The Baby Raising A Devil - Chapter 191

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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 191

I stared intently at the Grand Lady who was covering her mouth with a handkerchief.

‘Is she feeling unwell?’

Just as I was thinking that, I coughed several times—cough, cough—and frowned.

The Grand Lady wasn’t the problem. My condition was getting worse and worse too. This was a familiar pain.

‘This is definitely…’

Looking around, I spotted the Haro Flowers blooming behind the platform and quickly backed away.

Haro Flowers are rare flowers that can only be seen from late autumn to early winter.

They only bloom in cool weather, but ironically, they’re vulnerable to snow, frost, and cold winds, and wither quickly when touched by human hands.

However, their reproductive ability is tremendous, so once they sprout, they quickly spread to the surrounding area.

‘They’ve spread from the Empress Dowager’s Garden all the way here.’

Having a Haro Flower allergy, I covered my mouth with both hands and slowly backed away.

I just found out about my birth and discovered my real family—I can’t die now.

“If there are Haro Flowers everywhere I go, this will be a disaster.”

Muttering to myself, I hurried back to where Cecilia was.

* * *

The next day.

“My big mouth… I said…”

It hadn’t even been half a day since I thought the Haro Flowers would cause a disaster, but a real disaster had actually occurred.

I groaned “Ugh” and curled up my body. Cecilia changed the wet towel on my forehead and drooped her eyebrows.

“Are you really sure it’s okay not to call a doctor?”

“Doctors don’t know about this illness. Besides, if I get sick in the Imperial Palace, they might kick me out…”

Haro Flower allergy is extremely rare. Less than ten percent of the people have divine power, and it only occurs among those with high-purity divine power within that ten percent. The probability would be about 0.0001 percent.

‘It’s fortunate I prepared medicine just in case.’

This can only be used because the condition isn’t serious. If it gets serious, only a priest or a very special doctor can handle it.

“At least inform His Excellency and Lady Javelin.”

“No!”

I quickly grabbed Cecilia’s hand.

“They make a huge fuss even when I just catch a cold, so what if my family finds out about this condition?”

‘They won’t even know the name of the illness, so only innocent doctors will suffer—’

—Just as I was thinking that, Cecilia said with a very serious expression.

“…The country will split in half.”

“It won’t be that bad, will it…”

“No. A catastrophe will occur.”

“That’s not…”

“It’s a disaster.”

Cecilia was so resolute that I awkwardly smiled and changed the subject.

“There’s medicine for it. With this level, if you take medicine and rest for a day or two, you’ll get better.”

“That’s a relief then.”

She pulled the blanket up to my neck and patted my chest.

“Rest well until you’re completely recovered.”

“I’m sorry. Especially during such an important time.”

“What are you saying. If it weren’t for you, Miss, how would I have made it this far?”

Cecilia is really kind.

I giggled and burrowed into the blanket.

‘First priority is improving my physical condition. I just hope nothing happens to the selection before then…’

With that thought, I soon fell asleep. My condition must have been more serious than I thought, as I could barely open my eyes properly for almost two days.

And on the third morning.

Having finally gotten up from my sickbed, I frowned at the completely empty notice board.

‘The second test evaluation still hasn’t been posted.’

There was no selection participant who surpassed Cecilia’s score. First place was a sure thing.

Moreover, the second test was a simple exam ranked by scores, so there was no reason for the evaluation to be this delayed.

‘Something’s definitely strange.’

I returned to my lodging and contacted the captain.

[Yes, Miss.]

“The second test evaluation still isn’t out. Did something happen to the Grand Lady?”

[Well. We haven’t received any news yet from our person stationed in the Imperial Palace.]

“Who’s the influential palace servant with loose lips in the Grand Princess’s Palace?”

[I heard there’s someone with loose lips in the Grand Princess’s Palace. An attendant named Elga. They say he came from the Empress Dowager’s Palace.]

“It would be faster for me to find out myself.”

[Directly? That doesn’t seem like a good idea. It’s dangerous for you to act directly. Wouldn’t it be sufficient for me to gather the information?]

“That takes too long.”

[Is something happening to the Grand Lady really that important to us in the first place?]

