I Don’t Need a Dad Like This! - Chapter 44

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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 44】

 

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A sudden misfortune befell Rose et Blanc, which had been beloved for its leisurely atmosphere and delicious desserts.

 

This was because knights from the Theodore Ducal House had come in droves, bringing along children who appeared to be around ten years old.

 

Moreover, as if planning to capture even more people, he had boldly taken a seat at the best terrace spot.

 

Of course, the reason Casselik came here was solely because of Rie.

 

“Eat it all.”

 

“Yes…”

 

Rie chewed on her macarons while rolling her eyes around.

 

‘…People are uncomfortable because of Rie!’

 

Though they pretended otherwise, everyone was stealing glances at Casselik and Rie.

 

‘Did Rie do something wrong?’

 

The child was tolerant toward those who were hostile to her, but she became anxious when she saw people feeling troubled because of her.

 

This was because scary things happened after such gazes stuck to her.

 

She would get scolded by Aunt Serena or Grandmother Head Maid… or in the worst case, Mother had gone to heaven.

 

‘I need to get out of here…!’

 

To do that, she had to quickly finish eating the desserts on the table.

 

Munch munch munch.

 

Rie, who suddenly devoured the macarons as if possessed, opened her mouth wide and immediately started the second round.

 

The child even tried to put a scone larger than her fist into her mouth in one bite.

 

“What are you doing? Eat slowly!”

 

Startled, Casselik jumped up from his seat and snatched the scone from Rie’s hand.

 

“But I need to eat quickly so we can leave…!”

 

“Where are you trying to go?”

 

Her large blue eyes had become filled with fear.

 

“The people here. They’re all glancing at Rie because she did something wrong. When people glance like that, scary things happen.”

 

When Casselik glared around at those words, people turned their heads away in unison.

 

Having dealt with the troublemakers, he sat down heavily in his chair with a much lighter heart.

 

“There, that’s settled. People from the Theodore Ducal House have nothing to fear.”

 

“No.”

 

But the child was still trembling.

 

“At the Duke’s Castle, Grandmother Head Maid gets angry, and Aunt Serena punishes me. Because the Maid Sisters become uncomfortable because of Rie.”

 

Somehow the child had managed to snatch some bread, and both her cheeks were puffed out like a hamster’s.

 

She had been continuously eating even while answering.

 

“…The Head Maid gets angry?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Why…”

 

He was about to ask but hesitated.

 

This was because he remembered the stories about Rie that he had heard from the servants before.

 

‘She has weak concentration and is easily distracted, making it difficult for her to learn noble etiquette. To think that a child of the Theodore Ducal House is a non-ability user. She should behave more cultured than children from other ordinary families.’

 

‘Don’t worry. I will correct her.’

 

The occasional reports about Rie always came with modifiers like ‘lack of effort’, ‘scattered concentration’, and ‘timid personality’.

 

He thought everything was the child’s fault.

 

But what if it was because the child had become intimidated due to her environment?

 

And how had he responded to them?

 

‘Correct her.’

 

It was like fanning the flames of a burning house.

 

Of course, he thought everything would improve if she was corrected.

 

He thought that regardless of the process, if the best educators worked on her, they would produce good results.

 

Suddenly, Mary’s shout rang in his ears.

 

‘…Whatever about dark magic, she became a time ability user, didn’t she? Isn’t having an ability enough? That’s what you wanted, Duke!!’

 

His heart, which had been as hard as steel, sank with a thud.

 

What if the actions he thought were for the child’s sake had become poison like that dark magic?

 

It was when his red eyes trembled slightly.

 

“Rie. Is it that delicious? Aren’t you eating too hastily?”

 

“…Angel?”

 

The child’s face brightened as she suddenly responded to someone’s voice.

 

Surprised by that change in expression, Casselik awakened from his thoughts and looked up.

 

“Yeah. It seemed like the Duke was bothering you.”

 

“Huh?”

