I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 163

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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 163

‘Did Sir Shylo prepare this?’
Theon wore the black formal uniform of a noble gentleman. The regulations of the Heishal Empire dictated that a medal denoting one’s rank be worn on the left chest of a nobleman’s dress uniform.
As the grandson of Baron Voltman, Theon held no title and thus wore no medal, yet a golden decorative cord connecting his shoulder to the clasp at his chest passed through that very position.
‘A golden-maned lion.’
An indirect expression of his status as Crown Prince of the Igselona Royal Family.
Even the seemingly ordinary fabric was crafted from premium material. I recalled the Trang Costume Designer introducing it as the latest textile—one that provided comfortable wear while resisting wrinkles. Upon closer inspection, one could discern a subtle difference in sheen compared to ordinary cloth.
To be honest, it took only a few seconds for me to contemplate the hidden meanings woven into the garment.
“Yes.”
I moved my lips in response, my face utterly captivated by Theon. Then worry seized me—had my expression seemed strange?
I should have smiled. Had Theon noticed how self-conscious I was being?
‘Wow.’
So this was what it felt like when one’s mind went completely blank, intertwined with such an emotion.
I could not tear my eyes away.
Theon, who had promised to arrive dressed as a dashing fiancé, appeared before me as someone I did not recognize.
“You look beautiful.”
Theon’s bangs should not be swept back. Yet by lifting them, the beauty that had been concealed by his hair was now fully revealed.
This was truly dangerous. He possessed the power to paralyze a person’s very thoughts with his appearance alone.
“Yeah. That’s right.”
My expression seemed lukewarm. My facial muscles refused to obey my will.
My response was foolish too. Normally, I would have laughed and said something like ‘Theon looks even more handsome.’ Not this narcissistic answer.
Even my voice cracked oddly in the middle.
“Yeah. You’re incredibly beautiful.”
At my words, Theon affirmed with a slight smile. The admiring murmurs from those around us grew louder.
I understood their sentiment completely.
‘Did black suit Theon this well?’
Normally, Theon could pull off any outfit, no matter how unflattering. It meant that the clothes became invisible, and all attention fell upon his face.
Yet this black formal uniform seemed as though it had been tailored specifically for Theon.
It transcended mere admiration. The entire aura harmonized so perfectly with him that the garment itself seemed to have been created for this moment.
‘He looks like a different person.’
Whether it was the deepened atmosphere created by the uniform, or the effect of his swept-back bangs.
My heart trembled so violently that I could only stand frozen. Even after the Attendant who had guided us withdrew, Theon remained standing before me, his gaze fixed upon me.
‘Wow.’
Why did Theon smile so beautifully in front of me? Others said they rarely saw him smile.
My adolescent emotions were the perfect material for misunderstanding. Moreover, the Theon before my eyes was the most handsome person I had ever seen in my entire world. I desperately wished that Theon would come to love me.
This felt like sinking into a cozy black marsh. A black marsh that glimmered with flecks of gold dust.
Tap.
Calips tapped the back of my hand.
“Sit down. You’re being restless.”
“Oh, yes.”
At times like this, there was nothing quite like a bickering older cousin to ground me. Calips’s exasperated tone snapped my lovesick mind back to reality.
I glanced around. Fortunately, the time I’d spent in that daze hadn’t been long—the Attendant who’d guided Theon to the seat beside me was just passing the third row.
“I was about to sit.”
I tried to settle into the luxurious wooden chair with its plush velvet cushion with practiced composure. It was when I lost my balance slightly, struggling to gather my voluminous skirt in one hand.
“Berry.”
Theon took my hand and helped me into the chair properly, with the grace of a grown man.
It felt like receiving an escort from a partner at a social gathering.
“Tell me if anything feels uncomfortable.”
The fragrance Theon wore brushed against my senses—a blend of lemon and orange that faded into a deep vanilla note, followed by a clean woody undertone.
A sophisticated scent that complemented the wind itself that Theon carried.
‘Did the adult Theon I met in my other memories wear this same fragrance?’
If so, had the other me felt this same flutter for Crown Prince Theon?
I wished the perfume I wore had a more mature scent.
‘I like sweet fragrances, but they make me seem so childish—’
Theon, seated beside me, rested his arm on the armrest. I did the same with mine.
If I moved even slightly, the tip of my left ring finger would almost brush against the skin of his wrist.
Though in reality, there was a distance of a couple of finger-widths between us.
“Berry.”
Theon called my name again. I nearly jumped like someone caught in the act of wrongdoing. It seemed Theon was calling my name more frequently today.
Theon leaned his upper body toward me and whispered. His voice carried a faint laugh.
“It’s almost time.”
“Y-yes. That’s right.”
Perhaps because he was whispering, Theon’s voice caressed my eardrums sweetly.
“I have something to tell you, Berry.”
“What is it?”
I turned my head to the side. Theon tilted his head slightly as well. Because he’d leaned his upper body toward me, his lips came to rest just above my ear.
“I like you.”
With those words, the Attendant announced the arrival of the Emperor and Empress.

