When they left the Dyfenril Duchy, it was already late in the afternoon.
Since Shulva had remained at the duchy, only Rosie and Ethan were inside the carriage.
"Please stop by the Magic Tower on the way back."
Rosie spoke politely before leaning against the window and nodding off to sleep.
'She must be exhausted.'
Ethan glanced at Rosie, who was sleeping with her mouth slightly open, and let out a quiet chuckle.
She really was a strange one.
He had known for a long time that Julian had a younger sister whom he protected from the outside world.
"Couldn't we use her as a weakness somehow? Maybe kidnap her and demand a ransom?"
"We've already tried. But do you know how many protection magic stones that bastard Julian has placed around that annex? You can’t even get close."
He had once overheard Felide and Monica discussing it.
Protection magic stones were extremely expensive, so Ethan had vaguely assumed Julian must have cherished his little sister immensely.
‘She really is an odd and fascinating kid.’
A cute and lovable appearance, an innocent-looking smile.
If she had been a novice at the Temple, she must have lived like a servant there, yet she neither seemed ashamed of it nor tried to hide it.
She flipped people’s expectations inside out with such audacity, yet somehow, she had a warmth about her.
From the moment she had stepped in front of him to shield him from Roystan, Ethan had felt something strange.
Surviving in the Noart Count Family was no small feat, yet when necessary, she was impossibly cunning.
‘She’s no ordinary girl. If you underestimate her and provoke her the wrong way, you’ll regret it.’
At the same time, she would visit Julian—who had lost his memories—every day, helping him during meals, serving him as if it were the most natural thing.
Because Julian had showered her with such overwhelming love, she had learned to protect those precious to her in turn.
That was why Ethan wanted to be near her. He wanted to observe her.
'Maybe... maybe I envy her. It must be nice to grow up surrounded by love.'
Ethan sighed heavily as he watched Rosie.
His mother had died giving birth to him.
His father, preoccupied with his many lovers outside, had never paid him any attention.
And Ethan himself had no particular talent that could attract his father’s notice.
His relatives dismissed him as "a weak and awkward child," looking down on him.
He had grown up believing it was only natural to live feeling small.
Maybe that was why he found Rosie so admirable—someone with a worse background than his but who carried herself with such confidence.
‘Even in the afternoon, the sunlight is still harsh...’
As he gazed at Rosie, Ethan carefully reached out and pulled the carriage curtain closed.
The sunlight that had been pouring over her face disappeared into the shadows.
Rosie jolted awake in terror.
"Don’t close it! Don’t close the window! Please! No!"
Ethan froze mid-motion, startled by her reaction.
"I don’t want this! I don’t want to be locked in!"
Her face was consumed with unmistakable fear.
Not long ago, Rosie hadn’t even flinched in front of someone as vicious as Elizabeth.
And yet, now, her hands were trembling violently.
"Rosie! It’s okay! We’re inside the carriage! You can’t stand up!"
Rosie shot up from her seat, and Ethan hurried to pull her back down.
But Rosie yanked her arm away, and with her paper-thin frame, she collapsed onto the floor.
Tears were streaming down her face as she screamed.
"I hate the dark! Don’t close the window! No! Don’t trap me! Don’t shut the door!"
Ethan’s glasses fell off, landing on the carriage floor.
With blurred vision, he reached out desperately toward Rosie, shouting,
"R-Rosie! You need to calm down! What’s happening? Did you have a nightmare?"
Of course, Rosie’s terrified scream was even louder.
"I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please stop! Please!"
She knelt on the floor, sobbing.
"Please... Please... I’m sorry! Please open the window! Please! I—I was wrong!"
Even in the dark, she flailed wildly toward the curtain.
"Rosie! Please, just calm d—!"
At that moment, with a loud rip, the curtain was torn apart.
Sunlight flooded the carriage.
For a moment, everything went still, as if frozen in time.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
Rosie collapsed to the floor, gasping for breath.
Her small hands, which had been wildly grasping, were now bruised and swollen.
The shredded remains of the curtain swayed in the air.
Only then did the carriage finally slow to a stop.
A soft knock came from the carriage behind them, and a cautious voice called out.
"Lady Rosie? Lord Ethan? Is everything alright?"
At last, Rosie's unfocused eyes seemed to regain clarity.
