It seems She has Become the First Love of the Impenetrable, Iron-Hearted Male Protagonist

Had Rosevelia ever coughed up blood after using aura?

Even after carefully retracing her past, no such memory existed. She had never experienced any abnormal symptoms from aura use before…

“Let’s try again.”

I exhaled deeply, closed my eyes, and focused on the energy flowing within me.
So, this sensation surging through my body is aura. If I channel it into the sword…

With my heart pounding, I slowly opened my eyes. A faint white glow surrounded the blade.
When I swung the sword at a tree, it split cleanly in two and fell limply into the bushes.

Did I get it right this time?

“This time, it feels like I did it—”

Before I could finish, nausea surged again, and I quickly clamped a hand over my mouth.
Far from succeeding, my palms were now smeared with even more blood than before. For a moment, my vision spun.

What’s causing this?

Now that I thought about it, the aura I felt earlier was different from what Rosevelia described.
Rosevelia had likened the flow of aura to a calm lake, but mine felt far more turbulent.

Is it because I can’t control the aura properly? What am I supposed to do? And what if it’s because I’m not actually Rosevelia and can’t use aura at all?

“If I wasn’t meant to use this, they shouldn’t have let me feel it in the first place.”

My muttering echoed faintly around me.
As I reached up to push back my disheveled hair, I froze. My fingertips, slightly curled, were trembling uncontrollably.
My blood-stained palms filled my vision, and I instinctively closed my eyes. A wave of fear gripped me, rooting me to the ground as if my feet were cemented in place.

After standing frozen for what felt like an eternity, I abruptly opened my eyes. The eastern sky was already lightening with the first rays of dawn.
Snapping out of my daze, I clenched my hands and pushed through the undergrowth. I eventually stopped at the edge of a fog-shrouded lake.

Birds drinking from the water fluttered away at my approach.
I scanned my surroundings before kneeling by the lake and dipping my hands into the cool water.

After cleaning my hands, I opened and clenched them repeatedly, clearing my throat. Thankfully, the pain seemed to occur only when I coughed up blood.

“Should I even be relieved about that?”

I sighed and raised my head, only to momentarily stop breathing.

The gentle dawn sunlight shimmered on the lake’s rippling surface, dazzling and serene.
Tearing my gaze away from the enchanting scene, I turned and hurried back to the mansion.

Once I was ready to leave for the knights’ duties, I opened my door, only to have something small and warm throw itself into my arms.

“Vivian?”

“Rose, sis!”

“What’s wrong so early in the morning?”

Thinking she might have had another nightmare, I quickly looked her over. Her rosy cheeks suggested she was in good health.

“I wanted to wait for you last night, but I fell asleep. So I came to see you early this morning!”

What an adorable answer.

Looking closely, I noticed her eyes were still heavy with sleep. Stifling a laugh, I gently patted her head.

“I’ll come back a little earlier today.”

“Really? Then can we read a book together?”

“A book? Sure, let’s read together this evening.”

Vivian let out an excited “Yay!” and flashed me a big smile.

“Vivian will even ask for some tasty snacks to be ready!”

“Not too sweet, though.”

At my stern tone, Vivian pouted her lips.

“Fine…”

“Vivian, will you walk me out?”

“Yes! I’ll do it!”

With her reply, a small, soft hand clasped mine. Holding her hand carefully, I glanced back.
The maid trailing behind Vivian bowed her head and stepped aside.
We soon reached the stairs leading to the first floor, where Vivian eagerly grabbed the handrail.

“Look! Vivian can hold the handrail properly now!”

In Rosevelia’s memory, Vivian had always struggled to reach the railing. Had she grown taller?
Though the handrail was still slightly above her shoulder, she held it with impressive steadiness.

“That’s great. But always go slowly on the stairs, okay?”

“Okay!”

Nodding, I lightly patted her head and was about to step onto the carpeted stairs when—

“A marriage proposal?”

“Rose is at the right age for marriage.”

That sounds like Olivia. Could she really be arranging a match for me right now?

Pausing in my tracks, I glanced down to see Vivian staring up at me with wide eyes.
I placed a finger to my lips, and she mimicked me, covering her mouth with her hands.

“Rose is busy with her duties in the knights, isn’t she? She’s not at an age where she needs to rush into marriage…”

“Brother, I’m sure Rose will understand my intentions later. You know how hard it is for a woman to find a good match the longer she waits. It’s better to act quickly.”

The voices drifted from the hallway connecting the main hall to the reception room.

If Olivia was speaking to her brother, it was likely Dylan Riley, a frequent visitor to the Winters estate.
As the illegitimate son of the Riley family, he had always been attentive to Rosevelia.

“All right, I’ll look into it.”

“Thank you, brother. Now let’s head to the study. Hermann is waiting for us.”

As their footsteps receded, I looked down at Vivian.

“It’s fine now, Vivian.”