***

I lost track of time after that.
I stood and applauded when the Emperor entered, sat quietly, applauded again, and repeated this pattern—clapping whenever someone was called to receive a medal, then sitting in a daze—until
suddenly it was Theon’s and my turn.
Theon and I ascended the platform and stood before the Emperor as he presented the medals.
“Congratulations.”
“Thank you.”
The Emperor fastened the medal to my chest and smiled at me with paternal warmth.
He resembled Theon somewhat, though rather than handsome, he was a neat-featured middle-aged man with an agreeable countenance.
The photographers and palace cameramen hurried to capture the tender moment.
“I also received Count Trabel’s permission letter.”
The Emperor’s whispered words were drowned out by the flashing camera lights, inaudible to anyone beyond those standing closest.
“From today forward, you are one of the Igselona Royal Family. Mind your conduct.”
Don’t cause trouble, behave with restraint, and act for the image of the royal house.
‘This much is manageable.’
It was the pressure I had anticipated, but harsh sanctions wouldn’t follow if I ignored today’s warning.
I was useful to the Emperor; I knew he benefited from my value, so there was no need for me to be afraid here.
“Yes, I will keep it in mind.”
I answered with a bright smile. The Emperor paused slightly, then turned his benevolent gaze toward Theon, the next recipient of the medal.
I glanced at Theon. The Crown Prince’s enthronement and the engagement announcement still lay ahead. Events I had longed for, yet now they felt like tedious tasks to be completed quickly.
‘I need to create a moment alone with Theon soon.’
Does he like me? Theon?
Of course, my lips kept threatening to curl into a smile, but I couldn’t presume to know Theon’s heart on my own terms.
When I had asked him to act like a charming fiancé today, he could have smoothly replied that he liked me as a friend.
I turned my gaze forward.
‘Hurry….’
Ah. My eyes met the Empress’s, who was watching me with a rigid expression. Perhaps the danger lay with her instead.
I sent her a respectful nod, and her fingers twitched. Worried I had offended her, I naturally shifted my gaze to the side.
Two chairs at the platform’s edge held high priests of the Aubaut Order. I had no personal connection with them, but I had seen their faces several times at the Grand Temple.
‘Hmm?’
I directed my gaze toward the side of the platform’s edge. Someone stood near the exit.
A priest in white robes of the Aubaut Order. A hood pulled deep. And beneath the sleeves, white hands visible.
They moved their hand side to side as if greeting me. The pendant on the bracelet at their wrist swayed—a white World Tree and golden band.
‘Yuraha?’
The pendant was identical to the one I had seen on Yuraha at the Belodia Inn. Among the Grand Temple’s priests with such pale skin, only Yuraha….

“White Birch.”

The conspirators who killed Father. Belesa Valenhardt, someone from the direct line of the Trabel Family. And—.

“Be wary of that man.”

Someone of considerable influence within the Aubaut Order.
My breath caught sharply in my chest.

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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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