“What I’m worried about is the second test being canceled because the Grand Lady’s health deteriorated.”

The second test was like a stage set up for Cecilia and me.

On that stage, we secured a perfect first place that no one could object to.

For Cecilia, who already didn’t perform well on the first test, this was like a golden opportunity.

“I need to make Cecilia an Imperial Consort quickly. Mina will come soon, and then she’ll stick close to Empress Yvonne. In my first life, those two had a good relationship too. So I also need to make Cecilia an Imperial Consort and─”

[Is that really all there is to it?]

“What do you mean?”

[You’re being unusually impatient, Miss. The selection will have results whether sooner or later. There’s no reason to be this impatient. The Emperor designated you as a recommender, and the family house can’t withdraw since the selection is important to them too, so aren’t you worried about the Second Prince who’s in the past?]

“…”

[That’s why you’re trying to finish the selection quickly somehow. To focus on finding the Second Prince.]

“…Adrian must be suffering because of me.”

[I understand your feelings, Miss. However, what remains in the past was his choice.]

“But if it wasn’t because of me, that child would have had no reason to remain in the past.”

[Yes. He remained for your sake. But if you mess things up trying to find him, and as a result become endangered, wouldn’t his sacrifice become meaningless?]

“….”

[Rather than bringing him back a day or two early, creating an environment where he can live more comfortably when you do bring the Prince back would be a greater repayment. The usual you would have thought that way.]

The Chairman asked in a gentle voice, [Isn’t that right?]

I answered dejectedly.

“You’re right….”

The Chairman’s words were truly correct. When I thought about that child suffering in the past because of me, I couldn’t shake off my impatient feelings.

I slapped my cheek with a smack! while holding the Communication Stone.

“I’ve reflected on it!”

When I spoke, a faint laugh came from the Communication Stone.

[You haven’t become discouraged from hearing harsh words, have you?]

“My mother is Lisette Dubbled, so would I get discouraged just because I was impatient for a moment? I’m the bloodline of the most spirited person in the world.”

[Of course. The Duchess’s daughter wouldn’t be discouraged by something like this.]

I finished the conversation with the Chairman while laughing and ended the communication.

I was putting the Communication Stone into my pouch when.

“The Duchess’s bloodline, you say.”

It was Cecilia’s voice.

Startled, I turned my head to see Cecilia looking at me with a stiff expression, holding a fruit plate she seemed to have prepared to give me.

“What do you mean by saying you went to the past?”

“….”

“Little One!”

“I was going to tell you after the selection was over.”

“Tell me what. What exactly….”

“That I am Baby Bird.”

The plate fell from Cecilia’s hands with a crash─! shattering with a sharp sound.

“It’s a very… very long story, Cecilia.”

When I began telling the story of how I had gone to the past, Cecilia’s face was colored with shock.

* * *

Cecilia cried for a long while, holding onto my hand.

“Cecilia….”

“That Person gave me the opportunity to become a knight. Lady Lisette told me. She said the precious child she always saw in her dreams did countless things that even grown men couldn’t do, yet always smiled spiritedly. She told me that things like age or gender couldn’t match one’s will.”

“….”

“I gained courage from those words and took up the sword.”

“….”

“It was you, Little One. The one who gave me courage.”

Cecilia looked at me with wet eyes and endlessly stroked my cheek.

“That I was able to survive that terrible day, and thus meet my niece and have new dreams, it was all thanks to you, Little One.”

“Cecilia protected me when I was young, which is why I was able to survive.”

Why is it that whenever I think of what happened on that mountain where Mother passed away, my tears never seem to dry?

‘Even though I told Adrian I wouldn’t cry again.’

Watching me sob with my face all twisted up, Cecilia smiled faintly.

“Thank you for staying alive, for coming back to us.”

But no matter how much I thought about it, the tears that kept flowing weren’t my fault. It was because there were such good people around me.

I cried as I hugged Cecilia, and she embraced me warmly like a mother would.

But then it happened.

“Lady Olga, Lady Dubbled…!”

A lady-in-waiting from the Imperial Palace who had been bought by Dubbled came rushing into our lodging in a panic.

As I looked up while sniffling, she spoke with a pale face.

