I Will Try to Save My Dad - Chapter 93

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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 93

“Serber?”
It had been quite some time since Serber came to meet with me privately.
There were no assignments from Madam Frea to submit, and unlike the Blue Company matter, we had no information to exchange.
‘What could this be about?’
As I walked toward him, I found my answer. Serber’s face was beaming with an unmistakable smile, and the reason was obvious.
The Blue Company stocks that Father had explicitly instructed him to purchase were continuing their upward trajectory.
“A letter has arrived for our young Miss Berry.”
The possessive “our” now flowed naturally from Serber’s lips.
“Oh? For me?”
“Yes, you could receive it at the Stone House, but this is quite unprecedented, is it not? I thought you would be delighted to hear of it first.”
I blinked. Nothing about this made sense.
My correspondence with Marshall Grandmother was typically exchanged through Father or Zena Chaser, so it couldn’t possibly be addressed to me. As for anyone else who might write to me…
“Baron Voltman? Zikal? Coco? Demian? …Who sent it?”
“You certainly know many people, Miss Berry. It was sent by someone named Lucian.”
“What?”
I caught my breath.
It was a name I didn’t recognize among my acquaintances. There was only one person who came to mind.
Lucian Alexis.
The person whose presence caused Father such distressing emotional turmoil that Windis had to suppress his ability.
‘Surely not?’
Even as I thought it impossible that a diplomat from the Edencia Kingdom would send mail to someone he’d never met, I felt compelled to see its contents.
If it truly was a letter from Diplomat Lucian, Father would certainly never hand it over to me.
“Serber, that letter! May I look at it first?”
“You wish to examine it first, Miss? Strictly speaking, until you reach the age to receive an allowance, your guardian should receive correspondence first, but—”
“Then I’ll look at it and return it to you right away! What do you say?”
I gazed up at Serber with pleading eyes.
“What do I say…?”
“Please.”
Serber’s eyes wavered. His lips moved soundlessly for a moment before he swallowed and spoke.
“No. It will go to Reytan first.”

***

[Small Quartz, is this it? It says Lucian on it.]
I ended up asking Akum for help.
I examined the mail Akum had brought in a vacant room near the Butler’s Office in the Main Estate.
On the envelope with the postal stamp, the recipient’s and sender’s names were written.
To Berry Quartz Trabel. And from Lucian.
It was neat handwriting befitting an official occasion.
“Ooh. Adult handwriting. That’s gotta be it! Thanks, Akum!”
[I’m the best, right? Right?]
“Yeah. There’s no one but you~!”
Akum seemed pleased and climbed onto my shoulder, wagging his tail.
I examined the rectangular envelope. Since it was sealed with glue rather than wax, I thought I could open the outer envelope without leaving a trace.
“Let me give this a try~”
[String? What are you going to do with that?]
“Watch. I’ll show you something cool.”
Hehe. I overlapped two thin strings and pulled them taut. It was a method Peter often used with my hair—this way, the string or hair wouldn’t break, and I could cleanly separate stuck objects.
I found a gap in the envelope’s seal, inserted the string, and carefully worked it along.
[Oh…! Small Quartz, you’re like a master craftsman!]
Amid Akum’s admiration, the careful opening operation came to an end.
Phew, fortunately I succeeded in removing the contents without tearing the paper.
“Let me see what’s inside.”
It was right when I confidently unfolded the letter.

———-
To Reytan Quartz Trabel
———-

Gasp. At the familiar name on the first line, I quickly folded the letter in shock.
I thought it was a letter addressed to me, but it was actually addressed to Father…?
In an instant, I had become a child who had secretly stolen and opened mail that belonged to someone else…!

“So my little chick read all of my mail?”

My heart pounded and cold sweat seemed to form on my scalp.
The day I was scolded by Marshall Grandmother came vividly to mind.
“B-but-.”
This was an opportunity to learn what connection Father had with suspect number twenty on my list.
I apologized to Father in my mind about ten times over, then quickly opened the letter.

———-
I doubt Reytan Quartz Trabel would read a letter addressed to him,
so I’m sending this in my daughter’s name instead.
Soon, someone familiar will come calling.
An Alchemist’s potion can temporarily alter a person’s appearance, after all.
In the Edencia Kingdom, the matter of succession is paramount.
Please, I beg you—do not let that child become a shackle around my cousin’s ankle.
———-

“…Huh?”
No matter how many times I read it, I couldn’t make sense of the latter half.
I understood the warning well enough—that some suspicious figure would approach Father wearing a familiar face, transformed by the potion.
“Succession? Ankle? Cousin?”
I frowned, staring intently at the letter as if it might reveal its secrets.
Then I noticed one of my own hairs resting atop the parchment. I found myself alternating my gaze between the letter and that strand of hair.
“….”
[Little Quartz, finished reading?]
Without a word, I slipped the letter back into its envelope, sealed it with paste, and Akum immediately asked me.
“Yep.”
[Yeah? What was it about?]
“Nothing you need to know~ Look, Akum. Perfect, right? Father won’t even notice it was opened.”
[Right! Flawless! Give it here. I’ll take it to the Butler’s Office! If I slip it under the door crack, he’ll just think it fell on the floor~]
“Oh wow. Akum, you’re the best!”
[I know, right?! Little Quartz, you head to Stone House! I’ll scout around the front grounds a bit first~]
“Okay. See you later~!”
Akum took the letter in his mouth and left the room. The letter was larger than him, so it dragged across the floor, but since the Main Estate’s floors were immaculate, there was no risk of it getting dirty.
“Alright then.”
I rose from my seat. It was nearly time for dinner.
As I stepped out of the Main Estate and headed toward the Education Hall, I found Theon standing in the Outdoor Corridor.
“Oh? Theon!”
“Berry, are you done now?”
Theon smiled warmly at me. The sky had begun to blush crimson with the sunset, and standing within that glow, Theon seemed to shimmer.
“Did you come to pick me up? Where’s Jeffrey?”
“Jeffrey was training earlier, but Anne called him away. You’re heading to Stone House, right?”
“Yep!”
I reached out my hand, and Theon naturally took it. These days I rarely stumbled, so I could walk just fine on my own, but occasionally holding hands wasn’t so bad. Occasionally.
“Oh, that’s right. Berry.”
“What?”
Theon called out to me as we walked toward Stone House.
His right fist was extended toward me. What was he trying to give me?
I placed my palm beneath Theon’s fist. A candy dropped onto my open hand.
“Huh? Where did this candy come from?”
“Rex gave it to me. He said to share it with Berry and Jeffrey. There’s a glass jar of them at the Stone House.”
“Oh.”
I clutched the candy Theon gave me tightly. In my left hand, the candy; in my right hand, Theon’s hand.
So everything was fine.
“Aren’t you going to eat it now? Should I unwrap it for you?”
“It’s okay~”
I grinned widely at Theon.
“Let’s hurry! Tonight’s dinner is meatballs!”

***

A bright, sunny weekend.
Father, who had been reading a book while seated in his chair, watched me quietly as I brought over a small child’s stool and sat beside him, then asked a question.
“Berry Berry, what are you up to?”
“I wanted to be close to Father~ I brought a book to read too!”
“…Let me know if the stool is uncomfortable.”
“Okay.”
Father chuckled softly and patted my head.
I opened a novel I had borrowed from Sherry’s bookshelf.
【Trust No One】.
After confirming the book’s title again, I sharpened my focus.
‘Even familiar people warrant caution…!’
Starting today, I would be conducting close protection of Reytan Quartz Trabel…!

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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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