left in the room with her, raised his front paws and scratched at the door.

“Silver, calm down. I’ll open it.”

‘But even if it’s not this door, can’t you just go out the window?’

Rosette was puzzled, but she opened the door and looked down the hallway. Joshua was nowhere to be seen, having already gone down the stairs.

Rosette watched Silver rush away, then closed the door again and entered the room.

‘Boating with the Prince…….’

Even though she knew there was no special meaning in Joshua’s suggestion, her heart was pounding.

* * *

Leaving the mansion, Joshua headed back to the garden. He had felt Daniel’s piercing gaze since earlier, but he pretended not to notice.

After talking with the two Adrians, he went to meet Duke Adrian, who had returned to the mansion.

“Teacher, have you been well?”

“I’ve been fine. Has Your Highness been healthy?”

“As you can see, I am healthy.”

“How is the Empress?”

“She is much better, thanks to the Lady Rosette.”

Duke Adrian’s expression clouded slightly.

“I’m glad that Rose was helpful to the Empress.”

He didn’t show it, but the Duke felt a little complicated.

It wasn’t a lie that he was glad Rosette had been helpful. But he couldn’t just be happy.

When the Duke brought Rosette [adopted her into the family], he only wanted one thing from her: for her to blossom her talents and do whatever she wanted.

So, he told his youngest daughter, who asked what she should do, to just be like a child. He didn’t force her to do anything.

In fact, it was the same for his other children. The Duke just wanted his four children to live happily and peacefully.

But as long as they were born as Adrians, the children couldn’t just live quietly. Whether they wanted to or not, they would inevitably face various trials.

Someone would try to use the children, and someone else would be jealous of them. In the worst case, someone might even try to take their lives.

Duke Adrian didn’t have any particular ambition, but he silently protected his family so that his four children could do everything they wanted in peace.

‘If I had ambition, I would have tried to make Isabel or Rose the Crown Princess long ago.’

But the Duke didn’t do that. Rather, he hoped that his two daughters wouldn’t get involved with the Imperial Family privately. It was separate from cherishing Joshua like a son.

However, Rosette, who couldn’t know his heart, had been constantly involved with the Imperial Family since she was young.

Even the Emperor subtly expressed his desire for Rosette to be connected with one of the princes.

It was a complicated matter for Duke Adrian.

‘Should I just let Rose get involved with the Imperial Family like this?’

But he couldn’t stop Rosette from helping Ophelia when she could.

‘Rose is very fond of the Empress.’

The Duke managed his troubled heart and smiled, and Joshua carefully brought up the topic.

“So, about that.”

He continued, slightly looking at the Duke’s expression like a child who had done something wrong.

“I was wondering if it would be okay to go boating on Lake Herman with the Lady Rosette this weekend?”

“With Rose?”

“I wanted to repay her for her help this time.”

Duke Adrian doubted his ears for a moment.

Why is boating coming up here, and why are you specifically talking about Rosette?

The Duke organized his thoughts with a slightly embarrassed feeling and replied.

“There are many things I want to say, but first, I think I should ask you this. What is the connection between repayment and boating?”