The Baby Raising A Devil - Chapter 21

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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 21

“Geez, you didn’t have to chase after me like that. There’s some left, you know?”

Then he strode into the study and brought out a chocolate cake topped with fluffy milk cream.

‘I’m so excited!’

Since I’d been thinking like an adult lately, I was constantly hungry at all hours.

“I didn’t save it for you. I just, uh? I just… don’t really like sweet things.”

“Isaac, you ate that sugar bread really well last time though.”

“…I, I decided to hate them starting today!”

Then he got angry and stormed into the study first. Henri also just glanced at me and headed inside without saying anything.

I also went to the study table where they were and sat down quietly, observing Henri.

‘There don’t seem to be any aftereffects.’

Thinking that, I scooped up some cake and took a bite, only to be completely shocked.

What is this?

‘It’s incredibly delicious!’

It was on a completely different level from all the cakes I’d eaten before.

A refreshing cream that wasn’t greasy even when I put a lot in my mouth.

A moist and soft sponge.

Chocolate with a velvet-like texture embedded throughout.

The cake, forming a perfect trinity, melted gently as soon as it touched my tongue.

‘They said the patissier at the Main Castle West Wing (where Dubbled’s direct descendants stay) has divine hands, and it’s really true.’

Having stayed in the East Wing where distinguished guests resided until now, I was moved to taste the West Wing’s cake for the first time.

Isaac chuckled when he saw me cupping both cheeks and moaning “Mmm…”

“Is it that delicious?”

With just a little exaggeration, if I had eaten this during my beggar days, I might have had a heart attack from the taste.

‘During my beggar days when I starved for over five days, I would have bitten my tongue if someone offered me chocolate cake.’

The taste was so moving, and memories of my terrible suffering in my previous life came flooding back, so I spoke almost as if I was about to cry.

“Thank you, Isaac.”

“No, you don’t need to be that grateful…”

Isaac was rather flustered and rolled his eyes around.

“Should I give you some tomorrow morning too?”

“Isaac, you’re the best!”

“I’ll give you some at dinner time too.”

“Isaac, you’re so cool!”

“Geez, I can’t help it. I’ll give you some the day after tomorrow too.”

“Isaac, you’re dazzling!”

Isaac grinned widely, and I sent him praise that came from the bottom of my heart.

Henri looked at us like we were cockroaches.

* * *

Henri and Isaac focused on their homework, and I quietly drew pictures beside them.

When the maids came looking for me around sunset, they saw me with the young masters and returned with gentle laughter.

They wanted to give the siblings time to bond.

And so the night grew deep.

‘I’m sleepy…’

Isaac was also nodding off like a sick chicken.

I shook my head vigorously like a snorting horse and pinched my cheek hard.

“If you’re sleepy, go to bed.”

Henri said while keeping his eyes fixed on his book.

I wanted to go too, but I couldn’t leave Henri alone in the Imperial Palace with Teramore, who had gone mad from yesterday and today’s events.

“I’m fine. I’m not sleepy.”

“Your eyes are full of drowsiness.”

“…I’ll go wash my face.”

I jumped down from the chair.

Then I shook the nodding Isaac and whispered to him.

“Isaac, stay here until I come back. And—”

Only after confirming that Isaac nodded with his drowsy face did I leave the study.

‘I’m dying.’

It felt like my child’s body was crying out for rest immediately.

I groaned as I searched for the washroom. Just as I was about to enter.

“Ah!”

Someone suddenly grabbed and dragged me.

‘Teramore!’

In an instant, I was dragged into a room near the washroom.

As soon as the door closed, Teramore raised the corner of his mouth wickedly.

“What? Did you think I would only target Henri?”

“I’m different from Henri. I haven’t received training, so if you touch me, you’ll be caught immediately.”

“You don’t necessarily need hands to make someone suffer.”

Teramore pulled something from his pocket, and when I saw it, I froze in shock.

‘Blue Spinel!’

That was a special gem used to create sacred tools with divine power.

The more vivid the color, the more divine power could be extracted.

Naturally, vivid spinels were treasured in the market, but for those having their divine power extracted, it wasn’t so pleasant.

If divine power was extracted to the limit, one would go insane or, in the worst case, die.

And a divine power beggar like me would lose consciousness just from having any spinel placed against me.

‘That can’t happen. I’d rather die and regress!’

Teramore approached me, muttering coldly.

“Thirty years. A whole thirty years of carefully built achievements have crumbled. Because of you!”

He had completely lost his mind.

The retainers had been moving suspiciously outside the study earlier in the evening, so it seemed he had finally been dismissed from his position as tutor.

“D-don’t come closer. I’ll scream.”

“Go ahead. Let’s see what’s faster – people coming or me draining your divine power.”

Just as he grabbed me by the collar.

The door opened and Henri came running in.

“Let her go.”

Teramore let out a snicker and looked at Henri.

