Sister-in-law of the Heroine in a Childcare Novel - Chapter 226

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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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Chapter 226

I’d momentarily forgotten.
That in the Castrain Family, the original champions of extravagance, I mustn’t underestimate what Bibi means by “lots and lots” and “prepared.”
I wandered about, unsure where to rest my eyes.
A mountain of desserts.
Over there, a mountain of fruit; over there, a mountain of meat; over there, a mountain of liquor and beverages; and over there….
I gave up trying to count.
“…Bibi?”
“You said the stomach for meals and the stomach for desserts are separate.”
“The stomach is the stomach, but what you prepared isn’t based on the stomach inside the human body—isn’t it based on the size of a ship a person rides in?”
I had indeed said something like “the stomach for meals and the stomach for desserts are separate” before, but why was it being applied to this situation like this?
I stood there vacant-eyed like a foreigner dragged into a strange land.
Chocolate fountains and cheese fountains that flowed ceaselessly, warm and not hardening. Mountains of fruit and confections cut into bite-sized pieces.
Tarts topped with fresh fruit over Chantilly cream and almond cream, macarons, cookies and rolled cakes….
It was the kind of scene that children dream of. Given the dessert display, the main course hardly needed mention.
Knowing I’d once spent time alone at the villa having a barbecue party, there in one corner were duck, pork, beef, chicken, and lamb arranged by type, all sizzling as they cooked. Whether it was salad, fish dishes, or soup, everything was there. Either magic had been used or the dishes never cooled, steam constantly rising from the plates.
I drank some juice made from grapefruit and orange and came to my senses.
To anyone watching, it was obvious they’d carefully planned and laid out everything thinking, “Surely there’s at least one thing among these that suits your taste.”
What bothered me more was how skillfully Lisianthus was slicing freshly roasted lamb ribs and placing them on my plate. Next to him, Raymond pressed a glass of champagne with delicate yellow bubbles rising to my hand.
Bibi then speared a piece of lamb rib on a fork and brought it to my lips.
“There we go—ahhh.”
My mind became hazy.
What on earth were these three deranged siblings doing to me right now?
I looked back and forth between them with trembling eyes, but all three wore such perfectly innocent expressions as if there were absolutely nothing wrong with this situation.
Jemina! Where was Jemina? When I glanced beside me, Jemina was slowly chewing nuts and fruits that the Ducal House staff had piled into her mouth like some sort of gourmet connoisseur.
“…I have hands, you know?”
“Ohh, ohhh. Bibi’s been holding it so long my arm’s getting tired.”
“…….”
I felt a certain force of will emanating from Bibi’s bright smile. I meekly accepted the meat and chewed obediently.
The meat was exquisite…. Not a trace of off-flavor; the moment I bit down, it melted away softly. Losing myself in the taste of the food, Bibi smiled like an angel and brought another piece of meat with a tangy sauce to my lips.
When something felt a bit rich, a tart pickle or salad or drink glass was thrust at me; when I thought I was getting full, we shifted to the dessert section.
“…But, my hands and arms and legs are all perfectly fine, and what’s more all four limbs are intact—I can’t very well dine while receiving service from someone else, can I….”
“Well then, neither can I.”
“…….”
I reflexively fed Bibi, who opened her mouth like a baby bird, and only then came to my senses. Lisianthus beside her had similarly opened his mouth widely. I nearly forked food at him before catching myself.
“…Supposedly an adult, and you want to be fed by me?”
“Yes.”
“…….”
I shoved meat into Lisianthus’s mouth like I’d lost some invisible battle.
Fine, let’s say I’m guilty for playing dead and running away….
I’d thought Raymond, at least, wouldn’t subject me to such strange, laughable, childish antics, and I gave him a meaningful look—but Raymond simply handed me a new fork with his usual expressionless face.
Was he telling me to use a separate fork? True to form, always attentive. Just as I was about to relax with that thought.
“Pardon me.”
Raymond slowly brought his hand to my lips. His firm, dry fingertips brushed lightly across the corner of my mouth.
“You had some sauce.”
…And then, without the slightest hesitation, he licked the tips of his own fingers. His face perfectly calm, just as always.
Was something wrong with my common sense? Had the three Castrain siblings gone mad today? Why? How come? Should I be grateful Rasper isn’t here?
-A-ah, yes, I’m glad you realize it’s strange at least….טּ_טּ
Physically comfortable though it was, the meal had left me mentally pulped by the time it ended.
I’d come to report my recent situation and put them at ease by showing my face. But for some reason, I felt like I’d been dragged into a high-end restaurant welcoming a long-absent regular customer with the sentiment of “We’ve been waiting, and today we shall serve you properly.”
My mind still foggy, I only realized what was happening once I stood before the heavy wooden door.
Knock, knock—I rapped on the door. A response came from within the room….