She looked down at the torn fabric in her hands, her expression one of confusion.
Her round green eyes were still brimming with tears.
Ethan, still sprawled on the floor, managed to answer weakly.
"A-Ah... It’s nothing. You don’t need to come in."
"Are you sure? Are you alright?"
"We’re fine. Rosie just had a nightmare during her nap. It’s nothing, don’t worry about it. You can keep going."
The carriage jolted forward once more.
Sunlight poured into the carriage.
Only then did Ethan finally spot his glasses, which had fallen into a corner.
Fumbling, he picked them up and put them back on before cautiously sitting down in front of Rosie.
Rosie was still gasping for breath, her face pale with fear as she scanned her surroundings.
Then, at last, she looked at Ethan. Her expression seemed to clear as if she was finally regaining her senses.
Ethan hesitated before asking,
"...Was it because I closed the curtain just now?"
Rosie lowered her head, looking dejected.
Tears had already begun trailing down her flushed cheeks.
Ethan hesitated before speaking carefully.
"Do you... hate the dark? You should’ve told me earlier... If I ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) had known, I would’ve been more careful. Sorry."
"...No. I... I didn’t know either."
With trembling hands, Rosie clutched the hem of her dress tightly.
"It’s not just the dark... It’s when it’s dark and cramped. I sleep fine at night."
Ethan blinked, dumbfounded.
Now that he thought about it, there wasn’t a single "cramped space" in the Noart manor.
Caliburn had built the estate while shouting, ‘I won’t tolerate anything small in my house! Bigger! Even bigger! Wider! Even wider!’
"Uh... I guess I always avoided it instinctively... I didn’t even realize I’d react . I really need to be careful from now on."
She looked genuinely surprised at her own reaction.
Then, glancing at Ethan, she spoke in a small voice.
"Actually... at the Temple... I was locked in a dark, cramped room and experimented on."
"Yeah... They did a lot of secret experiments. Especially on the divine power of the novices. I’d been training as a novice since I was little, but I never knew about it until I became a test subject myself."
Ethan felt dizzy, as if the air had been knocked out of him.
Sure, novices were orphans under the Temple’s jurisdiction, and divine power was exclusively managed by the Temple. In a legal sense, it was under their authority.
But weren’t they supposed to represent mercy, love, compassion, and understanding?
He had always known the Temple was corrupt. That was why Caliburn had always been openly hostile toward it.
But this? This was beyond corruption. This was monstrous.
"T-That... That’s not right. How... How could they do that? Can’t we report them? What about the Imperial Family? No one can stop them?"
"It’s all done in secret, and the Temple isn’t afraid of anyone. You know that..."
Rosie murmured as she absentmindedly toyed with the torn curtain in her hands.
Ethan could do nothing but stare at her.
Just moments ago, Rosie had seemed so bold, so unshakable.
Now, for the first time, he saw her as she truly was.
Small, fragile, powerless against fear.
Rosie hesitated, fidgeting with her fingers.
"Could you... not tell my brother? Please keep it a secret."
"You want me to keep this a secret? Rosie, are you insane? Julian is your guardian."
"As long as I stay out of dark, cramped spaces, I’ll be fine. I can be really careful about it. But if my brother finds out... it’ll break his heart."
Ethan’s mouth fell open.
"Honestly, there’s nothing he can do for me right now anyway... He already has so much to learn, and everything’s overwhelming enough as it is. I don’t want to add to that. Hngh, my brother’s practically a patient himself right now..."
Her quiet, weary voice was filled with nothing but concern for Julian.
"I’ll look into it slowly, and if I need treatment, I’ll get it. But..."
Ethan ran a hand over his forehead.
"But let’s be clear—I’m only keeping my mouth shut because, like you said, Julian’s a mess right now and wouldn’t be able to do anything except worry. Once his brain starts working properly again, I’m telling him."
"...Okay. Thank you."
Rosie gave him a faint smile.
Ethan let out another deep sigh.
Just a moment ago, he had thought Rosie was lucky to have grown up surrounded by love. He had even envied her.
"Lady Rosie, Lord Ethan."
The carriage came to a smooth stop, and the coachman’s cheerful voice rang out from outside.
"We’ve arrived at the Magic Tower."
Through the window, a towering structure came into view—so massive that the only thought that came to mind was, It’s enormous.