 

In front of Rie, Jair was smiling brightly while dragging along an assistant with a gloomy face.

 

‘When on earth did he appear?’

 

Though surprised, Casselik greeted him.

 

That aside, the Crown Prince’s condition was strange.

 

Jair was originally a boy who knew nothing of courtesy and pretense even before the Emperor.

 

But… why was he smiling like a gentle lamb in front of Rie?

 

Casselik was flabbergasted and speechless.

 

First, he had to correct that recent expression.

 

“Your Highness the Crown Prince. I am merely carrying out an official dessert shop schedule with my blood relative. I wonder where you got the idea that I was bothering her.”

 

This worked out well. There was something he needed to discuss with Jair.

 

“By the way, there’s something I need to tell you regarding dark magic.”

 

“Yeah, I know. I heard the rumors.”

 

That was when it happened.

 

Jair, who had cut off mid-sentence, leaned his upper body toward Casselik.

 

The boy whispered so that Rie couldn’t hear.

 

“But aside from that, we have a lot to talk about, don’t we? Duke, because you’ve repeated regression so many times, I’ve been trapped for quite a long time.”

 

At the explanation delivered as if doing him a favor, Casselik’s smooth brow furrowed.

 

“You don’t know anything, do you?”

 

The boy tilted his head and twisted his lips.

 

He was clearly smiling the same way, but with a completely different, eerie expression from when he was looking at Rie.

 

* * *

 

With Jair’s help, Rie was able to escape from the terrifying dessert shop.

 

“Rie!”

 

“Rie, you little rascal!”

 

“Mother! Grandmother, Grandfather!”

 

In front of the Viscount’s Residence, her family was already waiting for Rie.

 

As soon as Rie got out of the carriage, she ran straight into her family’s arms.

 

“Oh my, my child. Why did you stay at the Duke’s Castle for so long! This grandmother couldn’t sleep because I was worried you’d say you were going to live there forever!”

 

“Grandmother, Rie will live next to Grandmother forever.”

 

“You always know what to say! You must be tired, so let’s hurry inside the house.”

 

Morgana’s tone was rough, but her loving gaze poured over Rie’s entire body.

 

Emilia and Mordic also took turns constantly patting her head.

 

“Lady Rie, you’ve finally arrived.”

 

Mary, who was standing with them, even had tears welling up in her eyes!

 

‘…It’s warm!’

 

It felt like someone was tickling her with a feather…

 

Rie’s face reddened for no reason as she snuggled into her mother’s embrace, rubbing her face against her.

 

The sense of security she hadn’t felt at Theodore Ducal Castle made her feel drowsy.

 

However, thinking about her last parting with Father made her feel somewhat uneasy.

 

‘Rie.’

 

‘Yes?’

 

‘…Never mind. Go inside safely.’

 

Father had been making a strange expression she had never seen before.

 

‘Yawn. Still, meeting Mother feels cozy. I couldn’t even take naps at the Duke’s Castle, but at home…’

 

With one leisurely yawn, thoughts of Father disappeared. Rie curled up into a ball and fell into a nap.

 

After taking a relaxing nap in Emilia’s arms and returning to her room, Kami, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, was waiting for her.

 

“I was watching from afar, but why were you sitting there looking like death at the dessert shop? Anyway, did you sleep well, Little One?”

 

“Mm-hmm. The dessert was delicious but it was really really uncomfortable. But now I’m fine!”

 

“Of course you should be fine. Thanks to you catching the dark mage, the notebook has started getting lively.”

 

“Huh?”

 

‘Kami’s secretive smile. That means something really, really big has happened!’

 

Rie ran toward the bed and struggled to pull out the notebook hidden under the mat.

 

Then a blue light began to burst out from between the pages of the notebook.

 

A new diary entry had appeared!

 

“Gulp.”

 

As Rie swallowed and opened the notebook, Kami also approached with curiosity, as if he too was interested.

 

“…Wh-what is this!”

 

Rie’s mouth fell wide open after reading the notebook.

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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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