The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 197

197. A Joyful Reunion (1)

May 15, 2024

“And don’t you dare utter Rose’s name with that mouth. What do you even know about her to dare speak of her?”

Duke Lilith tried to protest, but he couldn’t utter a word.

Joshua looked down at the Duke with an impassive face. It would be a lie to say he hadn’t imagined what it would feel like to destroy the ducal family that had ruined everything for him.

However, he couldn’t quite anticipate the emotions that would surface.

Would it be a relief, like having a bad tooth pulled, or would he want to break the Duke down even further, so he would wail more desperately, questioning why he had tried to ruin him so?

But seeing the burning Lilith ducal estate and the utterly ruined Duke, he felt nothing.

He just wanted to see Rosette Adrian.

Would she be awake by now? Would she be in pain? He’d heard the wound on her palm wouldn’t heal easily; would it still not be fully healed?

His mind was filled only with her.

If only Rosette could wake up properly, he wouldn’t care about the Crown Prince position.

He wanted to hold Rosette, who smiled shyly, in his arms and feel her warmth and heartbeat. He wanted to inhale the rose scent that faintly lingered, like her rose-colored hair.

For the past 10 years—no, for more than 20 years, including his past life—there hadn’t been a single day he could rest easy. His life had been that fierce and desperate.

That life had been completely changed by Rosette alone. She was a savior who had completely changed his life, stained with regret, and at the same time, she was a lover who had awakened emotions he had never felt before.

Love between a man and a woman. He thought it was just a word that existed in dictionaries.

Before he knew it, the knights had subdued all the Duke’s soldiers. Duke Lilith, who was screaming incoherently, fainted.

“Everything is taken care of. What shall we do, Your Highness?”

“Take them all to the Imperial Palace and imprison them. Await His Majesty’s orders.”

“Understood. Then I will prepare the gate.”

Joshua licked his parched lower lip and hesitated. Silver, noticing his concern, raised his front paws and clung to Joshua.

[Woof! Woof woof!]

He was clamoring to go see Rosette quickly, scratching at Joshua’s arm.

Blinking once, Joshua brushed away the longing that filled his eyes and soothed Silver.

“Not yet, Silver.”

[Woof?]

“We must finish this properly. We’ve waited so long, and Rose has given us a chance that will never come again. We can’t mess things up now.”

Silver whined as if he was disappointed, but Joshua’s resolve was firm. He roughly wiped the blood off his sword, put it back in its scabbard, and instructed the knights.

“Everyone, hurry. We are returning to the capital as quickly as possible from now on.”

Joshua was planning to bring peaceful tranquility to Rosette as spoils of war.

* * *

“Ugh, I’m so frustrated!”

Lukas, who had been quietly staring at a book next to Rosette, writhed.

“How long are we going to be banned from going out? How old am I?”

Rosette smiled faintly.

“We can’t help it. We caused quite a stir.”

“Even so, it’s already been a month! Daniel and Isabel both went to the capital and saw what happened, but we’re just stuck here?”

Rosette didn’t answer and turned the page of her book. When she didn’t agree with him, Lukas grabbed Pipi and complained.

“Pipi, aren’t you frustrated too? Birds are supposed to fly freely! This is just a birdcage, only bigger, isn’t it?”

[Pip? Pip-pip!]

*What are you talking about, you idiot? I went out, you know?*

Pipi scoffed, and Lukas narrowed his eyes.

“Did you just call me an idiot?”

[Peep? Piii!]

Pipi pretended not to, but it didn’t work.

“No, you didn’t! I’ve been with you for a whole month; do you think I can’t understand you? I know everything, even when you openly cursed at me because you thought I couldn’t understand you! I’m going to roast you and eat you!”

[Peep!]

Pipi trembled and hid in Rosette’s abundant hair. Lukas, who was laughing like a villain in a fairy tale, collapsed on the table.

“Ugh, I’m bored.”

As Lukas said, it had been almost a month since the two of them were banned from going out.

Rosette spent time with Lukas, Melody, and Ines, who had come to the estate to play. Even if not, she had many things to do on her own.

She read books she hadn’t finished, studied magic, and slept in.

When she got tired of that, she went to the greenhouse with Joan to look at the flowers. The greenhouse in the Adrian estate was as large and splendid as the Imperial Palace, so it was fun to look around.

Unlike Lukas, who often writhed because he was bored, she wasn’t lonely at all.

