Duke Adrien recalled Rosette, whom he had seen earlier in the square.

On his way to the orphanage, he felt a strong flow of mana and headed towards it. It was an unusual occurrence for this quiet little town, so he went to assess the situation.

There, he met a pink-haired girl.

The girl, whose name Rosette suited her well, had the greatest potential of anyone he had ever seen. Even for him, who was a novice in magic.

As an adult, it was only natural to want to nurture such potential in a child.

But Duke Adrien had another reason as well.

“And somehow, I felt like I needed to protect her.”

Her trembling, tearful face kept haunting him. He couldn’t leave her behind, feeling that if he did, he would keep thinking about the child.

If he could, he wanted to take her to the Adrien mansion right away. If Rosette allowed it, he truly intended to do so.

It was strange. This feeling was one he had only experienced when looking at his three children.

“If it’s the Adrien ducal family, we can entrust the child to you with confidence. Oh, here comes Rose now.”

The director greeted Rosette as she carefully entered the room. But there was something odd about Rosette’s face.

As soon as she saw Duke Adrien sitting across from the director, her already pale face turned ashen in an instant.

The director, following Rosette’s gaze to Duke Adrien, understood her feelings completely.

‘It’s natural for her to be afraid of a nobleman.’

Duke Adrien, befitting a Sword Master, had a good build. He was taller than most knights and quite sturdy.

Although his expression was gentle, to a child who was inherently afraid of nobles, he might appear fierce.

Rosette was the most delicate and sensitive child among the orphans. Moreover, having just experienced something unpleasant in town, it was understandable for her to be scared.

The director carefully took Rosette’s arm and tried to soothe her.

“Rosette, you may have seen him already, but let me introduce you again. This is Duke Adrien. He’s a good person, so there’s no need to be afraid.”

Still, Rosette couldn’t relax her expression. She could barely breathe, choking on her words. Noticing this, Duke Adrien slowly approached and knelt on one knee in front of her.

“Rosette, right? You don’t need to worry. I’m here to protect you.”

“I, I…”

As Rosette stammered, trying to say something, she suddenly reflexively jerked her hand away when Duke Adrien tried to hold it.

“Ah…”

Then, rolling her eyes nervously, she ran out of the director’s office as if escaping.

The director’s face also turned pale at her unexpected behavior.

“That child isn’t usually like this, I’m sorry.”

“I understand. She’s been through a lot today, and children are naturally afraid of nobles.”

Duke Adrien rose from his seat, showing no signs of being hurt.

“It was impolite of me to call for her so suddenly. She seems quite shocked today, so I’ll come back tomorrow.”

Duke Adrien politely bid farewell and left the director’s office. Watching his retreating figure, the director felt relieved.

With a family like that, Rosette could be entrusted to them with peace of mind.

* * *

As soon as Rosette returned to her room, she leaned against the door and sat down. She wanted to lock the door, but there was no lock in a room shared by more than ten children.

Instead, she pressed her ear against the door and focused on the sounds outside.

She was worried that the director or Duke Adrien might come after her, but there was no sound from outside. Only the faint noise of children chattering could be heard in the distance.

It was only after about 5 minutes that Rosette could relax and let go of her tension. Only then could she reflect on what had just happened.

‘Why did Duke Adrien want to see me?’

When Rosette unexpectedly met Duke Adrien in town, she was extremely surprised. She never dreamed of meeting Duke Adrien, not even Duke Dallas, in this place.

When he personally escorted her and Jane to the orphanage, she nearly fainted but tried to calm herself down.

The Duke Adrien she had heard rumors about before turning back time was indeed a kind person.

Especially, there were many heartwarming stories about him with children. Being a father of three, it was speculated among the nobles that he was particularly gentle with children.

So, he couldn’t just stand by and watch her and Jane being bullied by the townspeople.

‘That’s why he brought us to the orphanage.’

She tried to convince herself of this. At least until she saw Duke Adrien in the director’s office just now.

But why was he looking for her? Could it be that he, being a magician, knew that she had turned back time? Was he seeking revenge against Rosette, who had killed him in her previous life?

‘That can’t be.’

Rosette shook her head.

The ancient book about time magic clearly stated that no one except the caster could remember the past. So, no matter how powerful Duke Adrien was, he couldn’t possibly remember the past.

Even in the unlikely event that he did remember the past, he wouldn’t have recognized Rosette.

In her previous life, Rosette at least had the appearance befitting a noble lady. Thanks to Duke Dallas’s material support.

But what about now? A shabby appearance and a skinny body. Except for her pink hair color, there was nothing to associate the past Rosette with the current Rosette.

So he won’t know that I killed him. He absolutely won’t know.

‘But what if he does know?’

