I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 172

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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 172

Theon had so little interest in matters of the heart that he didn’t even realize he should feel embarrassed by such jests.
Then a young girl entered his world.

“I don’t have a mom.”

From the day we first met, Theon received a profound shock.
A confession that spilled so naturally from the lips of a child younger than himself.
At that age, I understood all too well the ache of loss and the weight of sorrow that came with losing a mother.
But how could she be so bright about it? Even if she had no memories of her mother….
‘Berry Quartz Trabel.’
That night when I fell asleep at Stone House, I thought of Berry until the very moment before sleep claimed me. I even forgot, for a time, the joy of becoming a disciple of the Grand Master Reytan. She was a child who occupied my thoughts that much.
‘If I’m to repay my master’s kindness, I must protect Berry.’
And conveniently, there was the excellent pretext that I had to monitor Berry as a condition of becoming a disciple. So I always stayed by Berry’s side.
Berry was a type of girl I had never encountered before. She was confident even before frightening adults, unwavering in her convictions, intelligent, thoughtful, and kind.

“Is it okay to tell you things like this so easily?”
“It’s not okay.”
“Then why do you tell me?”
“I don’t know.”

Perhaps that’s why I couldn’t keep secrets from Berry.
If Berry asked, my lips moved of their own accord. My mouth, which I could keep firmly shut with anyone else, refused to obey me whenever I stood before Berry.
It wasn’t just words. I wanted to grant whatever Berry asked of me. My body moved before I could even judge what was right or wrong.
‘Because it’s something Berry wants to do.’
There must surely be a reason.
‘But what about me?’
I pondered this. Berry always seemed to have clear reasons for her actions. Even though she was three years younger than me.

“Why did I say something I shouldn’t have said?”

So I asked Berry. It seemed to me that Berry would surely know the reason why I was like this. But the answer that came back made me realize I had been thoroughly mistaken.

“Wouldn’t you know the answer, Theon? Tell me when you figure it out later.”

It was something Count Trabel often told me. An answer only I could understand. The reason I acted this way was something only I could know.
From that day on, Theon pondered.
Why was Berry Quartz Trabel different from others? Why did it feel like he could never leave her side?
“No one will ever understand.”
He couldn’t even ask his master. Others certainly wouldn’t comprehend it either.
And for good reason.

“Theon! Anne has something to tell you!”
“Young master, there’s a question that’s been trending in the Empire lately. Would you like to answer it?”
“Go ahead! This one’s absolutely ridiculous!”
“You and Miss Berry Quartz Trabel have fallen into the water. You can’t swim, but Miss Berry Quartz Trabel swims well. A rescue ship arrives, but it can only take one person. Who would you save?”
“Berry Quartz Trabel.”
“That doesn’t make sense! Berry swims well?! Then you’d die!”
“Jeffrey, in these situations, you should say Miss Berry Quartz Trabel at least. That’s what makes the ladies happy.”
“Wow. Wow…! Theon, so you’re just saying it?”
“…”

The thought that he would be happy to die as long as Berry Quartz Trabel was safe—such a feeling could never appear normal.
Theon pondered alone for years. As his worries deepened and time passed, the range of emotions he experienced grew more varied.

“Theon, Theon! Look at this! Jeffrey’s tail is wrapping around my neck? It’s so warm!”
“Hehe. It’s long, isn’t it? I’ve grown a lot too.”
“Theon, you sit on the sofa too!”
“…”

It was the day Berry Quartz Trabel wrapped Jeffrey’s tail—who was perched on the sofa’s armrest—around her neck.
Winter at thirteen years old. For the first time, Theon gave a name to an emotion he felt toward Berry Quartz Trabel. It was jealousy.
“…Should I grow my hair out?”
Once he recognized one emotion, everything else became simple. Theon wound the thread in his hand and moved forward. Every emotion stemmed from that single feeling. Each time his feelings for Berry Quartz Trabel grew, so did the thread.

