Black-Haired Dad Isn’t Something You Reap - Chapter 45

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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 45. The Fatal Weakness I Never Knew Because I Only Lived in the Imperial Palace (5)
“I can’t believe everything the Little One says. Even later, if a nobleman’s private soldiers show up, we’ll have to abandon our base. We’ll need a lot of money to settle somewhere else.”
“There’s nothing more precious than life. Our household has more than enough money for that.”
Besides, look at all the ornaments and jewelry the Emperor’s Son and I are wearing! Just selling these would let you all live comfortably for years!
“Consider these jewels and ornaments as earnest money. Once we sell them and confirm their value, we can also gauge the scale of our household’s wealth.”
“Excellent!”
Phew, I can finally breathe. We’ve saved our lives, and the moment the Emperor’s Son’s and my ornaments hit the market, the Imperial Family will be able to track us. If we just buy time, people will definitely come to rescue us. That is, assuming he’s a son favored by the Emperor and Empress.
“Hey, wake up. Come on, wake up.”
The most urgent thing now was to get our stories straight with the Emperor’s Son. So I pounded his chest to make him spit up water, and slapped his cheeks to bring him to his senses. The Emperor’s Son awoke with a groan, and upon seeing the vicious bandits surrounding him, his face went pale and he cried out.
“You, you bastards! How dare you! This is outrageous! Do you know who I am…!”
“Oh my! You’re still not fully conscious!”
At this rate, he’d reveal that he was the Emperor’s Son. I punched the Emperor’s Son squarely in the face.
Blood dripped from the Little One’s nose, and he burst into tears. When I insisted I’d take responsibility for keeping him calm until we arrived, the Bandit Leader threw us into a cargo wagon.
“It’ll be better for both of us if you stay quiet.”
“Yes, yes, of course.”
I mimicked the catalog merchant who frequently visited the Imperial Palace, bowing and scraping. Satisfied, the Bandit Leader left one of his subordinates as a guard and departed.
I quickly grabbed the Emperor’s Son’s ear and rattled off words like a machine gun.
“Listen carefully. We crossed through what appears to be a wormhole and fell into the water, where we encountered the bandits who were attacking the merchant caravan. I made an excuse that a cadet branch member who became the legitimate line borrowed the caravan’s power to head to a safe house. But since it would be strange to have two legitimate heirs in one family, let’s say you’re the legitimate heir of this region and I’m a legitimate noble from Kisomalos who came for a political marriage. Lies mixed with truth are more convincing.”
“Sniff, what?”
“If you don’t remember what I just drilled into your ears, we both die.”
“Ugh, I understand, I understand.”
“Think of a noble family to use as cover. I don’t know this area well.”
“But I don’t know where we are either.”
“Geez, you just ask people, you blockhead!”
I immediately rebuked the Emperor’s Son and asked the bandit left behind for guard duty about the local geography. Since I’d married into Kisomalos, I didn’t know the empire well, so I asked where we were. The man answered readily.
“This is east of the Zagro Mountain Range. The nearest major city is Bushe Village.”
Did you hear that? I gave the Emperor’s Son a meaningful look, and despite everything, he still had the pride of an emperor. He composed himself and started thinking.
“Bushe Village? That’s Count Hipasis’s territory. If it’s a cadet branch there, it must be…”
So he does want to survive. I was relieved I didn’t have to explain why we couldn’t claim to be royalty. If he were that stubborn, we couldn’t coordinate our story anyway.
“A blood relative of the Count recently became a cadet branch after taking in a mid-tier spirit, but even after seeing the child, they didn’t declare him the legitimate heir, which puzzled everyone. If we say we’re from that cadet branch, it might work.”
“Good. Then I’ll be an opportunistic noble lady who married into your family to strengthen her own house.”
It was fairly common for minor families to have legitimate heirs marry each other. The spirits that protected the families could influence each other and produce greater power, or in the next generation, they could even fuse to become a higher-tier spirit.
