I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 124

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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 124

I was about to settle into the sofa as I always did when Laksek’s question made me pause, my hand gripping the back of the cushion.
This was the same sofa I’d needed Count Trabel’s help to climb onto when I was seven years old.
Now, at fifteen winters old, I’d grown tall enough that the decorative trim at the very top of the sofa back reached my chest. Standing beside Anne, who was already an adult, I barely noticed any difference in our heights anymore.
My pink hair, which used to generate static electricity so easily, now gleamed with vitality and strength. Though it fell past my shoulder blades without being braided, it remained neat, and the slight frizz that lingered complemented my still-youthful white cheeks, adding an endearing quality to my appearance.
Combined with my bright, sparkling green eyes and round head shape, my features danced along the boundary between cuteness and maturity.
“How did Grandfather find out about that?”
“A damage compensation claim arrived.”
At Callet’s answer on my behalf, I covered my mouth with one hand.
“Goodness. Did that penny-pinching director really send a claim already?”
Already, no less.
If I’d been any other direct descendant, an angry scolding would have come flying by now. The reason it hadn’t was that Count Trabel was unusually lenient with his youngest granddaughter. Only his aide Callet and the Count himself knew this fact.
‘Ugh.’
Laksek rubbed his head again. The explosion had clearly been calculated down to the last Cona to erase the performance records. And she’d undoubtedly revealed her status as a direct descendant of the Trabel Family at the scene.
‘I can picture it all too clearly. This troublemaker.’
Berry Quartz Trabel, once Quorta’s beloved child model who had created countless uncles and aunts throughout the Heishal Empire and Edencia Kingdom, had now become a person whose name was preceded first by the epithet “the Trabel Family’s lowest-ranking troublemaker.”
Yet Berry Quartz Trabel remained a popular figure, for people grew enthusiastic over mere photographs of her that appeared in related articles from time to time.
Paparazzi photos taken during outings, photographs from accident scenes—her aura and beauty, as if she were posing for a photo shoot, captivated people’s attention. And she was only fifteen years old.
‘She must have been with those two again this time.’
And among those photographs, there were faces that appeared with familiar regularity.
Theon Phil Voltman and Jeffrey Hunt.
Theon Phil Voltman, eighteen years old, had reached the rank of Sword Master last year, while fourteen-year-old Jeffrey Hunt was active as a successful model. The somewhat absurd reason Jeffrey continued his modeling career was that, as a commoner and a minor, he could accumulate gold coins the fastest.
In contrast, Theon had quit modeling alongside me. The thirst of people who lamented not knowing the whereabouts of the beautiful boy model was quenched four years ago—in the spring following the conclusion of the Annex Succession War of the Trabel Family.

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Hero of the Heishal Empire, or troublemaker?

A gang of fake alchemists who had committed fraud by selling fake yawning recovery medicine at low prices was arrested by the Investigation Bureau.
…(omitted)…
The teenagers who distinguished themselves used a small bomb invented by Burdbell Ratna, known as an eccentric genius, and the damage incurred is expected to be substantial….
———-

