The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 199

199. The Proposal Is Mine, Not Yours

May 17, 2024

The Adrian family and their guests enjoyed refreshments together and were in high spirits, anticipating the grand dinner.

No worries seemed to touch them. The atmosphere was as cozy as could be, filled with easy laughter.

After the meal, people paired off to chat, just as Duke Adrian had suggested.

Daniel went with Ines, Isabel with Lord Roten, and Lucas, lamenting the absurdities of the world as usual, retreated to his room alone.

Rosette headed to the greenhouse with Bipi, Silver, and Joshua.

It felt strange. It wasn’t her first time alone with Joshua.

When they were younger, they had met in the forest late at night with Silver’s help, and even after becoming adults, they often talked privately.

But was it because she hadn’t seen him in a month? Rosette felt incredibly nervous now, a stark contrast to her eagerness to see him just a few hours earlier.

“Um, well,” she began, unable to bear the awkwardness.

“Is Her Majesty doing well?”

“Mother is doing exceptionally well. She was shocked to hear about what happened to me and the Lillies family’s actions, but she’s enduring it with resilience. His Majesty seems to have completely changed his mind and is visiting her more often.”

Joshua added quietly that it was the first time he had seen the Emperor being so affectionate toward his mother.

“And she was very worried about you. If you have time, write her a letter.”

“I hesitated to send a letter, thinking the Imperial Palace must be chaotic. If it’s okay to send one, I should send it tomorrow.”

“Yes, Mother would be very happy.”

Rosette hesitated for a moment before asking, “What happened to the Second Prince and the Lillies family?”

“Didn’t Teacher or Daniel tell you?”

“They did, but they didn’t tell me the details, worried I’d be shocked. Even though my father knows how I’ve lived, he still treats me like a child.”

“If Teacher and Daniel decided that, I don’t really want to tell you either. It’s not a pleasant story to hear. It’ll only make you feel uneasy.”

“Still…”

“To put it simply, everything was resolved. Louis and the Lillies family, along with those involved, were all executed. The nobles who sided with them have all turned away, sensing the shift in power.”

Rosette breathed a sigh of relief.

“So, Joshua will be appointed as the Crown Prince now?”

“If nothing else happens, probably. I’m the only one left to inherit the throne.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Anyway.”

Joshua leaned toward Rosette and whispered, “Finally, it’s just the two of us.”

He chuckled, having glanced at Rosette throughout the meal. He had been sitting at the head of the table with Duke Adrian, quite far from Rosette’s seat.

“Yes, it is. Um, I had so much to say when I was alone with Joshua, but I don’t know where to start.”

Joshua naturally took Rosette’s hand and sat down at a small round table in a corner of the greenhouse.

“You can say anything. I can listen all night.”

His large hand covered the back of Rosette’s hand. The warmth that touched her hand, which had cooled slightly in the winter wind, felt comforting.

“You must be tired from coming all the way here, so we should talk for a bit and then go in.”

“Tired? I just used the mana gate [a magical portal for transportation] and rode a horse for a bit. Considering how long it’s been since I saw you, even staying up all night wouldn’t be enough.”

“Well, still.”

“Don’t worry about me. Hurry up and talk. I want to hear your voice.”

Rosette avoided Joshua’s gaze, which was fixed on her with affection, and lowered her head.

“Joshua, do you know you’ve changed a lot since the last time I saw you?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“In what way?”

“Well, you always seemed subtly on edge, but now you seem more relaxed. Your expression is softer, and you smile more than before. Of course, it’s a natural change since there’s nothing to worry about now.”

“Anything else?”

Joshua subtly asked, slowly stroking Rosette’s hand with his fingertips. When his fingertips touched the underside of her wrist where her pulse was beating, Rosette felt a strange sensation and continued.

“It’s hard to explain exactly, but you’re more, well…”

She hesitated for a moment, unable to find the right words. But since she couldn’t think of a suitable word, she spoke honestly.

“Could I say you’ve become more sly?”

“Sly…”

“You said my heart would have stopped if I had dressed up prettily, and you said you wanted to hear my voice. You never said things like that before.”

Joshua took her hand and pressed his lips to the back of it.

“So, you don’t like it?”

“No, it’s not that I don’t like it, but it feels a little unfamiliar, so…”

He kissed each of her fingers lingeringly.

