“Now it’s really……”

“It’s not over yet.”

Rosette muttered, checking the mana remaining in her body.

“There’s still a way.”

“How?”

“Antoni, listen carefully. I’m going to widen that hole with magic. I can’t widen it much. But I can make a hole for us to escape through.”

“Then?”

“You go out first. Then I’ll escape.”

“Alright.”

“And.”

Rosette urged with a stern face.

“If I can’t get out, call for people.”

Antoni was shocked.

“What do you mean you can’t get out?”

“I don’t have much mana left. If I’m unlucky, my mana might disappear before I can escape.”

“But!”

“So call people for help. I know your legs are uncomfortable, but please. Understand?”

Antoni hesitated, then nodded.

“I understand.”

“Alright, then get ready to go out.”

Rosette focused as she watched Antoni stand a few steps away from the hole.

“Pipi, help me one more time.”

[Pii……]

Can’t you just go out first, Rosette? How can you trust him, of all people!

“I have to trust. I will trust.”

As Pipi said, Rosette wondered, ‘Will Antoni really ask people for help if the situation becomes the worst?’ He had ignored her at first sight and even mocked Rosette.

But Rosette believed in people’s goodness. In this life, she wanted to believe.

“Alright, I’ll do it.”

Taking a deep breath, Rosette cast a spell. She cast protective magic on herself and Antoni, and began moving the stones around the hole.

Fragments fell on their heads little by little, but they weren’t hurt thanks to the protective magic.

As the hole widened bit by bit, it soon became wide enough for Antoni to escape.

“Now, go out.”

Antoni swallowed hard and looked back at Rosette. Rosette urged once more.

“Bring people as soon as you get out.”

“Don’t think like that and just think about getting out, you idiot!”

“I got it, so hurry and go out.”

“……”

Antoni, barely turning away from Rosette, slowly crawled out through the hole.

After he had completely escaped, Rosette tried to follow.

But.

‘No!’

The mana she had scraped together ran out.

The magic that had barely been supporting the walls around the hole dissolved, and fragments began to pour down.

[Beep!]

Rosette, be careful!

Along with Pipi’s urgent voice, large fragments began to pour down over Rosette’s head. Rosette instinctively covered her head with her arms.

“Ugh!”

Thanks to the protective magic that hadn’t completely dissolved yet, she wasn’t hit on the head by fragments. However, the impact from above caused Rosette to fall face down on the floor.

[Beep!]

A fairly large wall fell on Rosette’s lower body.

Rosette tried to maintain the protective magic a little longer, but as the mana in her body completely disappeared, the magic dissolved.

The heavy wall mercilessly crushed her fragile legs.

“Ugh!”

[Piiik!]

Pipi squeezed through the gap and tried desperately to lift the wall. But the wall didn’t budge.

This time, it grabbed Rosette’s clothes and pulled, but it was not enough.

[Piiii, piiii!]

Rosette comforted the sadly crying Pipi.

“It’s okay, Pipi. Antoni will have called people.”

[Pii!]

“Don’t worry. I trust Antoni, Pipi.”

[Piit!]

Once again, fragments poured down from above. A stone as big as Pipi hit between Rosette’s forehead and head and fell. Blood flowed down Rosette’s forehead.

Rosette collapsed helplessly on the floor. Her vision began to blur.

Until just now, she had thought she could escape, but hope began to fade little by little.

‘I said I’d be back….’

The faces of her family flashed before her eyes. If I die here, will they all cry for me?

But if I die, who will protect our family? Will the prince protect them?

[Beep! Piit!]

Pipi desperately pulled on Rosette’s sleeve once again. But still, her body didn’t move an inch.

Rosette said with difficulty.

“Pipi. You escape at least.”

She knew it was useless. If Rosette dies, Pipi, summoned by her mana, will disappear.

But she wanted to evacuate Pipi at least.

Rosette pointed to the faint light seeping in from far away and said.

“You should be able to escape through there.”

[Pii, piiii……]

Instead of flying away, Pipi cried next to Rosette’s face.

[Piiii.]

“Go quickly.”

Tears welled up in Pipi’s black eyes as it looked at Rosette.

Pipi kept flying in circles above Rosette’s head, then seemed to make up its mind and flew vigorously towards the outside.

Rosette couldn’t take her eyes off Pipi’s retreating figure.

‘Even if I die, it would be nice if Pipi could live….’

My friend, Pipi. I hope at least you’ll be safe.

Just as Rosette was about to close her eyes, unable to hold on any longer. A strong mana swept in, and the rocks blocking the front began to move.

As a gap formed, brilliant sunlight poured down on Rosette’s head.

[Beep!]

At the same time, Pipi’s voice was heard and something rushed quickly towards Rosette. A silver mane shining in the sunlight. It was Silver.

[Piiit! Beep!]

Pipi was desperately clinging to Silver’s head.

[Piiii!]

Silver, who jumped in front of Rosette in one breath, went under the wall covering Rosette’s body. Then it began to lift the heavy wall with its body.

The wall that didn’t budge at all with Rosette or Pipi’s strength began to move little by little. At the same time, powder and fragments poured down over Rosette’s head.

Pipi spread its wings as if to protect Rosette’s head.

[Piit!] [……!]

Silver exerted more strength at Pipi’s urging. Silver roared and put in a little more strength.

