Joseph Osser flinched and turned around.

“Young lady Rosette?”

Rosette, who had approached him closely, widened her eyes.

“What were you trying to do to the carriage?”

Joseph’s eyes shook greatly in the darkness.

“I was…”

“I asked what you were doing here at this hour, Joseph Osser.”

Rosette asked clearly, without her usual timid demeanor. Surprised by the change, Joseph stammered his words.

“I just came out for a night walk…”

“Lies. You were trying to do something to the carriage.”

“…”

“Are you being threatened?”

“…!”

Rosette looked straight at Joseph with clear eyes.

“Tell me honestly. Then I’ll help you.”

Joseph ran his hand through his hair, his face clearly showing his bewilderment.

“How did you…”

He looked like he needed more explanation, but as time was of the essence, Rosette brushed it off.

“That’s not important right now. I’ll help you. Just explain why you were trying to do such a thing.”

A moment of silence passed.

“No! I…”

Finally, Joseph knelt before Rosette and shed tears. His sorrowful tears wet the ground.

Rosette took a small step back as it reminded her of Joshua’s appearance before his death.

Joseph, seeing this, pondered. Was Rosette really speaking with knowledge? Or was she just fishing for information?

If she knew, how did she find out, and how much did she know?

Could he tell her everything?

‘There’s no need to worry about that now. I was planning to check and then follow my younger sibling in death anyway.’

He opened his mouth in resignation.

“I said I couldn’t do it.”

Rosette, belatedly understanding his words, asked again.

“What?”

“I couldn’t harm someone to save my younger sibling. I returned the potion I had received.”

“But then your younger sibling…”

“If my younger sibling dies, I was planning to follow in death.”

He shed childlike, sorrowful tears. Rosette calmly comforted him.

“Then why did you come here today?”

“There’s another spy in the mansion. I came to check if the carriage was alright because I thought someone else might do it if I didn’t.”

Rosette organized the situation in her head.

It seemed that in the past, the person who damaged Daniel’s carriage was not Joseph, but someone else.

Rosette was secretly relieved that Joseph was not a bad person. And she was also grateful that she wasn’t too late.

“Don’t cry. Your younger sibling will be safe.”

Rosette comforted Joseph as she helped him up.

“How can you…”

“There are ways to know everything.”

In the past, Joseph had left the Adrien family to work for Duke Dallas. His younger sibling was probably still being held hostage.

If so, his younger sibling should be alive.

“It’s all okay now. Since elder brother Daniel is still sleeping, let’s just check if the carriage is alright and go.”

“Young master?”

Joseph asked as if hearing the name ‘Daniel’ for the first time.

Belatedly understanding Rosette’s words, he muttered.

“But they were targeting the Duke…”

Strange. Clearly, it was Daniel who was supposed to have the accident…

Rosette and Joseph stared blankly at each other before simultaneously entering the carriage storage.

Looking around in the darkness, Rosette muttered.

“It’s not here.”

The carriage that Duke Adrien usually rode was nowhere to be seen.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Do you mean the master?”

The butler, Sebastian, looked curiously at Rosette who was awake at this hour, but diligently answered.

“He left a little while ago.”

“Why at this hour?”

“I’m not sure, but it was about something related to you, young lady…”

“Where did he go?”

“To a village in the northern part of the capital… But why are you suddenly asking? Do you have something to tell the master?”

Joseph spoke instead of Rosette.

“The carriage might be broken.”

“What do you mean?”

Joseph briefly explained what had happened. Hearing this, Sebastian moved busily.

“I’ll call people right away.”

After Sebastian left, Joseph tried to calm Rosette.

“Young lady, now let’s go inside…”

“No, it’ll be too late then.”

Rosette anxiously bit her nails and asked Joseph.

“Joseph, you know how to ride a horse, right?”

“Yes, I do, but…”

After taking a deep breath, Rosette said resolutely.

“Let’s go.”

“Pardon?”

“Take me to Father.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll go alone.”

Rosette shook her head.

“No, I need to go myself.”

That way, she could be prepared if anything happened.

“Hurry.”

Unable to dissuade the determined Rosette, Joseph headed to the stable with her.

Even as he placed Rosette on the horse, his expression showed doubt, but he eventually rode off.

Rosette, tightly hugging Joseph’s waist, thought.

‘Things have changed because of me.’

Perhaps in the past, Daniel had ridden the Duke’s carriage instead and had an accident. For some reason, this time it seemed the Duke had taken that carriage because of Rosette.