“I heard something strange from Rex today.”
“What did he say?”
“He said you can count on your fingers the times he’s seen Theon smile. Isn’t that odd? Among everyone I know, you’re the one who smiles the most.”
“I see.”

There was a reason he had only done this for Berry Quartz Trabel. A reason clearer than anything else.
Theon rolled the tangled thread that had grown larger than his own body. He found the answer within the labyrinth of emotion.
‘Berry Quartz Trabel.’
I think I love you.
They said there were many kinds of love that humans could feel. For lovers, for family, for friends, and so on.
To Theon, Berry Quartz Trabel was a being who made him feel every kind of love he knew. That was why he had hidden his feelings so carefully. She was too precious; he could not bear to lose her.

“I wasn’t trying to kill you!”

It was the moment Kane’s blade turned toward Berry Quartz Trabel. Theon had seen Calips push her aside to safety, and he possessed the ability to sever only Kane’s sword. But Theon could not remain composed.

“Aaaaahhh!!”

Kane’s two arms fell to the ground, still gripping the blade. Theon breathed in ragged gasps. In his vision, which wavered with anxiety, there was only one person.

“…Theon.”

Berry Quartz Trabel lifted her head and called his name. Theon’s world began to turn. She looked so lovely, her expression twisted with distress.
Overwhelming apology, relief, and yet the selfish thought that he was grateful he had not lost her.
He could hide it no longer.

“I love you.”

Emotion overflowed.

“So much.”

***

There was a reason the carriages fleeing the Imperial Palace had come to a standstill.
Count Trabel. Laksek Iron Trabel’s carriage, entering the Imperial Palace, had met the fleeing carriages head-on.
No one dared to overtake Count Trabel’s carriage. Even in their desperate flight, they hesitated, fearful of offending the Count’s sensibilities. They waited until Count Trabel moved his carriage aside.
“What has happened?”
From within the carriage, Laksek listened to Callet’s report. Windis’s rampage had long since ceased, yet he still could not enter the Imperial Palace.
“Kane’s arm.”
“It is grave, my lord.”
Callet, who had gone to the Imperial Palace to assess the situation, relayed what he had learned.
“Neither holy power nor recovery potions can reattach the severed limb. The Crown Prince’s blade is a special weapon forged by the Dwarven people, and the Sword Master’s aura lingers at the wound site, preventing recovery. The blood vessels, muscles, and tendons cannot be rejoined.”
“…Is there no way to remove the lingering aura?”
“Unless the aura was deliberately infused, such a thing is impossible, they say.”
Laksek sighed heavily.
Theon. That boy had severed my grandson’s arms. Now that he held the title of Crown Prince, he would face no punishment. But Laksek was consumed by curiosity.
“Why?”
Why had that boy severed Kane’s arms?
Callet answered Laksek’s question.
“Young Master Kane wielded his blade with the intent to kill Miss Berry Quartz Trabel and Young Master Calips. The Crown Prince intervened to stop him.”
“….”
Laksek fell silent, as though struck. His piercing gaze fixed upon empty air as his fingers drummed against the armrest.
Kane had tried to kill Berry. In the chaos that had erupted within the Imperial Palace, a death could easily be disguised as an accident.
‘Kane tried to kill Berry….’

“Do you truly believe Brown’s death was an accident?”

Reytan’s voice, accusatory as a pointed finger, echoed in his ears.
‘It must be because of Diamond House.’
How utterly sickening.
A heavy sigh escaped Laksek’s lips. His heart had nearly stopped at the thought of losing Berry and Calips, and his mouth had turned bitter at the knowledge of Kane’s lost arms. They were all his grandchildren, after all.
“However, it appears the Imperial Palace is in considerable turmoil over this matter.”
“Turmoil?”
“Young Master Kane is claiming his innocence.”
Callet continued.
“On the grounds that the evidence is insufficient.”

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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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