I Became the Emergency Food Supply of the Bear Family - Chapter 48

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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 48

The Royal Academy’s entrance ceremony concluded with applause from parents and teachers.
Beneath the brilliant light of a chandelier studded with dozens of crystals, the ceremony unfolded in a vast hall supported by numerous columns—grand and resplendent.
‘This is truly the Royal Academy!’
Even as she clapped along with the others, Ber’s eyes wandered restlessly across the hall.
Since arriving in the Capital, it had been one excitement after another.
The streets where Enya had walked. The school she had attended. So this was what they meant by a Holy Pilgrimage.
She’d safely delivered her letter to the elderly couple, so all her business in the Capital was complete. Now she could simply enjoy the pilgrimage at her leisure.
“We will now begin dormitory assignments. New students, please follow me.”
At the instructor’s direction, the freshmen began forming a line and filing out of the hall.
From a distance, Ferdi waved toward Loui and Ber, his shoulder insignia swinging with each gesture.
Several female students let out soft squeals at the sight of him. With his sharp uniform fitting him so perfectly, Ferdi looked every bit the nobleman—clothes truly did make the person.
‘Well, he was always handsome enough, I suppose.’
Heat crept up Ber’s neck without reason.
She mouthed a farewell and waved enthusiastically back at Ferdi as he left the hall.
Once Ferdi was gone, Loui turned to Theodore with a word.
“Then I’ll be going as well, Father.”
At Ber’s puzzled glance, Loui offered an explanation.
“I’ve arranged for a tour. I’ll look around the Academy and come back.”
“I will accompany him as well, my lord. Since Young Master Loui is scheduled to enroll next year, I’d like to submit his documents in advance.”
“I see. Have a good time!”
As Ber waved to Loui and Demirun, Theodore nodded in acknowledgment.

With that, Ber, Theodore, Aleksei, and Olsen made their way to the building that housed the guardians’ waiting room.
‘I should have gone with Loui.’
Sitting in the waiting room and staring blankly out the window, Ber found herself thinking.
The Capital itself was one thing, but who knew when she’d return to the Royal Academy again? She’d wanted to do more sightseeing. Besides, the weather was absolutely perfect.
How wonderful it would be to stroll through the Academy gardens on a day like this! The very garden where Enya and Adrian—the original male protagonist—had first met!
Lost in such thoughts, she suddenly glanced back at Theodore. Their eyes met, and he tilted his head slightly.
“Do you have something on your mind?”
“Ah… no, nothing at all, my lord.”
The words “I want to go outside” rose to her throat, but Ber forced them down.
Theodore and Lib were overprotective of her. Of course, she’d had to come to the Capital for the sake of the Grizzly Family Estate’s affairs, and she was grateful they’d allowed this journey at all.
‘I don’t want to cause them more worry.’
Ber pressed her lips together and gripped her own knees tightly.
As Theodore watched her quietly, his eyes moved very slowly. He seemed lost in thought for some time, his gaze wandering, before he finally spoke.
“The weather is nice, after all.”
“Pardon?”
In the silence, a sound like a mosquito’s whine reached Ber’s ears as she turned. Theodore cleared his throat awkwardly and continued slowly.
“Shall we… take a walk?”
The awkward phrasing, the halting proposal—surely a man known for eloquence and tenderness would not suggest a walk in such a clumsy manner. For some reason, embarrassment spread across his features. And yet.
“……….”
At the sudden brightness that flooded Ber’s expression, Theodore was utterly lost for words.
“Yes! I’d love to! A walk!”
Ber sprang to her feet as if she’d been waiting for nothing else, and Theodore couldn’t help but laugh.
As they walked down the corridor after leaving the waiting room, someone approached Theodore with a greeting.
“Count! What a pleasant surprise to meet you here.”
Baron Baran—one of the rare central nobles who neither looked down upon nor opposed the Grizzly Count Family.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the Baron posed a question to Theodore.
“I hear you’ve had an audience with His Majesty. How did he appear to you?”
“…Appear? What do you mean?”
Though Theodore was certain the Emperor’s health was poor, he deliberately feigned ignorance.
“Well, in recent years there have been troubling rumors about His Majesty’s condition. For the past two or three years, imperial events have been suspended, and I hear His Majesty has been absent from state councils for extended periods. Since you’re close to His Majesty, I thought you might know something.”
The information aligned perfectly. The imperial court had been searching for the Power of Spring for at least six years or more. This meant the Emperor’s health troubles were quite old, with a dramatic decline beginning roughly two years ago.

