Black-Haired Dad Isn’t Something You Reap - Chapter 217

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 217. For the Protection of the Narrator, This Chapter Proceeds in Third Person (4)
Shirley, whose hands trembled from the shock, quickly gathered her wits and shot Croa a sidelong glance. The sudden declaration had caught her off guard, but her position was fundamentally different from his. He hadn’t even married yet, but Shirley was already Pisha’s life partner. And there was Leon—how could she possibly abandon him?
“Pisha! Chastity vows start from now, right? So past indiscretions don’t count, do they?!”
“You traitor!”
Croa shouted, irritated that Shirley was trying to slip away unscathed, but the woman refused to yield. After all, she had to survive too.
“Don’t worry. I’ve already thought of something.”
What? What are you thinking? I hate what you think about. Don’t think. Curses rose to Shirley’s throat, but she couldn’t bring herself to speak them. No matter how far gone Pisha’s mind was, if those words—”We’re done”—came from her lips, Shirley felt she would collapse beyond recovery.
“Actually, minors cannot be registered as life partners. I only enforced it through my position as Princess. The Court can nullify it immediately.”
“B-but Pisha, we have Leon between us!”
“Face reality, Shirley. He’s your brother, not our child.”
“Ahhh!”
“And since he’s already registered in the family records, I’ll raise Leon well.”
“You’re dissolving the partnership but taking the child?!”
Furious, Shirley asked Emily and the others to pack her things and decided to protect Leon first.
“I’m going back to my family home!”
“No, your mother’s house is a complete mess. How do you expect to live there?”
“My family estate is a county, you idiot!”
“Ah.”
What kind of “ah” is that?! I really want to hit you. Seized by the impulse, Shirley put Pisha in a chokehold and rained down flicks on her head—thunk, thunk, thunk, thunk. Pisha yelped in pain, but Shirley’s anger didn’t ease one bit.
“Count Achilles, rather than act on impulse, wouldn’t it be better to try persuading her a bit more…?”
“She wants to remain chaste forever because of someone already gone?! How am I supposed to compete with a dead person?!”
“The brainwashing may not last long, so couldn’t we just wait until it wears off?”
“Then she can come find me after it does!”
Staying here would only frustrate her further, so Croa should return to Media. Out of kindness for having spent a lifetime together, Shirley gave him this advice, then froze all projects underway at the Military Science Research Institute and prepared to depart for Achilles Territory.
A stop at the Military Ministry, retrieving Leon, dragging her direct subordinate Edison along by the collar. Even as she purchased tickets for the airship to Achilles, Shirley harbored one last glimmer of hope.
She was locking away that beloved ballistic missile project—wouldn’t Pisha come stop her? She was taking Leon, whom Pisha fussed over every day, kissing and holding and cuddling—wouldn’t she come find her now and hold her back? She was even bringing Edison, who had every reason to stay in the Capital, to her family estate—surely even a flower-brained Pisha wouldn’t accept such a loss?
Sheryl Achilles, who clung to hope until the very end, felt her expression brighten as she boarded the airship with Leon and Edison in hand, catching sight of Pisha who had come to see her off.
“Rest well! Call me often!”
Watching Pisha wave with a radiant smile, Shirley felt a thousand flames ignite within her chest.
“You won’t see me again, you fool!”
Shirley swallowed her tears, her heart welling up, and took her seat in first class. She hadn’t let Pisha see her cry, but when Leon, sitting beside her, asked worriedly if Mother was alright, her sorrow came pouring out.
“Waaahhhhh! Wahhhhh!”
“Mom, Mom, don’t cry.”
“I came all this way for you! From the very beginning! Even when Father oppressed me, when he wore me down! I endured it all just watching Vishnabel!”
“Wahhh, Mooooom!”
Sheryl Achilles, on the verge of becoming an unwed mother, and her only son, Leonhardt Achilles Kisomalos, clung to each other and wept. And Edison, who had been dragged along and separated from Kazelnu Circe, cried along with them.
The first-class cabin of the airship, carrying only these three, became a sea of tears. Unaware of any of this, Princess Vishnabel waved cheerfully from the ground below.
“She seemed quite stressed. She should feel better after visiting her hometown, shouldn’t she?”
“She may never return, Your Highness.”
