My Ex-Boyfriend Gave Birth to My Child? What Does That Mean? - Chapter 60

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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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My ex-boyfriend had my child? What on earth is this supposed to mean? Episode 60
The chair he’d been sitting in toppled backward with a crash. Herdi sprang to his feet, fists clenched, and shouted.
“Where in the name of—did you drag this person from?!”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying! My pupil—isn’t he remarkable?!”
I opened my mouth, trembling with excitement.
By sheer misfortune, my words came at the exact same moment as Herdi’s outburst.
“Perfect talent for a Combat Mage!”
“Perfect talent for a Research Mage!”
We locked eyes.
As the water’s master, I spoke first.
“I didn’t quite catch that. My pupil is impressive, wouldn’t you say?”
“Hand that child over this instant!”
“Goodness. Since when do we barter human beings? We’re discussing my precious pupil here.”
“That… that power—do you understand how invaluable that is for constructing a Magic Circuit?! A Combat Mage? A blunt-force mage?!”
“This child cleaved through the barrier you created with nothing but a crude rod. That’s practical, field-tested talent!”
Herdi threw his hands open and cried out.
“Combat is an art any swordsman without a speck of magical gift can master! That child must become a Research Mage. He must join my laboratory!”
I raised my index finger and wagged it side to side with sharp flicks.
“You’re missing the point. A truly exceptional Combat Mage can earn a knighthood!”
Herdi Puah tore at his already disheveled hair and roared.
“A knighthood? What good is that?”
I lifted my index finger and shook it left and right, clicking my tongue disapprovingly.
“Of course it’s good! A knighthood means entry into the Nobility Class. Think of all the doors that opens for this child!”
Herdi Puah dug in his heels.
“That’s mere personal success! But research—research can transform the world!”
Yet I had my own counterargument.
“No. Did you not see what the Behemoth Knights accomplished in the Capital? Perhaps—yes, perhaps we could even establish a household knight order. Duke Voltaine has the right to maintain one. How many lives could we save with that?”
I turned sharply to Peron and asked him directly.
“Don’t you think so?”
Peron’s face had flushed.
The dazed look of someone overwhelmed by infinite possibilities opening before him.
I could feel it.
Combat, research, engineering—whichever path he chose, it hardly mattered. Someday, this child would learn to take pride in what he was: a mage.
That truth brought me the greatest joy.
* * *
Today the Otreha Mansion was brimming with excitement and laughter everywhere.
Word that two mages were competing over the mansion’s coveted jack-of-all-trades had spread like wildfire.
After a measured knock, Rita eased the office door open and poked her head through, her voice bright and cheerful.
“I knew that boy would turn out well!”
Rita rejoiced in the orphan’s fortune as though it were her own, and added cheerfully.
“Master, I think there’s someone downstairs you should see!”
“What is it?”
“Hehe, you’ll find out when you come down.”
Rita being mysteriously playful wasn’t unusual, so I smiled and rose from my chair.
Everyone loved someone as bright and unburdened as Rita.
Descending the stairs, I suddenly felt the Otreha Mansion’s transformation from its past self. The corridors and landings were spotless, not a speck of dust, and the air was fresh and fragrant.
The servants I passed smiled and bowed respectfully, while Rita’s cheerful voice trailed behind me, returning their greetings as she descended slowly.
And at the foot of the stairs.
Before the front entrance I’d opened myself, I found myself face to face with an enormous bouquet. A magnificent arrangement of flowers from every season mingled together.
“Oh my.”
Leon’s face peeked from behind the bouquet, and he raised his eyebrows with a smile.
“You never come see me.”
“Ah, I’ve been busy lately…”
“So I came to you.”
Leon pressed the bouquet into my arms.
I accepted the enormous arrangement, almost too heavy to hold. Among the vibrant, fragrant blossoms, a crisp envelope brushed against my hand.
“What is this?”
“A bonus to the gift.”
The corners of Leon’s mouth tilted upward.
Leon’s bonus was certainly sweeter than the flowers.
I opened the envelope at the small desk in my bedroom and discovered a report covered in densely written text, letting out a delighted gasp. It went without saying that I scooped up Leon, who had been clinging to my side like a puppy waiting for affection, into my arms.
