I Opened an Illegal Animal Hospital in Another World - Chapter 109

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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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109

Chapter 24. End of Vacation (1)

We arrived at the Wentworth Estate two days later than scheduled.

‘It was a rewarding journey.’

What’s flowing from my eyes isn’t tears. It’s sweat…

“Still, we arrived safely, right!”

“Two days late, though.”

“Since we gave away all our money except the minimum travel expenses to Rabbit Village, we had to dismiss the coachman and couldn’t even change horses.”

The twins muttered in turn.

“Do you have any complaints?”

When Evelyn spoke coldly, the twins’ gazes simultaneously turned toward the sky in different directions.

“No. Of course not.”

“None. Absolutely none.”

Evelyn was strong. Or rather, maybe the twins were particularly weak against Evelyn.

“But if you’re going to help people, you should do it properly…”

After treating Cordelia’s Brother, I visited the homes of sick patients to treat them, and even gave away all my potions for their future needs. I could always make more potions anyway.

‘It was a bit awkward being called Lady Merona until the end, but it was fulfilling.’

The treatment itself was quick, but visiting each house one by one took a long time. The villagers seemed curious about us being Maria’s disciples and wanted to chat with us even more.

It showed how well Maria had treated them.

I was so happy about that and ended up responding to all their conversations, spending two whole days trapped in an inescapable cycle of chatter like an ant lion’s pit.

But anyway, we arrived safely, so isn’t that what matters?

‘Beastmen who don’t hate humans are so precious…’

Given the incident that happened just before leaving the Capital City, I was moved by how they welcomed us despite having been harmed by humans.

So I gave them money, gave them potions… The twins and Evelyn even helped with physical labor…

If we hadn’t had to send the coachman back, I might have really settled down there.

“Welcome, my pretty granddaughter!”

“To think I can greet you on this land, it feels like I’m dreaming!”

Grandfather and Grandmother welcomed me with lines that were exactly as I expected. Their embrace as they pulled me into their arms the moment I got off the carriage was a bit suffocating but warm.

When I rubbed my forehead against them with a bit of childish affection, I felt a little embarrassed as if I had really become a child. Even in this new life, I’m already 18…

But the two of them always treated me like a baby no matter how much I grew, so my attitude naturally became more childish.

Grandfather’s first meeting was rather unconventional, but now he was on the normal side. He had the same tendency as Father to show off in front of his wife, but usually appeared as a dignified and stately elderly gentleman to others.

…Or so they say.

I quietly lifted my head from their embrace and looked around.

“No one’s here. I stopped him because you might feel burdened.”

“Grandmother really is the best.”

But Grandfather looked disappointed.

“My child is setting foot in Wentworth Castle for the first time, yet there’s not even a welcome ceremony… I should have lined up the Knight’s Order and set off fireworks! No, I should have shown all the people the face of this estate’s rightful heir!”

“Grandfather, you know I’m officially here for recuperation…”

“…Ahem.”

“Please do it later. Secretly.”

I don’t dislike lively celebrations either.

When I subtly hugged Grandfather, the sulking hidden beneath his dignity melted away smoothly. I tasted just a little of the thrill that the legendary villainess who had the Emperor wrapped around her finger must have felt, and smiled slyly. Grandfather is easier than Father.

“My child, aren’t you hungry? Come here, I’ve prepared lots of delicious food. Did you eat lunch?”

“We skipped it because we thought we’d arrive around lunchtime. Since we were already late, we wanted to come even a little faster, gasp…”

I made a mistake.

I covered my mouth, and Grandfather looked at me with pitying eyes. It was a slip of the tongue.

“You… skipped a meal…?”

The face of the beautiful elderly lady who supposedly once stole Grandfather’s heart with her beauty alone hardened coldly. She usually only shows me kind smiles, but Father said she used to make Grandfather cry back in the day.

My body froze under the cold gaze that had never been directed at me before. Grandmother’s eyes gleamed like those of a predator.

“Right now my child is starving…!”

“Grandmother! It’s just one meal! Just lunch…!”

“Absolutely not! Let’s go to the dining room right now! Honey, what are you doing? Follow us immediately! What if my child’s stomach sticks to their back! Oh, will the prepared dishes be enough…!”

“Grandmother, it’s just one meal!”

“I need to call the cooks back right away! No wait, first I need to feed you something warm and soft…”

“I’m not hungry, really…”

“That can’t be! It feels like the sky is falling! This won’t do!”

I forgot the rule that you should never tell Grandmother that her grandchild is hungry.

***

“I absolutely can’t lie face down…”

No matter how much I had eaten, my full stomach showed no signs of settling down.

Grandmother said it was her job to feed her grandchild, and every time I emptied my plate, she would fill it right back up. Since it was done with good intentions, I couldn’t refuse and ended up stuffing food in until I was on the verge of throwing up.

