Sister-in-law of the Heroine in a Childcare Novel - Chapter 288

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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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Side Story 1. Good morning, sunshine(2)

Adrian heaved a long sigh as he watched me.
“Honestly, I know you had your reasons, but seeing you marry that way still tears my chest open and fills me with rage. ……But you call it marriage, so what can I do? I keep getting marriage proposals even when I refuse them. And regarding the Grove Kingdom situation—honestly, the Empire is in this mess, and I’ve just taken the throne, so I can’t simply ignore them. I might genuinely have to host them. And if Raymond finds out about that….”
“If he does?”
“You know better than anyone—how far can that thief go?”
My eyes trembled uncontrollably.
After we reached an agreement to move past old grievances and start fresh, Raymond no longer hid his true nature…….
‘I am yours.’
‘…….’
‘You look burdened by it, yes. I won’t claim that everything of yours is mine. But.’
His eyes gleamed with possessive hunger.
‘…your heart alone is mine. Not even the gods themselves will take it from me.’
Watching him declare this, I felt my heart drop. I’d expected it, but still—the cold certainty that there was no escaping now hit me with full weight…….
What would Raymond do if he learned of these marriage proposals?
-I know the answer! Catastrophe! ٩(˙ ˆ ˙ )۶
‘…don’t tell Raymond about this.’
-I understand the gravity of the situation, Contractor! (⚆ȏ⚆)
“……He won’t kill anyone, at least.”
“Anyone fishing for a marriage proposal from either you or me thinks they’ve found their ticket to survival in this chaos—trying to plant themselves somewhere. If I systematically eliminated everyone who tried, we’d have no one left to work with in the first place, and this would truly spiral into a nightmare. The Grove Kingdom really might show up.”
“…You’re going to accept it?”
“What else? They’re putting themselves out there that way. Well, I’ll insist it’s just a matter for building relations, not a major decision to be made overnight. But I wonder why they’re coming at it so earnestly. Their sister, I hear, is quite graceful and beautiful. They’re probably thinking they could seduce one of my siblings—either his sister or one of us—by offering the king himself or his younger sister.”
“Wow…….”
The king is coming in person with his sister. His deference ran so deep that even Adrian found it difficult to brush aside.
“Truth is, I don’t want another war on top of all this. I can’t explain all your complicated circumstances to them one by one.”
“Mm, I understand.”
“Well, either stay away from the Capital entirely, or use some excuse about being ill. I’m stuck here now without reason to leave, but you’ve spent all this time saying you want to play and rest. Consider it your wish granted.”
“Got it. Thank you. I won’t bother you anymore—get some rest.”
“…I don’t have time to sleep……. I need to look over the Magic Tower restoration documents…….”
I struck the back of Adrian’s neck, his eyes bloodshot from exhaustion.
With a muffled sound, Adrian collapsed. Even as he fell, I watched him clutch those documents like his life depended on them. I scratched my cheek. The improved Communication Device, now far lighter and more efficient than before, hummed under my touch. I sent a familiar signal, and moments later, an image materialized in the empty air. It was Rasper.
[Huh? Your Highness! Is something the matter?]
“It’s about the additional Magic Tower restoration.”
[Ah, that. The mages are fighting tooth and nail over the Final Authority, and it seems the next Tower Master will be forced to serve as the Emperor’s advisor. So the final settlement authority apparently went to the Imperial Palace.]
“Is that because of the Warp Tunnel Integration?”
[Well, yes, that’s right.]
“That may be, but Adrian doesn’t know the first thing about magic and has no business wrestling with this. The Warp Tunnel Integration core for the entire Empire will center on the Northern Barrier, so just send everything to me. I’ll take final responsibility.”
[…Are you sure? You said you hate tedious work. Wait, is that the Emperor there with you…?]
“I may be a princess, but I don’t like the Imperial Family holding too much power. What if another worthless tyrant like the last Emperor appears and ruins everything? Once we finish building the system and keep outsiders from having authority, that’ll be perfect.”
The Warp Tunnels connecting the entire Empire.
They’ll be wonderfully convenient once they exist, but if someone like Kosheay appears and decides to use them for darker purposes, that would be trouble.
[Well, if Your Highness will do that for us, that’s perfect. You’re at the Imperial Palace, yes? That platinum-haired figure sprawled like a corpse over there really does look like the Emperor.]
“Yeah. Why?”
[Come have dinner with us. Bibi and Raymond won’t be able to rest unless Your Highness is there.]
“……What are they doing now?”
[Haha. Lisianthus was trying to manifest the Rainbow-Colored Flame and used up every High-Grade Magic Stone he made. Completely destroyed them.]
