Male Lead Is Obsessed With My Health - Chapter 290

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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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290
Episode

“Mar….”
“Ah, that decoration looks terribly unstable hanging there. Mehren, what were you doing? You did prepare properly, didn’t you?”
“Mar….”
“Mehren, it seems Her Majesty is getting stiff shoulders. Go give her a massage.”
“Mar….”
“Oh dear! My old wounds are suddenly aching. The injuries from the Ruin haven’t healed yet. I think I’ll rest for a moment.”
“…Mm.”
“Thank you for your understanding. Please, do enjoy the party.”
With remarkable evasiveness, Valere managed to slip away without ever hearing the word “marriage” to the very end.
“…….”
Empress Azeni was at a loss.
Though she and the Grand Duke of Halbern were indifferent to each other, she hadn’t expected him to dodge and flee so completely that conversation itself became impossible.
“Mehren.”
“…My apologies.”
The cleanup fell to Mehren, who remained. From the moment Valere and Empress Azeni’s conversation began, Mehren had already foreseen this future, so the apology came readily.
“I must sincerely apologize for my lord’s rudeness. But he’s always been like that, so I do hope you’ll show leniency. I’ll head back and give him a proper beating.”
As Mehren apologized entreaty while his fists clenched tight, Empress Azeni laughed.
Had it been anyone else, it would have been impossible, but because it was Mehren—whom she’d known since childhood—the Empress’s demeanor softened.
“Besides, our lord has only just returned, so I suspect he dislikes being separated from the young lady.”
“Hmm.”
“As for myself, I wish to keep her in my care a little longer still.”
It was somewhat underhanded, but Mehren decided to press the one weakness that would surely work on Empress Azeni.
“After all, doesn’t our young lady resemble ‘that person’ quite a great deal?”
Empress Azeni nodded slowly.
“Yes, perhaps she does. I was thoughtless of myself.”
“Thank you for saying so.”
“Yes, I understand.”
He’d expected this outcome, but it truly was effective.
‘What on earth did you do to Empress Azeni, Sione?’
It was almost frightening how well it worked.

* * *

‘You will take a drive with me in my automobile! And from now on, you will never abandon me again!’
Ether’s conditions were simple.
“A drive, I mean… what….”
But when did I ever abandon Ether?
In any case, placating Ether came first, so I’d indulged her thoroughly before we were heading back to the party venue.
“Arelin!”
The face rushing toward me was familiar.
“Oh? Silvi?”
The young lady of Viscount Barak, whom I’d helped after we were both dragged into the Black Market together.
Later I’d heard through Mehren that she’d successfully reclaimed her family and driven out her uncle, but it had been ages since I’d actually seen her.
‘Could the reporter Mehren mentioned… have been Silvi?’
The Albrecht Times—a respectable newspaper indeed.
“Arelin! What are you doing here?!”
“Childcare… or discipline……?”
“?”
Silvi tilted her head, apparently thinking I was just rambling, and moved past it naturally.
“Thank you so much for inviting me to the party today. Thanks to you, I think the article will turn out wonderfully.”
“Yes, well.”
Mehren invited her.
I’d been notified of the party’s existence only five hours before it started.
‘But I can’t say that. Come on, social skills!’
“I should have come to greet you sooner, but whenever I visited, you were never there. Did you perhaps go abroad?”
“Abroad… somewhere like that.”
“I thought so! You’re such a capable mage. Yes, that makes sense. In any case, thanks to you, I was able to reclaim my family. Thank you, Arelin.”
Silvi bowed her head deeply.
I’d only happened to get tangled up and help by chance, yet she was so grateful it felt strange.
‘I suppose Mehren just helped because he thought it was worthwhile. The circumstances were pitiful enough.’
“And when I checked into my uncle, it turns out he had connections to the Black Market. It seems to be related to the incident that happened back then. We’re still investigating, but I’ll let you know if we find anything.”
“All right. Thank you for your attention.”
Perhaps because she believed my story about going abroad, Silvi shared all sorts of things with me—each piece of information was incredibly significant.
‘I see. The domestic social circles are firmly controlled by Lord Sirua and the Gremwat family.’
I heard she was the Grand Duke of Gremwat’s second granddaughter, and suddenly the Grand Duke of Gremwat I’d seen at the Ruin came to mind, making me feel odd.
‘Now that I think about it, it seemed Master had something to say about that…….’
But the party opened before we could discuss it, and here we are.
“The situation at the Northern Fortress is said to be quite grave. Do you know anything about it?”
“The Northern Fortress? Isn’t that where Grand Duke Mubisk is?”
“That’s right! These days the monsters…….”
“Ah.”
“And I heard an interesting story. They say a Child of Destiny has appeared in the Shugra Empire?”
“A Child of Destiny?”
“Something like a savior who’ll rescue us from ruin, I think? It sounded so like a scam…….”
What on earth is this now.
That was when.
“Arelin.”
Fession appeared suddenly and approached me. His stiff expression suggested he’d been searching for me this whole time, and he didn’t look pleased.
“Ah, Your Highness…….”
Fession glanced briefly at Silvi, who had hurriedly grabbed her dress hem and offered a proper bow, then looked back at me.
“?”
His expression was full of discontent—wounded.
“Did I do something wrong?”
“…No.”
“Then why do you look like that?”
“…….”
I felt confused as Fession came and took my hand without saying another word, when Silvi beside us suddenly gasped and covered her mouth with both hands.
What she said so that only I could hear was.
“Your Highness’s first love after all!”
When I glared at Silvi as she spouted nonsense about how she’d sensed it from our first meeting and how she’d always believed it, Silvi flashed me a double thumbs-up.
“…….”
Why is she like this.
“Well then, I’ll excuse myself first. Hehe. Take your time, you two!”
I gave a dry laugh as Silvi winked and disappeared, and Fession turned his head to look at her retreating figure.
“Who was that?”
“Someone I know.”
“…So you do have acquaintances?”
“What do you take me for?”
Does he still think of me as a shut-in loser?
When I glared at Fession, he quietly looked away. Well, since he’s cute, I’ll let it slide.
“Sione, want to come see the twins for a while?”

