I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 84

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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 84

Theon was strapping on his sword and heading somewhere—judging by his direction, it seemed he was making for the Training Ground again.
Ciel was definitely watching Theon.
“Young Master Calips! You mustn’t pass if there’s a horse ahead!”
“Because Sister Ciel walks like a tortoise!”
Even as Calips rushed past Ciel’s side and got scolded by the instructor, Ciel’s gaze followed Theon’s path like a magnet drawn to steel.
‘Why is that? …Oh, Theon’s waving at me!’
Upon spotting me, Theon waved his hand broadly in my direction. I raised both arms and waved back at him, but Ciel awkwardly lifted one arm before lowering it again.
Then she turned around and looked at me. Our eyes met in an uncomfortable silence. What was this about…?
A sharp instinct prickled through my mind.
‘Surely not!’
Did Ciel have a crush on Theon?!
It wasn’t an impossible scenario. In my other memories, Crown Prince Theon Phil Igselona was quite popular. Though at that time, Ciel had been married, so she couldn’t have harbored feelings for him.
But if Ciel had met Theon before her marriage, she might have developed feelings for him.
Because our Theon was—
‘Kind and handsome!’
On top of that, he was intelligent and athletic. He possessed every quality that made a boy popular among girls his age.
‘…Should I look into this?’
I found myself oddly concerned.
After the riding lesson ended, I waited for Ciel to emerge.
Calips and the Twins left, taking pity on me as I clung to the fence, and the riding instructor approached me with an apologetic, trembling voice.
“It’s fine! I’m just enjoying the view of the Riding Grounds~”
“I’m so sorry…. I’ll definitely try to convince the Count.”
“Hmm….”
I had inadvertently received an apology.
Just then, Ciel emerged from the Riding Grounds. I quickly excused myself from the instructor and hurried after Ciel as she headed back toward the Education Hall.
“Sister Ciel! Let’s go together!”
“Oh, Berry.”
Surprised by my unusually forward approach, Ciel’s eyes widened for a moment before she smiled warmly.
Ciel’s golden hair, cascading to her waist, was dazzling. If the Twins’ appearance was angelic, then Ciel’s was that of a princess.
“I heard from Calips earlier—you couldn’t ride because of your height? And you came dressed so adorably. I’m really sorry about that.”
True to form, Ciel was kind to everyone.
In my other memories too, Ciel was always good and gentle. She was so conscientious in her duties that everyone adored her.
After graduating from the Academy, Ciel briefly helped with family affairs before marrying a Marquis’s son at twenty-two.
‘That such a Ciel is Uncle Hevanth’s eldest daughter. I still can’t believe it.’
I laughed along with her and replied.
“It’s okay! I got my fill watching you ride. In a few years, I’ll be able to ride just as well as you, right?”
“Then. Berry will do well.”
“Wow.”
There was nothing quite like exaggerated reactions to help children bond. I matched Ciel’s enthusiasm with well-timed exclamations, offering applause and thumbs-up when the moment called for it.
Before long, Ciel’s guard crumbled rapidly before me. At some point, my arm had linked with hers.
‘Was Ciel always this warm-hearted?’
Ciel was kind, but we weren’t particularly close. Our relationship was limited to her stepping in when Calips and the Twins bullied me.
Yet now we were arm in arm!
By the time we arrived at the Education Hall, Ciel had treated me with such warmth, sharing various stories.
“Father’s new medicine doesn’t have a good reputation, so he seems to be struggling.”
News about Uncle’s current situation.
“Berry, you’ve never seen Kane before, have you? He’s good at everything.”
Stories about Kane, Uncle’s eldest son at the Academy.
At this rate, I felt confident asking Ciel about Theon.
“Oh. Then Sister Ciel, have you seen Theon?”
“Theon?”
“Yes~ Father’s disciple! My friend! The one with black hair who’s so handsome!”
Upon hearing my words, Ciel let out a small exclamation.
“So that’s his name, Theon.”
Huh?
But Ciel’s reaction was completely off.
I had expected her to show embarrassment, or at least some sign of affection toward Theon.
Instead, Ciel frowned and spoke.
“He was presumptuous.”
“…Theon was?”
Presumptuous? I flinched for a moment, but held my tongue. There was no way Ciel would say such a thing without reason.
But—
“Berry, don’t get too close to him.”
“Huh…?”
Ciel looked at me with a gentle smile and spoke warmly.
“We’re family, after all. He’s an outsider.”
I blinked. The Ciel I knew didn’t make such distinctions. That’s why everyone adored her…
‘Could it be…’
No, surely not?
Suddenly, the left hand linked with Ciel’s arm felt strange.

