The prince came without notice. More precisely, someone from the prince’s palace did come, but Joshua himself appeared at the mansion on horseback within 5 minutes of the letter being received.

Duke Adrian, who was handling documents in his office, and Daniel, who had just changed clothes, rushed out in surprise.

“Your Highness, what brings you here so suddenly without notice?”

Duke Adrian asked, trying to remain calm. Joshua, who had jumped off his horse with light movements, smiled as he handed the reins to an attendant.

“Haha, didn’t you receive the notice I sent?”

This time Daniel answered.

“We did. Five minutes ago.”

“Well, since the notice arrived before me, it’s not like I came without any notice, right?”

Daniel was at a loss for words as he watched Joshua shrug his shoulders.

‘This isn’t like him.’

Unless something extraordinary happened, Joshua was the man destined to ascend to the throne. Although he had not yet been appointed as crown prince, he had been learning the ways of an emperor since childhood.

He was also forced to control his emotions. Naturally, he rarely acted on impulse.

But for Joshua to suddenly barge in like this? He brazenly claimed that he had given notice, but it was essentially the same as not giving any notice at all.

Above all, Daniel had just returned home after meeting him an hour ago.

“Did you have something more to tell me?”

“Not particularly, I came to see with my own eyes if my teacher was alright. And while I’m at it, to see Isabel and Lucas too.”

Joshua smiled meaningfully.

“It would be nice to see the rumored youngest princess as well.”

Only then did Daniel realize his purpose and let out a small sigh.

‘So he came to see Rose.’

He had repeatedly said she wasn’t ready to receive royalty yet, but he couldn’t contain his curiosity and rushed over.

In fact, that was a bit strange too. Why was Joshua showing interest in Rosette? He wasn’t the type to be easily swayed by rumors.

“By the way, how long are you going to keep me standing here?”

At Joshua’s words, Daniel stopped his thoughts and guided him.

“Please come in. I apologize that there’s nothing prepared in the reception room as we didn’t have time to prepare refreshments.”

“Tell them to bring it out slowly. I’ve already had tea, so it’s fine if there’s nothing.”

Watching the two enter the mansion, Duke Adrian instructed a servant.

“Tell the children to prepare to receive His Highness the Prince.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“No, I’ll go to Rose myself.”

“Yes.”

The duke immediately headed towards Rosette’s room.

At that time, Rosette was admiring the spring outing dress sent by Lady Wide.

“Wow, young lady. Look at this. It’s so pretty.”

Joan exclaimed as she took out a light pink dress from a large box. Rosette mumbled, fidgeting her fingers.

“But Joan, I didn’t order a spring outing dress?”

Of course, Duke Adrian and the three siblings had insisted that she must have an outing dress prepared.

However, Rosette had desperately opposed it. Her reason was, ‘It’s a waste since I won’t have any occasions to go on outings! And I’ll soon be chubbier…’

Isabel had touched her forehead and muttered ‘That chubby thing again…’, while the other three just laughed.

But soon, all four agreed to listen to Rosette’s opinion. As she said, Duke Adrian had no plans to publicly expose Rosette for the time being.

But today, Lady Wide suddenly sent a dress that wasn’t even ordered.

“Well, could it be a mistake? If someone finds out I opened something they ordered, they might get angry.”

Even Rosette’s serious expression looked nothing but cute to Joan. Joan answered with a smile.

“I don’t think so. The box was addressed ‘To Lady Rosette Adrian’.”

“Still…”

“There’s a letter here too. Would you like to read it?”

Rosette opened the ivory-colored letter Joan handed her. The letter was written in elegant cursive with a brief message.

As she started reading it unconsciously, Rosette suddenly realized.

‘Oh right, I haven’t learned to read here yet!’

Duke Adrian hadn’t assigned her a tutor yet, saying she should live more comfortably for now. If there was anything that needed to be read, the three siblings or Joan would read it for her.

Perhaps Joan was waiting for Rosette to open the letter and hand it back, unable to open a letter addressed to her young lady herself.

“Joan, please read it.”

As she handed the letter back, Joan began reading it aloud as if she had been waiting for this.

“To the lovely little Lady Adrian. I worry if you might be surprised by this sudden gift. You’re not thinking it might have been sent by mistake, are you?”

Joan added with a laugh, “Why wouldn’t you?”

“The dress I sent today is a gift from me to you, my new muse. I made it in a color that complements your beautiful hair color. I hope you like it. From your Lady Wide.”

Is my hair color beautiful?

As Rosette touched her hair with a doubtful expression, Joan, who had folded the letter, suggested,

“Young lady, shall we try it on?”