“Rose, do you know what I was thinking when I was trapped in that damn barrier?”

“…?”

“As time passed aimlessly, I had an ominous feeling that I might not be able to return safely. I didn’t dare to show it for the sake of the expedition team’s morale, but my heart was heavy.”

Rosette couldn’t even imagine the despair Joshua must have felt at that time.

“I wasn’t too worried about what would happen afterward. I had done my part, and I believed that Teacher, Daniel, and you would be able to overcome any crisis that arose even without me. I was sure you would protect Mother well.”

“…”

“But there was only one thing. There was something I regretted, Rose.”

Joshua intertwined his fingers with Rosette’s. It was a light expression of affection, but at the same time, it was an act of possession, a silent promise that he would never let her go.

“You would have been able to live happily even without me.”

“No, that’s not true. I…”

“You would have been sad about my death. But Adrian would have soon filled my void, and you would have found other happiness.”

“…”

“But I kept thinking about what I couldn’t do for you. I should have expressed my feelings more, I should have seen you more often. I even regretted the harsh things I said to you in the past. I wanted to tear my tongue out.”

She wanted to deny it. It would be a lie to say that she wasn’t hurt by what Joshua had said when they were younger, but she had forgotten it long ago.

Rosette only remembered Joshua’s 모습 [Korean word meaning ‘appearance’ or ‘figure’] of trusting and relying on her.

But instead of refuting, she listened to him silently.

“Then, the moment I saw you again, I felt like I had another chance. I decided to express my feelings without holding back, which I had suppressed because you could become my weakness and because you didn’t want to become the Empress.”

“…”

“It’s true that I’m saying things I didn’t say before, as you said, but my heart is still the same. I was only looking at you before, and I’m still only looking at you now. The only thing that’s changed is that I’m expressing it honestly.”

His sincerity touched her heart. At this point, Rosette decided to honestly confess the feelings she had been feeling.

“You know, Joshua. I’ve been thinking a lot too.”

“…?”

“When I heard from Michael that Daniel and Joshua might die and never return, my heart sank. I really wondered what would happen if I couldn’t see you two again. Just like Joshua, I thought of many things I hadn’t done.”

Rosette squeezed Joshua’s hand, holding it tightly.

“I couldn’t even love Joshua properly because I didn’t want to become the Empress. If I had known things would turn out this way, I would have said that I wanted to be with you no matter what happened.”

“That means…”

“To be honest, I’m still scared and afraid of becoming the Crown Princess or the Empress. No matter how much I think about it, I don’t think I’m suited for such a position. For the sake of the Empire, someone more wise and altruistic, someone who can take good care of the people, would be more suitable. But still…”

Rosette smiled brightly.

“If I can only be with Joshua, I don’t care what I become. I won’t be perfect, but I’ll try to be a good Crown Princess. So…”

“No, wait a minute. Stop there, Rose.”

“…Yes?”

Rosette looked at Joshua, who was urgently stopping her, with a questioning face.

‘Why is he stopping me?’

The story to be told next was obvious: *I want to be by your side even if it means becoming the Empress, so let’s be together forever.*

*Let’s get married and have children who resemble each other and build a beautiful family.*

It was a beautiful future that I had never dreamed of before, but a rainbow-colored future with you is vivid in my mind.

That’s what she was going to say. Joshua must have sensed that she was going to say that, given the atmosphere.

But why is he stopping her?

Just a moment ago, he said he would express his feelings without holding back, but is he thinking that Rosette is not suitable for the position of Crown Princess, regardless of that?

‘No, that can’t be.’

There’s no way Joshua would marry another woman, leaving her behind.

But why is he doing this?

Rosette looked at Joshua with eyes mixed with confusion, sadness, and a slight sense of betrayal. Joshua didn’t say anything, whether he knew her complicated feelings or not.

After sighing for a moment and messing up his hair as if 고민 고민 [Korean word meaning ‘worry’ or ‘anguish’], he opened his mouth only after Rosette called out “Joshua?” in a trembling voice.

“It may not seem like it at all, but I was thoroughly educated as a prince from a young age, and I have a surprisingly old-fashioned side.”

“…?”

“Haa, so.”

Joshua, who was 쓸어내리던 쓸어내리던 [Korean phrase implying repeatedly smoothing down] his face with one hand, muttered softly.

“I want to propose to you, not the other way around, in a properly prepared place.”