I Don’t Need a Dad Like This! - Chapter 26
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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【Chapter 26】
Was he a boy three years older than Rie?
Even so, he looked unbelievably mature for his young age.
Was it because of the leisurely light in his golden eyes visible through his half-closed eyelids?
One side of Jair’s pants was completely soaked. It was because Philip had dropped his water cup in surprise when he discovered him.
“Are you already going blind at such a young age?”
The sarcastic voice carried obvious displeasure.
Philip quickly bowed his upper body.
“I apologize, Your Highness the Crown Prince. I’ll quickly wipe it for you…”
Swoosh.
But the boy didn’t even pretend to listen and left his seat.
Rie’s mouth fell wide open when she saw him.
‘What a mean person!’
Philip, who had been holding his forehead with a troubled expression for a moment, forced a smile and greeted the Emperor.
“I apologize for the discourtesy.”
“What discourtesy. That brat hit puberty early, so don’t worry too much about it.”
Philip greeted the Emperor once more, then sighed and turned his head.
Then he ended up making direct eye contact with the frozen Rie.
He whispered something to the Emperor, then moved his seat and approached Rie.
“Rie, I’m sorry. Were you startled?”
“M-me?”
‘Why is Marquis Philip apologizing to Rie…?’
The Royal Family looking down at her also had similarly puzzled expressions.
Rie rolled her big eyes around, glancing at them watching her, then tilted her head toward Philip.
“Are you okay, Marquis? It seems like you heard harsh words…”
“I made a mistake in such a public setting, so it can’t be helped. Still, I’m grateful that His Highness the Crown Prince ended it without giving me punishment.”
‘Grateful? To His Highness the Crown Prince?’
It was all incomprehensible talk.
Even I think Philip was wrong to spill the water cup and mess up the Crown Prince’s pants.
If it had been a low-ranking noble like Rie, they really would have been severely scolded.
‘But… Marquis Philip is His Majesty the Emperor’s younger brother, right? And he seems really close with the other Royal Family members too.’
If Rie had been the Crown Prince, she would have said it was okay.
Because Marquis Philip sincerely apologized!
“Hmmmm.”
Rie, back to detective mode! Thinking of a solution!
“Wow. Rie got really serious.”
“Huh?”
She was so incredibly serious that her round eyes seriously changed into straight lines.
Philip poked the chubby cheek that protruded due to Rie resting her chin on her hand with his finger.
He who had been giggling alone let out a light sigh.
“…His Highness the Crown Prince is absolutely not a bad person. Originally he’s kind and has a good nature… it’s because I’ve done many wrong things.”
“But you only accidentally dropped a cup?”
“Actually, uncle doesn’t usually make such mistakes, but I was nervous in front of His Highness the Crown Prince.”
Along with an answer that seemed almost like talking to himself, he smiled bitterly.
‘Huh?!’
Rie, who was watching this, realized something.
That expression.
It’s definitely the sad expression I’ve seen before!
‘Could Marquis Philip’s sadness be related to His Highness the Crown Prince?!’
“That’s right, Little One. That Crown Prince bastard seems to be the problem.”
“Huh?”
That’s when it happened.
The Marquis’s hand that was about to pat Rie’s head stopped, and at the same time a welcome voice was heard.
“Kami?”
Kami, who had appeared again, spread his large wings and flew toward Rie.
“My energy is finally fully charged. If you were just a little older, I could use my ability just by making eye contact. Since you’re still young, I need quite a long contact to fill up my energy. Anyway, you have that letter you showed Casselik earlier, right?”
“Yes. Of course!”
Rie took out Philip’s crumpled letter from her pocket.
Kami tapped the letter paper with his beak.
“Now, try placing the clock on top of the letter paper.”
“Like this? D-don’t tell me. Are we going to time travel?!”
“Yes. We can do it now.”
“Huh?! Finally…!”
Thump thump. Thump thump!
As her heart pounded like a drum, her small body that couldn’t handle it also began to tremble.
Rie fumbled to take out the clock from inside her clothes and placed it on the letter paper as Kami instructed.
Then blue light began to swirl around them.
Along with it, Rie’s short hair fluttered like a curtain.
The blue whirlwind drew a round circle, and soon a Black Tunnel was created in between.
“That’s inside Marquis Philip’s memories. We can’t decide the time point, but we can peek at when Marquis Philip felt the most intense emotions.”
After finishing his words, Kami held out something he had been carrying in his mouth.
It was a Rabbit Mask.
“Wear this Mask when you go. Then the people from the past won’t notice you. Of course, if you take off the Mask, you’ll get caught, right?”
“What happens if I get caught?”
“What happens? If you interfere, the predetermined future will change and you’ll ruin someone’s life.”
“Ruin it?”
Rie tilted her head.
“Is life pasta?”
“Enough! Time Ability users must not interfere with other people’s pasts. So never take off the mask, understand?”
Interfere?
It was really full of difficult words.
Still, Rie tried her best to keep up with Kami’s pace.
“Interwere? Interfwee?”
“Interfere!”
“Interfwee!”
“Just wear the mask!”
“Hmph. Why are you yelling, Ca. sse. lik!”
Kami was startled by Rie’s rebellion.
“Why are you calling me Casselik? I’m Lost Time! Don’t lump me together with a bad guy like Casselik!”
“Then don’t yell!”
“Fine!”
“…Hmph!”
The two sulking companions turned their heads away from each other. After huffing for a while, Rie silently put on the mask and walked toward the tunnel.
Kami is a really, really good friend, but sometimes his voice is just too loud!
“Wait a minute, Little One.”
I’m not going to answer. Rie is angry right now!
But Kami, who didn’t give up, fluttered and blocked Rie’s path.
“Wait, I said! No, wait, you little…”
Kami, who was about to raise his voice again, stopped short.
‘Hmm. Did he reflect on it?’
When his black bean-like eyes looked around cautiously, her anger melted away, but Rie was not an easy child, so she didn’t let go of her sulkiness yet.
“What is it?”
Kami became dejected at that reaction, drooping his wings and muttering.
“When you pass through the Black Tunnel, walk as fast as possible. I don’t know what kind of guy Marquis Philip is, but you’ll hear the sounds of his heart. If you’re drawn to the sounds, you might get buried in the Cave of the Heart.”
“Oh my. I understand.”
“Be careful and come back.”
Just before actually entering the tunnel.
‘Kami deliberately lowered his voice. That’s a huge effort.’
After finishing her thought, Rie turned her head and forgave Kami.
“Kami, thank you for apologizing. Rie will try to fix her weird pronunciation too!”
“What?! I, I really… Your pronunciation isn’t weird! My personality is what’s weird…”
The flustered Kami muttered in embarrassment, but Rie had already entered the tunnel.
“Really now. For a little kid, really now.”
Kami, who had lived longer than that Little One, felt embarrassed for no reason and scratched his face with his wing.
Sometimes the person who apologizes first is the winner.
* * *
The dark tunnel was literally impossible to see anything in.
“Empty-. It’s empty. The Marquis’s heart’s voice is, empty-!”
Teong. Teong. Teong.
Just in case, when she shouted, Rie’s voice came back as if blocked by something.
“Hmm?”
Kami had given such a scary warning that she thought some monster would appear.
“I’m bored-!”
Da, da, da.
It was when she was walking along, fiddling with the rabbit mask.
Rie suddenly stopped walking, covered her ears, and crouched down.
It couldn’t be helped? No, you’re the one who hurt that child.
Because a gloomy voice echoed through the cave.
That child wasn’t even ten years old yet.
‘The heart’s voice that Kami talked about?!’
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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