The Youngest Daughter Of The Great Wizard Of The Famous Swordsmanship [EN]: Chapter 99

99. Louis Ernhardt

February 07, 2024

“I guess so. I’ve practiced a lot in the meantime.”

Joshua muttered nonchalantly, crossing his legs.

“By the way, how have you been? I was too busy on the ship to talk properly.”

“I’ve been fine. It was tough at first, but with Joan, Melody, and Antony, I was able to adapt quickly.”

“Ah. You seem to regard Antony Huxley quite fondly.”

“Yes. He’s my fifth friend.”

“Fifth?”

Joshua chuckled. It was just a fleeting moment, but in his crumbling expression, the old Joshua could be seen.

The twelve-year-old Joshua, who still had some innocence and was easy to approach.

“Do you number your friends?”

“I don’t anymore.”

“Then how far did you count before you stopped?”

“I think I counted up to the tenth. After that, I made too many friends at once to number them.”

Joshua burst into laughter again.

“You’re still eccentric.”

Rosette pouted and asked.

“What about you, Your Highness? How have you been?”

“I’m the same as always.”

“I’m glad you’re healthy.”

“Have you heard the news?”

“If you’re talking about the Second Prince, yes. Lucas Oppa [older brother in Korean, used affectionately] wrote about it in a letter.”

“I see. Then you must have heard about the foolish things Duke Lilith has been up to.”

“……Yes.”

Rosette fiddled with her teacup, watching Joshua’s reaction. Perhaps because it had been several years, Joshua didn’t seem to have any particular feelings.

“I was wondering how Duke Lilith would present Louis to society, but it was quite unexpected. I never dreamed he would stab me in the back like that.”

“…….”

“Thanks to him, Mother collapsed, and it was quite a mess. It would have been better if you hadn’t existed at all.”

“Yes.”

Rosette hesitated for a moment, unsure of what to say, and then asked.

“Will Duke Lilith target Adrian?”

“The Adrian family is still maintaining neutrality. But if the succession dispute deepens, they may target my teacher.”

“Then what should I do in the future?”

“Just stay put for now. The situation will definitely be different from the past. Because a variable has emerged.”

“A variable?”

“You’ll see in time.”

Joshua left with a meaningful remark and rose from his seat.

“By the way, I’ve taken up too much of your time. Mother must have calmed down by now, so I’ll go see her.”

“Yes. Then I’ll take my leave now.”

Joshua opened the door himself and suddenly asked.

“By the way, Princess.”

“Yes?”

“What number friend am I to you?”

Rosette couldn’t answer properly to that question.

* * *

After leaving the Empress’s Palace, Rosette walked to where the carriage was waiting, lost in thought.

‘What number friend am I?’

It was an unexpected question. Rosette had been treating Joshua a little more comfortably, but she had never thought of him as a friend.

‘Of course not. The Prince is the Prince.’

Originally, he was someone she couldn’t even dare to look at, so how could they be friends?

So Rosette thought, ‘Is this perhaps a test of my loyalty to the Prince?’

After much deliberation, Rosette answered like this.

-How could I dare to call Your Highness a friend? I am just Your Highness’s loyal servant.

Until she spoke, she thought it was the perfect answer.

However, when she saw Joshua muttering, ‘Really? I see. So we’re not friends,’ she felt that something was wrong.

But she couldn’t think of any excuses, so she just said goodbye and left.

‘I feel like I said something wrong…….’

Rosette sighed deeply and suddenly felt that the atmosphere around her was strange, so she looked up.

At that moment, someone greeted her.

“Hello?”

A man with honey-like golden hair, unlike the people of the Adrian family, greeted her.

His eyes were strangely similar to Joshua’s, but the atmosphere he exuded was different.

If Joshua was like the cold wind of winter, the man in front of her was like the sunlight of spring.

But.

‘His eyes are gold?’

Rosette instantly recognized who he was and bent her knee.

“Greetings to the Second Prince.”

The man, Louis, smiled brightly.

“Please rise.”

“Thank you.”

“More than that, you know me? We’ve never met before.”

“Who in this empire doesn’t know Your Highness?”

“Haha, really? This is embarrassing.”

Louis laughed cheerfully.

“Then you must be the Second Princess of Adrian, right?”

“Yes. I am honored that you recognized me, Your Highness.”

“Of course, I had to recognize you. You’re a very famous person. I’ve heard a lot about the Princess since you were in the Lilith family.”

“I’m flattered.”

“I heard you went to study in the Ivelin Kingdom, have you returned?”

“Yes. I graduated and returned about a month ago.”

Louis’s barrage of questions continued.

“How old is the Princess this year?”

“Twenty years old.”

“Then you should have had your debutante last year, but you couldn’t. So will you have it this time?”

