The Baby Raising A Devil - Chapter 162

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 162

“Maybe, just maybe. Maybe we did something wrong to that damn blonde… something wrong…”

Sitting on the bed, I looked at Isaac with bleary eyes, and Isaac spoke word by word with an expression like he was biting his tongue.

“…We might have… been wrong.”

“Then this conversation ends here.”

I quickly lay back down on the bed in my usual coffin child pose. I didn’t forget to fold my hands neatly over my chest.

“We were wrong!”

“Isaac is right, Leblaine.”

“That’s right.”

“…”

I quietly sat up again. My family’s expressions looked so dejected that I felt a bit soft-hearted, but I forced myself to glare.

If I showed weakness here, I might have to travel with hundreds of guards from now on.

It would sound absurd to others, but seeing how my family brought an elite magic unit using long-distance teleportation circles just because I disappeared for about 1-2 hours, it wasn’t entirely unbelievable.

“Adrian had his birthday today.”

“The Second Prince.”

Johan sharply corrected my words, so I nodded with a tired face.

“Right. The Second Prince. I only went out briefly, very briefly, to give the Second Prince a gift because it was his birthday today. Since I was the one who took him out, I should be the one getting scolded, right?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“…”

The four of them had dissatisfied faces, but they couldn’t respond for fear I might lie back down on the bed without a blanket again.

‘They just won’t listen.’

The rose-colored glasses they wore were too thick.

‘Should I resort to the final method?’

The final method of threatening to run away had been used for the first and last time two years ago.

Since I couldn’t receive divine magic training at the shrine, the mages of Dubbled helped me instead.

Mana and divine power were both rooted in mana, but they were different types of power, so mages who used mana couldn’t understand divine magic as perfectly as priests could.

For that reason, I once suffered severe burns during training and hovered between life and death for several days.

Father, Henri, and Isaac went wild as if they had lost their minds. When I barely opened my eyes, the instructor mage was on the verge of having his head cut off. So…

“Little one. Your body hasn’t recovered yet, so you should rest. What are you doing?”

“I’m packing.”

“Packing?”

“Leblaine is going to leave now to find her real mother and father.”

“What?!”

“Hello, Father. Hello, Henri and Isaac.”

“W-w-w-wait, wait…!”

At that time, seeing me with a wistful expression shouldering my bag, Father, Henri, Isaac, and the employees all went into a frenzy.

And Dubbled had to endure an unprecedented period of chaos until I put my bag down.

‘That’s really exhausting. Ah, what should I do.’

As I was pondering what to do, the quick-witted Henri hurriedly spoke up.

“Right. We were too hasty. I’ll admit it.”

Then he swiftly pulled down the bag hanging on the wall that I had been staring at intently and threw it to Isaac.

Isaac finally realized that I was seriously considering the last resort and turned pale, hastily hiding the bag behind his back.

I narrowed my eyes and tilted my head sideways.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“Then you’ll apologize for speaking rudely to the Second Prince?”

At those words, Isaac cleared his throat awkwardly.

“It wasn’t that rude…?”

“You said I was far too good for the Prince’s circumstances, and that when the Prince gets stabbed, I’d get stabbed with him.”

“See! It wasn’t profanity!”

Isaac nodded his head with a pleased expression. Seeing him say “Good thing I held back,” he must have been cursing internally.

“You looked at the Prince like he was a bug and criticized his circumstances. That’s mean.”

When I glared at him, Henri turned to Father and Johan with a troubled expression.

Johan’s eyes were fixed on my bag hidden behind Isaac’s back. Though he was usually expressionless so it didn’t show, the slight trembling in his gaze suggested he was quite shocked.

Well, Johan wasn’t there during the ‘I’m running away’ incident, so this was his first time experiencing it and must have been very flustering for him.

The moment my brothers became speechless, a man armed with adult composure stepped forward.

The Empire’s greatest wealthy man.

The owner of the Western Gold Vein that never runs dry no matter how much is extracted.

Duke Dubbled himself.

Holding up his seal ring, he said.

“I’ll solve it with money.”

Excuse me?

I looked at Father with an incredulous expression.

“You’re going to apologize with money?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“I’ll compensate with what the Second Prince needs most.”

At Father’s words, my brothers’ expressions brightened.

“That would work!”

“Right.”

“Problem solved.”

Then they laid me down on the bed and covered me with a blanket. They looked completely relieved.

“Make sure to cover yourself with the blanket when you sleep.”

“Don’t kick off the blanket.”

“Tell us if you need more blankets.”

After my family members pulled the blanket up to my neck and left the room, the employees also followed cheerfully, saying “Rest well!”

Left alone in the room, I stared at the door with an exasperated expression.

* * *

A few days later.

When I heard the news from the aide, I coughed while drinking juice.

“Reconstruction of the Empress Palace?”

“That’s correct.”

After Empress Elsa, Adrian’s mother, died, the Empress Palace had been neglected for over ten years. To make matters worse, its exterior was severely damaged after the typhoon that hit the year before last.

Normally, it should have been repaired immediately for the dignity of the Imperial Family, but after Empress Elsa’s death, Empress Yvonne became the center of the Inner Palace. So the Empress Palace was forgotten both from people’s memories and from the Emperor’s interest.

“There’s no particular reason to reconstruct the Empress Palace now. What was the Emperor thinking…”

“It wasn’t the Emperor’s idea.”