“…….”
[The remarkable thing is he succeeded with red, orange, yellow, and green out of the full spectrum……. He could already produce blue, so that’s not new. And each color has different properties too. I’m not sure whether to call this a different kind of genius…….]
Beneath Rasper’s light tone, a furious voice cut through.
[Genius my ass! These are madmen!]
[Yes, Master. But thanks to that, we can now restructure the magical circles more efficiently by attribute.]
[What good does that do! We still have to redo everything! And the Emperor over there is completely exhausted because of it!]
The restoration work across the Empire wasn’t quite finished, but most of the urgent areas had been repaired. Most people could return home now. The problem was…….
The absolutely insane situation that was becoming Warp_Tunnel_Security_Plan_Final_Really_Final_I_Mean_Really_Really_Final_This_Time_Stop_Adding_Final.ver. Even when everyone’s brilliant, it’s not good. We’re almost done, then—oh wait, couldn’t we boost efficiency by about forty percent with this new theory? So we start over. And again…….
A chain reaction of obsessive madness. Someone needs to stop it, but the only person who can is me. I shook my head firmly.
“All right, all right. I’m coming, so wait.”
[Yes, thank you.]
After ending the communication, I found blank paper and scrawled on it: ‘I’m taking responsibility for this.’
I left the note beside Adrian, who now slept soundly, snoring—unconscious not by my hand this time but naturally—and departed the Imperial Palace.
I whistled a familiar tune, and a strong wind blew from the distance. The enormous bird riding that wind landed noisily right before me. I gently stroked down the beak of Jemina as it thrust its head toward me, and it cried out as if pleased.
“Shrieeek!”
“That’s right, that’s right. Have you been playing well?”
“Chirp.”
“You don’t like going to the Castrain Estate, so you’re staying silent about it.”
“Peep.”
“That’s right, that’s right. But please stop being difficult with Raymond…….”
“Squawk?”
“Ah, no, of course you’re the best. You’re my Companion Spirit Beast. I have to side with you. Of course.”
I scratched the back of Jemina’s neck as it cried out threateningly, and climbed onto its body.
The powerful wingbeats lifted us skyward. It was too early for evening, too late for day—that ambiguous hour in between.
The sun was warm and the wind cool. Before long, the Castrain Duke’s Estate came into view. Jemina and I passed through the transparent Barrier protecting the estate without any obstruction. And standing there, waiting for me with an unmistakable presence that could never be mistaken even from a distance, was a man.
Jemina, feeling spiteful, deliberately kicked up a sandstorm as it landed, yet Raymond didn’t even blink. Though he knew full well that a body like his could survive falling from a building two or three stories high. He naturally extended his hand to help me down from Jemina’s body.
It was nothing, really, yet I felt a little bashful as I slowly took his hand. The corners of his eyes softened as he watched me.
“Titania.”
“Were you waiting long?”
“I am always waiting for you.”
“Rrraaawk!”
Before I could respond, Jemina spat between Raymond and me as if the sight disgusted it.
“Jemina! You can’t do that!”
“It doesn’t bother me.”
“Still. Treating Raymond so rudely like that…….”
“I pay it no mind whatsoever.”
Jemina now scraped the ground with its feet, its posture radiating absolute displeasure.
So Raymond treated whatever Jemina did as the mere frolicking of a young bird, while Jemina grew more irritated by Raymond’s indifference, creating a vicious cycle. If I took either side, it only made things worse.
Jemina cried out miserably, but I deliberately ignored it.
Bibi, who loved cute things, and the estate’s wolf-dog would soothe Jemina…….
Following where Raymond led me by the hand, I soon saw the familiar sight of an outdoor table they’d set up in the garden—claiming the indoors felt too stifling.
In that space, a notably tall Bibi was shaking Lisianthus by the collar, while Rasper merely smiled helplessly from the sidelines, offering no intervention. Pan lay back in a chair with closed eyes, as if all of this was beneath his concern.
I was about to laugh with a sigh when Raymond whispered slowly near my ear.
“What I consider rude is something quite different from such trivial matters.”
“…….”
My hand trembled slightly in his grip. Does he know about the marriage proposals? No. Raymond has become something like a god himself, just like me now. He could learn anything he wanted if he wished…….
Raymond interlaced his fingers between mine, bending his waist to press his lips gently against the back of my hand. It was merely a light touch, fleeting as a whisper, yet I found myself swallowing hard.
As I lifted my head, those striking eyes met mine with meaningful intent.
“What matters to me lies elsewhere.”
“…….”
“As long as you don’t touch that, yes. I will remain a very leisurely and lazy monster.”

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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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