I Just Wanted Revenge, But Everyone Loves Me - Chapter 58

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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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Episode 58
“I can walk on my own!”
The moment I insisted I could manage perfectly well without anyone’s help, the Duke’s expression darkened further.
“No.”
“?!”
“What if you fall again?”
It seemed his faith in me had hit rock bottom.
Still cradling me, the Duke strode out of the Study and crossed the corridor with long, measured strides.
‘I really am fine though……’
I glanced sideways to test his mood, and the Duke suddenly spoke.
“It’ll take forever with those short legs of yours.”
“!”
“We can’t waste time on the journey.”
Unable to deny the point in that moment, I pressed my lips together firmly.
It was true my legs were short.
And it was also true that it took a bit longer to get around because of it.
But it didn’t take a full day to walk somewhere!
The reason it took time was probably just because this building was so enormous.
Determined to find fault elsewhere, I looked up at the Duke.
“Looking at me like that won’t help.”
Of course it wouldn’t work anyway.
“Brother, you’ve arrived—Karin?”
The moment my sister, who had been waiting in the Reception Hall, saw the Duke and me, her eyes went wide.
She seemed quite startled at how we’d arrived together. But the Duke, offering no detailed explanation as usual, simply took his seat at the prepared place.
Yet—
“Brother.”
“What.”
“Why are you holding Karin?”
My sister, who had been staring blankly at us, asked. And it was exactly what I’d been wondering too.
By rights, I should have reached her by now and rushed into her arms. But contrary to expectations, the Duke hadn’t let me go even after we arrived at the Reception Hall!
“The child kept trying to slide off the chair. Not just once—two or three times.”
The Duke emphasized his track record with a dry cough.
“If she falls, it’ll be bothersome.”
“…….”
“She’s already small, and if she gets hurt on top of that, you won’t let it slide, will you, Veronika?”
The Duke narrowed his brow, adding that she would surely make a fuss about it.
“So today, the child sits here.”
“…….”
“Purely for safety.”
“Ah.”
Listening to the Duke, my sister’s lips curled up at one corner. As if to say she understood exactly what he meant.
She wore a meaningful expression, but swiftly suppressed her laughter.
‘Why would she do that……?’
I opened my eyes wider, pressing my lips shut. Clearly my sister knew why the Duke was acting this way.
Only I didn’t understand the reason.
“Now, let’s move on to the main matter.”
Finally, the Duke settled me on his lap and spoke.
At that, Sis, who had been regarding us with an awkward expression, produced the paper she’d brought earlier. The Duke accepted it naturally and examined the document.
My sister soon took the papers he handed her as well.
Growing curious, I craned my neck stretching out as far as I could, and the Duke suddenly lowered his hand.
“!”
Seeing the text suddenly appear before my eyes, I looked up at the Duke.
The Duke, skimming the document with an impassive gaze, shifted his eyes toward me.
“What is it?”
“Oh! Thank you!”
“My arm was just tired.”
……Pfft
From across the room, my sister stifled her laughter.
Of course the Duke’s sharp glare followed, but my sister was equally unbothered.
Deliberately ignoring the tension between the two, I studied the paper before me once more.
‘A list?’
Looking more closely, what Sis had just given me was a roster of nobles scheduled to attend the Emperor’s Birthday Celebration.
“There are roughly a hundred nobles attending the celebration. This is already quite simplified.”
“If he wanted quiet, he should’ve blown out his candles alone.”
The Duke clicked his tongue at the explanation.
“Is that a lot, sister?”
“Hmm? Oh, compared to other banquets, it’s quite modest. At every state function, provincial nobles come too, so it’s usually in the hundreds.”
“That’s why they built the Banquet Hall unnecessarily large.”
Just vanity.
The Duke appended his own commentary with a cold laugh. My sister, utterly unmoved, continued.
“This celebration is being scaled down compared to last year out of respect for the late Crown Prince.”
“…….”
“Narrowing it down to about a hundred is his idea of effort, at least.”
Still, it was just a gathering of high-ranking nobility. More secretive and dangerous than last year.
“We’re walking straight into it.”
“On foot?”
“Yes, on foot.”
My sister nodded at my words. Then she stared hard at me in surprise.
“Why? Does it seem too boring? Should we blow up a building or something?”
“Don’t talk about your fantasies, Veronika.”
“Hmph! You never know. The child might have a good idea too.”
My sister revealed her faith in me with the question.
“Our goal is singular: to ensure as many people as possible learn of Bancadium’s false accusation. You already know that much, don’t you, Karin?”
I nodded my head.
People had already been swayed by the Imperial Court’s honeyed words. To shift public opinion, that many people had to pay attention to this incident.
The nobles were naturally among them.
“Hmm……”
Listening to my sister, I fell into thought. This was certainly a difficult subject.
Of course Bancadium’s suspicion would naturally be cleared with the visual evidence and the key witness we had……
But thinking about it,
‘It seems like just that might not be quite enough.’
It felt like a bit more groundwork would be helpful.
I wracked my brain earnestly, groaning with effort.
Then, at some point,
“Mmm—”
Long fingers lightly pressed the center of my brow.
“Don’t furrow your brow. You’ll get wrinkles while you’re still young.”
“It’s a habit……”
“Break it.”
“Yes, sir.”
At the simple, direct advice, I obediently nodded my head.
In that moment, shifting my gaze to the list the Duke had shown, my eyes suddenly brightened.
‘That’s right!’
With an excellent idea taking shape, I quickly called the Duke, my sister, and Sis.
“I have a really, really good idea!”
* * *
“Your Majesty.”
Robert, the commander of the knights who oversaw security at the Imperial Palace, bowed deeply.
The Emperor, their master, glanced over the roster his aide had prepared.
He would have preferred to invite only his own faction, but that would invite talk of favoritism and discrimination.
Moreover, with the recent matter of the Crown Prince and all, the Emperor himself could not move recklessly at present.
“Strengthen the Imperial Palace’s security that day by at least three times. Make sure no one gets in.”
“I shall keep that in mind, Your Majesty.”
The commander bowed his head low.
“What of the situation outside the palace?”
“It remains the same as days ago. There are voices saying the Imperial Court is not cracking down hard enough on Bancadium, that we must press harder. And……”
“And?”
The Emperor regarded him quietly, sensing there was more. Robert, after a brief hesitation, spoke of the street scene he’d witnessed that very morning.
“It appears a rumor is spreading, Your Majesty.”

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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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