“Don’t tell me…”

I looked at the aide with an uneasy expression, and the aide nodded lightly.

“It was His Excellency and the Young Masters.”

‘Oh, my head…’

I grabbed my forehead.

So this was what they meant when they said they would compensate Adrian with money.

They must have used money to incite the nobles and brought the Empress Palace reconstruction as an agenda to the State Council.

“Don’t tell me we’re even covering the reconstruction costs…”

When I asked, the aide made a fed-up expression and answered, “That’s correct.”

This matter was beneficial to Adrian in many ways.

Everyone who heard the news of the Empress Palace reconstruction would think of Adrian, the Empress’s son. And they would naturally recall that he was the only legitimate heir in the Imperial Palace.

Just having Adrian’s greatest strength firmly embedded in people’s minds would greatly elevate his status.

Of course, the Emperor would also think of Adrian in connection with the Empress.

Moreover, since the reconstruction funds were earned from Dubbled through Adrian’s merit, how pleased would the miserly Emperor be?

If he received the Emperor’s attention, even Empress Yvonne wouldn’t be able to easily touch him.

Most importantly, the fact that it was Duke Dubbled who brought up the Empress Palace reconstruction was significant. It was tantamount to expressing his intention to potentially support Adrian.

‘Father compensated him excessively.’

Though it was good for Adrian.

‘You fools…’

I was frustrated.

I really had no intention of making them apologize. I just wanted to put them in a difficult position so they would realize they shouldn’t trample on others again in the name of protecting me, but just how much money did they spend?

“They really didn’t want to apologize…”

When I muttered, the aide added, “Absolutely not.”

‘It worked out well for Adrian, but did it really have to be reconstruction?’

There could have been ways to spend less money and achieve better results. Like giving us abundant long-distance teleportation magic, or increasing the trade volume between Suwon and the Imperial Palace a bit more!

As a miser no less formidable than the Emperor, I shed tears of blood.

‘Friends are friends, and money is money.’

I don’t want to buy friends with money. Though I am indeed a miser.

I blinked my eyes wide and stared at the chief of staff.

“I need to collect it.”

“Pardon?”

“The money Father scattered, I’ll collect it as profit for Dubbled.”

“…How do you mean?”

It was about time to start accelerating preparations for Dubbled’s independence anyway.

“Question: when a proper empty palace appears in the Imperial Palace, what’s needed?”

“Well, the palace needs an owner… surely not!”

The chief of staff furrowed his brow, so I grinned mischievously.

“We need an Imperial Consort to oppose Empress Yvonne. One that suits Dubbled’s taste. It would be even better if we could make her Empress.”

“But Miss, don’t you already have the support of the Marche Ducal House? With Duke Marche’s support, Empress Yvonne would move according to your wishes.”

“Until Mina comes, that is.”

When Mina comes, Duke Marche will realize that I’m not the real Child of Fate.

Then a powerful enemy will emerge. Even if Dubbled rises as a power surpassing Marche before Mina arrives, as long as Marche has Andre, the prince closest to the throne, we never know when our advantage might be overturned.

“I’m going to make Adrian Emperor. Andre won’t do.”

That guy is truly insane.

Even if Dubbled is lucky enough to gain independence, if that madman becomes Emperor, he’ll wage war demanding submission.

“You need an Imperial Consort who can support Prince Adrian.”

“Right. Let’s give the Emperor a gift. Let’s distribute the power of the Inner Palace that he so desired.”

The chief of staff smiled wickedly with a villainous expression.

“I’ll prepare a list of candidates. Oh, but Miss.”

“Yeah?”

“A bill came to Hope Trading Company from the fountain pen shop in the shopping district.”

“Ah, that’s something I purchased.”

I sent it to the Imperial Palace.

Adrian was very pleased.

The chief of staff left to compile the list, and I picked up the communication stone to give Seria other instructions.

But then.

Pur, in deer form, appeared with a flash of light.

[How long are you going to keep me bound! You have to grant my wish for me to return!]

I had forgotten about it recently because I’d been so busy. Thanks to Adrian transferring his Divine Power, it was easier than maintaining other demons, so I didn’t need to worry about it.

“What’s your wish?”

When I asked, Pur’s face brightened.

[Your heart.]

“No, you can’t.”

Having said that, I waved my hand to make Pur disappear.

‘Think of a different wish.’

A few days later, the ceremonial officer brought me a completed list. Flipping through the papers, I tilted my head when I reached a certain lady’s documents.

“Her family background is insufficient to become an Imperial Consort. Incomparably so compared to the other candidates. Why is she a candidate?”

“She’s an influential lady in the Eastern Region. Though not a priest, she has divine power and heals sick and poor people. Anyway, no lady comes from a family that can match Empress Yvonne’s Marche Ducal House. In that case, wouldn’t a lady with tremendous popular support be better?”

[Cecilia Olga.]

Looking carefully at the name, I nodded with an “Ah.”

“It’s Saint Cecil.”

She was more commonly known by the title 【Saint Cecil】 than her actual name, so I didn’t immediately recognize her.

I slowly read through her documents. She truly was a good person.

‘She’d be good as Adrian’s protector. An excellent candidate… huh?’

“Does this person have a connection with Father?”

“That’s correct. He’s a knight who once served under Master when he was young.”

I stiffened and looked toward Father’s office beyond the window.

[Recently frequenting the orphanage looking for a child. The name of the child she’s searching for is…]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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