I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 133

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 133

22. The Crown Prince and the Priest

The youngest granddaughter of the Trabel Family had been cast out. I was forbidden from returning until I resolved the family’s affairs.
Theon and I arrived in Belodia, a provincial city.
Jeffrey had wanted to follow us to the end, but he couldn’t come due to prior commitments. What sealed it was Anne’s declaration that if I acted recklessly, she wouldn’t grant guardian consent for future outings.
The journey took longer than I’d anticipated.
It took four days by carriage from Count Trabel’s Residence to Belodia. A week for the round trip, another week to apprehend the swindlers, recover the goods, and hand them over to the Investigation Bureau.
After that, I still needed Grandfather’s permission and had to prepare for the Crown Prince’s enthronement ceremony. Time was running short.
I had to catch them here, then.
I imagined apprehending the swindlers as I cut into my cake with a fork. Theon’s sword hilt came into view, its reassuring presence commanding my attention from across the table.
“Look over there. Those people—could they be…?”
“We’re seeing all the famous people we only read about in newspapers.”
“It must be because of that incident.”
“They say she was cast out with nothing but the clothes on her back, and it seems to be true. She doesn’t even have an attendant.”
My ears had been tingling since earlier. We were seated at an outdoor table of the most famous dessert cafe in Belodia. Passersby in the plaza and patrons inside the cafe kept stealing glances at us before looking away.
“A resort town, no less. What a fortunate life.”
Belodia—a city warm year-round and the Heishal Empire’s premier tourist destination.
I pretended not to hear anything and placed the forkful of cake into my mouth. I released a satisfied sigh and gazed at the assortment of desserts arranged across the table.
“Mm, this is delicious. The one with pickled apricots is quite good too. Try some, Theon.”
“Is it good?”
“Yes. But I think syrup got on my hands. They’re sticky.”
“I’ll wipe them for you. Give me your hand. Berry.”
Theon pulled a handkerchief from his front pocket, and I smiled brightly as I naturally extended my hand.
An oblivious noblewoman sitting alone with her handsome male friend at a cafe, enjoying cake—that was the image I was cultivating right now.
To wipe away the sticky syrup, Theon held the handkerchief and carefully rubbed my palm.
“Theon, your hands have grown again.”
“Have they?”
Theon continued speaking while keeping his gaze fixed on my hand.
“But Berry, can we really afford to be this leisurely?”
“Why?”
“The Count has never cast anyone out before. Since the swindlers fled to the Papper Kingdom, we should go there too.”
At Theon’s words, the newspaper held by the man at the diagonal table rustled.
Catching that moment in my peripheral vision, I spoke to Theon with confident assurance.
“Theon too. Surely Grandfather didn’t actually drive me out?”
This time, the waiter serving tea behind Theon perked up his ears.
Oh. Even going undercover as staff.
“Just stay away for a few days, then go back and apologize to Grandfather. That’s always how it’s gone, hasn’t it?”
I wondered who’d sent him.
Aunt? Uncle? Or perhaps from my other Uncle’s side.
Ever since I’d left Count Trabel’s Residence, the eyes and ears of my relatives seemed to follow me everywhere.
‘With performance evaluations coming up in a month, everyone’s on edge.’
That’s why even after leaving Count Trabel’s Residence, I had to endure this nuisance and continue playing the role of the weakest link.
“We can just rest here and then leave.”
I took a leisurely sip of tea. Theon, who’d been pestering me with anxious questions, simply shrugged at my words.
“Right, Berry. If you say so, then that’s how it is.”
If I was playing the weakest link in the Trabel Family, then Theon was playing the role of a male friend who only had eyes for me. Thanks to that, Theon’s nickname within the Trabel Family was “the weakest’s loyal hound,” and despite becoming a Sword Master, he wasn’t viewed as a threat by my relatives.
It was possible because of Father’s precedent—a Grand Master with absolutely no talent for performance evaluations.
‘Their guard has dropped completely. They have no idea what’s coming.’
Smirk.
“I’ll just do whatever you tell me to do.”
Though, if I’m being honest with my conscience, I’ve tainted Theon—who was once the very embodiment of purity—with the filth of the world. It was because I’d overlooked how exceptional his learning ability was.
At first, Theon only acted as I instructed, but now his performance had moved beyond the application stage into the creative stage. There were times when I’d wonder if the Theon I knew was even real anymore.