“N-now?”

“Of course. A dress gift should be tried on as soon as it’s received.”

Rosette swallowed hard as she observed the dress half-draped over the box.

From what she had heard before, Lady Wide mainly made clothes for the Adrian ducal family. The duke’s clothes, and those of the three siblings, were all her creations.

However, since they were all knights who used swords, they disliked cumbersome decorations. So the clothes of all four were luxurious but simple. Lady Wide was said to be saddened by this.

She had proposed to Isabel several times to make tea party dresses or outing dresses more elaborate, but was always refused.

Then Rosette appeared. She didn’t use a sword, so there was no need to eliminate decorations, and Isabel even instructed to make them elaborate.

Lady Wide was said to be unleashing her pent-up artistic passion on Rosette’s dresses.

Perhaps because of this, the pink dress now was incredibly elaborate for a child’s dress. Even more so than Elisha Dallas’s most treasured dress.

The jewels attached here and there looked of very high quality even to Rosette, who didn’t know much about jewels.

‘Would it be alright for me to wear something like that?’

Won’t I look ugly?

For the past two months, Rosette had been cared for by Joan and the other maids. Knowing that Rosette lacked confidence in her appearance, they complimented her. It was to boost her confidence.

As a result of those efforts, Rosette realized that having pink hair wasn’t a bad thing. Looking at her plumper face, she thought, ‘Can I become pretty too?’

However, she gained more confidence in her behavior than her appearance.

−You’re so pretty because you eat well.

−How can you smile so beautifully? There’s no one who smiles as nicely as you, young lady.

−You’re so kind, young lady. Everyone likes you.

Joan worried that Rosette might become overly fixated on her appearance, so she praised each of her actions. The duke and the three siblings did the same.

It was the complete opposite of how the people at the Dallas mansion used to find fault with everything Rosette did and badmouth her.

Though still timid, Rosette no longer feared that people would dislike her actions.

Rosette nodded confidently.

“Yes, I want to try it on.”

“Then raise your hands…”

At that moment, just as Rosette raised both hands high, Duke Adrian entered with a knock.

“Papa!”

Rosette spotted him and ran over in one breath. Duke Adrian smiled and lifted his youngest daughter.

“Yes, Rose. What were you doing?”

“I was looking at a dress! Lady Wide sent a spring outing dress!”

“A spring outing dress?”

“Yes! She said it’s a gift!”

Duke Adrian watched quietly, fascinated by Rosette chirping like a sparrow.

It’s truly enjoyable to watch children grow. Of course, it was nice to see Rosette grow significantly over the past two months.

However, Rosette’s mind grew more than her body. It was good to see the once expressionless face always smiling now, and the child who used to hunch her shoulders becoming confident.

“Papa?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. What were you saying?”

“I asked why you came.”

“Do I need a reason to come?”

“No, that’s not it, but…”

Rosette hesitated for a moment, then gathered courage and hugged Duke Adrian’s neck tightly. Then, just as Pipi did to her, she gently pressed her cheek against the duke’s cheek.

Duke Adrian, who had been patting Rosette’s back, paused for a moment. But he naturally stroked her head before the child could notice.

“Actually, I did come to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

“His Highness the Prince is here now.”

This time Rosette flinched. She looked up.

“By His Highness the Prince… do you mean Joshua Ernhart?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

Rosette explained haltingly.

“Well, there’s only one prince, and there shouldn’t be any imperial citizen who doesn’t know the prince’s name in this empire.”

Of course, that was true. Even the original eight-year-old Rosette knew about Joshua. However, that name resonated differently with the current Rosette.

Joshua Ernhart. The last person Rosette saw before she died, and the one who triggered the turning back of time.

‘That person is here?’

Why did he come? She had just heard that Daniel met Joshua earlier. Yet he came all the way here?

Why?

For what reason?

As she thought of him, memories of that night, which she had barely forgotten, came flooding back.

−Why did you do it? What crime did my teacher and Daniel commit for you to kill them! Why!

The anger that poured over her entire body. The tears flowing down the pale cheeks, the trembling lips.

The chill of the cold prison. The scent of death brushing her nose.

That night when everything was agonizing.

‘No, no!’

Rosette squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head. Her hands desperately clutched Duke Adrian’s shirt.

Beneath her tightly clenched right hand, Duke Adrian’s heart beat steadily. A heartbeat slower than others, but strong.

This heart that had stopped in Rosette’s hand started beating again because she turned back time.

Rosette lowered her head and pressed her ear against the duke’s left chest. The steady heartbeat finally allowed her to calm down.