I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 3

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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 3

2. I Will Save Father

‘I have to save Father.’
I snorted derisively at the towering eagle statue before me.
Father’s death was the result of one relative conspiring with an external force.
Unfortunately, my other self had failed to discover which relative was the culprit or the identity of the external accomplice.
But I possessed a method to save Father.
‘The Separate House succession tournament that occurs every five years!’
The Trabel Family adhered to a meritocratic system, selecting the most capable direct heir as the family head successor across generations.
The family head’s children each received their own Separate House, with the heir’s ranking determined by the gemstone embedded in the eagle statue’s eyes above the entrance.
First rank: Diamond, second rank: Sapphire, third rank: Emerald, …, lowest rank: no gemstone. Commonly called the ‘Stone House’.
‘Father deliberately chose the lowest rank. He had no interest in the family head position, and he hoped no one would become a victim in the power struggle. But….’
The Separate House was a symbol of power within the Trabel Family.
In my memories, when my uncle surrendered the Diamond House to my aunt, he collapsed on the spot, complaining of severe migraines and foaming at the mouth.
‘If Father becomes first rank, he cannot go to war. That is the Trabel rule.’
Two more Separate House tournaments remained. They would occur when I turned ten and fifteen years old.
At the second one, I would elevate Father to first rank among the family head successors.
‘Cunning Uncle Hevanth, hyena Aunt Mariane, fox Uncle Yosel.’
I’m sorry, but in eight years, the family head successor will be our Father.
I despise the future, but knowing it is not necessarily a bad thing.
“Kehehe.”
I surrendered to the intoxicating feeling of victory, placing both hands on my hips and laughing like a villain.
“Why are you outside without an outer coat? You’ll catch a cold.”
“Oh, Father—I was just thinking about something important.”
“Put on your coat.”
“Okay.”
Though Father soon dragged me back inside by the hand.

***

Now that I had a goal, I needed to devise a plan. Of course, I couldn’t let it show.
“Oh, moisturizer. One moment, please. I’ll fetch it right away.”
“Mm.”
Sherry, who had been attending to my bath, left the bathroom to find the forgotten item. I remained there, wrapped in a large towel, crouching down and pressing my hand against the floor.
“Oh, the floor is warm.”
The Trabel Family owned numerous mines, and heat-stones—minerals that generated warmth of their own—were among the region’s prized exports.
A single heat-stone the size of a fist cost as much as a commoner laborer earned in a month. One could imagine that this bathroom floor alone contained the equivalent of dozens of months’ wages embedded within it.
Back at the house where I lived with Father, I had to dry off quickly and dress immediately after washing to avoid freezing.
Here, the entire bathroom felt as warm as sitting before a roaring hearth.
‘So that’s why the adults always said money was everything!’
And this was merely the Stone House.
The Uncle’s Diamond House and the Main Estate where Grandfather resided must have hundreds of months’ worth of wages laid casually beneath their floors.
I was beginning to understand why the relatives were so eager for the position of heir.
Which meant I should delay drawing their suspicion as long as possible.
‘It would be best if Father maintained the lowest standing until the next estate succession struggle. If we draw unnecessary scrutiny, unforeseen complications could arise.’
That meant I would need to quietly build my strength over the coming years, but in Trabel, where everything reached Grandfather’s ears, that was no simple task.
However.

– Who could have known? That His Highness was with our family. They say our Uncle drove him out when he entered as an apprentice knight?
– That’s what happened.
– Sometimes I regret not becoming closer to His Highness back then. If I had, perhaps I would have had the chance to notice something strange about the war Father participated in.

I possessed one jewel that only I knew about~
Everyone else saw it as a mud-covered stone, so there was no risk of drawing their scrutiny.
“How do I get close to them…?”
“To whom, miss?”
Sherry, who had returned with the moisturizer, spoke to me. I lifted my head and smiled playfully.
To whom, you ask—.
“To you, Sherry?”
“My.”
The person who would become the most powerful connection in Trabel, and my future ally.
‘Crown Prince Theon Phil Igselona.’
My first plan was to bring him to our side.