“How bold of you to speak up with such a pale face. It seems yesterday’s education wasn’t enough.”

Henri squeezed his eyes shut and charged at Teramore.

But Teramore maintained a leisurely attitude as if it were laughable.

The fact that a genius who could use aura was charging with his eyes closed meant he hadn’t completely overcome his trauma, so there was nothing to fear.

However, Henri’s purpose wasn’t to attack.

He instantly snatched the spinel and threw it into a narrow gap in the display cabinet.

“You damn brat…!”

Teramore was furious at having his weapon stolen.

Now I hung onto Teramore’s arm without hesitation.

“Don’t touch him. Don’t hit Henri!”

He roughly threw me aside and raised his hand toward Henri.

Then.

BANG─!!

The door burst open and tremendous waves of mana charged toward Teramore.

Taking that terrifying mana head-on, Teramore screamed “Aaaaah!” His arm was twisted grotesquely.

I quickly turned my head toward the doorway.

The person emanating cold fury at the entrance was…

“Y-Your Excellency.”

It was the Duke.

His cold eyes swept over me sprawled on the floor and Henri who was deathly pale.

Teramore trembled as he looked up at the Duke. His expression showed he had no idea how the Duke knew to come here.

‘You fool, did you think I’d wander around alone after provoking you like that yesterday?’

I expected that you’d target me once you lost your mind.

That’s why I asked Isaac to call the Duke before leaving the study!

Staying stubbornly in the study until late at night wasn’t just to protect Henri.

It had to be this deep into the night for Teramore to come after me.

Beside the Duke were Isaac and North, as well as the maids including Lea.

Since I had called for the Duke but hadn’t returned after a long time, it seemed he had brought the maids who took care of me.

“What is this… what kind of nonsense…!”

Lea’s face was frozen stiff.

The fact that he didn’t immediately say ‘That’s impossible’ suggested he had seen the scene where I was roughly pushed.

‘I’m glad I came at the right time.’

So Henri wouldn’t get hurt any more.

“Y-Your Excellency, this is… I mean, this is…! P-please listen to what I have to say first.”

Teramore pleaded, but the Duke’s murderous intent did not subside.

North pressed his forehead with a hardened expression. He seemed to be calculating the events that would unfold.

A lackey of the Council of Elders had abused a direct heir. This was a major incident that would wipe out the entire Council of Elders.

‘In the worst case, civil war.’

The Council of Elders wouldn’t just take this lying down.

Lea, my maids, and North all glared at Teramore with faces that looked ready to tear him apart.

The Duke slowly moved toward Teramore.

Teramore clutched his grotesquely twisted arm and staggered backward. However, he couldn’t go far before groaning “Kuk…!” and collapsing.

He covered his mouth with his still intact hand, but dark red blood kept gushing out relentlessly.

“Y-Your… Excellency… Kuk! I-I didn’t mean that, it was just… part of education… Kheuk!”

When Teramore looked up with a pleading expression, the Duke stepped on his hand.

“Henri.”

“…”

“Tell me in your own words what has been happening.”

From how unhesitatingly he had raised his hand against the child, it seemed he had realized that Teramore’s abuse wasn’t a one-time occurrence.

Henri, who had been gripping his pants tightly with pale hands, swallowed dryly.

A heavy silence continued for a while.

Only after the Duke called “Henri” once more did the boy slowly open his mouth.

“It was nothing important.”

“That’s for me to judge.”

The Duke’s gaze had darkened deeply. It was such a chilling and ominous presence that I unconsciously flinched and shuddered.

If I, who was innocent, felt this afraid, then Teramore, who was guilty, was naturally paralyzed with terror.

“Y-Your Excellency, you misunderstand. It’s a misunderstanding. I’ll explain. So this is… Krak!”

With a tearing scream, Teramore’s other wrist twisted grotesquely.

‘Wow…’

I almost gaped without realizing it.

Having only seen people with divine power in the lower levels of the temple, this was my first time seeing proper magic.

Mana activation without an activation seal.

When I heard about it in words, I vaguely thought it was amazing, but seeing it in reality was completely different from my imagination.

It was tremendous pressure, as if my lungs were being squeezed tight.

‘If I hadn’t experienced the Pope’s divine power in my past life, I would have fainted foaming at the mouth.’

Henri, who was growing paler by the moment, gritted his teeth. Then he spoke as if nothing was wrong.

“It was merely laughable.”

“Laughable? Violence, you mean.”

“The violence from that old Teramore was merely tickling. I was planning to watch and see how long he would continue his ridiculous acts.”

Henri forced a twisted smile as he continued speaking.

“This is an opportunity to find Teramore’s weakness. I was planning to use it when I become an Elder Council member.”

“….”

“So it’s nothing serious─”

At that moment, Duke Dubbled strode over and grabbed Henri’s wrist.

“Ugh!”

Along with Henri’s scream, dark bruises beneath his sleeve were revealed.

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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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