If I Were Reborn, I Wouldn’t Marry You - Chapter 48
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 49
The garden party Miela had prepared drew enthusiastic reactions from the invited guests.
Seeing those who gazed at the crystal decorations as if enchanted, and those who cheered at the fountain flowing with juice instead of champagne, Leonhardt felt proud as if he himself had been praised.
What made him happiest of all was Miela, who seemed to be in a particularly good mood today, greeting guests with a smiling face.
‘She seemed to be in a bad mood lately.’
Thanks to his slightly improved perception after regressing, he knew that Miela was in a bad mood but pretending to be fine.
However, since he had no idea what was causing her bad mood, he had been feeling something unsettling lingering in a corner of his heart.
‘I was worried she might be sick somewhere.’
It was fortunate that wasn’t the case.
While conversing with Rudrick, Leonhardt’s gaze continued to turn toward Miela.
“Merlin, did Lionel show you around well?”
Miela, who had been exchanging pleasantries with a count’s daughter, spotted Lady Ravis in one corner of the garden and ran over to hug her while acting cute.
‘Was it because of her spirit affinity that she said she feels refreshed when she touches Lady Ravis?’
Perhaps because of that, Miela, who was usually rather aloof, tended to be quite affectionate with Lady Ravis.
‘How envious…’
Though his true feelings slipped out, Leonhardt firmly suppressed his childish jealousy.
Lady Ravis hugged Miela back and answered.
“Yes, it was an enjoyable tour.”
“Really? Lionel isn’t usually that entertaining of a person though?”
Her deliberately teasing eyes turned toward Lionel.
“Hey, what do you take your brother for?”
Lionel, who was still sticking close to Lady Ravis’s side, smiled as he gave a light reproach.
The atmosphere was harmonious.
Both Lady Ravis and Lionel seemed to be talking to Miela, but their subtle glances toward each other occasionally met.
Each time that happened, they would shyly look away in surprise, yet couldn’t give up looking at each other, suggesting that some progress had been made in that short time.
‘I shouldn’t have helped them.’
Leonhardt shifted his gaze before he could cause trouble while caught up in childish jealousy.
He began to focus again on conversations aimed at getting acquainted with the still-young children who would become his retainers in the future.
“But, is the Crown Prince really your older brother?”
“We have the same parents and he was born before me.”
“Wow! Amazing! Then have you been to the Imperial Palace, Prince? My brother brags terribly whenever he goes to the Imperial Palace.”
“I lived there.”
Even though they would be recognized as the Empire’s top elites after becoming adults, that was a matter for the future.
For now, they were just little kids who knew nothing, so the conversation couldn’t be very substantial.
However, since Miela had told him to do it, Leonhardt showed sincerity.
As he was killing time like this, Miela approached as if giving him a reward.
“Thank you for accepting the invitation.”
Miela lifted her skirt slightly and curtsied in greeting.
With her smiling face, asking about their recent activities and drawing out topics that would interest them, she was clearly an excellent host by anyone’s standards.
While Miela dealt with his future subordinates in his place, Leonhardt stood back a step, having thoughts like ‘That outfit really suits Miela well.’
Even though the conversation was going on quite long for mere courtesy, he wasn’t bored at all.
The outfit Miela wore today was one of the clothes Leonhardt had chosen during their last outing, so it felt particularly meaningful.
Leonhardt found it amusing how Miela seemed to look prettier every day.
‘Today it somehow seems like there’s a halo shining around her too.’
Miela’s blonde hair sparkled with a different feeling than natural light.
He thought it was a trick of the eyes, but it wasn’t.
“Fire!”
At that moment, a commotion broke out behind Miela, near the entrance, with people shouting about a fire.
“This is just an unfortunate accident created by a minor prank.”
Kylian repeated what Jeffrisian had said like a mantra.
If he didn’t do that, his heart might burst.
‘Right, it’s not that difficult a task.’
