The Baby Has No Strength to Hide! - Chapter 33

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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 33
“Meijina, you’ve arrived.”
“Brother!”
Meijina approached Callisto with a noticeably brighter face than before. The vitality in her expression made her look even more beautiful.
But the cheerfulness didn’t last long. She spoke again in a drawn-out, weary voice.
“The carriage wheels rattled 3,600 times on the journey here. I thought my spine would crumble to dust.”
“I see. At least we won’t need to scatter your remains.”
“How can you say such cruel things! Can’t you see my soul is half-escaped from my body?”
“Half remaining is fortunate enough.”
Callisto answered Meijina’s whining with brevity. He knew all too well that the more he indulged her, the harder his staff had to work.
“But Meijina’s not quite right in the head, is she?”
“Ha, ha…….”
At Ailien’s whisper, Dorian couldn’t bring himself to deny it and merely smiled awkwardly.
“By the way, where is our nephew? Where’s Caius?”
“Ah, Caius. He went to the Academy today.”
Caius had claimed he was going to meet with the Imperial Law professor, but everyone knew the truth—he’d fled the moment he heard Meijina was coming.
“Phew, thank goodness. With my compromised immune system, boys that age are a bit much for me to handle. Not that there’s anything wrong with Caius, of course. But I can’t control all his friends either, can I? If I somehow pick up germs from his companions…….”
The thought alone horrified her, and Meijina raised her handkerchief to her lips, her large eyes filled with dread.
Ailien, who had been watching vacantly, shook her head as if she’d had enough.
“The Demon-Human War was truly something else…….”
“Ha, ha. Little miss, you never even witnessed the Demon-Human War.”
“Hmm. Is that so?”
Of course, a mere five-year-old Ailien could never have experienced the war. She was only mimicking Merlin’s manner of speech, yet Dorian’s heart skipped a beat.
‘Could it be that the young miss is……?’
Now that he thought about it, he recalled hearing something similar before—tales from the Age of Dawn, when gods descended to earth and planted fragments of stars, their radiant light blessing all things.
Someone spoke of a being who appeared then, one who seemed to know the beginning and end of all things in this land, as if tracing destiny’s arc with the tip of a pen.
‘Surely not.’
He dismissed the absurd thought, yet goosebumps rose across his forearms. Dorian stared blankly at Ailien, who was gazing at Meijina with an oddly serious expression.
“Brother!”
Then came a piercing shriek.
“Yes, yes. I can hear you without the screaming.”
“How can you be so unreasonable? That child must be sent away at once!”
Understanding the situation, Dorian scooped up Ailien and held her close. Among the servants lined up, those who knew the young miss was nearby glanced up furtively.
“The Hayana Forest? Isn’t that a place that’s been closed off for ages? Did you know what was there and bring a child anyway?”
“I knew what was there.”
“Excuse me?”
“Zeronias was there.”
“Does that make sense to you? Zeronias was raising a single child in the Hayana Forest, then vanished without a trace, leaving only the child behind?”
Meijina’s mouth twisted contemptuously.
Her expression was meant to mock her brother’s naïveté, yet it was she who appeared wounded. Callisto recognized this and chose not to point out his sister’s rudeness.
“There were traces. That place was certainly where Zeronias stayed.”
“Then where is Zeronias now?”
“How should I know?”
“You’re always like this. Why is it that the Savior of Mankind is never around when I need him?”
“Meijina.”
“Meijina.”
Just as Callisto spoke her name, an unfamiliar voice echoed through the room.
And it had called her Meijina, no less.
She turned and saw a small child nestled in Dorian’s arms. The child had remarkably large, gleaming eyes.
‘Cute, though.’
Meijina, who had likely heard the word “beautiful” more than any other adjective in her life, possessed exceptionally refined aesthetic sensibility. The child was lovely enough to meet even her demanding standards. Yes, like a cherub of victory from some classical painting.
“So you’re that child?”
“Lili knows you?”
“You should speak in respectful language to adults. And it’s good manners to introduce yourself properly.”
“How old is Meijina?”
The disarming rudeness left Meijina momentarily breathless. All the servants watching clenched their eyes shut.
“Lili is 220 years old!”
“You said 218 last time.”
“Caius keeps getting Lili’s age wrong. So forgetful.”
“Yes. We’ll need to prepare for that day, then.”
“Eat the almond crushed in your brain.”
“I’ll remember that.”
What irked Meijina most—already on edge as she was—was how familiar Callisto’s manner seemed when dealing with that incorrigible child.
Who was Callisto Rubentain? A national hero of the Demon-Human War and the thirty-fifth patriarch of House Rubentain. Meijina’s one and only source of pride. Yet here he was, playing along with the antics of some pint-sized brat. The sight was nothing short of shocking.
“Brother, what on earth are you doing?”
“Talking with Ailien.”
“This lowbrow conversation of all things…….”
Meijina took a step back and shook her head as if she could scarcely believe it. She looked for all the world like an actress on stage.
“Why is the almond lowbrow……?”
Ailien tilted her head, genuinely puzzled. If almonds were lowbrow, did that mean she should eat walnuts instead?
“Get rid of them at once!”
“The almond?”
“No, you!”
“Lili?”
At Meijina’s pointed finger, already-large eyes grew even wider. For a moment, Meijina felt like a terrible person, but she bit down hard on her lower lip.
With the Grand Duchess away from the castle, Meijina herself had to maintain proper composure as the lady of House Rubentain.
“Jinajina wants to send away Lili?”
“Why are you phrasing it like that?”
“Then you don’t want to send her away?”
“No…….”
“Then what do you want? What’s in Jinajina’s heart?”
Ailien drummed her small fists against her own chest in frustration.
Meijina, sensing she’d hit a wall, decided she needed to end this exchange now and sort things out properly later.
Yes, anything she said now would only confuse this child further.
“I think I’ll rest for a while.”
“Yes, I shall attend you.”
Kora, eager to salvage the situation as always, stepped forward swiftly.
“Thank you, Kora. My feet are aching terribly—prepare me a foot bath with lukewarm water. Not too cold, not too hot. Since I’m feeling rather drained, I’d like the scent of neroli to lift my spirits. Could you blend a similar tea for me? Bergamot from Earl Grey base, with lemon peel or orange peel added. Float a few cornflowers in it as well. And could you fetch three different tonics from my physician—one for headaches, one for fatigue, and one for back pain? And please, do something about the humidity in here!”
Kora, having taken down Meijina’s order, vanished with the other servants. Meijina smiled and nodded approvingly at their brisk pace. It was the first satisfying scene she’d witnessed since returning to Rubentain Castle.
“Wow…….”
Ailien, now nestled in Callisto’s arms, gasped in pure wonder.
“You talk really fast.”
“Hmph.”
“But why do you make such a fuss?”
“W-what? What fuss am I making?”

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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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