Never Mind the Heir, I’ll Focus on Healing - Chapter 275

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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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Heir to the Throne Be Damned, Let Me Just Heal — Chapter 275

Lion’s mind began to race faster than it ever had before.

‘I need to keep my wits about me.’

The man standing before him now.
Ricshel was the quickest to read a situation among everyone Lion had faced so far.
And it wasn’t merely because he was his brother—the man had a sharp mind, decisive will, and Lion couldn’t predict what he might do next.
Moreover…….

‘He’s too kind. He’ll worry himself sick.’

There had to be a reason Grandfather hadn’t passed the message along.

Gulp.

Lion swallowed dryly and answered without delay, keeping his tone as natural as possible.

“Right. I’ve been doing well. Elvia’s been fine too. How about you?”
“Yes. I’ve been managing the duties Father entrusted to me quite well. Of course, I’ve been making sure to rest properly as well.”
“That’s impressive. Come on inside, then.”
“Yes.”

Lion moved forward with the utmost, absolute casualness he could muster.
Moments ago he’d said how glad he was to be home, and now he felt like he was treading on thin ice.
Of course, only Lion—the one with something to hide—felt it that way.

Pant-pant.

Foos, thrilled to escape the suffocating Magic Tower and arrive home, bolted straight into the courtyard like an arrow.

“Sir Foos! It’s been such a long time!”
“My, your fur has become even fluffier!”

It seemed Foos’s fan following at the estate had only grown stronger in his absence.

‘……Not now.’

Lion waved toward Foos and continued gathering his thoughts.
For now, Ricshel didn’t know anything about what had happened to Lion—not a thing.

‘He probably thinks I spent time in the Protective Barrier and then went to the Villa where Elvia is.’

At least it was fortunate he could spin a story. Or so he was thinking when—

“Have you changed your gloves?”
“Huh?”
“The design is different from usual.”
“Ah, I’ve been making various things while spending time with Elvia.”
“I see. Also, I heard you didn’t have a chance to eat before arriving. The chef has prepared quite an elaborate meal, so shall we go together?”
“…….”
“Brother?”
“Oh, right! I was just thinking about what kind of food might be waiting. Haha. Let’s go.”

Lion murmured as he headed toward the kitchen that there was nothing quite like home cooking.

“…….”

And hearing that murmur to himself, Ricshel’s eyes darted sideways to regard Lion.

‘You’ve had your fill of Elvia’s cooking, and yet you still miss home food?’

His brother seemed quite fond of the dishes Elvia prepared.
In truth, Elvia’s Cooking skill was considerable.
From sweet desserts to full courses, there was little she couldn’t make.

‘Of course, the food my brother makes suits my palate a touch better.’

That conclusion was surely born of his own biased affection.
In other words, simply eating Elvia’s cooking wouldn’t likely stir a craving for home food at all.
But then again…….

‘My brother does seem rather fond of the head chef.’

Odd as it was, it wasn’t something he couldn’t overlook.
And then.

‘Elvia must have had quite the time of it.’

Honestly, given that his brother—whose nature was rather spontaneous and peculiar—had ventured to a new region, he wouldn’t have simply sat idle.

‘Now that I think of it, he does look a bit lean.’

As Ricshel habitually studied Lion, their eyes met.

“You’re not forcing yourself to eat when you’re not hungry, are you?”
“No, sir. I was genuinely famished.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Yes.”

He’d stared too intently, apparently.
He’d been rude to his brother.
Ricshel withdrew his gaze and headed toward the Restaurant with him.
And there…….

“Wow!”
“The head chef got rather excited, I’m afraid.”

Food was stacked in great heaps.
There were delicacies and rarities aplenty, and he spotted several of the recipes Lion had shared here and there.
The steam rose from dishes still warm from the fire, so thick that even the nervous Lion found his mouth watering.

“Shall we start eating?”
“Yes.”

Lion promptly slipped a generously cut piece of steak into his mouth.

“Mmm!”

There was no need to say more.
Already delicious meat had blossomed into something divine under the hands of Chef Alex.
The seared surface, darkened to a rich brown, released an aromatic blend of herbs and butter, while the rosy-red interior yielded a burst of juice with each bite.

‘How long has it been since I had ordinary food like this!’

There was another reason for Lion’s fervent delight.
During his time in the Magic Tower……he’d eaten mostly low-salt patient fare.
Of course, in the later stages he’d eaten healthier meals closer to normal food, but…….

‘The taste just wasn’t quite the same.’

No matter how well-provisioned the Magic Tower was, its kitchens could never match the skill of the Asteri Family Estate’s head chef.

“It seems to suit your palate.”

Ricshel watched his brother eating with genuine appetite today and smiled with satisfaction.
Every time the chef exerted himself, Ricshel hadn’t held back—in fact, he’d quietly encouraged it.
After being away for so long, why not taste something a little special rather than just the familiar flavors?
Truth be told, there was much he wanted to talk about.
He wanted to share all that had happened in the meantime, and he even wanted to indulge himself a bit.

‘But he’s eating so well—I can’t interrupt the flow.’

So Ricshel simply smiled warmly and let the meal continue.
And yet……

‘Does he like the gloves?’

Something struck him as odd: his brother hadn’t removed his gloves even while eating.
That wasn’t all.
The overcoat he usually complained about as bothersome was now fastened properly, and his shirt buttons were buttoned all the way to his collar.
It was proper attire for a nobleman, certainly.

“……Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Ah. My apologies. I noticed your attire differs from your usual style.”

