If I Were Reborn, I Wouldn’t Marry You - Chapter 96

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 96

I need to shake him down completely!

Yes, I need to get revenge on behalf of Leonhardt!

I was steeling my resolve when the Emperor’s opening was slightly unexpected.

“I heard that the spirit contractors sponsored by the Young Lady are creating wells in the South.”

It was within the expected range of topics, but the Emperor’s expression was outside my expectations.

If his expression had hardened or shown displeasure, I would have understood that he thought his imperial authority was being infringed upon.

But.

‘He’s looking into the sky with a reminiscing expression, what’s that? He looks somewhat bitter too… his expression is strange?’

It was a reaction that exquisitely mixed pride with a somewhat deflated feeling.

Like someone tired from dutifully responding to excessive praise of their child.

Thanks to that, I could immediately guess where the information came from.

‘Father, isn’t it?’

If he had heard about my ‘exploits’ from Father, who wouldn’t lose to anyone when it came to doting, there would be no point in trying to act mature and adult-like.

He probably heard “adorable baby angel” hundreds of times, so trying to act grown-up now would only embarrass me.

‘I need to revise my plan to shake down the Emperor.’

The Emperor and Father were privately close friends, and Father’s only topic of private conversation was about us.

So I had overlooked that he would have bragged about his children tremendously.

“It’s generally true, but the story is a bit distorted.”

I answered while sipping my tea.

The Emperor seemed amused by my prim tone and smiled with his eyes curved.

“Which part would be the distortion? Young Lady?”

The Emperor asked in a caring voice.

I was being treated completely like a child.

‘Ah, Father!’

I have social dignity too, so what exactly has he been saying?

Another typical regressor might have been somewhat offended by being treated like a child.

But I was accustomed to my family’s extraordinary doting, so I wasn’t a typical regressor.

‘Being treated like a child is nothing.’

I tilted my head with a peaceful face as if I felt no displeasure and answered.

“It’s true that spirit contractors are digging wells in the South, but sponsoring them is ultimately a family-level matter.”

When I spoke clearly, the Emperor laughed again.

It was an unexpected timing.

When I looked at him wondering what it was about, the Emperor spoke in a voice too loud for a soliloquy.

“Ha. As expected, daughters are adorable. Is it still not too late?”

What context did that come from just now.

‘I am cute, but it’s already miraculous that Leonhardt was born between the Emperor and the Empress.’

He’s at least blunt in personality, but a daughter like me?

That’s impossible.

However, this also wasn’t appropriate to say out loud.

‘Social life is really difficult.’

I pretended not to hear the Emperor’s loud soliloquy.

Fortunately, the Emperor seemed to know this wasn’t the time for prolonged jokes.

“But Aimers said it was the Young Lady who sponsors the spirit contractors.”

His attitude was serious as if he had never been playful.

As expected, the subject I had in mind matched exactly.

‘Ah, Father. Even so, this is a bit troublesome.’

Of course, with just this much of a clue, his thoughts couldn’t reach the fact that I had regressed.

However, the Emperor was the number one person who must not discover that I had moved with some intention in this series of processes.

I covered my expression that was about to crumple by pretending to sip my tea.

It was recent that I experienced the commotion of my doting family who were worried that I wouldn’t receive proper praise for what I had accomplished because I tried to step back to avoid being discovered as a regressor.

So I had clearly realized that if I tried to step back, it would become even more chaotic, but I still didn’t want it to become too widely known.

But my family seemed to have the opposite idea from me.

I thought they were somewhat satisfied, but…

They had to brag to the most troublesome person of all.

‘It can’t be helped. Well.’

I spoke in a somewhat boastful tone.

“I did arrange for newly manifested spirit contractors to receive Roderick’s sponsorship.”

As expected, deciding to act childishly seemed to hit the mark.

An attitude of wanting to boast about one’s achievements conversely makes the achievements seem smaller.