* * *

“Arelin, why is it so hard to look at you?”
The Twins complained the moment they saw me.
“What in the world happened?”
“……?”
Why are they like this… oh, right.
Now that I think about it, those two invited me to Sperom’s party, got dragged to the Black Market, ran into Fession, and went straight to find Father at the Ruin.
“Many… truly many things happened.”
“……?”
The Twins tilted their heads in confusion.
Ignorance is bliss—don’t ask. Your older sister was exhausted.
Suddenly I glanced toward where Father would be, only to find Mehren dealing with Empress Azeni instead, while Father had slipped away to play with the other dukes.
The fact that the host is being so inhospitable to his guests and yet nothing strange is said about it is probably because.
“He’s a Halbern.”
One of the Five Great Duchy Houses, yet completely disinterested in social affairs—the image of someone who pulls strings from behind the scenes.
…Never thought I’d benefit from our family’s image one day. Living long enough, you experience everything.
“Mm.”
That was when Ciel and Noel glanced between me and Fession and spoke.
“So the misunderstanding between you two is completely cleared up now, right?”
It was a cautious question.
“Yeah. So drop it.”
Fession responded sharply.
“Is that how you talk to your friends?”
“That was me being kind.”
“You weren’t like that when you were younger.”
Fession shrugged his shoulders, and the Twins wore smiles of incomprehensible meaning.
I was sensing a subtle atmosphere between the Twins and Fession when.
“Harun!”
The arrival of someone who absolutely shouldn’t be at such a party broke the mood.
“Thanks for coming. I didn’t think you’d show.”
Harun nodded. Even as a child his face was cold, but now that he’d grown, he gave off an air of unapproachability that struck me anew.
“I wanted to see if you were safe.”
“Ah. You were worried about me?”
A nod.
Then a man who looked similar to Harun stepped forward and greeted me.
“I heard that thanks to you and the efforts of the Magic Tower, my brother was able to return safely. I am grateful.”
“Well, yes… I suppose that’s true…….”
Though doesn’t Luca deserve more credit than I do?
“I cannot offer proper thanks at such an occasion, so I will visit again later.”
“No, please don’t go to such trouble.”
“I’ll come again.”
“…All right.”
What could I say when a friend said he was coming back.
The Mubisk brothers seemed to have come for this one purpose alone, so they left right away.
“Stay a bit longer and have fun~.”
“Busy.”
They left even though the Twins tried to stop them.
Then it happened.
“Arelin.”
“Hm?”
The Twins, eyes glimmering with mischief, pointed somewhere and giggled.
“Arelin, you might just get a new stepmother your age today, you know?”
“?”
What kind of nonsense is this.

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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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