GDWY 07

Chapter 07

The journey by train was not particularly difficult. After all, all it involved was sitting long enough for one’s bottom to ache and enduring the boredom.

While traveling to the capital, Rosha passed the time either reading a book or teasing the baby wolf wriggling in her arms.

Finally, when the train came to a stop, Rosha struggled alone, carrying the large birdcage with the massive eagle inside along with her luggage. For anyone observing, it was clearly too heavy for such a small girl to manage by herself.

“Little one, is it very heavy?”

A station attendant, who had noticed the girl earlier when checking tickets, kindly approached, offering his help.

But Rosha, for reasons unknown, turned her head sharply away from him with a sullen expression.

“I don’t need it.”

She responded coldly, to the point of awkwardness.

Ignoring the bewildered attendant, Rosha trudged forward with Ray and the baby wolf. The recently remodeled train station was noticeably more refined than the old one, where worn wooden pillars had once stood. But more striking than the station itself was Rosha’s appearance, which made her look like the child of a noble family. It was no wonder that people’s gazes often followed her—it was a common occurrence.

Passing through the station, Rosha chose not to walk along the dark road at night and instead rented a small carriage available right at the entrance.

Hearing the clatter of hooves, she leaned back almost lying down in the slightly swaying seat.

The Golden Dawn Society headquarters faced the royal palace, with a wide avenue in between. Countless shop signs glimmered without marring the grand architecture, and many people had gathered, enjoying themselves.

Couples, friends, or families—all conversing and smiling face to face.

“Big sister, come with me!”

Among them, Rosha’s attention was caught by two young girls who seemed to be sisters. Much like she and Lily had looked five years ago, the siblings were playfully bickering.

“Then why did you insist on following me? Didn’t I say I’d play with my friends?”

“It’s more fun if we play together!”

“I don’t enjoy playing with you at all!”

Watching the girls reenact her own childhood with her younger sister, Rosha’s gaze lingered on them.

But it was only for a moment. The carriage soon passed them. As the two sisters disappeared from view and their quarrels faded, Rosha relaxed once more.

‘Lily must be ten years old now.’

Her lovely younger sister with long blonde hair. By now, she must have grown a lot.

Rosha was lost in thoughts of her long-missed sister when…

“We’ve arrived.”

Roused from her daydream by the driver’s words, Rosha got off the carriage, carrying Ray and the baby wolf.

“Here you go.”

Instead of thanking him, she handed the driver more than the original fare. Then, struggling once more, she lifted the birdcage and headed straight for the Golden Dawn Society’s headquarters.

Placing the seal from the pocket watch around her neck into the recessed hole of the main gate, a faint blue light glimmered, and the doors opened.

Beyond the gates stretched another cityscape.

In the center of a plaza paved with neat gray tiles stood a white fountain topped with an angel statue, spouting refreshing water. Rosha freed Ray from the cage, carried the empty one, and walked along the path. The load felt significantly lighter now, and several colleagues who had finished their missions greeted her.

“Hey, Rosha! Today’s task was said to be like dealing with a five-year-old. Was it manageable?”

From a teasing brat, to those treating the youngest Rostellier like a real child:

“Congrats on returning uninjured, Rosha.”

Rosha merely nodded perfunctorily at them and kept moving forward.

Though she appeared aloof on the outside, those who knew her well noticed the redness in her ears and chuckled among themselves. While Rosha consistently maintained an indifferent front when faced with irritating reactions or awkward affection, even she couldn’t stop her ear tips from turning red.

Passing through an archway wrapped with thornless rose vines, she found a tall cherry tree inside. She climbed the spiral stairs winding around it. After retrieving a key from her clothes to open her door, she set down her belongings, removed her cape coat, and comfortably held the baby wolf as she moved further. At the top, she reached a room that occupied the entire floor. Lightly knocking twice, she heard a casual invitation from inside.

Rosha opened the doors as if she had been waiting and entered.

“You must be tired from the journey.”

Noah, seated behind a desk piled with documents, already seemed certain that it was Rosha who had knocked, smiling gently.