Had Pisha been in her right mind, Croa would have rejoiced at the chance to be rid of Shirley, but he couldn’t view the situation optimistically. That misfortune could befall him at any moment. After all, when Pisha declared her vow of chastity, the one who suffered the greatest blow was Croa himself.
Shirley was already his life partner, so he could voice any concern—even talk of breaking up. But Croa had never even started anything with Vishnabel, so he couldn’t threaten to end a relationship that didn’t exist.
Princess Vishnabel and the King of Media were nothing to each other. That fact weighed heavily on Croa’s heart.
‘Damn it….’
That bastard Nanakda—there was no more detestable person in the world. If Pisha had been brainwashed into raving about marrying Nanakda, then the Imperial Family, Shirley, and he himself could have joined forces to solve the problem.
Even if they couldn’t restore Pisha to her original state, having allies to stand beside him would have been a reassuring pillar of support.
But the brainwashed Princess Vishnabel’s declaration that she would see only the one person she loved most was truly absurd, radical, and carried a force that didn’t merely upset the game—it overturned the entire board.
The fact that Vishnabel had a number-one person she loved most, excluding Shirley and Croa, was shocking enough. Worse still, that person was already dead. The dead are idealized and deified. Since she was already gone, there was no way to tarnish her image through schemes; Croa could only accept that Pisha had loved Hisperon so deeply.
Moreover, watching the three of them bicker and clash, the Emperor found it tremendously entertaining. He couldn’t even expect help from Chiron. That man was already prepared with popcorn in hand, ready to watch. In one blow, the Imperial Family fell into complete discord, and Shirley even left the Princess Palace.
Chief Chamberlain Madam Listo and Choco would both wait patiently for the brainwashing to lift, as long as Pisha’s life wasn’t in danger. Croa was the only one here with an impatient heart. He would have to wage a lonely battle alone. At that thought, Croa felt his breath catch in his throat.
“Gasp, cough.”
“Croa, what’s wrong?”
“My chest feels tight and I’m burning with frustration—my stomach aches and bile rises in my throat.”
“Oh dear… eat some cabbage pills.”
Watching Pisha express genuine concern, Croa experienced firsthand what it meant to have one’s insides turned upside down.
‘Calm down, think of a plan, a plan….’
How could he persuade her so that this wasn’t just Shirley and Croa’s problem, but would alert everyone? What could be done? As Croa pondered this way and that, he felt his throat burn, then something hot rise from within.
“Cough!”
“Ahhhhh! Croa is coughing up blood! Call the court physician!”
Croa, who had coughed up blood and mucus due to acute gastritis and esophagitis, was rushed to the Imperial Palace Medical Center at Pisha’s urgent summons. Pisha held his hand firmly until he stabilized, then dutifully headed to the Main Palace Office when it was time to work.
She would soon come of age and needed to diligently receive the transfer of duties. And once she became an adult and held supreme decision-making power, there was something she wanted to accomplish. To this end, Pisha drafted welfare plans for the people during her spare moments at work.

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A single day felt like ten thousand years. Croa, who felt it that way, made his way to his father’s office while still on an IV drip. The Emperor would surely be working late again today, so he’d be in his office. Croa, exhausted beyond measure, had resolved to share a drink with him and pour out his troubles.
“Oh, Croa.”
“Ahhhhh!”
Watching Vishnabel Lorowi Kisomalos bounding toward him from afar with a bouncy gait, Croa screamed as if he’d seen a ghost. That disheveled wavy hair—no matter how many times he saw it, he couldn’t get used to it. She looked like a blonde, beautiful ghost.
“What brings you here at this late hour?”
“I was going to have a drink with Father….”
Watching the Princess feign jealousy, saying they were so close she was envious, Croa felt his entire body twist in agony.
“Your Highness, what is the occasion?”
“I thought about providing free education to the people, so I’ve brought a plan.”
Wasn’t that the very plan Croa had proposed to Pisha ten years ago, only to be ridiculed mercilessly and shrink back in shame? Croa recalled those hazy days and spoke the words he had once heard from Pisha.
“Your Highness, that was… didn’t you say back then that just because ignorant people learn letters, the sewing machines won’t spin any faster….”

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