“Still, today he seemed better than usual.”

The Emperor’s words had not been false.
An illness—or aging—serious enough to require the Power of Spring could not have suddenly improved. At best, his condition had temporarily stabilized.
But he could not let the central nobility perceive that he had grasped anything.
“I see. I’ve heard he complains of knee pain.”
“Now that I think of it, His Majesty has been on the throne for quite a long time.”
The Baron nodded to himself in understanding, then took his leave with a brief farewell.
Turning back after the short conversation, Theodore found the face he’d been watching was gone. Glancing around, Olsen spoke up.
“The young lady left ahead of us. She seemed too eager for the walk to contain herself.”
Despite Olsen’s explanation, Theodore’s expression hardened. He rushed down the corridor. Olsen hurried after him.
“My lord, the Royal Academy is as safe as the palace itself. Aleksei has gone with her, and besides, the young lady is already fourteen. Surely a stroll should be well within her freedom?”
“……….”
Theodore came to a slow stop.
He knew Olsen’s words were true. He understood that he couldn’t keep the girl sheltered in his arms forever.
But still, that child was special. He would not hesitate to make a Blood Oath for her, nor would he spare his own life. She was precious to him—as much as blood relatives, or perhaps even more.
Theodore’s pace quickened again.

***

In truth, Ber hadn’t originally intended to go outside alone.
While Theodore was speaking with an acquaintance, she’d impulsively glanced toward the window. Beneath the high autumn sky, trees lined the grounds. One of them caught her eye in an odd way.
Beneath a tree shrouded in shadow, something darker than the shadow itself was visible.
Ber moved toward the window as if bewitched, pressing her face against the cold glass to peer at the base of the tree.
With both cheeks pressed flat against the pane, Aleksei tried to call her. But Ber heard nothing.
‘Someone is lying there.’
Even from this distance through the window, Ber was certain. And the moment certainty took hold, she bolted.
“Young lady?”
Aleksei called out in alarm as she rushed past, but Ber didn’t slow her pace.
It was her first time in this place. Buildings not mentioned even in the original work surrounded her. Yet she knew. If she continued straight ahead, there would be a rear exit. That path led toward the tree—a shortcut to whoever lay beneath it.
It was an uncanny certainty. But she had no choice but to trust it. It was something close to instinct.
The smell of wild beasts. The way quiet snow transforms into a blizzard. Edible plants and poisonous ones. Things one simply knows without anyone teaching—as natural as breathing.
Ber’s intuition proved correct; a small rear door appeared at the end of the corridor. Fortunately, it was unlocked. She pushed through and ran across the grass.
As she ran, another conviction gripped her.
‘That person is in danger.’
Death was close. If left as is, they would surely die within a few years.
An ominous thought flickered through her mind, and Ber shook her head without realizing it. Why am I like this all of a sudden? Why this urgency? Her hands had grown damp with sweat as she ran, gripping them tightly as she pressed forward.
Soon she reached the tree’s base. Without time to catch her breath, Ber dropped to her knees.
“Young lady! If you run off like that—!”
“Sei.”
As Ber turned to face the protesting Aleksei, her expression was grave.
Beneath the tree’s shadow lay a dog, collapsed on the ground.
Leaning against the base, it breathed in shallow, labored breaths.

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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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