All he had to do was hide a broken children’s fireworks set somewhere appropriate at the party venue.
For example, near the entrance where no one would pay attention once all the guests had arrived, somewhere like that.
It would explode after a certain amount of time, but since it was just a toy, it would only make a loud noise at most.
There might be people who get startled, but no one would get hurt.
‘Even if someone suspects me, I just have to say I dropped it by mistake and didn’t know it was broken. Duke Roderick is trying to use the monster of the Separate Palace to attack His Highness the Crown Prince. I have to succeed.’
He felt like Jeffrisian’s brainwashing words ‘Kylian is a special friend, that’s why I’m asking you this favor’ were repeating in his ears over and over.
Kylian, who had barely composed himself, took out the children’s fireworks set he had hidden in his chest with hands trembling from nervousness.
Then, after confirming there was no one around, he threw the children’s fireworks set under a tree near the entrance.
After picking up small branches and leaves to roughly cover it, it looked quite convincing.
Thinking he had done an excellent job with the task given by the respected Crown Prince, Kylian smiled with a pale face.
‘His Highness will be pleased when he knows I did well.’
Jeffrisian tended to treat his ‘friends’ fairly.
Kylian and the other followers praised even this as befitting a crown prince, but each secretly had their own disappointments.
‘Maybe this could be the opportunity for me to become his closest friend.’
Kylian smiled foolishly, imagining other people looking up to him as the Crown Prince’s best friend.
However, that smile was only possible because he didn’t know what Jeffrisian had ordered Conrad to do.
“It’s nothing much. Just let this little guy cause a small accident. If you poke and prod it to make it angry, it’ll breathe fire…”
“But it’s a garden party, what if the fire spreads?”
“That wouldn’t be bad. Wouldn’t that be just the right amount of accident to ruin the party? Still, since we can’t have anyone get hurt, you should try it near the entrance where people don’t frequent much after the party starts.”
Only the Crown Prince who had drawn up the plan knew what kind of situation the combination of fire breathed by an angry salamander lizard and broken fireworks would create.
Bang!
With a loud explosion, flames shot up from the entrance area.
Startled, I turned toward the direction of the sound to see Kylian, who must have been near the fire and suffered severe burns, running this way while dragging the apparently unconscious Conrad.
“Fire! We need to evacuate immediately.”
Kylian, who had run over with unfocused eyes saying only that they needed to evacuate, finally collapsed after reaching the middle of the party venue, far from the flames.
“What’s happening? Fire all of a sudden!”
One young lady asked tearfully.
However, Kylian had also exhausted his strength and fainted, so no answer came.
Meanwhile, the flames were spreading toward the inside of the party venue.
“Waaah!”
“Mommy!”
Crying sounds could be heard from everywhere.
“We need to evacuate for now…”
I looked around anxiously, but felt only helpless.
For security purposes, buildings in the capital’s residences tend to be built surrounded by high walls reinforced with magic, and they don’t create many entrances.
The separate residence of the Duke’s estate was the same.
To get outside, we had to go through the entrance, but the fire had broken out right at the entrance.
‘We can’t get out that way.’
Lionel’s judgment seemed similar to mine.
“Both of them have severe burns, so treatment first!”
At Lionel’s words, the maids brought the medicine box they had prepared just in case and began emergency treatment.
Since the separate residence was usually kept empty, all the party food had been made in the main building and brought over.
Since it was a party for children, no dangerous items like blades or fire sources had been brought to the party venue.
But a fire broke out?
I couldn’t understand it at all.
‘Come to think of it, there is one thing that could potentially start a fire… the salamander lizard.’
As if confirming my guess, the salamander lizard that had been on Conrad’s shoulder was nowhere to be seen.
‘But salamander lizards have such gentle temperaments that nobles who like rare animals keep them as pets? And what was that bang sound earlier?’
There were more than just one or two strange things about this, but right now escaping safely was more important than figuring out the situation.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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