“I am very tired. But what choice do I have? It’s your order, Noah.”

“Order? I merely asked you to come quickly because I wanted to see our youngest.”

Noah, speaking with ease and a teasing tone, twinkled his nose. When Rosha first met him five years ago, she thought him merely kind, never realizing he could be this sly.

Though often praised as cute and lovely for being the youngest of the Golden Dawn Society, Rosha still hadn’t grown immune to such remarks.

“Did you really call me early just because of my birthday?”

Rosha deliberately shifted the conversation to something else. But even this topic didn’t seem ideal.

‘If I say this, he’ll think I’m expecting a birthday party…’

As she suspected, Noah gave her a mischievous look and then walked over, playfully nudging her reddened ears with his fingers.

“It’s the birthday of our youngest sister among the siblings. Naturally, I must take special care.”

Suppressing embarrassment, Rosha scowled while Noah glanced down at the wolf in her arms.

“So this is the baby wolf you took in?”

“Yes….”

“A very young one. It must require a lot of care.”

“I’ll make sure it doesn’t interfere with my mission.”

Rosha preemptively spoke, worried he might object. But instead, Noah patted her head gently with a merciful expression.

“Perfect timing. I was planning to have you stay at headquarters for a while anyway.”

“Me? Why?”

“Rosha, when did you first go on a mission?”

“When I was twelve.”

“You’ve been running without a break since then. Time for some vacation.”

Whatever had come over Noah—Rosha couldn’t tell—but it worked out well for her.

‘I can also look for news about Lily…’

“No need to do that separately.”

However, Noah immediately dashed her plan.

“What you do during vacation is entirely up to me.”

Naturally, Rosha was displeased, but Noah held her shoulder gently and spoke in a persuasive tone.

“Alright, we’ll discuss this after your birthday.”

“……”

“More importantly, Rosha.”

Noah grinned teasingly.

“Giselle wants to pick your birthday party dress.”

Rosha’s mouth dropped in shock. She hurriedly exited Noah’s office.

“Oh, by the way! Rosha, can I name that wolf?”

“Do as you like!”

Not caring much about names, Rosha hastily descended the stairs.

Among members of the widely known Golden Dawn Society, there were a few common traits:

First, they raised unusual animals—eagles, frogs, even octopuses in giant tanks.

Second, their personalities were distinct. While ordinary people said Rosha had a bad temper, the Rostellier siblings considered her shy and cute. Compared to others with extreme temperaments, Rosha’s was relatively normal.

Third, they all had unique hair and eye colors, carried a staff and pocket watch with the Golden Dawn Society insignia…

And finally, their fashion sense was definitive.

Rosha acknowledged all these traits. Particularly, the members valued clothing, for they earned much but had little time or leisure to spend it elsewhere. Individuality was emphasized whether well-dressed or not. Rosha shared this passion.

“Giselle wants to pick your birthday party dress?”

But the reason Rosha panicked was simple: it wasn’t the dress itself, but the person—Giselle. Choosing a dress with Giselle could take not hours, but an entire day.

She had to select her dress before Giselle could, so that she could refuse politely if Giselle arrived.

Rosha’s hurried steps quickened as she descended.

“Long time no see, Rosha.”

“Ugh…!”

Rosha nearly misstepped, encountering someone she least wanted to see.

The baby wolf shifted in her arms. Managing to hold it, Rosha awkwardly greeted Giselle, who stood below.

“…Hello, Giselle.”

“Oh my, where did you get that baby wolf?”

“Found it in the forest… by chance.”

“You brought back an animal as cute as you. But don’t get me wrong—the wolf, however cute, can never compare to your toes.”

Unlike Rosha’s wavy hair, Giselle had long, dark-red hair cascading over her shoulders. Her posture was alluring, though she often maintained it even when covered in blood.

In a tight black dress with a slit along her legs, Giselle held the cigarette pipe she had in her mouth and approached Rosha.

“I was waiting for you anyway. Noah bought plenty of dresses for you. Some are quite nice. Your pale skin will suit anything.”