“You must have been terribly busy too. Did you really have time for this?”
“Well, you weren’t going to see me anyway. And since the fellow’s under suspicion for tax evasion, and my brother apparently dislikes him too, I killed two birds with one stone.”
“The royal family is keeping watch over a mere impoverished barony?”
“I may have let slip a word or two in front of my brother.”
What Leon had given me along with the flowers was a petition asking the Temple Court of the Capital to summon the Baron of Giz and impose punishment upon him! And it bore the official seal of the Giz Barony’s Temple.
“Is it the Temple Tax issue, then? I suspected the Baron of Giz wasn’t collecting it properly because he was exploiting the territory’s people so ruthlessly.”
“That too, but the Baron of Giz actually did something rather bold.”
It seemed I’d chosen the right option. Leon, with his arm draped casually over the back of the sofa and his head leaned against it, added with a beautiful smile.
“Apparently, a territorial subject who dared to curse him took refuge in the Temple, and the Baron sent guards to drag him out directly.”
“The audacity!”
“And then he had the man executed as a spectacle on a festival day.”
He sent guards directly into the Temple to seize a criminal who had sought sanctuary there, and then executed him on a festival day? This was a serious violation of the Temple’s authority!
Even with the decline in priestly power, a Sanctuary Violation was still treated as a grave crime.
“With this much, we should be able to summon the man to the Capital and bring him before the Temple Court.”
“That should be enough.”
This matter alone wouldn’t be enough to completely ruin the Baron.
The moment the Temple Court issued its summons, I could already picture the Baron of Giz donating a vast fortune accumulated from exploiting his subjects.
Once the Baron had spent his wealth on such donations, he’d squeeze his people even more ruthlessly to refill his coffers.
But…
“Once we draw him to the Capital and tie his hands with this summons, that’s sufficient. It’s a light charge, so he’ll certainly underestimate it.”
I smiled wickedly, thinking of the Argent Merchant Guild’s report stored in the safe of my office.
“After all, an overconfident opponent is the easiest to deal with.”
Leon leaned in toward my laughing face and kissed me. The brief kiss quickly deepened, and by the time our lips parted after the soft, wet sound had echoed through my head, my face was already flushed.
Leon, his eyes leisurely tracing over me, curled up the corners of his mouth and replied to my words.
“True enough—he’s so off guard, it’ll be easy.”
“Leon…!”
I pinched his cheek, and in retaliation, he lifted me up from where I’d been sitting beside the sofa.
In that dreamlike moment as my body fell softly onto the plush bed, I forgot the complexities of politics and clung to him, pressing dozens of kisses against his skin.
* * *
A rare morning meal shared together was lovely.
It was thanks to the kitchen staff, who had learned of the Duke of Voltaine’s visit well in advance, pulling out all the stops.
“I suspect our kitchen staff are competing with the staff of the ducal residence in some way.”
“Over what?”
“Beauty, perhaps.”
“What are you talking about?”
“It’s a real thing.”
The menu and flavors hadn’t changed much, but on days when Leon visited, the plating seemed inexplicably ambitious.
It appeared to stem from the time Lusian had once exclaimed, “Dad’s house makes rice so beautiful it’s a shame to eat it!” and spent the entire day repeating it.
Well, it’s good when the staff are spirited.
“What are you doing today?”
“Recharging.”
“What do you mean?”
“I’m planning to follow you around all day.”
I made a decision.
‘I should stay home all day today!’
Apart from the betrothal and various political reasons, Leon was far too conspicuous.
Not because of his ducal status or anything like that. After all, Leon’s face was barely known to the public.
It was simply that face.
That face’s overwhelming presence was something I had no control over whatsoever.
Though I seem to end up drawing attention without meaning to, my nature is fundamentally that of a mage locked away in her tower. A complete introvert forcing myself to play an extrovert. That was precisely who I was!
I hated standing out, wanted to live quietly!
But the world contained far too many things beyond my control.
For instance, like Cyril’s frost-edged voice approaching me just as I finished my meal.

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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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