The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 79

79. The Mysterious Child, Michael (2)

“Weird?”

“You know what that word means, right?”

“I know what it means. It means strange.”

“Right. Everyone thinks my eyes are strange.”

“But…”

Rosette was about to mumble something but stopped, and Michael subtly urged her on.

“But, what?”

“Your eyes, they’re like a rabbit’s.”

Michael blinked slowly, as if he had heard something even more absurd than being called pretty.

Embarrassed, Rosette mumbled defensively.

“I once saw a white rabbit, and its eyes were red. But it was really cute. Its eyes were like rubies…”

“…”

“Anyway, what I mean is! Your eyes aren’t weird, they’re pretty.”

“Even though they’re red?”

“Why, what’s wrong with red?”

“I’ve never seen anyone with red eyes except for me.”

*Ah, I see.*

Rosette saw her past self in Michael. Rosette, who was once disheartened by her pink hair that was different from others, at the age of eight.

She approached Michael and whispered.

“Actually, this is a secret.”

“…?”

“I also thought my hair was ugly and weird. Think about it. My hair is pink. Everyone else has blonde or brown hair.”

“…”

“But now I think my hair is pretty. Everyone tells me it’s pretty. So you too.”

Rosette smiled slightly and murmured.

“The time will come when you think your eyes are pretty.”

When their eyes met, Michael looked away, saying in a reluctant voice,

“Well, maybe.”

“Believe me.”

Then Rosette realized that quite some time had passed since she had left the tea party.

Until just now, she could have excused herself by saying she had ‘taken the wrong path,’ but after talking with Michael, too much time had passed.

“Anyway, it was nice meeting you today. I don’t know if we’ll meet again, but if we do, I’ll say hello. Then I’ll be going…”

“Wait a minute.”

Michael grabbed Rosette’s arm as she was about to head back to the garden.

“Won’t you play with me a little longer?”

“With you?”

“Yeah. Honestly, isn’t the tea party Elisha throws boring? That girl acts like she’s the best thing ever.”

It was a scathing assessment. Rosette inwardly agreed, but she couldn’t bring herself to say it outright. Instead, she asked something else.

“But how do you know so much about Elisha?”

Michael shrugged.

“I don’t know her well. I’m just saying what I’ve seen while staying here.”

“Staying here?”

“Yeah, I’ll be staying here as a guest for a while.”

“By yourself?”

“Yeah.”

“Without a guardian?”

“Well, not really. Why? Do I need a guardian?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Then a thought flashed through Rosette’s mind.

*There’s no way someone like him would come to the Dallas Marquisate [territory ruled by a Marquis] as a guest.*

Rosette was careful not to be noticed by people in the past. So she didn’t know who came and went from the mansion.

But if a child with such striking looks had been staying here for a long time, not just a short while, there was no way she wouldn’t have known. The employees would have been talking about it.

*He’s not Elisha’s guest. The Dallas Marquis has been trying to make Elisha the Crown Princess since she was young, so he wouldn’t let her associate with boys her age.*

Nor would he be a guest of the Marquis’s eldest son and Elisha’s brother, Alex. According to Rosette’s calculations, Alex would be coming of age this year, just like Daniel, so there was no way he would be hanging out with Michael, who was Rosette’s age.

*Could Michael be the child the Crown Prince mentioned?*

Rosette thought that since she was from a commoner background, the child would naturally be a commoner as well.

But seeing the timing and Michael suppressing his mana [magical energy], it seemed that Michael was the child the Dallas Marquis had brought in.

Rosette turned her body, which had been facing the garden, back towards Michael.

“Are you perhaps the child that the Dallas Marquis brought in?”

“Hmm, have you heard about me?”

“…Maybe?”

“What did you hear?”

“Just…”

Rosette mumbled vaguely.

“That the Dallas Marquis is going to adopt a boy…”

Michael chuckled.

“Me? Become the Dallas Marquis’s adopted son?”

“Oh, no?”

“There’s no way that would ever happen, even if I died and came back to life.”

“Ah.”

Rosette hesitated for a moment.

*If he’s not being adopted, then isn’t the situation different from what the Crown Prince and I are worried about?*

Besides, judging from his somewhat arrogant personality, it didn’t seem like Michael would be easily manipulated by the Dallas Marquis.

But…

*If the Dallas Marquis implants ancient magic in Michael, things will change.*

No matter how she looked at it, it seemed that the Dallas Marquis had recognized Michael’s talent and brought him in. Even if he didn’t adopt him, there were many ways to keep the child around, so she couldn’t rest assured.

“Then what are you doing here?”

“You could say I’m learning magic from the Dallas Marquis. The Dallas Marquis is quite famous for his magic in the Empire, you know.”

It was true that the Dallas Marquis had some knowledge of magic. But Michael’s answer felt a bit rushed.

However, Rosette became anxious just from that answer.

“Why the Dallas Marquis of all people? There are many people who are good at magic besides the Marquis, right?”

“Well, our families know each other.”

“I see.”

“What family are you from?”

Michael put his index finger to his lips.

“Secret.”

Rosette bit her lip slightly and asked again.

“Can’t you learn from someone else?”

