Sister-in-law of the Heroine in a Childcare Novel - Chapter 61

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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 61

“You’re all right now.”
Titania spoke, herself covered head to toe in sweat.
Only then did Flux see his companion clearly.
Her pale, slender arms trembled faintly with exhaustion.
They were the arms of someone who had never held a sword in her entire life.
She had spent almost the entire night striking him with that blade. At first, she had wielded it with almost gleeful vigor, as though dispensing punishment, but that fervor had lasted only briefly.
From then on, it had been purely mechanical—duty performed without passion.
As if following some invisible rule, she had worked methodically from his head to his feet, pressing and rubbing with the flat of the blade. Even if she had been wielding a wooden rod instead of steel, it would have been grueling labor.
The thick cotton nightgown provided by the Temple had become soaked with perspiration. It was loose enough that her figure remained concealed, but still—this was hardly the state in which an Imperial Princess should appear before others.
Yet the golden hair clinging to her pale skin, dampened with sweat—
And those vivid green eyes watching him so intently, were oddly striking.
“Do you like this city?”
“…….”
“I’ve only glimpsed it briefly, but the people seemed so spirited and joyful.”
How was it possible?
This was the woman who had abducted him in the dead of night without cause.
How could she speak so calmly?
“You were truly frightened, weren’t you?”
“…….”
“If you could have, you’d have given your life to undo it all. But look where you are now—ashamed to face your father. You probably wish you’d died sooner. And kidnapping me in the first place—you never thought past that moment, did you?”
“…….”
The spoiled, arrogant Imperial Princess raised in the palace—was she really this perceptive?
How could she possibly read another’s heart so accurately in such circumstances?
While Flux remained speechless, the Princess spoke again.
“You’re a subordinate, so you’ll take responsibility. You said you cared for this city, didn’t you? That you’d become responsible for it? Don’t run away. As for the sacred relics of the Dedication Ceremony… well, I’ll handle the Castrain Family somehow. Provide Debi with complete information on those responsible—every last detail.”
“Do you not resent me?”
“That’s why I beat you nearly to death.”
Titania grumbled about her aching limbs and rubbed her own shoulders.
Each time Debi rushed over to massage her shoulders and back, Titania would cry out dramatically: “Ow! Ah! This really hurts!” There was no trace of imperial dignity anywhere to be found.
“Still, I’m grateful you didn’t hide everything and pretend ignorance. Your method of telling me was truly terrible, but it was better than proceeding with the Dedication Ceremony knowing nothing.”
“I am… deeply sorry.”
Yet those clear green eyes regarding him so steadily were oddly unforgettable, and Flux found himself gripped by a strange sensation.
“I’m leaving now.”
“In this condition, Your Highness?”
“The Temple staff begin moving about at dawn, so I need to slip away before people are watching.”
“Wait, please… I…”
Bang!
Titania sighed as she watched Flux stumble in his haste and crash to the floor.
“You’re completely recovered. And I’ll keep tonight secret for you. You owe me nothing, so just focus on convincing your father… Well. Live well.”
“Is there nothing more you ask of me?”
“Live well, I said.”
A gaze like rippling waves of green.
She passed by him like an indifferent tide, her eyes offering nothing, expecting nothing—
“Oh, one more thing. Don’t kidnap innocent people in the middle of the night anymore. Live properly. It’s only because it’s me that I let you live; otherwise, you’d deserve death.”
“Looking at Lord Flux’s current state, it hardly seems like you’ve let him live.”
“He’s alive, though!”
A smile wholly out of place with the moment. A touch playful, a touch embarrassed.
“That’s what matters!”
The instant he saw that smile, his chest tightened until he could barely breathe.
The Princess left without so much as a backward glance. Debi must have guided her away.
Alone in the empty chamber, Flux could only blink numbly, barely breathing.
Like a shipwrecked sailor swept away by a tidal wave, his mind was utterly blank.
As it is with all those who have fallen in love for the first time.

