I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 131
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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 131
Kane was twenty-three years old.
Three years had passed since he graduated from the Academy and joined the Trabel Family, yet we were never particularly close.
‘He’s always looked at me that way from the start.’
Kane’s gaze from the Main Estate brushed past me for the briefest moment before turning toward Calips. That fleeting glance said it all—to Kane, I was nothing more than a potted plant sitting in the corner.
A presence he acknowledged existed, but had no reason to acknowledge with words.
This time was no different.
“….”
Kane ignored me entirely and spoke to Calips.
“Don’t make a commotion near the Main Estate. Grandfather will hear.”
“Ah, Kane. About that—”
“And stop acting like a child. What kind of behavior is that? I can hardly believe you’re eighteen.”
At Kane’s rebuke, Calips quickly withdrew the hand he’d been using to cover my mouth. Even Calips became obedient before the eldest son of Diamond House.
“You have just one more year of studies before graduation. One disgrace to the Trabel Family’s honor is quite enough.”
“…I understand.”
I felt a twinge of betrayal watching Calips nod in agreement. That “disgrace” Kane mentioned clearly referred to me.
‘So much for family loyalty!’
Calips’s graduation ceremony was now completely off the table.
However, there was one fact the two of them overlooked—I had a mouth of my own. I nodded along with Kane’s words and spoke.
“That’s right, Calips. Remember everything Kane said.”
“Hey, you….”
Calips sensed something off in my tone and instinctively tried to stop me, but he lowered his voice upon catching Kane’s eye.
“What are you trying to say now?”
The moment I began speaking, Kane turned away without bothering to listen to our conversation, preparing to leave.
I opened my mouth while staring at the back of Kane’s golden head. My voice was bright and utterly innocent.
“You’re sharing wisdom from personal experience, after all.”
“Personal experience?”
“Yes. Kane, you really do have a generous heart. Even though Grandfather scolded you over this incident, you’re still concerned enough about Calips to give him such advice. If it were me, I’d be too upset to even—”
“Uh, ah!”
Calips grabbed my arm and whispered urgently in my ear.
“…Hey, don’t say things like that in front of Kane.”
“….”
In that moment, Kane stopped walking and turned around. Now his gaze fixed directly on me—a well-built adult man in formal attire, his eyes burning with anger as he looked at his eight-year-old cousin.
I met Kane’s stare head-on, tilting the corners of my eyes slightly as I smiled sweetly.
“Don’t be too disheartened, brother. Everyone makes mistakes, after all.”
***
“That’s right. Keep working hard going forward. I heard you came first in your year. Mariane was quite proud of you.”
Oh. Calips came first? No wonder he seemed unusually confident today.
Calips and I stood side by side before Grandfather’s Study desk. My small exclamation must have reached him—his shoulders trembled slightly.
‘So transparent.’
Calips was the type whose schemes would show on his face. I wondered if he could be deeply involved in Father’s death, but I couldn’t exclude him from the list of suspects.
“Calips, you may go rest now. As for Berry—”
Grandfather looked at me and drew a long, heavy breath. Calips seemed startled by that reaction.
From this distance, Calips couldn’t even meet Grandfather’s gaze—he still feared him greatly. The other relatives felt the same way.
“Have you reflected on your actions?”
“Yes.”
“Your answer lacks conviction. It seems you haven’t truly reflected. Berry, you will stay and demonstrate genuine remorse. Go sit on the sofa.”
“Yes….”
Grandfather pointed to my usual seat on the sofa with a stern gesture and commanding tone.
The atmosphere grew heavy. Calips, who had bowed to Grandfather saying he would leave, tapped my arm as I walked toward the sofa with a dejected expression.
‘Why.’
‘Do well. Don’t get scolded again.’
He whispered through lip movements and left. The door closed, leaving only Grandfather and me in the study. Grandfather rose from his chair and spoke.
“That boy grumbles constantly, but he has a good heart.”
“I hate to admit it, but that’s true.”
“And your acting is so convincing that he trusts those beside you without suspicion. That worries me.”
Grandfather walked to the sofa across from me. For a moment, his knees seemed to buckle slightly, but it was only an instant.
“I heard from Jack Jack about what happened.”
Grandfather settled onto the sofa and opened his mouth naturally, as though nothing had occurred. Had it been anyone else, they wouldn’t have noticed what just transpired.
“Kane caused trouble, and you have something you wish to tell me about it.”
“Yes.”
I nodded without mentioning what I had just witnessed.
Kane, who had returned to the Trabel Family, helped with his uncle’s business as well as the family’s affairs. This time, he had made a grave mistake.
He had received counterfeit gold coins made from pyrite as payment from a foreign trading partner. The sum was in the hundreds of millions, but the more serious issue was that those coins had been delivered in full as a donation to the Aubaut Order, and the Grand Temple had recently contacted Grandfather cautiously about it.
“Heh. It seems you’ve been deceived, sir.”
The High Priest’s understanding and generous demeanor only inflamed my grandfather’s anger. My uncle had sent people to resolve Kane’s mistake, but the fraudulent merchant had already vanished without a trace. The complications of dealing with a foreign nation made the situation even more difficult.
“I entrusted work to a grandson who can’t even distinguish pyrite from gold coins.”
“Grandfather, about that matter. I think I can catch those scammers!”
“…Berry, you’re saying this?”
“Yes.”
I smiled with confidence. According to my other memories, Kane’s fraud case would be resolved when Victor from the Blue Company found the scammers on my uncle’s orders. Since my uncle currently lacked someone that capable by his side, resolving the matter wouldn’t be easy.
What if I solved a problem that was troubling Diamond House?
‘Grandfather would have every reason to reward me! For instance, he could swear a family oath to grant me whatever I desire.’
If that happened, even if relatives protested to break my engagement with Theon, Grandfather couldn’t honor their objections.
That was just the groundwork. The real negotiation started now.
“You?”
As expected, Grandfather seemed pleased. He secretly hoped that his lowest-ranking granddaughter—who only diminished the family’s achievements—would perform as brilliantly as Baron Oldman.
“What wind blew into you? You showed no interest in building achievements before.”
“If I succeed, please grant me a wish.”
“No deal.”
Tsk. Grandfather clicked his tongue and shifted his leaning torso back against the sofa’s backrest.
“My eldest grandson, whom I thought was clever, proves ignorant in practical matters, and my youngest granddaughter, who pretends to be foolish, constantly tries to manipulate this old man whenever she gets the chance. What’s the point of building up a family when I have no children or grandchildren I can entrust it to with peace of mind?”
Grumbling away, Grandfather—who had been caught by me several times and helped fill Baron Oldman’s coffers—spoke with dissatisfaction while stroking his chin.
“The math doesn’t work out. I’m not so desperate for money that I’d grant your wish over a few hundred million Cona.”
“Of course not.”
I laughed at Grandfather’s words. Seeing my expression grow more scheming, Grandfather probed carefully.
“What wish could it be?”
“There’s something I need to do next month, and I’d like you to do nothing but give your permission.”
“So you’re going to cause trouble, and I should just sit back and take it.”
He hit the mark instantly. I laughed it off with a nervous chuckle, and Grandfather gestured for me to continue.
“This isn’t compensation for cleaning up Kane’s mess—it’s something different. Something you’d be pleased about.”
“Something I’d be pleased about? What could that be?”
I kept my gaze on Grandfather’s shin as I spoke.
“A cure for the Heavy Lullaby.”
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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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