– Why don’t you just put a leash around my neck? Or tie up my hands and feet.
– You say frightening things for someone I’ve only met twice. If you say such things with that face anywhere, you’ll get arrested.
– I only meant it because the Young Lady keeps chasing after me like a squirrel hiding acorns, constantly following me around.

Now that I thought about it, the Crown Prince Theon from my other memories also had a talent for making unusual remarks. Because recent Theon’s appearance had become almost identical to the Crown Prince in my memories, there were times when I’d get confused about who said what.

– It’s true that I’m not good at recognizing my own emotions. But I do know that what I feel toward the Young Lady is different from usual.
– Is it because the Holy Sword resonates with Your Highness’s emotions and displays its power?
– No. Sometimes my heart beats faster when I see the Young Lady than it normally does.

No, wait.
This couldn’t be confused. What the Crown Prince Theon said next was something the current Theon could never say to me.

– Am I beginning to see you as more than a friend?

I imagined pushing away the memory that had surfaced in my mind. Deciding I should look at Theon in front of me, I lifted my gaze, and there he was, smiling with his eyes narrowed as he watched me.
“What?”
“Berry lowers her head when she’s thinking.”
“Really? Is that strange?”
“No.”
Theon said.
“I want to keep watching.”

***

That was surely teasing, wasn’t it?
Wanting to keep watching me with my head lowered.
‘Hmm. Is it because my head is round?’
Perhaps it was cute enough to overlook when I was younger, but if it remained the same as I grew older, it might be amusing and strange.
After we moved to the Inn, I was waiting for Theon in the Dining Hall on the First Floor. The counter area where guest rooms were handled had grown noisy.
“How can there be no reserved room!”
I glanced over. The man raising his voice was a mercenary, and behind him stood five companions.
Two who appeared to be fellow mercenaries, and three people wearing coats bearing the emblem of the Aubaut Order.
‘Priests have come all the way here.’
Belodia had no Temple of the Aubaut Order. So it seemed they had come to this Inn, which had the best facilities in the area.
“However, according to our reservation list, you booked two rooms….”
“No, the largest room with two rooms! Isn’t that the room you reserved…!”
“I apologize, sir. We would like to accommodate you as much as possible, but that room has already been paid for by another guest today. Instead, we can offer the next two largest rooms….”
“Another guest or whatever, you should hand over the reserved room.”
The mercenary’s voice was loud. So loud that I could even hear him subtly threatening the Manager from where I sat.
“Unless you plan to have these distinguished guests stay in cramped quarters.”
Getting involved with that mercenary would be troublesome.
‘I mustn’t let it be known that I’m the one who paid for the largest room.’
Fortunately, the Manager didn’t spare me a single glance. Thanks to that, I was able to use one of the pillars in the middle as a shield and comfortably observe the situation at the counter.
‘If they’re distinguished guests, are they high-ranking priests? Is that why they’re covering their faces like that?’
The hood of the coat bearing the Aubaut Order’s emblem was large enough to cover half the face. I wondered how they managed their field of vision.
‘Are they on an important mission? What could it be?’
Since I knew a few high-ranking priests, I carefully examined the area beneath the priests’ hoods.
In that moment, the priest standing in the middle turned his head toward me.
“….”
Eyes hidden beneath the hood seemed to be gazing in my direction. But it was only for an instant.
My attention was stolen away by a large arm that suddenly appeared in my field of vision.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————