“……!”

In a fleeting moment, as Silver fully stood up, the wall crushing Rosette’s legs was lifted.

[Beep!]

Rosette crawled out from under the wall at Pipi’s urging.

As soon as Rosette escaped, Silver approached her. With a thud, the wall collapsed behind Rosette.

Silver put Rosette, who couldn’t even stand up properly, on its back and started running towards the light. Rosette desperately grabbed the wolf’s fur.

“Princess!”

As soon as the wolf passed through the hole, Joshua, who was standing outside, ran to her first.

“Are you alright?”

He discovered the blood flowing from her head and quickly gestured behind him.

“This way!”

Joshua carefully laid Rosette down on the ground from Silver’s back. Rosette looked up at his deeply furrowed face and asked.

“How……”

“Antoni Huxley came running desperately. Saying you were trapped. But he couldn’t explain exactly where, so we were struggling when Pipi came and told us.”

“Pipi……”

So it didn’t escape alone, but went to save me.

Her heart swelled. Rosette patted Pipi, who was rubbing its beak on the back of her hand.

“Thank you, Pipi. It’s thanks to you.”

[Piiii.]

“But……”

Rosette belatedly checked her surroundings. A few knights were standing behind Joshua, and she could see people running over.

Among them was a middle-aged man who looked like a royal magician. He was surprised to see Silver guarding Rosette’s side.

“Fa, familiar! Two familiars?”

He looked confused.

“One must be the princess’s familiar, but the other one….. Could it be?”

Only after seeing him look at Joshua with shocked eyes did Rosette realize exactly what had happened.

Joshua had summoned Silver in front of many people.

‘The prince definitely said he would reveal Silver only after 2 or 3 years….’

Why? Why now?

Rosette asked in a confused voice.

“Silver…… Why……”

We agreed to keep it a secret until the appropriate time. What are you going to do if you summon him like this?

She omitted the last words in case people might hear. Joshua, who understood that well, reprimanded her.

“Is that the problem right now?”

“But……”

“Now was the appropriate time. Because if it wasn’t for Silver, we wouldn’t have been able to save you in time.”

“But……”

“Your Highness the Prince!”

Just then, a physician came running, cutting off Rosette’s words. Joshua stood up and instructed the physician.

“Examine her quickly.”

“Yes, sir.”

The physician began to examine Rosette thoroughly. First, while stopping the bleeding on her forehead with a clean towel, he asked.

“Where and how are you uncomfortable?”

Instead of Rosette, Joshua, who had received information from Silver, answered.

“She was trapped under a large wall by her legs. It seems her head was hit by fragments.”

“I see. Let’s take a look for now.”

The physician, who was examining this and that, explained with an expression that was hard to tell whether it was relief or concern.

“The nerves in your lower body are not injured. That was my biggest worry, so it’s fortunate.”

“Then?”

“However, there’s something wrong with the leg bones. They seem to be cracked or broken. Let’s do first aid for now and ask a magician for treatment.”

“That won’t be necessary. The Fire Witch will probably treat her when we get to the duke’s mansion. Just do first aid for now.”

“Yes.”

The physician put a splint on Rosette’s foot and wrapped it tightly with bandages. Joshua instructed one of the knights.

“Quickly send someone to Adrian’s duke’s mansion to inform them that the princess is injured. Also tell them that the duke’s personal physician and Celienne Karin will be needed.”

“Yes, I understand.”

After confirming that the knight was leaving, Joshua let out a small sigh.

“Master will be very angry.”

Rosette muttered gloomily, thinking of her family who would be surprised to hear the news.

“I guess so.”

She couldn’t imagine how her family would react.

“Still, it’s fortunate that it’s only this much.”

Joshua murmured softly as he stroked Rosette’s head. His touch was gentle. It was an action Rosette couldn’t have imagined when she first met him.

“Um……”

Rosette muttered, trying to ignore the fingertips tickling her forehead.

“Thank you. For sending Silver.”

Even if Silver hadn’t come, Rosette would have been safely rescued. People were already running over after hearing Antoni and Pipi’s requests for help. But it would have taken a little longer.

What if, in the meantime, another fragment had fallen on Rosette’s head……

‘I might have died.’

They couldn’t have cast protective magic on Rosette from the outside, so they might have collapsed while clearing away fragments enough for people to enter.

So Joshua had made the best choice in that situation.

‘But there was no need to do that.’

Rosette thought about the advantages Joshua would have gained if he had summoned Silver and if he hadn’t.

But no matter how much she thought about it, there was no advantage to him summoning Silver to save her. It only made things more complicated.

The title of a genius who summoned a familiar at twelve years old would be poison to him. It might even provoke Duke Lillis more.

So she muttered without realizing it.

“But you could have just left someone like me. You’re in trouble because of me, Your Highness.”

Joshua looked down at Rosette, who couldn’t even look him in the eye properly due to her guilt.

‘That’s true.’

But when he heard Antoni’s words that Rosette was trapped inside and Pipi’s message through Silver that Rosette might die at this rate, rational thinking became impossible.

There was no time to weigh what would be more advantageous or disadvantageous.

He instinctively summoned Silver and used magic to create a space for Silver to enter.

That whole series of processes happened instinctively.

There was only one reason.

‘I didn’t want to lose this child.’