“It’s been a while.”
I blinked at the Duke Orto, whom I hadn’t seen in years. I felt enchanted by something.
It seems your children employed a beauty strategy on me….
The room smelled of heavy wood and ink. Inside were only the Duke and me, and my mind gradually cleared.
“You look even more vigorous than before, Your Grace.”
“At my age, age itself isn’t the issue. Thanks to the Princess, I’ve become a man born anew.”
“In the Empire they’re spreading rumors that you’re on your deathbed.”
“Well, perhaps only Princess Titania, who held her own funeral, could compare.”
The Duke truly looked vital.
His hair was streaked with age, and his face was lined, certainly; yet his whole body overflowed with vitality. Once a strong fighter crosses a certain threshold, age doesn’t easily claim them, or so I’d heard.
There was something complex in his expression as he chuckled wryly.
“My children were quite distressed by the sudden news.”
“…And you, Your Grace?”
“I was surprised, certainly. I even looked into your fate, since revenge had to be taken one way or another.”
“I see….”
“But you didn’t orchestrate all that just because you wanted to go on a distant vacation, did you, Princess?”
“…….”
“Well, I didn’t summon you to force you to discuss such things. Take this.”
“Yes?”
I’d been expecting something important to come up, but suddenly a box was thrust into my hands. When I opened the lid, I found it filled with bright red pomegranate-like fruits mixed with green leaves.
“World Tree Fruits. Genuine ones.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“They’re supposedly very good for the body. You can eat them or use them as a filial gift.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“I’ll give a few to Illian—he’s been unable to resist acquiring them. So if you ask him for anything, he’ll do it.”
“Why would you suddenly give me something so precious now?”
The Duke spoke casually, as if I’d asked something obvious.
“You haven’t accepted anything up to now, have you?”
“…Well, that’s….”
I was at a loss for words.
No, well—I had managed to live accepting almost nothing. But why had he thought I would accept now? Hugging the fragrant box, I stood speechless until the Duke continued without hesitation.
“Before, you didn’t accept gifts because there were many concerns about being officially entangled with our house, wasn’t it? Now you’re not officially entangled with us at all, and let’s see—according to what I learned through Count Flux. You said you’d accept anything necessary to eat well, sleep well, dress well, and enjoy yourself?”
“…I certainly did say such a thing back then, but….”
That was something I’d said as a joke to console him when I returned the Seal that Count Flux had given me!
“Is it perhaps not enough for a recreation fund? Well, true enough. The Cortez Family is more exceptional in commercial matters than we are. If you won’t accept our gift because it’s insufficient, then so be it.”
“No, I do understand it’s a precious gift. Since we don’t know what might happen in the future, wouldn’t it be better to keep something so precious…?”
“No matter how precious this is, could it ever be more precious than my heart?”
“…….”
When he said it like that, there was truly nothing left to say.
But I had planned to stay here a while, observe the situation, and then head directly to the Barrier to be buried there. I wanted to tell him to keep these precious things and use them for himself.
I closed my eyes tightly and spoke.
“…I will use them where they are needed.”
Right. I’ll pass them to High Priest Illian. He’ll surely put them to good use treating patients. With that resolve, the Duke spoke meaningfully.
“So, how long are you staying?”
“…Just long enough to ease my heart and see everyone’s faces before I go.”
“If you stay until you’ve eased all my foolish sons’ hearts, you’ll never leave.”
“Ahaha, you jest.”
“Do I sound like I’m jesting?”
“…But Count Raymond said he would let me go if I wished to leave.”
“Oh, my second son made no such promise.”
I stared blankly at the Duke’s chuckling face.
Had he always been like this? Wasn’t he an incredibly solemn, weighty man?
I still vividly remember how he’d unleashed a killing intent mixed with warning before me when I went down to conduct the Dedication Ceremony. Even after I’d desperately barely managed to complete my lord’s consciousness by force in the Northern Region, killed the Magic Beasts, and saved the Duke himself, only to think he’d died years later before returning—
—Ah, yes, the atmosphere had shifted enough.
True, I had done quite a lot. But Lisianthus—why.
“What did I do to Count Lisianthus? I don’t think I did anything….”
That was what truly puzzled me.
No, even if all the Titanias within me put our heads together. Raymond was puzzling, but Lisianthus was strange too.
Or rather, if I’m being honest, all three siblings waiting here today had been acting strange.
The Duke, watching me, merely shrugged his shoulders.
“If you don’t know, then that settles it.”
“…….”
“Human connections and emotions don’t flow according to calculation, after all. There’s nothing for it but to resign yourself—even if you find yourself caught by a trap you didn’t know was there.”

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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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