I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 83

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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 83

“What is Peter doing in Hisport Town?”
Father looked puzzled at my words.
Peter was a man from Bonwell Village who enjoyed card games.
Forty years old this year. Short in stature with a lean frame, he always wore a flat beret.
“I’m not entirely sure~ You know that hat Peter always wears? I saw someone wearing it pass by! But he disappeared so quickly that I lost sight of him. I wish I’d called out to him!”
“No. It’s dangerous to call out to strangers carelessly. Besides, if it were Peter, he would have come to greet us first.”
“That’s true. Peter is bold and doesn’t fear nobles, so even if there were Knights around, he would have pushed through and greeted us!”
“If Peter had just heard what you said, he’d laugh and find it amusing. Peter is actually afraid of Knights.”
Father tidied my disheveled hair as he spoke.
“Really? Why?”
“Because he might get caught.”
I was too preoccupied wondering what Victor was doing to notice it then.
The fact that one corner of Father’s mouth had lifted into a smile.

***

“Hmm—. Hmmm—.”
A humming sound escaped from Yosel’s lips as he sat in the Manager’s Office.
Though it was already late into the night, I felt no desire to return home.
“Is it doing well~”
No matter how many times I looked, I wanted to see it again.
Yosel slid down from his chair and crouched on the floor.
Before the iron safe beneath the large walnut desk.
“Mine….”
Click. Click.
Yosel’s hand deftly turned the safe’s dial back and forth, entering the combination.
With a click, the door swung open.
‘Two billion!’
A safe packed with banknotes. Yosel knelt before it, then covered his mouth with both hands, his face radiant with emotion.
“Hnngh….”
This felt entirely different from when I received a one-billion check from Hevanth.
Two billion in cash. And all of it came to me because my fortune had finally opened. The overwhelming emotion was indescribable.
“All this time…. All this tiiiime….”
How much I had suffered. Though Reytan’s presence prevented the Stone House from becoming the Separate House, I was always third in line.
Hevanth and Mariane always looked at me with contempt, Mother occasionally pitied me, and Father didn’t even glance my way.

“Ugh. A children’s clothing model? I don’t want to.”
“I don’t want to either.”
“Mati, Hati. You’re helping Father with his new business.”
“A new business? If we do that, can we go to Diamond House?”
“No~ We’re staying at Emerald House.”

Recently, I had been losing my authority as the head of the household even to these angelic children—but that was about to change.
“Not anymore.”
My eyes gleamed with sudden clarity.
From now on, people would line up to invest in me just as they did with Hevanth and Mariane. Money begets money, after all.
Money begets money….
“….”
I stared at the stacks of cash and swallowed hard.
Then I grabbed a bundle of banknotes, tucked it into my coat, checked the safe lock several times over, and left the Clothing Shop. The gray coat the mannequin had been wearing fit my frame perfectly.

Hisport Town was a bustling city.
Even as midnight approached, carriages seeking passengers were scattered throughout the streets.
Ordinarily, I would have taken the most ornate carriage available, but I walked an extra block and hailed a modest black one instead.
“Where are we headed, sir?”
“Radga 28.”
The driver, hearing the destination, guided his horses with practiced ease. We left the Shopping District, crossed a bridge, and entered an alley bathed in bright light.
I stepped out of the carriage. When I knocked on the unmarked wooden door, a small rectangular wooden shutter at the top slid open. The doorkeeper, confirming my identity through the opening, threw open the door with a hearty laugh.
“Well, who do we have here!”
“It’s been a while. Do you have a seat?”
“Even if we don’t, we’ll make one. It’s been years since you’ve graced us, sir.”
“Shh, shh-ush!”
“Ah, the Count still doesn’t know…. In any case, your timing is perfect.”
The doorkeeper rubbed his hands together eagerly, eager to please me.
I was a major patron returning after years away. We walked through a dimly lit Corridor illuminated only by a few candelabras, and when I opened the inner door, a brightly lit space burst into view, filled with raucous noise.
There were several gambling tables and a bar where one could order drinks.
The doorkeeper guided me not toward the main area but down a passage to the right, leading to a private room.
“Poker, sir?”
“That’s right. Are there any players?”
“There are players, and there are also some greenhorns.”
“Greenhorns?”
“They’ve been here since early evening, losing everything. You’ll have some fun.”
“Oho.”
Then I should make an appearance. I smiled wickedly.

***

“Miss Berry—”
The riding instructor regarded me with an awkward expression.
“You’re a bit too short to ride the larger horses. It would be dangerous, so I suggest you observe the other young lords and ladies for now, and begin practical lessons next year.”
Thump.
This was my first riding lesson. I’d come with such high expectations, only to be told I didn’t meet the height requirement. The riding outfit Father had tailored for me felt utterly wasted. I’d even worn the hat.
“What about a pony—”
“The Count has decided that ponies are also dangerous. In fact, there’s no horse you can safely ride.”
“Wait, did you just say Count—”
“No.”
Right. Grandfather must have opposed horseback riding.
‘He thinks I’ve inherited Grandmother Julia’s illness.’
These days he constantly checks whether I’m carrying the stone properly, so Akum has taken to sleeping whenever I visit Grandfather or go to the Education Hall.
I understood Grandfather’s concerns, but it was disappointing nonetheless. When Zikal had carried me on his horse last time, it felt wonderful, and I’d been looking forward to riding lessons.
“Then what if I wore a taller hat?”
“That would—”
The riding instructor was struggling with my persistence when
a snicker came from behind. Predictable. It was Calips.
“What good is lengthening your upper body when your legs are short? Are you stupid?”
“I’m just short in general.”
“Your legs are short, that’s the problem.”
With that, he entered the riding grounds, climbed the mounting steps, and swung onto his horse with ease. Ciel was already inside, riding around the grounds.
Calips deliberately guided his horse to the fence beside me and looked down at me as he spoke.
“Hey, watch carefully and learn. I’m a riding prodigy, after all.”
“Yeah, yeah—”
I had no energy to engage with him.
I gave a half-hearted response and waved my hand. Calips galloped off with an excited expression, gripping the reins.
Aunt Mariane had been complaining recently that she’s been making him study too hard, but now his face looked bright.
‘I’m jealous.’
He does ride well.
I was watching Calips and Ciel beyond the fence with envy
when I heard the Twins’ voices nearby.
“Hati, we need to stop Father.”
“Right. Mother said if he fails this time, it’ll be serious.”
‘Fails?’
What were they talking about? They needed to stop Uncle Yosel?
The Twins had been well-behaved since we signed the non-aggression pact. Thanks to that, I’d been living a peaceful daily life free from harassment—
But today their mood seemed particularly heavy.
‘I’m curious.’
I quietly stepped backward, narrowing the distance between myself and the Twins.
“Mati, how much do you have saved at the bank? Should we invest it on your behalf?”
“Not much. Ten million Cona.”
Not much? Ten million Cona was hardly a pittance…!
Even combining all my coins wouldn’t amount to that. I found myself marveling anew at the financial sensibilities of nine-year-olds with a wealthy grandfather like Count Trabel.
“Miss Hati, Young Master Mati. Please come in.”
I wanted to hear more of their conversation, but the Twins’ voices had drifted out toward the Riding Grounds.
‘There’s no helping it.’
I gazed enviously once more at my relatives as they rode their horses.
Then I spotted Ciel moving slowly on horseback on the opposite side of the fence from where I stood, and the silhouette of the person at the end of her gaze seemed familiar.
That handsome boy, judging by his outline alone, was surely….
“Huh? Theon?”

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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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