I Just Wanted Revenge, But Everyone Loves Me - Chapter 88

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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 88
I’d caught a glimpse of the Plaza on the way to the Imperial Palace, but returning now, it was far more crowded than it had been during the Celebration of Birth.
Hopping down at the Plaza entrance, I marveled at the streets brimming with vitality.
“There are so many more people than last time!”
“We exercised restraint last time out of respect for the Crown Prince.”
Hyacinth, speaking thus, extended her arm toward me.
I lowered my head.
“I’d like to walk today.”
“What?!”
At my words, Hyacinth’s mouth fell open. Her eyes rolled about in wide circles.
“Why, why? Is the ride uncomfortable now? Should I add extra cushioning?”
“I just want to walk.”
It was the same with her—and the Duke, too.
And Hyacinth as well.
Whenever I tried to walk, they’d scoop me up without hesitation.
‘It is convenient, I’ll admit.’
But if I grew too dependent on it, that would be a problem.
I had important things to accomplish soon—I couldn’t be carried everywhere forever.
“But… if you were to get separated from me…”
“Then I’ll hold your hand!”
There were so many people, and I was still quite small for my age. It wouldn’t do to get swept away in the crowd.
Rem was nearby, but I could at least hold hands as a precaution against any accident.
“All right, then. But if your legs start aching, or breathing becomes difficult, or you get thirsty, or you’re tired—tell me immediately, understood?”
“…Wouldn’t breathing becoming difficult be a problem regardless?”
“So where should we go? What are you most curious about—”
In that instant, Hyacinth, mid-sentence, suddenly whipped her head around.
Rem, at her side, did the same.
“What is it?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Like someone being pursued by something invisible,
she continued glancing about before forcing an awkward smile.
“I must have seen things.”
“?”
“I thought I spotted someone I knew for a moment.”
No, surely not.
Hyacinth murmured softly.
“Since we’re here, shall we replenish our spirits first? Is there anywhere you’d like to go?”
“Yes!”
I’d wanted to go there from the start.
‘I need information about the Auction.’
The Guild—Arabesque.
I had to make contact with them.
To do that, I needed to find where I could hear news of the Auction.
* * *
Meanwhile, the man pursuing the three of them furrowed his brow. When he saw the Carriage suddenly depart from the Estate, he wondered what was happening.
‘Hyacinth and the child have gone out.’
The mage and the little one had gone out together?
At this unexpected pairing, Rodrigo found himself taken aback.
Of course, he hadn’t restricted their outings, so there was no real objection.
‘…’
But he knew the Capital too, didn’t he?
In fact, he knew it better than Hyacinth did.
He had the years of living to back that claim, and he knew shops scattered about.
There was even a café he’d visited with his wife, so he knew where decent meals could be had.
If he went with someone who knew nothing but Magic and cared for nothing but Magic, it would surely be tedious.
The thought that he was inferior to that Magic-obsessed fool stung Rodrigo’s pride.
‘Where are you going?’
‘Out.’
‘What? But we were going to do this together!’
‘Do half of it. I’ll finish the rest when I return.’
‘Then I’ll also go—Damn it!’
Whatever his blood relative said or cursed,
Rodrigo, expertly ignoring her attempt to follow, mounted his Steed at once.
The last time he’d ridden had been when he was sweeping through a group of others.
The Steed, greeting its master after so long, let out a spirited cry.
Before Veronika could come down insisting she was going too, he bolted from the Estate.
‘That’s right.’
This was purely for safety’s sake.
With no way to predict what the Emperor might attempt, and the child suddenly wanting to go out,
Guards had even been assigned to handle such situations when they arose.
It was all in preparation for every possible contingency, Rodrigo insisted to himself.
So he rode hard in pursuit.
“?”
But when he saw where the three had entered…
‘A gambling hall?’
Was she insane?
‘Why would they go in there?’
Rodrigo, observing the three from a distance, narrowed his brow.
The place they’d entered was a large salon called Nuaybeck, located at one edge of the Capital’s Plaza.
Though it was euphemistically called a social venue or salon, in truth it was a place where casinos disguised as fraternizing flourished.
Of course, it was more open than the underworld.
As one of Brosia’s official establishments, there was much to see beyond gambling,
but it was hardly the kind of place a four-year-old should visit upon arriving in the Capital.
At most, he’d expected a café or shops, perhaps a tour around the nearby Lake.
Watching his expectations shatter in real time, Rodrigo found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
‘Who suggested they go there?’
Rem didn’t enjoy games, and Hyacinth wasn’t the gambling type—she hated losing even a single Gold coin.
But if it wasn’t either of those two, then who would suggest going there?
‘The child?’
* * *
…Why am I here?
Having fully expected to visit a quaint little café where delicious things could be eaten, Hyacinth couldn’t believe the scene now unfolding before her eyes.
Rather than sweet cakes, savory appetizers.
Rather than fragrant black tea, wine and champagne flowed far more freely.
Nuaybeck was a place Hyacinth had only heard about; this was her first time actually visiting.
She’d spent her whole life researching nothing but Magic, with no interest in entertainment whatsoever.
But to come here—and not with someone else, but with that little pink thing scurrying about—
“Child.”
“Karin.”
“Child.”
“Karin!”
“Fine, Karin.”
Hyacinth carefully touched the Mask covering her face.
The rules of Nuaybeck were simple—only three of them.
Do not fight. Do not cheat.
And do not reveal your face.
Thanks to these rules, she wore the Mask received at the entrance and glanced sidelong at the child she carried.
She’d succeeded in persuading herself to hold the little one again for safety reasons, but…
‘I have no idea what she’s thinking.’
Why on earth had she insisted on coming here?
No matter how she considered it, this was no place for a child.
Moreover, how did the child, visiting the Plaza for the first time, even know about this place?
There was much she wanted to ask, but too many people surrounded them.
‘At least I brought plenty of Gold.’
She’d come with about a billion Gold just to be safe.
That should be enough to secure the finest room in this place.
“Karin. Let’s find a seat first, then we can talk—”
“No!”
“Wh-what?”
“I want to sit where there are lots of people. Somewhere really loud and bustling.”
“Is… is that so?”
She should have objected.
But completely overwhelmed by Karin’s momentum, the mage instead asked a staff member for an adequately situated table.
At that moment, Rem, who had been vigilantly scanning the surroundings, whispered:
“He’ll kill us if he finds out we came here.”
“I know…”
There had been a moment when her spine went cold earlier.
But as long as we keep it between ourselves and stay quiet, it should be fine.
“Would he really show up here?”

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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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