“I know I shouldn’t make contact, but there’s something urgent I need to report, so please excuse my intrusion.”

“What is it?”

“The Noxstein Siblings have bribed Elga, an attendant at the Grand Princess’s Palace, to buy information about the Grand Lady.”

As soon as I heard this, my tears instantly dried up. I gasped.

‘Wow, that was close!’

Attendant Elga was the very attendant I had been trying to bribe in my desperation!

‘If I had been just one step faster, it would have been me getting caught instead of the Noxstein Siblings.’

The Noxstein Siblings were the candidate and recommender I had humiliated last time, weren’t they?

“Were the two of them arrested?”

“Yes. They were handed over to the Security Force. But the problem is…”

“There’s more problems on top of this?”

When Cecilia spoke with a furrowed brow, the lady-in-waiting swallowed dryly before answering.

“The Grand Lady has formally filed a complaint with the Empress Dowager. Since Elga was assigned by the Empress Dowager’s Palace, she must think the Empress Dowager planted a spy.”

Cecilia and I exchanged wide-eyed glances.

“Miss, then…”

“Yes, since she’s filed a formal complaint, if the Empress Dowager can’t provide proper evidence, she might have to take responsibility and step down.”

“Then the Grand Lady, who’s the only remaining adult in the Imperial Palace, would come to the forefront again? The person in charge of the selection would change.”

“More importantly, all of the Empress Dowager’s power would go to the Grand Lady…”

This is bad.

The Empress Dowager was from the Marche Ducal House, but she didn’t get along well with Empress Yvonne and had foolish aspects that I could manipulate. Most importantly, she was at odds with the Shrine.

But if the Grand Lady comes to the forefront…

‘The Shrine might infiltrate the Imperial Palace again. In this situation, when Mina arrives, Cecilia alone won’t be able to stand against the Grand Lady—Empress Yvonne.’

I urgently spoke to the lady-in-waiting.

“What about evidence? There is evidence, right? Is the Empress Dowager preparing a counterattack?”

“Well…”

The lady-in-waiting spoke with a helpless expression.

“It’s true that the Empress Dowager planted attendant Elga as a spy.”

“What?!”

“Elga, who was a spy, didn’t just pass information to the Empress Dowager alone, but also sold information to the selection participants…”

I completely understood why the Emperor always grabbed the back of his neck whenever he saw the Empress Dowager.

Because I was grabbing the back of my neck right now too!

I wiped away the tears that had wet my cheeks and suddenly sat up straight.

“Miss? Where are you going?”

“I need to resolve this matter.”

Whether I help resolve the Empress Dowager’s issue and receive assistance with the selection, or persuade the Grand Lady somehow, I had to solve this situation no matter what.

I gritted my teeth in frustration and strode majestically out of my lodging.

* * *

“This is a misunderstanding, Your Majesty! Mother is wronged!”

The Great Hall was nothing short of chaos. The Empress Dowager was screaming as if she might faint, while the Grand Lady met the Emperor’s gaze with a cold expression.

The Emperor covered his eyes with one hand as if he had a headache.

“Aunt, must you really make such a big issue out of this.”

“Planting a spy in my palace seems to be a trivial matter to Your Majesty. Or perhaps you were involved in this affair yourself.”

“You know that’s not the case.”

“They may call it a spy, but it’s someone who could poison my food.”

“Aunt, how could the Late Empress do such a thing.”

“Then clarify it clearly. Should this old woman bring the Imperial Family’s affairs before the Central Tower and summon the Golden Council (a council composed of imperial family members) back to the palace.”

The Emperor’s face turned pale.

If the Golden Council entered the Imperial Palace, not only would he be humiliated, but he would be recorded in history as an incompetent emperor.

I understood the Emperor’s headache-inducing feelings.

‘She doesn’t seem like she’ll let this slide at all.’

Ah, how could this matter be resolved.

‘But why does the Grand Lady look so haggard? Huh? Wait a moment…’

The Grand Lady pressed her forehead with the back of her hand. And then…

“Aunt!”

“Grand Lady!”

As soon as the Emperor and the Grand Lady’s attendant cried out, the Grand Lady, who had been swaying, collapsed.

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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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