***

I needed to find out what had happened between Theon and Ciel.
After class ended and I returned to Stone House, Theon and Jeffrey were sitting across from each other on the living room sofa, reading the newspaper. Jeffrey was hunched over, his forehead pressed against the paper on the table.
“I’m home~!”
“Berry Quartz Trabel?!”
“Berry, you’re back?”
Jeffrey lifted his forehead with a snap, and Theon greeted me with a smile.
‘Not arrogant at all?’
I couldn’t understand Ciel. My Theon was like the warm sunlight of a perfect day for hanging out quilts.
“Berry Quartz Trabel~! Help me! Theon said if you start something, you have to finish it~.”
Jeffrey whimpered pitifully and reached his hand toward me. I went to Jeffrey’s side and looked at the newspaper spread on the table. On the page where his forehead had been pressed, there was an illustration of a man and woman exchanging bills and an apple.
“Oh! Jeffrey, you’re looking at economic terminology illustrations? That’s cool~!”
“R-really? Cool?”
“Yeah~!”
“Ahem. Should we look at more?”
Woof woof. Jeffrey’s tail wagged as he straightened his upper body again.
Carrots really are the best. It’s all about inspiring the desire to learn~
But more importantly, I had a purpose right now. I sat down next to Theon.
“Theon, Theon.”
“….”
But Theon just looked at me silently. Did he have something to say?
“Do you have something you want to say? Do you want to speak first?”
“No. What’s wrong, Berry?”
Theon shook his head. Jeffrey spoke while keeping his gaze fixed on the illustration.
“Theon was reading the economic article too.”
“Oh~ Theon reads economic articles too? Isn’t it fun? Anyway, Theon, you know.”
“…Yeah.”
“Only I heard it.”
Jeffrey giggled again, but since I didn’t understand what he meant, I just continued with my question.
I asked Theon if he’d seen Ciel recently, and he said yes.
He said it was last weekend when he was returning to Stone House after morning training.
“She suddenly called out to me saying ‘hey you’, and asked me to pick up a handkerchief that had fallen on the ground.”
“Ciel did?”
“Yeah.”
“Oh, that lady back then?”
Jeffrey acted like he knew what Theon was talking about. Since it was after morning training ended, it seemed Jeffrey had been there too.
“You saw it too?”
“Yeah! She was a weird lady! Theon didn’t even drop it, but she just asked him to pick it up! There was even a maid next to her!”
Jeffrey spoke indignantly. Theon nodded in agreement.
Oho. Even a specific eyewitness account.
“So? Theon picked up the handkerchief, and what did Ciel say?”
“Huh? Theon didn’t pick it up?”
“What?”
My confidence in the witness testimony wavered slightly. I wasn’t sure what Ciel intended, but regardless, she had asked Theon for help.
I had naturally assumed Theon would have picked up the handkerchief for her.
I turned to Theon with a look of disbelief.
“I didn’t pick it up.”
“Really? Why?”
“There was no reason to pick it up….”
Perhaps sensing I was pressing him, Theon trailed off.
“Berry, just listen, okay? So Theon went his way, right? And I just followed him? And then!”
Jeffrey spoke excitedly, his indignation rising. He looked exactly like Anne when he got like this.
“How dare someone of such low status be so presumptuous!”
“Ugh.”
I was devastated by Jeffrey’s words.
The Ciel that Jeffrey was describing wasn’t the Ciel I knew.
“…Berry, what’s wrong? Should I have picked it up?”
“No.”
Theon asked with concern. I shook my head firmly.
Ciel was the only relative I had truly trusted. I had believed she would be different from the others.

“Berry, didn’t I tell you there’s no such thing as ‘absolute’?”

It felt as though Count Trabel was watching me and laughing. How bitter.

***

Yosel entered the Manager’s Office with unsteady steps.
In just a few days, he had grown gaunt. Yesterday, Mariane had visited Emerald House to discuss business matters, only to click her tongue at Yosel’s appearance and leave.

“As expected. Then present the alimony as a thirty percent stake in the Clothing Shop. If you prefer, you can hand over management rights as well. I’ll nurture it well for you.”

Click. Click. …Clang.
The safe beneath the desk opened.
“…Sniff.”
Gulp. Gulp.
Yosel stared into the empty safe and swallowed the sob rising in his throat.

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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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