Chapter 25 – Young Rosie and Theo

At six years old.

Rosie looked like a doll.

Like one of the dolls she’d seen displayed in a shop with her mother.

Theo sat across from her, watching Rosie nibble cake.

‘A doll eating cake.’

“Why?”

Rosie, already round-eyed, made her eyes even bigger and asked him.

“Nothing.”

He didn’t mean to, but his voice came out a bit cold.

Rosie pouted her small lips. She was cute.

“Theo, you’re scary sometimes.”

“What did I do?”

Theo tried to answer her in a gentler tone, as Rosie grumbled.

“Tch.”

She still looked sulky.

‘What should I do?’

Theo was happiest when Rosie smiled. He didn’t know why, but seeing her smile made him happy.

He wanted to see her white cheeks blush and smile right away.

“Ah, wait a moment.”

Theo, who had gotten up from his seat, rushed over and brought something back. Then he handed it to Rosie.

“Take this. It’s a gift.”

“What is it?”

Rosie, still with a sulky expression, asked.

Theo put the box he was holding down on the table and opened the lid. When he opened the box, decorated with ornate gold trim and a picture of a rose, a fairy spun around and danced as music played.

“It’s a music box. It’s something I cherish, but I’ll give it to you as a gift.”

The reason Theo liked this music box that Duke Durand had given him was because the dancing fairy inside looked just like Rosie.

“Wow!”

Just as Theo hoped, Rosie, her cheeks tinged like a peach, looked into the music box with a bright face.

“It’s so amazing!”

“Right? I’m giving it to you specially.”

Young Theo’s shoulders perked up with pride.

“Thank you!”

She smiled bashfully.

At that moment, it felt as if a huge stone had been thrown into Theo’s chest.

Like the ripples caused by a stone tossed into a lake, something unknown spread through his chest. Then his heart began to pound wildly. His cheeks turned even redder than Rosie’s.

He felt like he couldn’t breathe. It was a feeling he’d never experienced before.

“Theo, your face is red. Are you sick?”

Rosie, worried by Theo’s sudden blush, reached up and touched his forehead.

“Wh-why are you doing this!”

Embarrassed, Theo instinctively pushed her hand away. He hadn’t meant to do that.

“When I’m sick, my mom does this for me….”

Rosie’s blue eyes began to fill with tears. Looking at her reddened hand, she finally burst into tears.

“Waaah!”

At the sound of her crying, the Countess hurried in and comforted Rosie in her arms.

“Theo, what’s going on?”

Even at his mother’s question, Theo couldn’t answer. He just hung his head in silence.

A few days later.

Still bothered by Rosie, Theo followed his mother on her visit to the Earldom.

It was the first time he’d seen Rosie since that day.

‘Is she still really angry?’

He really hadn’t meant for things to go that way.

When Theo arrived at the Earldom, he took his mother’s hand and headed for the garden. There, the Countess’s cousin, Countess Spere, and her son had already arrived.

Theo was guided to a table prepared for the children. Rosie was forehead-to-forehead with Stewart, Countess Spere’s son, looking at something. Seeing them lift their heads and laugh together made his stomach twist.

“Rosie.”

He approached and called her. Rosie, who had briefly brightened upon seeing Theo, quickly became sullen again. It was probably because of what had happened a few days ago.

‘Today, I’ll definitely cheer Rosie up before I leave.’

But Theo’s resolve was shattered almost immediately.

What Stewart and Rosie were giggling about, forehead-to-forehead, was the music box he had gifted her. Instantly, his mood soured.

“You’re here.”

Rosie greeted him with a prim voice, and Theo asked sharply,

“That’s the one I gave you as a gift.”

Rosie looked at the music box where Theo pointed and nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. I was showing it to Stewart.”

He didn’t know exactly why, but he was furious, all the way to the top of his head.

“Why are you watching it with that jerk?”

“Huh?”

Rosie replied with a blank expression. Stewart, with a vacant look and a foolish face, tugged at Rosie’s hand.

“Play it again. Hurry.”

That set Theo’s anger ablaze. He snatched the music box from the table.

“I’m taking it back.”

As Theo turned with the music box, Rosie grabbed him.

“That’s not fair! You gave it to me!”

“I didn’t give it so you could watch it with that jerk.”

He spat coldly and tried to leave again, but Rosie stomped her feet and snatched the music box back.

“No! No! That’s not fair! You gave it to me!”

The two children began to struggle over the music box. Stewart, embarrassed, just watched them with a blank look instead of stopping them.

“Give it back!”

Even as Theo pulled, Rosie showed no intention of letting go. After a long struggle, Rosie, losing her grip, fell forward. At the same time, the music box slipped from Theo’s hand in surprise.

Right in front of their eyes, the music box shattered into pieces.

Rosie’s eyes began to fill with tears. She rubbed her eyes with her scraped palms and started to cry.

“The music box! What do I do! Theo gave it to me! Waaah!”

Rosie’s cries echoed through the garden, and the mothers rushed in. Theo raised his hand and rubbed his tear-stained eyes. He bit his lip to stop himself from crying.

He didn’t know if his tears were because of the broken music box, or because Rosie had been so close to Stewart. Theo only figured out the reason much later.