I Don’t Need a Dad Like This! - Chapter 97

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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 97>

‘No way. Is Rie also getting black tea…?’

Rie, who was breaking out in a cold sweat, rolled her eyes around.

‘But Rie has never done anything like eloping with the angel…?’

Moreover, Rie didn’t even like the angel as a male protagonist.

‘Right. His Majesty won’t misunderstand if I just answer truthfully…!’

And so-

Rie, who gulped down her saliva, babbled her answer.

“Your Majesty the Emperor, Rie doesn’t love Crown Prince Jair.”

“What? You don’t love Jair?!”

However, the Emperor’s expression darkened instead.

‘Does this mean my son has unrequited love!’

A child who makes Jair have unrequited love. What is that child’s true identity?

The Emperor was thinking such thoughts, but Rie didn’t understand.

‘Why, why?!’

She was just nodding her head earnestly to avoid getting doused with black tea when it happened.

“Yes!”

“Rie, what did you just say?”

A familiar voice rang out from behind her.

When startled Rie quickly turned her head, the boy was leaning crookedly against the doorway, having appeared who knows when.

“You don’t love the angel?”

He asked with a truly angelic smile.

However, one corner of his mouth was somehow crookedly raised.

“Oh my, angel!”

Regardless of Jair’s mood, Rie was just happy to see him.

Perfect. I can speak clearly in front of His Majesty the Emperor!

Rie nodded her head and answered clearly.

“Yes!”

* * *

After that, Rie couldn’t remember in detail what happened.

Jair, who had been full of laughter, for some reason froze like stone with a shocked expression, and the Emperor muttered “That’s exactly it” and chased him away.

What Rie remembered was only the Emperor’s proposal she heard right after.

‘Child, would you like to participate in this Cradle Festival together with Jair?’

‘Huh?!’

It was a request to choose Jair as her male guardian for the Cradle Festival.

But-

‘But you know, participants have to participate together with their parents.’

Rie and Mother… together with the angel?!

At this hard-to-imagine combination, Rie’s eyes rolled around. Then the Emperor patiently persuaded the child.

‘It doesn’t have to be parents specifically, as long as they’re older than the participating child, they qualify as a guardian. So there are many other participants who come with uncles or real older brothers.’

‘…Hmm, I see. But…’

‘If the Crown Prince participates in the Cradle Festival with you, I’ll give you a big gift.’

‘A gift?’

‘Yes. What would you like to have, child? Tell me everything.’

‘Hehe-.’

A gift. Rie was happy enough right now that there wasn’t anything she particularly wanted.

But it was proper not to refuse a gift that was being offered.

When she thought about it carefully, there was something she wanted to ask for.

‘Rie has something she wants! That is…’

When Rie wiggled down from the sofa and stood on tiptoes to whisper in the Emperor’s ear-.

‘Alright. If you get Jair to participate in the blessing festival, I’ll grant your request. People might be a little confused on the day of the event, but well, it’s a festival so they’ll accept it.’

‘Yay-!’

And so the deal between Rie and the Emperor was made.

* * *

Turning back time to the present, the day of the Cradle Festival.

Emilia squeezed in among the people and took a seat at the back of the audience seats.

This was because Rie didn’t choose her as a ‘guardian’ and participated in the blessing festival alone with Jair.

‘…What on earth is this child thinking?’

Certainly until just a few days ago, Rie wouldn’t let her go and chattered about the blessing festival all day long.

‘Olivia says that if you go to the blessing festival, you can play treasure hunt games with Mother, and I can show Mother my friends too…’

She had been excitedly fluttering around all day by herself, then suddenly declared yesterday that she wouldn’t go to the blessing festival with Mother.

This unilateral choice certainly affected many people.

“She participated alone with His Highness the Crown Prince without an adult guardian?”

“Is that allowed? Even so, they’re both young.”

“Look, that child Lily also came with her fifteen-year-old real sister instead of her parents. But seven years old is too young.”

“His Majesty the Emperor usually dislikes socializing with people, so it would be understandable if Prince Jair came alone, but why did Miss Rie do that?”

“I don’t know. That family’s situation is quite complicated.”

Emilia pressed her bonnet down even further at the surrounding sounds she could hear.

Her daughter had already been appearing frequently in newspapers recently.

Seeing her become the subject of people’s gossip again couldn’t make her feel good.

‘I should have participated with her even if the child was being stubborn…’

Emilia was sighing while glaring inconspicuously at the whispering people when it happened.

“Mo-ther!”

Through the noise, she heard her child’s voice desperately calling for her.

Emilia immediately spotted Rie in the grand garden.

“Mother is here!”

She shouted, cupping both hands in front of her mouth. Then two things happened simultaneously.

First, Rie’s round eyes that came into Emilia’s view smiled suspiciously contentedly.

Second, Casselik and Philip, who were sitting side by side in the front row, both turned their heads and spotted Emilia.

“…Emilia?”

“Miss Emilia?”

Just as the two men were about to approach Emilia.

“His Majesty the Emperor is entering!”

With the knight’s command, the audience all rose from their seats at once.

Because of this, the two men were blocked and had to stop.

The Emperor who stood on the platform began his speech.

The Emperor, who was noisy about the future coming from many people, gazed into empty space as usual and smiled soullessly.

“The Cradle Festival is already reaching its 55th time. Seeing all these children makes the future of the Chronos Empire look bright. I hope all the children and guardians participating here will put aside things like titles and duties for today and enjoy the event. And…”

The Emperor, who had closed his mouth for a moment, continued speaking.

“While preparing for the festival, I realized that even though this is a festival for children, I’ve been thinking too complacently about it. A child’s guardian doesn’t necessarily have to be a parent, and there’s no need for restrictions like limiting the number of people. So if there are any audience members who want to participate together for the sake of a child, come out now.”

The audience seats began to stir at the Emperor’s sudden proposal.

The intention was good, but it wasn’t easy to be the first to muster courage and step forward.

So the Emperor, as if he had expected this, gave good examples.

“For instance, Duke Theodore or Marquis Philip. Or Miss Birdwell.”

Then the surprised gazes of the surrounding audience turned toward Emilia.

“…Me?”

Emilia was also startled. At first, she thought she had misheard.

She had never imagined that her name would be called from the Emperor’s mouth, especially on the platform of such a huge event.

“What are you doing? Aren’t you coming out? Hurry and participate. Other people can participate as much as they want as long as they get the child’s consent, so come out quickly.”

But when the Emperor urged her once more, realizing this was a command, she emerged from the audience seats, pale as a sheet.

As they arrived at the entrance of the Grand Garden—

“Mother!”

“Rie?”

Rie was waiting for Emilia.

And she was squinting her eyes into crescent shapes in a very suspicious manner. With her hands clasped behind her back.

‘This child… something’s strange?’

She didn’t know what it was, but she could smell big trouble brewing.

Emilia bent down on one knee and whispered to the child.

“Rie. Did you scheme something using your time ability?”

“Nope.”

The child shook her head back and forth.

“Then why is His Majesty the Emperor calling for Mother, and why are you smiling as if you knew this would happen?”

“Well, you see. Rie asked His Majesty the Emperor for a favor.”

“…Huh?”

Rie whispered with one corner of her mouth raised in a grin.

“To make it easy for Mother to choose a new boyfriend, Rie arranged a date. So, Mother just needs to enjoy the date and choose.”

“…What?”

“Whether it’s Father or Marquis Philip.”

At the end of the child’s unbelievable proposal, the voices of two men could be heard from behind.

“Rie, Emilia.”

“Lady Emilia.”

As expected, it was Casselik and Philip who had come down after receiving the Emperor’s orders.

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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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