The meal that started around late lunch naturally continued into dinner, and I fled while shouting that I would throw up if I ate any more.

The twins couldn’t escape. Those kids were like pseudo-grandchildren to Grandmother too.

“I’m going to take a walk.”

“Let’s go together!”

“No, I won’t go far anyway. If I stay still, I feel like I’ll throw up…”

“Should I get you some digestive medicine?”

“Would you do that?”

Right now, I felt like I would throw everything up the moment I swallowed any medicine.

‘I’ve been talking about throwing up constantly these past few days…’

Maybe it was because I suffered so much from nausea during motion sickness. It would be dangerous if it became a habit, so I should endure it by digesting properly.

Wentworth Castle is said to be the place where Father was born and raised.

It was regrettable that I couldn’t come here together with Father. Since it’s a stone building, the indoor air is cool. Without the candles lighting up various places, it would have a somewhat eerie atmosphere as if ghosts might appear.

‘The maintenance costs must be no joke…’

In my previous life, I had read an article about European castles being sold for pennies. It was because the maintenance costs were too high and they were inconvenient…

To think that while strolling through an ancient castle, all I could think about was maintenance costs – I really am quite petty.

I took a deep breath.

I was finally alone.

‘I need to clear my head…’

This was the first opportunity to calmly organize my thoughts since fainting at dawn.

After fainting at dawn, I fell asleep immediately, and as soon as I woke up, I was stuffed into a carriage and was too busy dealing with motion sickness and travel fatigue to think straight.

‘I wonder if our kids developed separation anxiety…’

It seemed like there was some rule that I shouldn’t be left alone. Evelyn was especially like this, and the twins were no different. They took turns ensuring at least one of them was always by my side, never wanting to leave me alone.

Evelyn already had separation anxiety tendencies, but the symptoms seemed to have gotten more than 10 times worse.

The twins originally had such tendencies a little, but they seemed to try not to show it, but now they’re no different from how Evelyn used to be.

‘I thought I’d suffocate to death…’

Of course, I love our kids and the time spent together is happy, but I also needed time alone.

Far from leaving me alone from when I opened my eyes until I closed them, they wouldn’t even let me keep my mouth shut when I wasn’t sleeping. Their hearing is so good that they can sharply distinguish whether I’m pretending to sleep or really sleeping.

Moreover, they would notice like ghosts when I was lost in other thoughts, and if I kept quiet even for a moment, they would persistently ask “What are you thinking about?” or “What’s on your mind?”

As if I have such important and serious thoughts!

‘They don’t even think I’d have serious thoughts anyway… If they did, they wouldn’t treat me like a child like this.’

Sometimes when I think about how I might appear to the people around me, I feel a bit of reality shock. Don’t I look like a spoiled little kid…

Actually, it was understandable. I would have thought the same.

My resolution to express good things freely because I regretted not being able to express more to Mina and not being able to spend more time together before dying had strange side effects.

But really, you never know when a person might die.

You have to live doing what you want to do.

‘That’s that, but anyway…’

Actually, considering my parents’ original personalities, no matter how much the engagement was broken off, putting me in a carriage and sending me on a long journey would be impossible. I know this.

They would have said to rest a few more days since it’s bad for my health, there’s no need to rush and let’s just keep up appearances, is there really a need to go, if you insist it’ll all work out.

Both of them had the habit of saying “Our daughter should only trust Mom (Dad)!”

Even though they could have sufficiently delayed the departure, there was a reason they had to send me away, and that would be because Nathan is targeting me.

To the first prince who made contracts with demons and wanted to live so badly that he sewed together beastmen’s organs and body parts to extend his life, wouldn’t my existence honestly look like the elixir of immortality that Emperor Qin Shi Huang was searching for?

On their side, there are two demons besides Seth.

Even if Seth seems like an internal traitor who won’t be much of a fighting force, I couldn’t let my guard down. Just one demon is very threatening, and Mother’s family, the Lepoer family, should also be considered enemies.

‘This won’t be easy…’

Wentworth Castle was under strict security even though it wasn’t wartime. Enough for Evelyn, who is sensitive about my safety, to let me take a walk alone. It meant that Grandfather and Grandmother had also heard about the situation.

At times like this, it would be helpful for me to quietly hide. Not that I meant to just trust my parents and endure, but that I wouldn’t act up since I would only be a weakness, not a fighting force.

“Surprising.”

“What is? Ian.”

“You… I thought you’d be more frantic and angry about this kind of thing.”

“I am angry though?”

“No, what I mean is. I thought you’d lose your reason. Because you take other people’s pain as your own pain.”

The fact that she asked back whether there was any point in getting angry was proof that she hadn’t lost her reason. Of course she was angry and thought it was an unforgivable crime, but the reason she could stay calm was.

‘Even though I told them I’m not that kind, they still…’

Because the people precious to me haven’t suffered any harm yet.

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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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