“Daddy!”
After applying moisturizer and changing into my pajamas, I emerged from the bathroom to find Father entering my room.
Having spent the entire bath time contemplating how to save him, I couldn’t have been happier to see him.
“You’ll fall. Be careful.”
Father caught me as I rushed toward him and lifted me effortlessly into the air.
I rubbed my forehead against the nape of his neck as I spoke.
“I missed you so much, Daddy.”
“What’s gotten into you? Acting so clingy.”
A subtle cologne scent wafted from Father as he spoke with a smile. It seemed he had bathed as well.
“Does my little Berry want something from Daddy?”
“No, I just… missed you so much.”
“Berry.”
“Yes?”
“You didn’t wash your face.”
Caught red-handed. I reflexively lifted my head at Father’s question, as if he were an investigator.
This was so unfair.
“N-no, that’s not true!”
My stammering only seemed to deepen his suspicion.
Father narrowed his eyes as he asked.
“Did you really wash it?”
“My, Raytan. Are you doubting your own daughter?”
“Yes. Your track record is quite extensive.”
“That’s not fair! Ask Sherry!”
Sherry was the daughter of the maid who had cared for Father.
Perhaps because of this, Father—who was otherwise quite cautious with the Trabel Family—trusted Sherry to a certain degree.
“She washed her face very thoroughly.”
Sherry, who had been listening to our conversation, giggled and took my side.
Even so, Father’s suspicion didn’t fade easily, and I found myself having to demonstrate my face-washing technique in the air.
“…Hehe.”
I could hear the two of them laughing in between, but surely that was just my imagination?
Because I was being serious. No adult would tease a serious child. Right?
“I apologize for my suspicion.”
“Okay.”
Father’s apology concluded my defense.
Phew, proving my innocence was harder than I thought.
It was already nighttime. Sherry said it was time for bed and bid us farewell.
“Tonight, you’ll sleep with Young Master Raytan, yes? If you need anything, please pull the cord beside the bed. My room is downstairs.”
“Okay! Sleep well, Sherry!”
“Sweet dreams to you as well, Miss.”
Nestled in Father’s arms, I waved goodbye to Sherry.
After my sister left, only Father and I remained in the room. His bedroom was next door, but worried that I might struggle to sleep alone in this unfamiliar place, he decided we would sleep together just for tonight.
When I tilted my head diagonally upward, our eyes met perfectly. A soft giggle escaped me.
“I’m so excited.”
“Why?”
“Because it’s been forever since I’ve slept with Father! I’m so thrilled—what if I can’t fall asleep the whole time?”

***

That proved to be a baseless worry.
The cozy bedding, Father’s voice reading a fairy tale beside me—these were all I needed.
Sherry required no sleeping draught. My eyelids grew heavier with each passing moment, and the bear illustration on the storybook spread across my blanket flickered in and out of focus.

Soon after, only the sound of soft breathing filled the room. Raytan gazed quietly at his sleeping daughter.
Her small hand gripped his sleeve tightly, as if worried about something. No matter how composed she appeared, Sherry was still only seven years old.
‘I must leave.’
I must depart from this place.
Sherry was a brilliant child—one who instinctively understood the flow of wealth. A beloved daughter who possessed the very qualities the Trabel Family valued most in a household head.
I could not allow my siblings to perceive her as a threat. Beasts were creatures who believed it best to crush the seedling before it grew into a predator.
“….”
Raytan’s cold gaze turned toward the window.
He rose from the bed. Sensing his sleeve slip from her grasp, Sherry whimpered softly.
When Raytan stroked her head, a smile bloomed across his face.
“Father will be back soon.”
He whispered to his sleeping daughter, then descended to the first floor and opened the front door. Beneath the dark night sky stood a man with crimson hair.
“I was about to come find you, but you arrived first.”
It was Callet, the aide to Count Trabel.
Callet stated his business calmly, unbothered by Raytan’s cold tone.
“The household head is requesting your presence.”

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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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