* * *

One truly must be careful with one’s heart.
Should I have simply held his hand gently instead?
But how was I supposed to spend a month living in such close quarters with a strange man? With no excuse, no justification!
Beating him senseless with my sword was clearly the only option!
And yet… did I really have to beat him quite so thoroughly? Should I have shown at least a little mercy?
“Ah! It hurts! Ahhhhh! Barbara is going to kill the Princess! Oh no!”
I thrashed about, my entire body racked with muscle pain.
It was a relief when Debi spirited me back into the Temple before dawn, slipping past the guards—though the Temple’s security really was laughably poor.
I’d managed a brief rest in bed before Barbara woke me at first light, and the moment I stirred, the agony struck like nothing short of hell.
Every touch of Barbara’s hands during the massage was sheer torture.
It hurt. It really, truly hurt. I felt like I was dying.
Barbara clicked her tongue at the sight of me writhing like a squid curling over hot coals.
“Euggghhhhhh….”
“What on earth did you do all night?”
Barbara applied a warm cloth to my shoulders and rubbed gently. Every muscle in my body screamed.
Truth be told, I’d realized from the very beginning of last night that I’d made a mistake.
Beating someone senseless wasn’t something everyone could do. Honestly, I’d only really struck him hard during the initial phase, and after that, it was basically just massage with a sword.
His condition had deteriorated so badly that he screamed whenever I even held my position, but since I was the one wielding the sword and applying pressure, he showed no rejection response—or so the emoticon-sword told me.
“In this condition, how will you manage? You’re supposed to bathe in the Purifying Water later.”
“Simply soaking should be fine… it’s hot weather anyway…”
“What did you do this morning to be in such a state? The sun hasn’t even fully risen yet.”
Lisianthus, just arriving, clicked his tongue at the sight of me. I uttered a feeble mumble.
“Last night… in a dream… I was punishing… a villain…”
“Did your body finally give out from all that carriage travel? Your frame’s like parchment. You should eat better on the road.”
No! My body being like parchment has nothing to do with the carriage ride!
But really, just like the last incident at the Imperial Palace, crises always seem to arrive with impossible urgency. Each one a grave matter that absolutely must be resolved, and each requiring the aid of the Castrain Ducal House.
Swallowing back tears, I was lying there when an apprentice priest came to fetch me for breakfast. I gritted my teeth and forced my face into a smile as I got up.
A round table formed the centerpiece, with everyone seated in a circle, and a modest breakfast was laid out.
A salad of fresh vegetables, apparently just picked from the garden. A few chunks of cheese and some butter. Hard bread. A drink made with mountain berries. Cronen approached awkwardly and spoke to me.
“We were concerned it might not suit your refined palate.”
“No, it’s quite acceptable.”
“Your understanding is truly commendable.”
Lisianthus nudged my ribs. A whisper reached my ears.
‘Your wretched brother would have looked at a feast table like that. But what’s with this humble act for you?’
‘…I’m hungry for meat?’
‘You’re already gaunt enough—eating this will only make you sicker!’
Well, it’s not really a problem, is it?
The bread is a bit stale and hard, but at least the salad is fresh… and I’ve eaten worse than this regularly at the Rose Palace…
I rolled my eyes about, searching for Gregory, who seemed to be absent from this gathering.
The soldiers escorting me must have numbered in the double digits, yet none of them were visible.
“Ah, the soldiers who escorted you here were going to scout the surrounding area first, and will take their meal separately.”
“I see.”
“And Lord Lisianthus—Lord Gregory is quite busy this morning, so after you finish breakfast, he asked if you would patrol this area with those soldiers.”
My guards left without so much as a word to me? To eat elsewhere? And Lisianthus too?
Lisianthus’s brow twitched.
It was clearly a situation that displeased him. Understandably so—my entire escort detail would be leaving my side.
“Me? Why?”
“Dangerous Magic Beasts and wild animals have been spotted in this area, and there’s concern for your safety. Since you’re a more capable knight than most, he presumably wants you to investigate directly.”
Lisianthus was about to refuse, his face darkening, when Barbara smoothly interjected with a smile directed at Cronen.
I myself was frantically jabbing my elbow into Lisianthus’s side.
We can’t have a scene here!

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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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