Rather, she welcomed the peaceful daily life she had after a long time. It had been 12 years since she turned back time, but this was the first time she had lived without any worries.

Even when she was protected by her family as a child, she had guilt and a sense of duty to protect them in one corner of her heart.

No, not only the 12 years she lived as Adrian, but even the time she lived as Dallas, this was the first time she had such peace.

It was like going back to the time when she lived with Jane and the other children in the orphanage before she was adopted by Dallas.

‘When I go back to the capital this time, I have to meet Jane and the director.’

In the meantime, she had been hearing news about Jane and the people at the orphanage through Duke Adrian. The Duke had been supporting the children in many ways.

In particular, Jane had graduated from the academy with quite good grades.

Once she started thinking about what she wanted to do, the things she wanted to do piled up like a mountain.

‘I want to go on a picnic with Joshua too…….’

In particular, there were many things she wanted to do with Joshua. Looking back, they rarely spent time together.

She had met him when she was young or after reuniting after several years of separation, but that was because of work.

The only things they talked about at that time were how to protect Ophelia and Adrian safely, and how to get rid of the Lilith ducal family.

After they understood each other’s feelings, they couldn’t meet often.

But if everything was resolved, wouldn’t she be able to enjoy dates with Joshua without worrying about what others thought?

‘But when will I be able to see him?’

She heard about the situation in the capital from the Duke and Daniel, who had been going back and forth to the capital for the past month.

The Emperor, who had heard everything related to Michael, was furious and arrested Louis and the main people of the Lilith ducal family.

After a long truth battle, Louis’s fault was revealed, and he was stripped of his position as a prince.

Perhaps this was possible because the Emperor’s affection for Louis and the Lilith Duchess had already waned a lot.

In addition, the Emperor brought up the past stories that had been buried.

In the past, Duke Lilith had tried to poison Ophelia using tea leaves, and the Lilith Duchess was behind Elisha Dallas, and in addition to that, Ophelia and Joshua were almost assassinated from time to time.

The scales that had been weighing the two sons constantly for the past few years completely tilted towards Joshua.

The last story she heard from Daniel was that Duke Lilith and Louis were about to be executed.

The Duke and Daniel went to the capital this time to watch their end.

Rosette and Lukas also wanted to go together, but the Duke did not lift the ban on going out. In particular, he advised Rosette to stay in the estate, saying that it would be a sight that was difficult to see.

“You’re okay, brat, but me! I’m not that weak! I don’t care if I see the execution scene!”

[Peep!]

“I told you not to call me an idiot, Pipi!”

Rosette muffled a laugh as she listened to the conversation between the two—no, one person and one familiar. She turned her head and looked out the window, and she could see the vast landscape of the Adrian estate.

In the past month, the Adrian estate had entered complete winter. All the leaves had fallen, the branches had become bare, and the fields had been harvested and were desolate.

Light snow flurries fell every day.

Maybe the capital is winter now too.

‘I wish everyone would come back soon.’

There were many things to do in the mansion, but the mansion, where half of the family was gone, felt lonely.

Rosette put her feet on the table and lay down. She closed her eyes, listening to Lukas and Pipi still bickering.

It was a peaceful day as usual.

* * *

“Brat, wake up! Father is back!”

[Peep!]

Rosette, who was sleeping soundly, opened her eyes to Lukas’s hand shaking her wildly.

“Huh?”

“Father is back!”

After blinking her heavy eyelids for a moment, Rosette soon understood the meaning of those words and jumped up.

Rosette worked her legs hard and went down to the first floor in one breath.

In the first floor hall, a man was standing with his hood pulled over his head. White snow had fallen on the dark hood, as if it had snowed a lot.

But Rosette couldn’t run to him and hesitated on the stairs.

‘It’s not Dad.’

Objectively, he was tall and had a large build, but the man’s build, hidden by the hood, was slightly smaller than Duke Adrian.

“What are you doing, brat?”

Lukas asked from behind, but she couldn’t move.

‘No way…….’

Rosette was telling herself that it couldn’t be, so don’t have any vain expectations.

The man pushed the hood back with a slightly impatient hand. As a result, the silver hair that had been hidden in the hood was scattered wildly.

The man, Joshua, brushed the hair scattered on his forehead back and looked at Rosette.

When the corners of his mouth drew a refreshing arc and he smiled, Rosette screamed silently and ran to him again.