“Yes. I think so.”

“Hmm, I see. Who’s your partner?”

“Maybe my second older brother will do it. I haven’t really talked to him about it yet.”

“Really? That’s a bit of a shame.”

Louis stroked his chin. Then, the servant standing behind him whispered something. Louis muttered regretfully.

“I’d like to talk to the Princess more, but I have to go to class, so it’s a shame.”

Louis came a little closer to Rosette and whispered in her ear.

“You know what? I didn’t actually run into the Princess by chance.”

“Yes?”

“I heard that the Princess came to the Empress’s Palace, so I came to see you. I wanted to see your face.”

While Rosette was bewildered, Louis smiled again.

“I hope to see the Princess often in the future. Then see you at the debutante party. You can visit Emerald Palace before that, too.”

Louis waved his hand as he walked away with his servant.

Watching his receding figure, Rosette realized at that moment.

‘The variable the Prince mentioned was me.’

A new Adrian Princess that didn’t exist in the past. To Duke Lilith and Louis, Rosette would be quite a delicious prey.

‘His Majesty the Emperor was also subtly trying to bring me into the Imperial Palace.’

Perhaps Duke Lilith and Louis had tried to obtain Isabel in the past as well. But she was an Adrian to the bone and wouldn’t give Louis a second glance.

Besides, they wouldn’t have been very interested in her because she used a sword.

‘On the other hand, I’m different.’

She was a mage, a mage called a genius of the century.

A talent that everyone coveted. Of course, they would try to get her. The easiest way to make her their own was through marriage.

Besides, Rosette was an adopted child.

Of course, Rosette thought of the Adrian family as her own family and loved them more than anyone else.

But Duke Lilith probably thought that unlike Isabel, there would be room to dig into Rosette because she was an adopted child.

‘I have to be careful.’

Maybe the place where I’m standing will become the eye of the storm.

Rosette looked at the Emerald Palace in the distance and moved her feet.

* * *

It had already been a month since Rosette returned to the Empire. During that time, Rosette was busy preparing for her upcoming debutante and Joan and Chris’s wedding.

And in early April, heralding spring, the wedding that Rosette had personally prepared took place.

Rosette was so excited that she followed Joan around from morning.

Joan, who was getting her makeup done by Mrs. Wide’s staff, muttered in amazement.

“I always used to dress you up, but now I’m getting my makeup done like this. It feels strange.”

Rosette brought out her own accessory box and smiled.

“I know. I feel strange too. I feel like I’m going to cry for no reason, you know?”

“Miss…….”

“Chris is definitely a good person. I’ve seen him by your side for seven years, so I know. But apart from that, I hate him a little, you know? It feels like he’s taking Joan away.”

“Taking me away? I’ll still be with you after the wedding. You’re my number one priority.”

“Chris would be a little sad if he heard that. But thank you for saying that, Joan.”

“But it’s true.”

“Yeah. Oh, don’t say any more. You have to put on makeup.”

After that, Rosette sat next to Joan and watched her get ready.

When Joan was ready to go out, Rosette opened the accessory box she had been holding dear. And carefully took out a diamond necklace from it.

“Actually, I thought about getting you a new necklace. But that didn’t really mean anything.”

Rosette, with the help of Mrs. Wide, put the necklace on Joan.

“I wanted to give you a necklace that was meaningful to me, if possible.”

Joan sobbed.

“Miss.”

Rosette quickly said.

“Don’t cry! Your makeup will be ruined.”

“Hap.”

Rosette took Joan’s hand as she tried hard to hold back her tears.

“You have to live well. Chris will take good care of you, but if he says anything, come to me and tell me. I’ll scold him.”

“Yes.”

“Then let’s go.”

Rosette put a veil on Joan and came outside.

The wedding, which had been prepared for a month, ended wonderfully, despite being prepared in a hurry. Chris and Joan were a well-matched couple and made their vows with everyone’s blessings.

Rosette blessed her from the seat where Joan could see her best.

And then it was time to throw the bouquet.

In the Ernhardt Empire, throwing the bouquet had an important meaning. When the bride throws the bouquet with her luck in it, the person who receives it is said to receive that luck.

There was also a rumor that people with lovers would soon marry their lovers, and those without lovers would meet new love.

If no one caught the bouquet and it was dropped, some people believed that something bad would happen to the married couple.

It was a rumor that originated from the fact that the first empress dropped the bouquet and later met a miserable death.

So before Joan threw the bouquet, everyone gathered around to avoid missing it.

“Then I’ll throw it!”

Joan threw the bouquet forcefully behind her back. And that bouquet.

“……!”

“Huh? The little lady caught it!”

It nestled in Rosette’s arms, who was clapping without even thinking of receiving the bouquet.