The Baby Has No Strength to Hide! - Chapter 38

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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 38
Calisto sat at his mahogany desk, staring at the letter before him. It was from his beloved wife, Evangelina. She was currently in the Deladium Kingdom, and in the letter that had arrived after a week’s absence, every detail of her movements was faithfully recorded. In truth, it was more of a report than a letter.
Though it lacked any affectionate expressions and carried no hint of emotion, Calisto couldn’t tear his eyes away from it.
His firmly pressed lips had already curved into a smile.
‘She wrote this after consulting her diary.’
Evangelina recorded everything that happened to her each day. Rubentaine Castle even had a room dedicated solely to housing her diaries. Since Ailion’s arrival, that room had been kept locked—God forbid the child should damage any of those precious volumes.
For someone who seemed indifferent to everything in the world, there was one thing she alone clung to obsessively: her diary.
‘There’s no helping it.’
The woman who had once despised note-taking more than anything had become fixated on her diary precisely because of her Memory Gap.
After the war ended, Calisto and Evangelina had set out on a journey alone—or so the story went—at Merlin’s insistence. Though the island, famous as a resort destination, was still rebuilding from the aftermath of the Human-Demon War and surely held nothing extraordinary, the Duchess remained obsessed with that lost year. No matter how hard she tried, those missing hours refused to surface, and a vague, aching longing tormented her—the sense that she had left behind something precious enough to shake the foundation of her very life in that forgotten time.
She had even tried to resort to Dark Magic, but only Merlin’s intervention had barely stopped her.
“Will you be writing a reply, sir?”
Dorian, who had been watching the scene with quiet approval, asked carefully. Calisto shook his head without a moment’s hesitation.
“The last record mentions the Tetian Region, so she must be on her way back.”
“Ah…”
“How charming.”
“Sir?”
“This is Evangelina’s little surprise. She’s returning without telling either me or Kaiius.”
Evangelina, who needed to record every experience to satisfy her nature, had deliberately omitted any mention of her return in order to surprise her husband and son. Calisto found this small quirk of hers absolutely endearing.
“What about the young master, then…”
“I’ll have to explain when she returns.”
“Won’t that be difficult?”
“It should be fine. Evangelina has always respected Zeronias, after all.”
Calisto felt remarkably unconcerned, which made sense given that Ailion was a child raised personally by Zeronias.
True, there were moments when Ailion could be exasperating, and times when she was impossibly headstrong.
But she was a child one couldn’t help but love.
She was even the one who had eventually won over the difficult and sensitive Meijina.
‘I should explain something about that room.’
He was just thinking that perhaps Ailion might help ease whatever vague unease Evangelina carried with her, when—
Bang!
The office door swung open.
“Cal!”
“Young master!”
Calisto had actually noticed Ailion’s approaching footsteps from the moment they began their rapid patter, but he hadn’t expected her to barrel in quite so recklessly.
Dorian lifted the charging child into his arms. Despite being caught, Ailion seemed to find it amusing and thrashed her limbs about freely.
“Where’s Jina? Where’s Jina?”
“Not here.”
“Really? But then where’s Lili? That’s weird!”
As Ailion thrust the globe she’d been holding forward, Kiki received it and set it on the desk. Even without the child saying anything, Kiki moved about accommodating her wishes smoothly, though her expression made it clear she found it all tedious.
“Look at this.”
“A globe.”
Kiki tapped the globe twice, and it spun with a whirl, displaying the Rubentaine Territory. The moment they saw it, both Calisto and Dorian felt a chill of apprehension wash over them.
“Lili!”
“No.”
“Lili’s domain needs to happen!”
Before Ailion could even finish speaking, they’d tried to stop her, but who could hold back a cart with broken wheels?
Dorian carefully set the child down on the floor, and Calisto pressed his forehead into his palm.
“Lili needs a Territorial Decree.”
“So?”
“You’ll do it, won’t you?”
Ailion held out her small palm as if she’d left it in his care. When Calisto let out a helpless laugh—”ha, ha”—Ailion giggled—”hee!”—and toddled over to sit beside him.
Calisto naturally scooped the child up and settled her on his lap.
“A Territorial Decree, then.”
“Mm-hmm!”
Perched on his lap, Ailion simply dangled her chubby legs with delight. Calisto reached around and poked one of her soft, round cheeks. The child’s eyes widened as she looked at him.
“Why’d you do that?”
“Why do you need a Territorial Decree?”
“Because Lili’s going to be a real proper lord! I’m going to build my castle there and live together with all the cats and dogs!”
“Squeak!”
“And the flying squirrels too, of course.”
Calisto’s expression was darker than expected as he listened to her story while caressing Ailion’s cheek. Ailion tilted her head.
“You’re moving out to live on your own?”
“Lili go?”
“You said you’d build Lili’s castle.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“But there’d only be you, cats, and dogs there, wouldn’t there?”
A tiny squeak emerged from her.
“And flying squirrels.”
Calisto, who had been explaining things step by step so the child could understand easily, quickly added something at Ailion’s plaintive sound.
Ailion’s eyes went wide.
“Cal comes too?”
“I suppose.”
“No! Cal come! Lili’s castle with Cal and Kaiius and Dorian and Pael and Mireyiriri and Jina and Huyato and Mari and also….”
“Haha, your castle is going to have to be enormous, isn’t it?”
At this rate, she’d end up inviting everyone from Rubentaine. Still dissatisfied about something, Ailion wrinkled her nose.
“I think it would be better if Ailion just stayed here instead of having all those people move.”
“Is that… is that fair?”
“Does it matter?”
Just as Ailion was about to topple sideways at Calisto’s words, someone knocked on the study door. The moment Calisto granted permission, Meijina entered.
“See? That’s how you should enter a room from now on.”
“That’s silly. I’m not doing that. Besides, you’d tell me to come in anyway.”
Her improvisation was flawless. Calisto sighed while continuing to stroke the child’s cheek. No matter how many times he touched the soft, warm skin, he never grew tired of it.
“What were you two discussing?”
“Lili asked for something and Cal won’t give it!”
“Brother, the child is asking for something—can’t you just give it to her?”
Meijina crossed her arms with displeasure and looked at Calisto. The Grand Duke of Rubentaine had nearly been swindled out of his Territory by a five-year-old and felt somewhat wronged.
“Just give it to her!”
“What did she ask for?”
“A Territory!”
“Ah….”
At Ailion’s spirited answer, Meijina’s arms slowly uncrossed. Calisto shrugged as if to say, “I told you so.”
“If she needs land, I could give her some of mine.”
“What?”
But what came from Meijina’s mouth was unexpected.
“I have land I inherited and land that Zeronias gave me. It’s not much compared to what you have, but it exists.”
“Right. So keep that for yourself and use it as an emergency fund.”
“But I’m not the kind of person who can live with debt.”
Though she called it “not much,” the land Meijina owned was quite substantial—she even held ownership of several mines. Before Merlin had disappeared, she had inherited a great deal from him.
Even accepting those things, she’d only managed a childish thought: wasn’t that the same as resolving matters with money?
She wanted to make amends by sharing them with Ailion.
“Choose, then.”
As Meijina touched the Globe, the lands she owned appeared on it. Ailion peered at it with a delighted face.
“You can choose from my Territory too.”
“Then I’ll give some and you give some. I have a personal debt to Lili.”
“I’m not sure what it is, but you don’t need to give anything on that account.”
“It’s fine. If giving land to Lili seems excessive, then please let me touch her cheek too.”
Calisto was still idly caressing Ailion’s cheek at that moment.

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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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