The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 159

159. The Truth Revealed (6)

2024.04.07.

“So, selfishly, I couldn’t let you go to anyone else. Especially not to Marquis Lecher.”

It was a candid confession. Paradoxically, that made it all the more touching.

Rosette pulled the blanket over her head to hide her instantly flushed face. She could hear Joshua chuckling from beyond the blanket.

Rosette lowered the blanket to just below her eyes and continued the conversation.

“So, Joshua found a way?”

“Yes.”

Joshua explained the urgent situation.

Finding the book that served as a clue among Marquis Dallas’s belongings, deciphering the code to learn that Rosette was in the boundary of time [a hidden dimension or pocket of altered time flow], and even following her into the boundary of time to find her himself.

Rosette, who had been quietly listening while leaning against Silver, who was lying next to her, was startled by the part where Joshua came to find her himself.

“You came to find me yourself?”

“It was important, so I couldn’t leave it to anyone else. And it was naturally my job to do.”

“But it’s dangerous!”

Rosette shot up.

“It was a place I couldn’t escape from on my own. A place where nothing was known. What if something had gone wrong?”

“I went prepared.”

“That’s even more of a problem! Why would you prepare for something like that…”

“It would have been more painful to lose you by doing nothing.”

“Still…”

Joshua kissed Rosette’s fingertips again.

“And we both came back safe and sound.”

Rosette sighed and rubbed her face roughly.

“I didn’t know you were such a reckless person.”

“That’s right. I don’t usually do reckless things. But this time, I had to.”

“You must never do that again.”

“Next time, you shouldn’t create a situation where I have to do such a thing in the first place.”

“I guess that’s true.”

Rosette chuckled and intertwined her fingers with Joshua’s.

“I’ll try to make sure that doesn’t happen again.”

“Good.”

Joshua played with Rosette’s fingers for a while.

Then, he said with a start, “Come to think of it, the most important problem remains.”

“What is it?”

Joshua smiled as if he was truly embarrassed.

“I think your family found out about us.”

* * *

“Sweetheart, are you really okay? You’re not dizzy or anything, are you?”

As soon as Rosette finished washing up and changing with Joan’s help, her family rushed in as if they had been waiting for her.

Lukas was the first to grab Rosette’s shoulders and examine her.

“Yes, Brother. I’m fine. You saw I was okay earlier. You don’t have to worry anymore.”

“Okay. That’s really a relief.”

Lukas frowned, wrinkling his chin like a walnut. Rosette could easily tell that he was barely holding back tears.

‘Lukas stayed by my side the whole time, didn’t he?’

She had heard the details of how her relationship with Joshua was exposed to her family from Joshua earlier.

Lukas, worried about Rosette not contacting them, sent Silver at night as usual, only to be caught by Lukas, who was guarding her side.

Even if Lukas was oblivious, he couldn’t have failed to notice the relationship between Rosette and Joshua given the situation.

Daniel and Isabel had already noticed, and Duke Adrian seemed to have recognized Joshua’s feelings as he watched him struggle to save Rosette this time.

“Don’t get sick again, sweetheart. This brother was really worried.”

“Yes, Brother. I won’t get sick anymore.”

Rosette hugged Lukas, who was embracing her, and scanned the other family members.

Daniel and Isabel were also watching her with worried expressions.

And Duke Adrian…

‘I can’t look at Father.’

Rosette couldn’t bring herself to meet the Duke’s eyes and lowered her gaze.

Joshua assured her that even if Duke Adrian knew all the truth, he would never despise Rosette. Rosette also believed those words.

However, Rosette was anxious. She was worried that the situation might turn out differently from her expectations.

‘But I can’t avoid it any longer.’

As Rosette clenched her fist and steeled her resolve, Joshua asked,

“By the way, sweetheart, what’s your relationship with His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Ah, that’s…”

Rosette took a deep breath and mustered her courage to speak.

“Let’s talk about that later. Can I talk to Father first?”

“To Father?”

“Yes. I have something important to tell him.”

Daniel answered first.

“Okay. We can see you at dinner.”

“I guess we have no choice.”

Lukas hugged Rosette once more before leaving the room with Daniel and Isabel.

Soon, only Rosette, Joshua, and Duke Adrian remained in Rosette’s room.

“Father, I…”

Rosette still couldn’t look at the Duke’s face and mumbled. Then, she heard the sound of Duke Adrian approaching, and he carefully embraced Rosette.

“I’m glad your complexion is much better than before.”

