I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 146

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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 146

Being born with orange eyes in the Valenhardt Royal Family was an implicit selection—a designation that you were destined to inherit the throne.
Belesa recalled Berry’s eyes, which she had seen days ago.
‘Just as Lucian told me. It’s not helpful.’
So it was better to keep Lucian at her side than that child with green eyes. To solidify her position as the next queen.
Belesa handed the newspaper that had been resting on the table to the Attendant.
“Dispose of it.”
It was a newspaper carrying a photograph of Berry apprehending a fence. Not long after the Attendant cleared away the paper, another Attendant approached Belesa.
“Your Highness.”
A mansion owned by the Valenhardt Royal Family within the Heishal Empire.
Belesa had remained there rather than returning to the Edencia Kingdom. The official reason was to capture the remnants of the Second Prince who had stolen the Jewel of the Sun.
“A Priest from the Aubaut Order has arrived.”
But Belesa had another reason.
“Bring him in.”
Belesa commanded the Attendant as though she had been expecting this. The Attendant promptly left and ushered someone inside. It was a figure clad in priestly vestments.
….
The Priest stood directly in Belesa’s line of sight as she sat at the tea table. The distance between them allowed her to take in the Priest’s appearance at a glance. It felt peculiar, as though a white pillar had been erected in the center of the room.
A large hood attached to the white priestly robes, a robe that fell in long folds, and white boots meeting its hem. An otherworldly quality, as if this being did not belong to this world.
“Everyone leave. Let no one enter, and let no one eavesdrop.”
Belesa dismissed everyone from the room. Then the Priest, who had stood motionless until now, moved a pale hand to pull back the hood. A silver-haired, handsome man with an aloof expression opened his mouth toward Belesa.
“It has been a long time.”
Yuraha.
Days ago, there had been a secret meeting arranged to discuss a sacred covenant between the Aubaut Order and the Edencia Kingdom. When Belesa saw his face—he who had come to the appointed place by way of Belodia—a flicker of interest crossed her eyes. A young high priest of the Grand Temple.
‘The next High Priest.’
Throughout the discussion, he had done nothing but occasionally nod at the words of the priests seated on either side of him, offering no opinions of his own.
Beyond his seemingly sacred appearance, there was nothing impressive about him, so she had assumed he was a puppet of the Order. Until Yuraha came to find her that day.
“Have you given thought to the proposal I made last time?”
Yuraha asked Belesa, who sat in her chair. The deadline for her answer was today, yet her lips did not open easily.
“It seems your deliberation has not yet concluded.”
“No.”
“I believed I had made a proposal that would benefit Your Highness.”
Yuraha tilted his head slightly, as if perplexed.
“I wonder if it truly would benefit me.”
Belesa pressed her index finger against the folded letter of Reytan’s reply. The rough texture of the paper and the cold hardness of the glass table surface registered at her fingertip.
“If things go wrong, I would make an enemy of the Grand Master.”
“But you would gain the support of the Grand Temple. The Grand Master you would make an enemy of is only one person, while the Order I lead will number tens of millions. Moreover, if the Edencia Kingdom designates the Aubaut Religion as its state religion—”
Yuraha paused mid-sentence. As if granting Belesa time to think.
Both of them already knew the answer. The officially recognized religion of the Edencia Kingdom. Yuraha was the one destined to lead the Aubaut Order in Belesa’s generation. If he became her ally, she wouldn’t have to live in constant fear of losing her position as she did now.
“What comes next, Your Highness will also come to understand.”
Belesa bent her index finger. The reply letter she had been pressing with her fingertip slipped into her palm. She held the paper in her fist, deliberating for a moment, then clenched her hand, crumpling it.
Having finally made her decision, she opened her mouth toward Yuraha.
“All I need to do is persuade Reytan Quartz Trabel.”
“Precisely.”
“Then let’s do it.”
At Belesa’s answer, Yuraha smiled brilliantly. It was a smile so radiant it created the illusion of a halo. And this was the first time Belesa had seen Yuraha smile.
“A wise decision indeed. May the blessing of the Aubaut God be with you, Your Highness.”

***

Father, who was supposed to meet with Grandfather, had gone out again, claiming he had urgent business. I rarely saw Father’s face these days—he was always so busy with something.
‘He was certainly busy around this time.’
In my other memories, Father would frequently be away from the Trabel Estate around the time the second Annex Succession War ended.
“…Could it be.”
A thought crossed my mind. I had been so focused on making Father the master of Diamond House that I hadn’t considered anything else.
“Father, are you dating someone?”
Thirty-seven years old this year. Father was in his prime, his beauty at its peak. And that wasn’t all—a successful businessman, handsome, a Grand Master, a wealthy young master. Even with me, his grown daughter, by his side, his popularity couldn’t have faded just because of me.
“Berry.”
It was before dinner. Theon spoke to me as I sat on the living room sofa, lost in my revelation.
It seemed he had walked Father to the front gate earlier, saying he had something to tell him before he left. The time it took for him to return matched that duration.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“Theon, how was Father?”
“How was my master? …Well, he did have his brow furrowed.”
Theon mimicked furrowing his brow, pressing his fingers against it. That was Father’s usual expression anyway. But more than that—
‘Wow.’
I didn’t often see Theon like this. I forgot all about investigating Father’s romantic situation and found my gaze drawn to Theon. Were his eyelashes always this beautiful? His eyebrows looked particularly straight and dark today. Was furrowing his brow really this endearing?
‘This is serious.’
As time passed, my adolescent symptoms grew worse. My heart was racing at every expression he made.
I thought I should stop before it got any worse, but I already knew it was too late.
This was a quicksand pit in the desert. Once you step into it, you cannot escape from the sand that pulls you down.
“Do you know what, Theon?”
“What?”
“When you fall into quicksand in the desert, you’re not supposed to struggle. You’ll just sink faster.”
The more you move, the more the sand’s fluidity increases, accelerating your descent. So what should you do?
“To create a possibility of escaping, you have to stay calm and move your body slowly.”
Don’t panic. Maintain composure. Take deep breaths.
I put my three newly created guidelines into practice. I was turning my head forward, gazing at a distant picture frame while breathing deeply through my nose, when Theon, who had been looking at me with confusion, pulled something from his inner pocket.
“Berry, look at this.”
“Huh? What is that?”
I turned my head. What Theon held in his hand was a rectangular letter. The imperial seal of the Emperor was stamped on the outer envelope. It had come from the Imperial Palace.
“I received it from the Head Butler while passing near the Main Estate.”
“A letter from His Majesty the Emperor? To the Trabel Estate?”
Theon nodded and handed me the letters. There were two in total. One bore my name, the other Theon’s. I hastily tore open my letter.
“Come to the Imperial Palace to receive a medal?”
It was unexpected news. The content stated that the Heishal Empire’s Imperial Palace would be bestowing medals and requested my attendance.
‘I told the First Princess that she didn’t need a medal. Didn’t the Heishal Empire side lodge a protest?’
Checking the date, it was the day of Theon’s enthronement as Crown Prince.
‘Indeed. His Majesty the Emperor didn’t want to miss this opportunity either.’
It seemed unlikely that the Emperor would go so far as to create a pretext for us to visit the Imperial Palace. His Majesty moved with meticulous calculation toward his own benefit.
He probably wanted to polish his only son, Theon, a bit more. For His Majesty, his child was a matter of pride.
‘Thanks to this, I’ve earned a reason to ascend to the Imperial Palace.’
The corners of my mouth rose slightly. I was smiling when Theon looked at me with a serious expression.
“Why?”
“Berry.”
Theon grabbed my arm.
“What’s wrong with you?”

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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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