Thanks to that, the Emperor also seemed to change his thinking toward the idea that there was considerable exaggeration in what Father had said about ‘the Young Lady sponsoring spirit contractors.’

The Emperor’s tone returned to one of coddling a child.

“The Young Lady is really amazing.”

It was praise, but it felt subtly unpleasant.

‘I guess the doting I allow is only up to my family.’

It felt like I had gained a new realization.

Though the intention was low, I felt like I was taking damage every time the Emperor opened his mouth.

Just when I was briefly silent from feeling mentally exhausted, the Emperor suddenly set the mood.

“As the Emperor of the Empire, I sincerely express my gratitude for the goodwill of the Young Lady and the spirit contractors.”

Then he opened his mouth with a solemn attitude.

It was an excessively formal and polite greeting for an Emperor to give to a Young Lady, or rather, for an adult to give to a child.

“Thanks to you, I heard that countless people were able to escape from starvation.”

The Emperor purely commended my achievements and promised to give sufficient compensation to me and my family, while also promising to grant titles to Merlin and Caspian.

Actually, from the time I came to the Imperial Palace accepting the Emperor’s invitation, I had even thought that he might hint that I had crossed the line, even if with good intentions.

So from a certain perspective, this was also a reaction that exceeded my expectations.

‘If someone is at a level where they can properly express gratitude and apologies, it’s not easy for them to become the worst kind of person.’

The Emperor was someone born with very noble blood, yet he rarely possessed such character.

‘I understand why Father is friends with the Emperor.’

The Emperor was an avoidant parent who neglected Leonhardt.

Naturally, my feelings toward the Emperor were not good.

‘More precisely, there wasn’t enough contact to build good feelings.’

In the first round, I encountered him much less than now, and even when we were about to have some contact, the Emperor was poisoned by the Prince and barely held on for a few weeks in a coma before dying.

‘The only fatherly thing he did for Leonhardt was being bedridden for a few weeks so the Prince couldn’t immediately hold a coronation.’

The line I had drawn in my heart felt a little blurred.

Like opening graffiti written with black ink pressed hard after a month.

‘But only up to that point.’

Still, you should live long this time.

…Ah, wait. What did he say?

I was thinking about other things and missed the Emperor’s words.

But when I belatedly focused on the Emperor’s words, I could more or less catch up with the context.

‘It’s about purchasing rye.’

Actually, this would be the real purpose of today’s invitation.

The Emperor, who had been mentioning my ‘business’ saying he heard about it from Father, asked directly not long after.

“We happen to need a very large amount of grain for relief purposes.”

I had no intention of acting like Viscount Perington, but I also didn’t want to hand over the rye as if donating it.

‘The Emperor is rich!’

I pretended to think and asked carefully.

“Wasn’t the donation from Roderick sufficient?”

Half was to show off, half was to burden the Emperor.

‘This side at least has some conscience, so he won’t steal rye from a snotty-nosed child.’

My guess was correct.

The Emperor, who generously praised my goodwill, added in a gentle, explanatory tone.

“The goodwill you showed in Roderick is already sufficient. But since I am the master of the Empire, I cannot just sit idle, can I?”

When he says he won’t take it for free, how could I stop him?

“That’s true.”

When I nodded, laughter burst from the Emperor again.

I waited for the Emperor’s laughter to stop, then asked secretly with a flattering attitude.

“Then shall I give the rye to Your Imperial Majesty? As a gift! There’s already an amount being discussed for trade, so I can’t give it all though!”

I thought this would be better than outright proposing a price, so I went for it.

If adults had done this, it would have looked exactly like offering a bribe, but I was still nine years old.

Thanks to my characteristically soft features and cheerful attitude, the Emperor seemed to regard it as the goodwill of a child who didn’t know better.

The Emperor, who had been thinking for a moment, asked subtly.

“Then, shall we exchange gifts with each other?”

It was exactly the reaction I had hoped for.

“Yes, that sounds great!”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————