“U-um, Giselle…!”

Of all the Rostellier siblings, Giselle was the one Rosha found most difficult to deal with. Unlike the others, who would step back for her convenience, Giselle never yielded.

“Giselle, I can choose my party outfit myself…!”

“My cute Rosha, of course I trust your taste. But experience beats all. I can pick a better dress for you, so trust me today.”

Giselle half-forced Rosha toward the dressing room, placing the baby wolf on the sofa and beginning to pull down piles of dresses from the hangers.

‘Today is going to be long and exhausting…’

Rosha sighed and allowed herself to be dragged into the fitting room.

Meanwhile, left alone in the office, Noah resumed reviewing the remaining documents.

Yet, whenever he tried to focus, something kept flitting before his eyes—like a hallucination: Rosha’s reddened ears, her stiff expression masking embarrassment and delight.

“Phew…”

He wiped his face dry and masked his smile as a sigh.

The child he had brought in, barely ranking 777th at first, had been carefully watched simply for being the youngest, without expectation. Yet, in just a year, she had risen rapidly in ranking despite innate limits to her power.

Now, five years later, she had grown into a young lady. Watching her grow brought Noah both joy and a strange satisfaction.

‘If I enjoy seeing kids being cute, I must be getting older.’

He shook his head, refocused on the documents, and tried to work.

A knock came again—this time, not Rosha.

“Come in.”

Aaron entered, hair streaked with white, dressed in a neat suit like a gentleman returning from an outing.

“You seem in good spirits; the work must have gone well.”

“Have I ever made a mistake?”

Aaron responded gruffly, showing his dislike for even minor doubt in his work.

“I also heard from Kashin. They say you might find ‘that person’?”

Noah’s hand paused over the documents.

“Please tell me, Noah.”

“……”

“Who are you considering for this mission?”

Until then, Noah had been reviewing papers. Now he looked up with a mysterious smile. Aaron, seeing it, sensed ill omen. It was the smile Noah gave before making unexpected decisions.

Exactly at midnight, Rosha lay sideways on the sofa, playing with the wolf. Though young, the wild white wolf’s teeth were sharp, and whenever it nipped, she tapped its snout lightly.

Around her were piles of dresses she had tried on and discarded. Too exhausted to consider her birthday party the next day, she had pleaded with Giselle, who agreed on a suitable compromise.

Giselle sat on the single-person sofa nearby, watching the tired Rosha with a sympathetic gaze.

“Rosha, how can your stamina be this weak at such a young age?”

“Don’t you think you’re overdoing it, Giselle?”

“Of course.”

Rosha gave up arguing with Giselle and tickled the baby wolf’s belly. The little creature now obediently exposed its belly to her.

“But, about Noah…”

“Why him?”

“Doesn’t it seem suspicious?”

“Because he urgently summoned the siblings to headquarters?”

“No, that’s just for your birthday. Nothing unusual.”

From age thirteen, Noah had meticulously cared for Rosha’s birthdays, but it was never an issue among the Rostellier siblings, including Giselle.

“Rosha, did you get vacation from Noah?”

“What? W-wait… you too, Giselle?”

“Yes. He suddenly offered me vacation as well.”

“Did Noah eat something wrong?”

“Not just us.”

Giselle spread her fingers, counting the others who had received vacation.

“Even that ill-tempered Aaron, and Casper and Eric, all got vacation.”

Strange indeed. Everyone was working hard, yet only certain people got time off. Other than being knights in the top 100, there was no commonality—different personalities, tastes, and recent missions.

Rosha followed Giselle for a while, pondering Noah’s motives, but no answer emerged. Whatever it was, she’d have to wait for Noah to explain.

“Time’s already quite late.”

“Can I go to sleep now?”

“Oh, Rosha. Someone might think I’m forcing you to stay.”

Even though she was indeed being held back… Rosha swallowed her complaints and returned to her bedroom with the baby wolf.

Finally, she could rest—though on the eve of her birthday, curiosity still lingered.