I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 151

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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 151

“Such rumors are circulating discreetly, Your Majesty.”
The Maid answered in a hushed voice, watching the Empress’s expression carefully.
“There have always been many such rumors. This must be another baseless one.”
At the word “rumors,” the sharpness faded from the Empress’s eyes. She gazed at her reflection in the mirror with an indifferent expression. She was in the middle of having her hair restyled because she hadn’t been satisfied with how it looked this morning.
“His Majesty cannot have children.”
“Your Majesty.”
“What? There’s no one else in this room but you.”
That the Emperor’s seed had withered—she, who had spent the longest years as his consort, knew this better than anyone. It was before even the Imperial physician had made his diagnosis.
The Empress’s years of self-reproach, believing the Emperor’s inability to father children was her own fault, had ended on the day of his tenth wedding eight years ago. An heir he could not produce even from ten wives.
“My brother said something like this once. No matter how good the soil you find, if the seed itself is defective, nothing will sprout whether you sow a handful or ten handfuls. It’s not the soil’s problem—it’s the seed’s.”
Once her self-reproach ended, the Empress’s life filled with emptiness and doubt. On the day she left her home, her father’s words still echoed vividly—that she must bear the Emperor’s child.
The Empress gazed at herself in the mirror. She felt like a doll that could do nothing.
“Y-Your Majesty…! How disrespectful…!”
“Who said anything? I’m just talking about farming.”
The Empress examined her newly styled hair from different angles, then removed the earrings she was wearing and handed them to the Maid.
“They don’t match my hair now. Bring me the earrings that Mariane Cornelian Trabel gifted me recently.”
“…Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Maid’s heart sank as she carefully took away the earrings and retrieved the new pair.
Pink diamond earrings. Mariane Cornelian Trabel had gifted them when she visited the Imperial Palace with jewelry store employees on a business trip.

“Your Majesty seems to have taken a liking to this piece. If you don’t mind, I would like to gift it to you.”
“You thought I liked it? Didn’t you consider that there might be a reason I didn’t purchase those earrings myself?”
“Ah, I see. Forgive my rudeness. Then perhaps I could gift you something else instead—”
“I shall accept it, considering your sincerity.”

Regina put on the earrings the maid had brought and examined her reflection. The subtle pink-tinted earrings suited the Empress perfectly, complementing her fair complexion.
“They’re not entirely to my taste, but since someone went to the trouble of giving them, I suppose I should wear them.”
“They suit you beautifully, Your Majesty.”
Regina’s lips curved into a satisfied smile at the maid’s words. Noticing the Empress’s improved mood, the maid leaned in once more, speaking as though sharing a secret.
“The rumor about the Emperor having a son—this time, it may not be mere gossip.”
“Not that again? I have no interest in—”
“Word is, the Emperor’s son is currently within the Imperial Palace.”
….
Regina’s hands, which had been turning the earrings at different angles before the mirror, went still. Her eyes, reflected in the glass as she gazed at the maid, sharpened once more. After a moment of silent contemplation, she spoke.
“His name? Who is he?”
“I cannot say with certainty. I merely overheard the Attendants speaking—they seemed to think he might be among those coming to receive the medal.”
“So he’s likely somewhere within the Imperial Palace.”
Regina turned her gaze toward the window beyond her chamber. The atmosphere around the palace seemed busier than usual. They were in the midst of preparing for the year-end celebration, which would take place in two days.
The last day of the year. Once, it had been a grand affair where the Emperor gathered the nobility, but under the current Emperor’s reign, the nature of the event had changed entirely.
“Supposing, just for argument’s sake, that what you heard is true.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
…”He wouldn’t be of common birth, would he?”
Regina’s brow furrowed.
The succession question had left the Emperor nursing a deep inferiority complex, and that complex profoundly influenced how he conducted state affairs. The year-end celebration, once attended exclusively by nobility, had been transformed into a medal ceremony for precisely this reason.
“But commoners do receive medals, don’t they?”
Years ago, the Emperor had begun inviting those who had distinguished themselves in service to the Heishal Empire throughout the year to the Imperial Palace for the year-end celebration. His intention to display his influence across the entire realm was transparent, yet it had proven surprisingly effective in strengthening the Empire itself.
For commoners who had accumulated power and wealth, there was nothing sweeter than the honor bestowed by the Emperor’s own hand. They willingly poured their fortunes and strength into the Empire for the chance to receive such recognition.
“I despise upstarts of low birth making a spectacle of themselves.”
“Rest assured, Your Majesty. Even if the Emperor’s son is indeed within the Imperial Palace, he would not be of common birth.”
The maid whispered once more, her voice barely audible.
“Have you heard anything else?”
“Yes. They say he has black hair. Among the commoners receiving medals, there is none with black hair.”
“Let us go.”
“Your Majesty? Where are we—?”
“I seem to have eaten too much at lunch. My stomach is full, so I think I shall take a walk around the Imperial Palace to settle it.”