I took out my handkerchief and wiped away the Emperor’s Son’s nosebleed. Silence settled inside the cargo wagon.
Our story was aligned, and there was nothing more to say. After riding for another half day, a settlement of tents appeared on a vast grassland. They hadn’t even asked for a toll and just tried to kill us outright—they must have been planning to rob us and flee.
“Go into the largest tent over there. The leader said to treat you as guests.”
Since we were in the middle of the grassland with no horizon to escape to, the bandits let us roam free like livestock and went about their business. There was no more threat to our lives. As long as they were treating us as guests, we just had to stay put and leave when the time came.
I repeated this to myself like self-hypnosis and walked confidently toward the tent.
“Wait, hold on!”
As I stepped down from the wagon and walked forward, the Emperor’s Son made a vacant sound and trotted after me, grabbing my hand. He seemed anxious.
“While Your Majesty was unconscious, I covered for us well. Just act confident and stick to the story we agreed on.”
“Mm…”
Given that we were betrothed as children, walking hand-in-hand like this would certainly appear more natural.
I decided to take it as a blessing and entered the tent while holding the Emperor’s Son’s hand. The tent floor was layered with several carpets, and the ground was laden with food.
“Come in. I never expected the feast to become a welcome banquet for guests.”
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Being a noble little one, you certainly conduct yourself with remarkable maturity.”
The Bandit Leader apparently had a daughter around my age, yet he laughed heartily, mentioning she still had a runny nose. I decided to handle the settlement first, so I removed the ornaments and jewels from my dress and placed them on the ground.
“If you have a child my age, that’s fortunate. I need a change of clothes.”
“Of course, you’ll exchange them for the dress you’re wearing, yes?”
“There’s no other way. I can’t even use the privy in this outfit alone.”
“Puhaha!”
Pleased with my demeanor as a princess, the Bandit Leader readily provided clothes and lent me a place to change. With help from the local women, I changed into comfortable garments and returned to the Bandit Leader’s tent, where the man urged me to eat while the food was still warm.
“Oh!”
This is offal stew! So the people here also have the custom of eating organ meat. The aroma of beef was rich, and the hot pot was generously filled with tripe, lamb, and intestines.
“You slaughtered cattle. You’ve truly prepared quite an elaborate feast.”
“The information was reliable, so I made bold preparations in advance.”
If my actual entourage had truly perished, I couldn’t possibly be so composed, but since it’s complete strangers who died, what does it matter.
I decided to enjoy the delicious meal and plopped down onto a seat. However, the Emperor’s Son seemed to have no appetite whatsoever.
“Ugh, organ meat? That’s what barbarians eat!”
“…”
“…”
Wow… his ethnic prejudice was so unwavering that I was left speechless. Now that I thought about it, east of the Zagro Mountain Range would be the border region of the Astyages Empire. This place might not have been absorbed into the empire very long ago. Of course the food culture would be different.
I rolled my eyes to gauge the Emperor’s Son’s reaction, then rolled them again to gauge the Bandit Leader’s. For now, it was better to side with the actual power here.
“As for my husband, you may lock him in the storehouse.”
“Hey! Tie that brat up tight and lock him away!”
The Bandit Leader’s subordinates entered the tent and hoisted the Emperor’s Son up.
“Release me at once! How dare you! Won’t you let go, you wretches!”
Once he’s hungry, he won’t be able to raise his voice like that. I gazed sympathetically at the Emperor’s Son as he was taken away, then quickly picked up a ladle and transferred the hot pot contents to my bowl. Sipping the broth, I felt warmth spread through my entire body—it was absolutely exquisite.
“Ahhh!”
A cup of rice wine would truly be the finishing touch. However, I refrained from drinking alcohol in a six-year-old body, instead praising the delicious food and exchanging pleasantries with the Bandit Leader’s family. When the Bandit Leader’s daughter, who was my age, arrived later, I couldn’t help but giggle—she truly did have a perpetually runny nose.

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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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