Black-Haired Dad Isn’t Something You Reap - Chapter 120

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 120. Lorowi Answers. Only What Was Asked (3)
“Why did you come here?”
“It’s a ball to find a suitable husband for my daughter. There’s no reason not to attend.”
“Right. But it seems like that’s not the real reason you came.”
When I offered my assessment of her temperament with cool precision, Grandmother looked at me with longing in her eyes. This must be the source of that tenderness she carries.
“So you met Lorowi here?”
“Damn it, that god really does tell everything when asked?”
We should have kept our meeting private. Did the Chamberlain ask and then spill everything? It’s a dark chapter of my past—the fewer people who know, the better.
“Your hair color changed, apparently.”
“It returned to normal after two days.”
“Did you hear about Kazelnu as well?”
“Ah, yes.”
So Grandmother also knew why Aunt couldn’t become Lorowi’s true successor. She might have figured it out when I announced the ball to find a husband. I had learned about Aunt’s circumstances, and Lorowi must have been the one who told me.
When one incident occurs, events become organically intertwined. This is why they say there are no secrets in the world.
“Is your grand solution really just to have her meet a man? How foolish.”
“Why, Mother abandoned her home for a man.”
“Tsk.”
Pfft! Grandmother’s expression just now was hilarious! She was probably mimicking Mother, but I’ve never seen Mother make a face of shame. Come to think of it, Grandmother must know many sides of Mother that I don’t.
As I continued the conversation, Croa and Shirley, who had been watching nervously, leaned in and whispered to me. Apparently, Grandmother seemed rather intimidating to them at the moment.
“Isn’t Pisha’s Maternal Grandmother a bit scary today?”
“That’s right. She seemed like a fun person originally.”
The children didn’t understand the situation and got frightened. They must have followed me around wanting to greet Grandmother.
“She seems to be in a bad mood today. Look at your mother making a fool of herself over there.”
When she first arrived in mourning clothes, there was that heavy atmosphere too. I brushed it off and told them to go stay with Father. Being near a guardian is most reassuring in times like these.
“So what’s the real reason?”
When I asked her to tell me, insisting there’s no way she came because of Aunt, Grandmother made a displeased sound and grumbled.
“I heard from Lorowi that the Empress Palace has been preserved exactly as it was.”
“Huh?”
That’s true, but… surely she doesn’t want to look around? Just because Lutia lived there—that one reason alone?
“Why don’t you show Aunt that kind of devotion?”
“I haven’t discriminated against her in any particular way.”
Everything you’re doing right now is discrimination!
Wow, they really say parents with a favorite child never realize it until death. If Aunt had been the Empress, you wouldn’t have even come near the Imperial Palace, would you?
“That area is currently off-limits.”
“I shall request permission from the Emperor.”
“If I leave Grandmother alone, who knows what she’ll do. We’ll need a supervisor as well.”
“I shall arrange a companion.”
So she’s determined to go in anyway.
I understand her feelings… When I went there recently after so long, I felt quite moved and happy myself. But… Grandmother? Feeling… that kind of emotion?
This doesn’t match my character analysis…
I had to decide whether to cut this off at my discretion or let it continue. I was wondering if it would be alright to bring this to Father as is, when Choco knelt down and whispered to me.
“If she tries anything funny, let’s use this chance to catch her red-handed and deal with her.”
“What about the explosion?”
“Before she can use her divine power, I’ll make sure to kill her.”
Choco tempted me like a devil, saying we could win if we struck first. Hmm… now that I thought about it, she had a point. Since Choco was much faster, if I just gave the order to kill, she could handle it swiftly.
Once Grandmother was dead, the Air Force would become completely mine. Well, there was nothing to lose.
“Okay. If she tries anything funny, she’s done for.”
“Yes.”
Hehehehe, if I played this right, I could squeeze the Lorowi money and escape clean. I went to Father while humming a cheerful tune in my heart. Father had been enjoying himself looking at Aunt, but his expression changed when he spotted Grandmother.
“I would have stopped drinking if I’d known you were coming.”
“Why? You look fine. Please, keep drinking.”
“Hey, bring me ice water.”
So Father couldn’t even get drunk when Grandmother was around. Poor Father. I watched him gulp down the ice water, then relayed Grandmother’s business to him. Father answered just as bluntly as I would have.
“What’s she scheming?”
“The Kisomalos people say it’s strange that a mother would visit her daughter’s residence.”
“That’s not her nature, so I didn’t ask.”