***

The Empress moved through the Imperial Palace accompanied by several additional maids. Her procession drew every eye. Among them were several men with black hair.
‘There are many candidates.’
Black hair wasn’t particularly distinctive. It would be better to deduce who resembled the Emperor’s portrait from his youth. As for rare hair colors in the Heishal Empire, that shade of pink stood out…
“Your Majesty?”
A maid carefully called out to the Empress, who had suddenly stopped walking. Following her gaze, I noticed a group being guided by an Attendant.
They appeared to be noble scions and Knights. Among them was a man with black hair. But he was too far away, and he was walking at an angle where his face couldn’t be seen.
“…Shall we find out who he is?”
The maid whispered discreetly. Regina didn’t answer and turned away.
“Let’s go inside. It’s cold out.”
Back in her chambers, Regina dismissed all the maids, claiming she wanted to rest. As the door closed, she quickly sat up from the sofa and pulled a thick notebook from the bookshelf. Her hands moved frantically as she opened the notebook on the desk.
“It’s her, isn’t it?”
It had to be. Unless my eyes had suddenly deceived me, it was unmistakable.
Those chubby cheeks I wanted to pinch, that round little head I wanted to stroke, those brilliantly sparkling green eyes shining with intelligence, that lovely pink hair, and that smile that melted hearts effortlessly.
I knew she was attending the event, but I didn’t expect her to come to the Imperial Palace today.
“My goodness. My goodness.”
Regina exclaimed excitedly and flipped through the notebook. It was a scrapbook with newspaper clippings pasted inside.
Eight years ago, a young girl had entered Regina’s heart, which had been filled with emptiness and doubt. A child model for Quorta.
At first, I was drawn to her beauty. What began as ‘how wonderful it would be to have a daughter like this’ had grown into genuine fandom over time.
“I finally saw her in person…”
Regina clasped her hands tightly. In the scrapbook she had opened was a photograph of Berry Quartz Trabel capturing Morkan. It was an original photograph she had secretly purchased from the Daily Sunrise for a substantial sum.
The pink hair I had imagined countless times while looking at the black and white photograph.
“Oh, really.”
Overwhelmed by emotion, Regina’s legs gave out and she sank into a chair.
I should have been the one to give birth to Berry Quartz Trabel.

***

The Attendant led us to a Separate Palace not far from the Main Palace.
“The members of the Trabel Family may use this place.”
“We get to use an entire Separate Palace?”
“That is correct. Should you find anything uncomfortable, please let me know at any time.”
The Attendant answered Calips’s question.
“Wow. Are we really allowed to use all of this? It’s so spacious.”
“Hey, our grandfather is Count Trabel. Why are you marveling at this now? And spacious? It’s barely larger than Stone House.”
That was when Calips showed signs of trying to tease me.
“Ugh. What is that smell?”
Jeffrey, who had been sniffing around, grabbed his nose, and Theon and I turned around in response. A massive floral wreath was approaching the entrance of the Separate Palace where we stood. More precisely, two servants behind it were walking while holding the wreath’s support frame. Because of their hurried pace, the servants’ steps were out of sync, causing the wreath to sway unsteadily.
“What is that…?”
Calips muttered in bewilderment, and the Attendant’s eyes widened as he watched. Finally, as the wreath arrived before us, the servants sang in unison.
“Welcome to the Imperial Palace.”

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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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