“Well, there’s no one suitable.”

Michael’s eyes sparkled playfully.

“Or will you teach me?”

“Me?”

“Yeah, you’re really famous, aren’t you? They say you’re a genius.”

“No, I’m not…”

“Why? Don’t you want to?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to…”

For some reason, Michael’s curious eyes were burdensome, and she took a step back.

“It’s not that I have the skills to teach someone.”

“Come on. I don’t know if you’re lying or being humble. You summoned a familiar [magical creature bound to a witch or wizard] at the age of eight and prevented several accidents, right?”

“That’s true, but if I were to teach you, you’d have to come here or you’d have to come to our mansion, which would be difficult, wouldn’t it?”

“Why?”

“I’m not close to Elisha, so it’s hard for me to come here. And if you come, my dad won’t allow it.”

“Hmm.”

Michael frowned slightly and pondered. Even that appearance was prettier than anyone Rosette had ever seen.

Sorry to say this, but he seemed even prettier than Isabel.

“What if I sneak over?”

“Sneak? Where to?”

“To the Adrian mansion?”

“Don’t even say such a thing.”

Rosette became serious and advised him.

At that moment, the garden became noisy.

“Why isn’t she coming? Did she get lost?”

The maids were looking for Rosette.

“I really have to go now. Everyone will think it’s strange.”

“That’s a shame.”

Rosette took Michael’s hand, who looked a little dejected, and advised him.

“Listen, if possible, don’t be alone with the Dallas Marquis.”

“But I have to learn magic?”

“Ah, that’s right. Hmm, then…”

Rosette racked her brains.

“You, you know how to handle mana, right?”

Michael’s eyes sparkled with a different feeling this time.

“You noticed that?”

His voice also lowered. She thought it was just a boyish voice, but hearing his voice lowered, it felt different again.

“That man didn’t know.”

“That man?”

“I mean the Dallas Marquis.”

“Ah.”

“How did you know?”

Michael whispered subtly.

“How did I know? Because of the suppressed… No, that’s not important right now.”

Rosette lowered her voice a little more and whispered in Michael’s ear.

“If the Dallas Marquis tries to cast some kind of magic on you, move your mana to defend yourself. Either deflect it or something. You must never let that person engrave magic into you.”

“Why?”

How much should she say? If she told the truth, he would think it was strange.

Rosette hesitated for a moment.

“It’s not good to accept other people’s magic into your body. You’re still young and don’t know much about magic, so you probably don’t know, but anyway, you can’t. Got it?”

Michael chuckled.

“You’re young too.”

“I’m…”

*You’re different from me. Of course, I’m living like a child now, but I’m not just an immature thirteen-year-old.*

Rosette hid her true feelings and smiled bitterly.

“Anyway, keep that in mind. I’ll go for now. Let’s see each other again if we have the chance. No, we must see each other.”

Rosette heard the maid’s voice getting closer and hurried to the garden. Just then, a maid who was coming this way found her and scolded her.

“Where have you been! Everyone was looking for you.”

“Sorry, I got lost for a moment.”

“Honestly, that’s why…”

The maid whispered something Rosette couldn’t hear and then grabbed her arm, perhaps a little too firmly.

“Hurry up. Everyone is waiting.”

“Okay.”

Rosette looked back, wondering if the maid had seen Michael. Fortunately, he had hidden somewhere in the meantime, and his figure was not visible.

* * *

Michael, who had hidden behind a pillar, continued to look in the direction Rosette had walked even after she had completely disappeared. It was a gaze filled with possessiveness rather than regret.

At that moment, a white snake slithered towards him from the bushes. Michael didn’t even try to chase away the snake that was climbing up his body, but instead, he reached out his arm.

He stroked the forehead of the white snake that had climbed onto the back of his hand and whispered.

“You saw her too, Perito.”

The snake flicked its long tongue as if in agreement. Michael chuckled.

“I like her much more than I thought. Why didn’t I know about that child sooner? If I had known, I would have gone to the Adrian estate by any means.”

[…] (Omission for brevity)

“Well, you’re right. I’m glad I found out now, even if it’s late.”

The snake stared at Michael with its red eyes.

“I want to take her away from Adrian and bring her to my side as soon as possible. What should I do?”

The snake made a hissing sound.

“No. As much as I’d like to kill all the Adrians and take that child, even I can’t do that. It’s too much to clean up afterwards. I have to approach her step by step.”

Hiss, hiss.

“Things she likes? If I give her something like that as a gift, will she really be happy, Perito?”

The snake nodded its head up and down.

“Things she likes. First, I need to use that stupid Dallas Marquis or Elisha to find out what she likes.”

Michael went to the greenhouse, avoiding people’s eyes. Roses were already blooming in the greenhouse.

He reached out to pluck a pink rose that resembled Rosette’s hair color, but his finger was pricked by a thorn.

He chuckled as he watched the red blood welling up on his white fingertip.

“It’s similar.”

Then, without hesitation, he plucked the pink rose and smelled its fragrance. The rose quickly withered in his white hand, and soon it was completely dried up.

The petals, which looked like they would crumble at any moment, fell between his white fingers.

Michael stepped on the fallen petals and left the greenhouse.