“Can I talk now?”

“Yes. Did you hear anything?”

Luckily, she shook her head vigorously, her face innocent and oblivious.
Her sharper-than-average senses had proven useful once again.

But why is Olivia in such a rush to marry me off? Does she just want me out of her sight?

If she starts looking into proposals, it’s only a matter of time before I feel the pressure.
Already feeling a headache coming on, I instinctively turned my gaze to Vivian’s angelic face.

“Sis, you have to come home early today.”

By the time we reached the bottom of the stairs, I gently brushed Vivian’s hair before turning to leave.

“Ed, you haven’t forgotten about tomorrow at the plaza, right?”

“How many times do I have to tell you I cleared my schedule before you believe me?”

It’s not like this would be the first time you’ve canceled plans and disappeared. Rosevelia’s memories confirmed it all.

Swallowing my urge to blurt it out, I forced a smile.

“Ed? Think about your actions. Would you trust yourself?”

“Not really.”

Edwin chuckled as he brushed his bangs back.

At least he has some self-awareness.

“Make sure you keep your promise tomorrow.”
It’s an important day! It could completely change the fate of you and Daisy!

I shot him a pointed look instead of saying it outright, and Edwin shrugged lightly.

“Fine. This is the first time you’ve ever insisted on something this much…”

That’s true. The real Rosevelia probably wouldn’t have been so pushy.
Could Edwin be finding this version of me strange?

Curious, I stole a glance at him, trying to gauge his reaction.

“Hey, do you think I’ve changed a bit since I got sick?”

“You? Changed?”

Edwin tilted his head, looking me up and down. His gaze sharpened, and a wave of tension swept over me.

“…No?”

“Not at all.”

“Think about it—my tone, my behavior, anything.”

Edwin stroked his chin before letting out a small ah of realization.

“You have changed a little.”

“In what way?”

“You’ve gotten a bit… more annoying?”

“What?”

I narrowed my eyes at him, and Edwin burst into laughter, holding his forehead.

“Actually, forget it. You were already annoying before, so I guess it doesn’t really count as a change.”

“Stop joking around. Seriously, nothing’s different?”

At my cautious question, Edwin’s expression stiffened slightly.

“Why? Do you think something’s wrong?”

“No, it’s not that…”

“I’ve known you for a long time, but I don’t think the version of you I’ve seen is all there is to you.”

“Huh?”

“I have sides of myself I don’t show you, and you probably have sides of yourself you don’t show me.”

I nodded, almost as if hypnotized by his words.

“Y-yeah, I guess.”

“So, you’re just… you, Rose.”

A strange pang shot through the back of my head.

Maybe the shock of what happened at dawn was getting to me, or perhaps this body was rejecting me. The thought had been gnawing at me all morning.

But so what if I’m different? Or the same?

Every morning, I wake up as Rosevelia, and no matter how many days go by, that hasn’t changed.

“So don’t beat yourself up over forgetting one day. Lucas and I drink all the time and lose whole nights to memory gaps.”

“What an achievement,” I said, lightly tapping his shoulder. Edwin just grinned.

“It is an achievement.”

Looking at his carefree smile, the weight pressing on me felt just a bit lighter.

“Anyway, about tomorrow—”

“Rosevelia, enough about that already.”

Just as I was about to press the issue further, a loud voice rang out. The sound came from the annex where the lecture hall was located.

I gestured toward the annex with my eyes, and Edwin nodded, taking the lead.

The scene in front of the annex was pure chaos. I approached Lucas, who stood awkwardly to the side, and asked, “Lucas, what’s going on?”

“Looks like an argument broke out. Jace and Derrick—both rookies—are involved.”

Judging by the group of rookies gathered out front, it must’ve happened right after class let out.

I also spotted Ian standing a bit away from the commotion, alone.

“Are you saying the two rookies are fighting?”

“Well, not fighting exactly… more like they’re about to.”

Lucas trailed off uncertainly. It was hard to tell what was happening with the group of knights blocking the view.

“There’s one surefire way to handle this,” Edwin said suddenly, having been listening to our conversation.

“What’s that?”

“Vice-Captain!”

At Edwin’s shout, every knight in front of the annex scrambled like startled birds.

“Vice-Captain? Where?”

“Disperse, now!”

Gabriel, the captain of the White Knights, was known for his gentle demeanor, but Vice-Captain Fabian was notorious for his strictness.

Nitpicking was practically a hobby for Fabian, and if he found out about knights quarreling, he wouldn’t hesitate to hand out harsh punishments.

Edwin, you’re smarter than I thought.

I was about to give him a thumbs-up when something slammed into my shoulder, making me stumble.

Caught off guard, I felt myself lose balance, but a firm hand steadied me.

“Are you all right, Senior?”

Naturally, I assumed it was Edwin or Lucas, but the voice at my ear belonged to someone unexpected.

“A rookie?”

It was Ian.