Right, Grandmother didn’t seem like the sentimental type. I was suspicious too, but when I mentioned that Choco suggested we deal with her now, Father made his decision boldly.
“I permit it, with me and Choco accompanying her.”
“What?! You’re going to Sister’s room?! I want to go too!”
Aunt really is like a ghost. She heard everything from that distance.
We all agreed to do a tour of the Empress Palace and waited for the ball to end. That night, after the first round of the groom-finding ball concluded, all of us—Shirley, Croa, Father, Choco, Aunt, the Chief Chamberlain, and Maternal Grandmother—gathered together and set out to explore the Empress Palace.

✦ ✦ ✦
“Why has he come to the Imperial Palace again?”
“If you don’t want to see me, then don’t come looking for me.”
“But I can’t send the children alone when I’m worried.”
“You’ve become quite formal in front of the Chamberlain. Congratulations, Emperor.”
As the Chief Chamberlain and Grandmother bickered in front of the Empress Palace, Shirley and Croa burst into laughter. The Chamberlain immediately mimicked whatever the Head Attendant Grandmother did. What a chameleon.
“Wow! The flowers are so pretty!”
“They look interesting, hanging down like that.”
“It’s a poisonous plant, so don’t touch it.”
Come to think of it, Shirley and Croa had never been here before. They seemed fascinated by the digitalis. Father safely guided the children to avoid any accidents, and I suddenly remembered something while looking at the flowers, so I asked Grandmother a question.
“Right, I don’t think Mother would have asked you to plant those flowers without reason. Can you use them for alchemy?”
Grandmother looked at the purple flowers once, then at the Empress Palace once, then at the distant Emperor’s Palace once more, and without any filter, she spilled out her findings.
“An aphrodisiac.”
“What an indecent thing to say in front of the children!”
“But an aphrodisiac is an aphrodisiac, nothing more.”
“Be quiet!”
This time Maternal Grandmother was in the wrong. She really needs to watch her mouth, especially with so many children around.
“Hmm….”
Still, it was nice that Grandmother was visiting and we had all the lights on in the Empress Palace like this. It brought back old memories, though they were hazy since I was so young. Somehow, tears welled up in my eyes.
“Since we’ve come all this way, should we sleep in Mother’s room tonight?”
“We’ve already prepared for it.”
Of course it was the Head Attendant Grandmother. She was already taking care of things before I could even think of them. Grandmother said she thought everyone would be tired if they scattered to their own palaces after coming all this way, so she had prepared bedding in advance. She had also selected elite attendants from the Emperor’s Palace and Princess Palace to station here.
Capable. She truly lived up to her experience serving three Emperors.
“It’s like when we went to visit Media. This will be fun.”
“That’s right. Back then, Pisha insisted on it as a precaution against assassination, so we all slept together.”
Oh dear. Why do you have to bring up old stories like that? But I have to admit, it does feel like we’re on a group trip.
“If it’s not far from here, I’d like to stop by Lorowi’s workshop first.”
“What are you scheming?”
“Here we go again.”
Grandmother said she was really just going to say hello, and if Father didn’t believe her, she’d even allow him to send someone to watch her. Then Father held me close and repeated what he’d said earlier.
“What are you scheming?”
“Can’t you do something about that overprotectiveness?”
“You are suspicious, after all.”
The Chief Chamberlain conferred with Father, confirmed that Lorowi’s workshop was a dead end, and then graciously announced her decision.
“Three minutes.”
“At least give me five minutes.”
“No.”
“I’ll be back in three minutes.”
And so I turned the secret bookcase in a room that looked like a murder mystery deduction show was about to unfold, and descended with Grandmother holding my hand. As we entered the brightly lit workshop, I saw Lorowi with a reluctant expression on his face.
“Yupi, are you really going to do that?”
“I will. Please don’t talk to me—there’s no time.”
“But if you unseal it, the memories of that pathetic Yupi from back then will return, won’t they?”
“Don’t call me pathetic.”
What is this? What are they even talking about? I couldn’t follow the conversation and was about to ask Lorowi for an explanation when Chamberlain Yupi suddenly grabbed me and tossed me into a bubbling cauldron. It was boiling away, but strangely, it wasn’t hot.
“Ahhhhh! What is this! Blub! Blub!”
The cauldron was certainly large enough to fit a child, but why couldn’t my feet touch the bottom? Something felt off, so I tried to paddle upward and break the surface, but Chamberlain Yupi swung her staff and smacked me right on the head.
“Blub! Blub!”
Then she used the staff’s end to shove me back down into the cauldron. She looked exactly like someone boiling laundry in a pot.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————