A photograph of Berry Quartz Trabel and two boys. From that point on, whenever Berry caused trouble, the three of them appeared in the papers alongside the Knight.
But who would have known? That disaster-prone girl who only erased Reytan’s accomplishments through compensation payments had become Baron Oldman, a major player in the Iron Mining Industry.
With revenues from Crest Mine, he had been acquiring other iron mines one by one, and now the assessment was that anyone seeking iron supplies from the Heishal Empire had to trade with either Baron Oldman or the Trabel Family Estate.
At fifteen years old, a wealthy magnate owning dozens of iron mines….
‘This won’t do.’
Laughter nearly burst forth. Laksek quickly stiffened his lips. He had summoned Berry to give her a warning about the Seren Art Museum incident. Though his anger had dissipated upon seeing his granddaughter’s face, he still had to do what needed doing.
“The director sent an astronomical bill. Do you have any idea how much money your grandfather has spent because of your accident?”
Berry lowered her eyebrows as she looked at Laksek.
“The artwork made the amount quite substantial, didn’t it? I’m sorry, Grandfather.”
“At least you know to apologize. Next time—.”
Just as Laksek was about to gently admonish his granddaughter, who seemed to show signs of remorse.
Berry nodded with a determined expression.
“Next time, I’ll avoid expensive things!”
“What—.”
Laksek gripped the armrest tightly. No matter how soft Count Trabel was toward his youngest granddaughter, his nature didn’t disappear.
Unable to let harsh words escape, it was the chair’s armrest that suffered. Over the years, grooves matching the count’s finger width had been carved into the solid wood.
Berry placed both hands on her hips.
“But this time it was unavoidable. Those people kidnapped Miru.”
“Who is Miru?”
“A friend I recently made. She’s a badger-kin hybrid, and they kidnapped her even though she was living well, being sold at a high price?”
“…So you’re saying you destroyed the basement of the art museum?”
“Yes. I thought the auction house needed to be eliminated. The director is claiming he only lent the space and didn’t know, but he actually knew everything and turned a blind eye. Adults shouldn’t do that, should they?”
Laksek let out a groan. These were the admirable and terrifying aspects of his dear granddaughter.
If she simply caused accidents, it would be one thing, but causing accidents against criminals meant he couldn’t scold her severely. This was undoubtedly his granddaughter’s scheme as well.
“Berry, it seems you won’t need to cause any more accidents this year.”
Once again, Laksek quickly admitted defeat today. Over the past few years, he had tried scolding her, even attempted mild threats. He had tried various methods, but this approach worked best on his granddaughter.
“Even if you accumulated a month and a half of your father’s accomplishments, you still couldn’t reach Emerald House.”
Negotiation and persuasion.
“…Yes!”
Look at that. When he struck the right chord, she laughed sheepishly. Callet laughing along with her and even he himself twitching at the corners of his mouth—none of them were in their right minds. How many adults did this child enchant?
“Tsk. Come by for tea next time. Today you need to act as if you’ve been thoroughly scolded. That way your relatives won’t harbor complaints. And you’re banned from going out for a week. Don’t climb over the inner wall.”
“Hehe. Thank you.”
Laksek waved his hand, telling her to leave. Berry exited the study and applied reddening ointment around her eyes and nose tip. Checking in her hand mirror, she looked quite convincingly as if she had been crying.
“Miss Berry, I shall escort you to the first floor.”
Callet, who had followed her out, walked down the corridor with Berry. Lost in quiet thought, Berry spoke softly to Callet.
“Callet, about the Annex Succession War accomplishments.”
“Yes.”
“Can accomplishments be accumulated through methods other than the net profits from family support projects?”
“Other methods, you say. Could you give me an example?”
“When Father stopped Windis’s rampage before, the High Priest gave a blessing to the athletes as a reward. Cases like that.”
“Ah, yes. If you accomplish something that brings benefit to the Trabel Family, we’ll calculate the amount and reflect it in your performance record. But why are you asking about that….”
What scheme are you cooking up now?
Callet asked in an anxious voice. Berry answered with a smirk.
“Just curious~”

***

When I returned to the Stone House, I climbed to the second floor. Theon was waiting for me in the living room with refreshments and tea prepared.
“Wow. Orange tea?”
“Yeah. Your favorite brand.”
I sat across from Theon and took a sip of the tea he poured. The warm liquid bloomed with a citrus tang, thawing my body that had been chilled by the winter wind.
“Perfect. Did the servants tell you I was coming?”
“Yeah.”
Theon smiled faintly. The eighteen-year-old Theon looked identical to the Crown Prince Theon Phil Igselona from my memories.
My best friend had grown into the Empire’s most handsome man.
If he became Crown Prince later, there might even be proposals to engrave his face on the national flag. If no one suggested it, I’d submit the proposal anonymously.
“How did it go?”
Theon rested his chin on one arm propped on the tea table, asking me with a gentle gaze. Somewhere along the way, whenever Theon listened to my stories, he wore a subtle smile and kind eyes.
So attentiveness was fundamentally an act of tenderness. Theon was a guilty man of a different nature than Father.
“A week of house confinement.”
“Really? Do you have to stay only in the Stone House again?”
“No, not exactly. He said as long as I don’t cross the inner wall, it’s fine.”
The citrus aftertaste of the tea lingered pleasantly on my tongue. I was bringing the cup to my lips for another sip when—
“….”
“Your eyes are red. Berry.”
Theon gently rubbed the corners of my eyes with his fingertips.

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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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