“Father, you know…”

The Duke patted Rosette’s back and spoke gently.

“You don’t have to say anything.”

“Pardon?”

“I’ve been thinking about it alone. I’ve been wondering if it’s right to press you and pry when you’re in so much pain.”

“…”

“I’m curious about what secrets you’re hiding. But I want to know because that secret seems to be hurting you, not for any other reason.”

“Father…”

“But it’s okay now. If only you can be safe and happy, I don’t care about anything else.”

A vile selfishness resurfaced. What if she closed her mouth when Duke Adrian said he wouldn’t listen?

But she didn’t want to do that anymore.

“I appreciate you thinking of me, Father. But I want to talk now.”

“…”

“The story I’m about to tell you may be hard to believe, and it may be very shocking. No, it is very shocking.”

“Rose, you don’t have to push yourself.”

“No, please listen.”

Duke Adrian pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down. Joshua also took a seat next to him.

When Rosette’s eyes met his, Joshua nodded slightly. Rosette opened her mouth again.

“Where should I start? You may already know, Father, but to put it bluntly, I turned back time with magic.”

As expected, Duke Adrian didn’t seem surprised, perhaps because he had already expected it. Instead, he asked calmly.

“May I ask how you ended up doing such a dangerous thing?”

Rosette clasped her trembling hands together.

“Before turning back time, I was adopted by Marquis Dallas. It was when I was eight years old.”

“…Marquis Dallas?”

“Yes.”

Duke Adrian’s demeanor turned fierce, as if he had noticed something at the mention of ‘Marquis Dallas.’

“What did that man do to you?”

“Marquis Dallas taught me magic. Magic that could sneak into a mansion without anyone knowing and kill people silently.”

“Such…!”

“As if that wasn’t enough, he placed a curse-like spell on my heart. Because of that spell, I harmed people like a puppet of the Marquis.”

Rosette frowned.

“Marquis Dallas’s biggest rival was…”

“It must have been Adrian.”

The Duke said calmly.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Rosette continued, feeling a chill at the tip of her nose.

“Marquis Dallas, who joined hands with Duke Lilith, tried to make Louis Lilith, that is, His Highness the Second Prince, who is now recognized as the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince. He also tried to eliminate Joshua, no, His Highness the First Prince.”

“…”

“In the process, my brother Daniel had a major accident and became crippled in one leg, and the Empress was poisoned and died. And in the end…”

Rosette squeezed out her voice with difficulty.

“He tried to kill Father and my brother Daniel by using me.”

“…!”

“I sneaked into the Adrian mansion and went to Father’s office. And, perhaps, the event that Father saw in his dream unfolded.”

Rosette finally shed tears. Clear tears fell on her tightly clasped hands, which were white with strain.

“Father was worried about me even though he knew I was an assassin sent by Marquis Dallas. He said that seeing me reminded him of Isabel. He even said that he would save me if I wanted. I couldn’t bring myself to harm such a father. So I tried to go back, but…”

Rosette was now sobbing.

“Because of the spell that the Marquis had cast, hic, I ended up killing Father…”

“That’s enough, Rose.”

Duke Adrian quickly hugged Rose and comforted her. But Rosette stubbornly revealed everything.

“I don’t know what happened after that. When I came to my senses later, I was locked in the underground prison, and I learned that I had even killed my brother Daniel. Everything was as Marquis Dallas intended.”

“…”

“The Crown Prince came to me and urged me while crying. Father, I really didn’t want to do that. I, really…”

“Yes, I know your heart well. You are a very tender child, so you wouldn’t have wanted to do such a thing.”

“Then, suddenly, I remembered the magic that Marquis Dallas had told me to learn in preparation for an emergency. The magic to turn back time. I used that magic while praying to the Goddess, and when I opened my eyes again, I was back to being eight years old. After that, it’s what Father knows.”

“…”

“I used magic to save my sister Jane, who had died in the past, and Father, who saw it, decided to adopt me. I didn’t want to go. How could I be Father’s daughter? That’s ridiculous. But when I saw my brother Daniel, who hadn’t hurt his leg yet, I knew that only I could change the future.”

Rosette collapsed in the Duke’s arms, exhausted.

There was much more she wanted to say and had to say. But she couldn’t say any more now.

Then, Duke Adrian, who was patting Rosette, opened his mouth with difficulty.

“It must have been…”

His voice cracked painfully.

“It must have been very hard.”

Tears flowed from the Duke’s eyes and fell on Rosette’s body.