Joseph rode the horse at full speed. Since a horse was faster than a carriage, they should be able to catch up sufficiently.

And soon, a white carriage began to appear in the distance.

“Father!”

Rosette shouted loudly, but her voice didn’t reach Duke Adrien. Joseph increased his speed.

It was then.

The carriage shook and a wheel came off. At the same time, the carriage flipped over and sparks flew. Fire engulfed the carriage in an instant.

“No!”

Fire couldn’t spread that quickly just because a wheel broke. Then this must be fire spread by magic. The drug must have had an incendiary spell cast on it.

“Ugh!”

Joseph stopped the horse. Rosette jumped off the horse and tried to run to the carriage. But before that, Joseph hugged her from behind.

“You can’t, young lady!”

“Let go! I have to go! I…”

At that moment, an explosion sound was heard from the carriage, and a shockwave spread in all directions. Joseph fell to the ground, curling his body to protect Rosette from injury.

Rosette ran towards the carriage without even thanking him.

“Father! Father!”

Her vision blurred with tears that suddenly flowed. Joseph quickly ran over and slung the staggering Rosette over his shoulder.

“It’s dangerous, young lady!”

“But…”

“The Duke is already…”

Rosette’s tears soaked his shoulder.

‘It’s all my fault.’

She had decided to correct all the past wrongs. She believed it was the only way to repay her debt to the Adrien family.

‘No, actually…’

She liked Duke Adrien who smiled gently while looking into her eyes. She liked the touch of his hand carefully patting her head, and the warm feeling of his entire body when he hugged her.

Above all, she liked the feeling that the word ‘father’ gave her.

Dedicating herself to the Adrien family out of guilt was now a thing of the past. Rosette didn’t want to lose what she had for her own happiness.

She didn’t want to have her happiness taken away by Duke Dallas again…

Rosette glared at the flame-engulfed carriage with tear-filled eyes.

Then, she felt the energy of mana from inside the carriage. It was the same feeling she had when Duke Adrien had once controlled her rampaging mana.

‘Is he alive?’

Duke Adrien was alive. It wasn’t too late. There was still hope.

The only way to extinguish a fire ignited by magic was with the same magic.

But Rosette had no way to use nullification magic now. Her mana core was too small to subdue such a large spell.

However, waiting for Celinne to arrive would be too late.

‘There’s a way.’

Rosette stretched out her hand and called for Pipi.

“Pipi!”

[Beep!]

As Pipi flew onto her palm, light began to emanate from its body, and the surrounding mana began to swirl towards her.

This time, a shockwave spread from around Rosette.

Mana explosion. A method of using magic by amplifying natural mana.

It was a method rarely used due to the high risk to the caster, but it was the only option now.

Rosette burst all the mana absorbed through Pipi at once and chanted the nullification magic spell.

“…!”

Simultaneously, the fiercely blazing red flames began to diminish little by little.

Rosette escaped from Joseph’s arms and walked towards the carriage.

She felt something welling up from deep inside her stomach, but she barely held it in as she moved her steps with difficulty.

She flung open the door of the carriage where embers still remained.

“Father!”

She hurriedly scanned the inside of the carriage. The inside was already filled with black smoke.

Rosette coughed as she searched for Duke Adrien.

At that moment.

“Rose?”

The voice she had been longing to hear came from inside, and then familiar platinum blonde hair appeared through the hazy smoke.

It was Duke Adrien. A faint barrier surrounded him.

‘He defended himself with mana.’

While Rosette was assessing the situation, Duke Adrien, who had come out, examined her.

“Rose, how did you…”

Rosette sighed in relief as she looked at him.

His arms and legs were singed, but fortunately, he seemed to be in no danger to his life.

As soon as she confirmed this, all strength left her body. It was the aftermath of the mana explosion.

Rosette coughed incessantly.

“Rose!”

Duke Adrien embraced her as she collapsed. Rosette looked up at him, crying and smiling.

“Thank goodness…”

With those words, she lost consciousness.

[This is the timeline separator]

“Doctor! Where is the doctor! Call Celinne too! Quickly!”

Duke Adrien, who rarely gets excited, shouted urgently as soon as he entered the mansion.

“Master, you’re safe…”

Sebastian’s face, which had been relieved, turned pale as soon as he saw Rosette lying limp in Duke Adrien’s arms.

“Young lady! What on earth happened…”

“I’ll explain later. For now, call Celinne.”

“Lady Celinne went out to look for you, master.”

“Contact her to return immediately. Right now!”