As Rosette was unconsciously biting her nails in anxiety, Jane’s voice was heard from beyond the door.

“Rose? Are you in there? Can I come in?”

“Y-yes.”

As Rosette moved away from the door, Jane entered. She frowned when she saw Rosette biting her nails.

“You’re biting your nails again. How many times have I told you that it’ll hurt if your nails get too short?”

Jane carefully pulled Rosette’s hand away. Seeing her thoroughly checking for any bleeding, Rosette felt tears welling up in her eyes.

‘I’m so glad my sister is safe.’

Even when living in the Dallas household, she had been reprimanded for her nail-biting habit.

The tutor would hit her hand with a ruler whenever Rosette bit her nails, and even Duke Dallas, who rarely spoke to her, scolded her for being unladylike.

But no one worried about Rosette like Jane did. The warm touch of Jane’s fingertips made it feel real that she was alive, unlike in the past.

She had really changed the past. That gave Rosette hope.

‘This time, I can avoid killing people.’

The many people who had died from her magic. Especially Duke Adrien and Daniel Adrien. And Joshua Earnhardt, who was grieving over their deaths.

She could save them all.

Even if Duke Adrien had discovered her identity because of the healing magic she used today, she wouldn’t regret it and would accept her punishment willingly.

“Huh? Rosette, are you crying?”

Rosette couldn’t hold back her tears and cried in Jane’s arms. After comforting and patting her for a while, Jane murmured understandingly when Rosette’s sobs quieted down.

“It’s sad, isn’t it? I’m sad too. But Rose, if you’re adopted into a noble family, you’ll be able to enjoy much more than now.”

What is this about? Adoption? It’s not yet time for Duke Dallas to come looking for her, is it?

As Rosette blinked in confusion, unable to understand Jane’s words, Jane continued.

“From what I saw earlier, Duke Adrien seems like a very good person. I’m sure he’ll treat you well…”

She couldn’t listen silently anymore. Rosette immediately reacted to the name ‘Adrien’.

“What about Duke Adrien?”

“Huh? Weren’t you crying because you knew?”

“No, I don’t know anything.”

Jane tilted her head and then explained.

“They said Duke Adrien is going to adopt you.”

Rosette didn’t react immediately to those words. Although she knew Jane wasn’t the type to joke about such things, the words sounded like a cruel joke.

‘Why would he adopt me?’

While she could understand if it were Duke Dallas, there was no reason for Duke Adrien to adopt her. As if reading her confusion, Jane answered for her.

“You healed me with magic, right? The director said you have the potential to become an excellent magician. That’s why the Duke wants to adopt you. The Duke is a great swordsman, after all.”

There must be some other motive. There was no reason to adopt her for such a reason alone.

Rosette jumped up and ran to the director’s office.

“Rose? Where are you going?”

She heard Jane calling from behind, but fortunately, Jane didn’t follow.

When Rosette arrived at the director’s office again, she opened the door without knocking, breathing heavily. The director greeted her as if he had been expecting her.

“Oh, yes. Rose, come in.”

Rosette stood at the door and shouted.

“I don’t want to be adopted!”

“Did Jane tell you?”

“Yes. Director, I…!”

“Rose, calm down and have a seat for a moment.”

The director spoke calmly, but Rosette shook her head firmly while standing.

“No! I like it here! I want to stay with Jane!”

The director briefly looked troubled, then smiled and stood up. He walked slowly and sat in front of her. His touch was careful and warm as he held both of her hands.

“If you don’t want to go, we won’t force you. But before that, why don’t you tell me why you don’t want to go?”

Rosette sat down on the sofa as he guided her and moved her lips. She had a lot to say. That she couldn’t be adopted by someone she had killed, that how could she possibly call him father.

But that was a secret she couldn’t tell anyone. The only thing Rosette could say here and now was what a typical seven-year-old might say.

She fidgeted with her fingers and mumbled.

“I don’t want to be separated from Jane.”

“You can visit often. The Duke also said he would invite Jane and the other children to the mansion from time to time for your sake.”

“Also, also…”

The director patiently waited as Rosette hesitated, unable to find another excuse.

“I’m scared.”

This was sincere. Rosette was afraid of Duke Adrien, whose intentions she didn’t understand.

“I understand that nobles can be intimidating. But Duke Adrien is a good person. He will cherish you as family and help you become an excellent magician.”

“But still…”

However, Rosette couldn’t say anything more.

Her body had been aching as if she had muscle pain, and her head was dizzy, but suddenly her body swayed.

She hadn’t noticed, but her back was already soaked with cold sweat.

“Rose? Oh my, Rose! Your body is burning up!”

As she heard the director’s panicked voice as he placed a hand on her forehead, Rosette lost consciousness.