‘Uncanny perception.’
Cold sweat traced a line down his spine.
Though, if anything, spirits seemed even more lax in such matters than Ricshel was being.

-I have the feeling you were just talking about me behind my back.
-Hey, listen. Later on, could you cook me some meat too? You can grill it with that Spirit Stone thing, right?

Tiamatrak had caught on with an almost uncanny accuracy and chattered away about it.
Thanks to that, Lion recovered his composure and offered a plausible explanation with an awkward smile.

“Ah, well…… it’s just that since I’m attending the Emperor’s Birthday Celebration, I thought it best not to go around as usual. So I’m being a bit careful beforehand.”
“To think you’d consider such things—truly impressive.”

Knowing well how much his brother detested anything restrictive, Ricshel felt genuine admiration.
That his brother would make such an effort in this regard……!

‘……’

But why did something still feel off?
Everything seemed to have come back without any problems.
Yet something kept catching his eye.
His attire, his muttered words—something about all of it.
Why did each of his own thoughts keep trailing off with a ‘but’?

‘Is he hiding something?’

No, perhaps Ricshel was simply reading too much into it.
The head of the family hadn’t said a word either, after all.
If anything……

“By the way, I heard you made a significant discovery at the Protective Barrier?”
“Me?”
“Yes. The family head said that you identified a flaw in the Protective Barrier that even he hadn’t considered, and it allowed for repairs. You read the flow of the land through plants, I hear.”

Lion let out a low exclamation upon hearing Ricshel’s explanation.

‘So that’s how the story went.’

In summary, it turned out that a vast accumulation of dark Mana had actually been building up beneath the parched earth where Grand Duke Dragnas’s soul had been buried.
The report framed it as Lion’s small curiosity having led to its discovery, and that it had now been resolved.

‘Cleanest way to handle it, really.’

Lion shook his head, trying not to dwell on his own inventory.

“Come on. That wasn’t my doing. I just offered an opinion.”
“It was truly a remarkable discovery. So much so that nobility have begun visiting the Estate to see you. That must be why the family head sent Elvia.”
“Ahaha…….”

Grandfather must have gone to considerable lengths for Ricshel.

‘If I’m this in the dark about it…….’

Information control within the Estate must have been properly managed.
And by extension, any rumors leaking to the Underworld or toward the Second Imperial Prince had been sealed off as well.
Only Grandfather could have pulled that off.

“Thanks to that, I got some good rest while I was away.”
“I see. And no visitors came seeking you there?”
“It would’ve been difficult for them, I imagine.”

With Elvia standing guard, even if Lion had actually gone to the Villa, no one would have gotten through.

‘Still, I’d say I handled this pretty well.’

He’d expected everything to come out during the meal…….
Lion exhaled a silent sigh of relief.
His stomach was full, and things seemed to have settled down nicely—time to get moving.

‘Still, I should probably keep quiet for a while longer…….’

Though Lion had dealt with all manner of difficult people over the years, none were quite as taxing as Ricshel.
Probably because he had to keep his guard up the whole time.
Anyway.

“Well, I should wash up and get some rest.”
“Ah…….”

Ricshel, who’d been hoping to use tea time to ask all sorts of questions, couldn’t hide his disappointment.
But there was no point in pouting about it.
Plenty of time remained until the Emperor’s Birthday Celebration, and they could finish their conversation then.
And.

‘……Something feels off.’

If he pressed for answers now, his brother would certainly find some way to dodge him.

‘I’ll have to look into it.’

With that thought, Ricshel rose from his seat.

“Of course. You must be fatigued from your travels, so proper rest would be best.”
“All right, then. I’ll head out first.”
“Um, brother.”
“Yes?”
“Would it be all right if we had breakfast together tomorrow morning? It’s just that… the lord hasn’t been here for a while…….”

I deliberately trailed off mid-sentence and glanced up at my brother, and Lion’s eyes widened as understanding dawned on him.

“Of course! Naturally. You must have been quite lonely all this time.”
“I wasn’t lonely.”
“Right, right. Still, it gets dull. The house being empty like that for so long.”

Lion slapped his own forehead mentally.

‘Wait, when I think about it—I basically left the kid here alone the whole time, didn’t I?’

Mature and sharp-minded as he was, he wasn’t yet an adult. Still just a boy.
And it wasn’t as if he was used to being alone anymore, the way he’d been before.
But then again, Elvia was away, and Grandfather was naturally busy with his duties.
Even Lion himself, who’d practically been glued to the estate, had been absent for quite a while.
And he’d taken all the animals with him, to boot!
Of course, Barg and Urhil were still in the house, but they’d be focused entirely on watching over Licht.

‘Oh, I really didn’t think of that.’

Now even the parts he’d been deliberately hiding felt shameful to conceal.
Not that he was about to bare everything, of course.

‘At least I should eat meals with him for the next few days.’

Part of him wanted to go out, but…….

‘Sigh. Can’t risk something going wrong.’

Even if his internal injuries had healed, Lion was still a patient.
A patient carrying a time bomb inside him.
The clock hand might not be moving now, but there was no knowing when it would start again, so he wanted to stay within the estate as much as possible.

‘I wonder if things will be all right by the Emperor’s Birthday Celebration.’

Grandfather had told him not to worry about that, so he’d leave it for now.
In any case!

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
“Yes. Please rest well, brother.”

And just as everyone but Lion would have predicted.
By the dinner table two days later, Lion’s lie was exposed.

“An explanation, please, brother.”

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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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