The Baby Raising A Devil - Chapter 7

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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 7

Who else would orphan Leblaine have to give a carnation corsage to? There was only Duke Dubbled, her guardian.

‘Ooooh!’

The retainers shouted as if they had discovered a lifeline.

“Look, Your Grace!”

“It’s a carnation!”

“The only person the little one would give a carnation corsage to is Your Grace, her guardian!”

The retainers welcomed Leblaine’s carnation with such enthusiasm they looked ready to jump up and down if they could.

The Duke gazed intently at Leblaine, who had stopped in front of him. The child fidgeted with her hands, looking shy.

He had thought that saying carnations and such were the ultimate happiness was just an excuse made by those who had fallen behind in power struggles.

What had displeased him about the retainers’ words was probably that even those fallen ones had experiences he himself lacked.

It was just a scrap of cloth that would be useless even if he received it.

But now that he was actually receiving it, the feeling wasn’t too bad.

* * *

‘What did I do wrong?’

The Duke’s gaze on me was so intense.

Could he be angry that I spent a lot of money at the shopping district?

Or did he find out that I drew horns on him when I was sketching the Duke in my sketchbook?

‘Why is he looking at me like that? So scary…’

While my insides were burning black with anxiety, the retainers were all smiles.

“Did you buy the corsage yourself?”

“Yes.”

When I answered, the retainers were excessively delighted.

“How grateful she must be to her guardian to personally go out and buy a carnation like this.”

“Of course, of course.”

Then the Duke’s lips curved up crookedly.

‘Wow, he’s even scarier today.’

I flinched and grabbed onto Lea’s leg, but the retainers, oblivious to my feelings, laughed heartily and gently pushed my back.

“Since we’ve come this far, why don’t you give it to him now?”

“Yes, that would be good.”

Should I? Since they already know I bought the corsage, it would be strange to hesitate.

‘It’s my first time giving a carnation, so I’m a bit embarrassed.’

I hesitantly fidgeted with my hands.

Then the retainers became even more anxious and urged me on, saying “Hurry!”

The people surrounding me parted like the Red Sea, and I could see the Duke straight ahead.

And I shyly held out the corsage.

To Lea.

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

“Oh my.”

Not having expected to receive it herself, Lea covered her mouth with a moved expression.

‘Since I gave her this, she’ll give me more snacks, right?’

Lea knelt down in front of me with tears in her eyes.

“Were you planning to give this to me….”

“I wike Wea. Thank you. (I like Lea. Thank you.)”

“Thank you, little one. I’ll treasure it dearly.”

Lea hugged me, and I rubbed my face against her neck.

But something was strange.

‘Why does the back of my head feel cold?’

Wondering what was going on, I sneakily turned around.

Everyone except the maids and Lea were looking back and forth between the corsage and Duke Dubbled with pale faces.

Then, Duke Dubbled called me.

“Leblaine.”

“Yes?”

“Mine.”

“…?”

“Don’t I get one.”

“No!”

I didn’t buy you one because you find me annoying. I did well, right?

When I buried myself in Lea’s arms and giggled, Duke Dubbled’s eyebrows twitched.

And for some reason, he glared at the retainers with a terrifying expression, while they swallowed nervously and turned pale.

That evening, an order to abolish Thanksgiving Day was issued throughout the entire Dubbled Duchy.

* * *

Lea wore the bright red corsage on her chest all day long. And every time she looked in the mirror, she would tremble with emotion, saying ‘The little one, gave this, to me!’

Of course, I was also happy that Lea was pleased.

‘Because Lea gave me lots of snacks.’

I was basking in happiness after eating snacks until my belly was full, when North came to find me.

“Shall we go to His Grace’s office?”

Today was the day we were supposed to report to the Empress Dowager about how I was doing.

“Yes!”

When I answered energetically, North chuckled softly.

“You’re so spirited today as well.”

When I nodded, my chubby cheeks jiggled.

Seeing this, North grinned foolishly and slowly reached out his hand. He seemed to want to touch my cheek.

But suddenly the maids swooped in and blocked North.

“That’s not allowed. How could you lay hands on the baby’s precious body?”

Faced with their solid security, North awkwardly lowered his hand. Even though he had withdrawn his hand, the maids still shouted with displeased expressions.

“You must follow the proper order~!”

At maid Linda’s words, the other maids joined in with truly exasperated expressions.

“Once a week, following the proper order, and you must remove your hand within 2 seconds.”

“If you touch freely, our delicate baby’s skin won’t be able to endure it.”

…When did they establish such rules?

I looked at the maids with a bewildered expression.

But unlike me, North nodded earnestly with an “Oh my” expression.

“Of course. I almost made a terrible mistake.”

They soon discussed North’s turn with serious faces.

“I have to wait 3 whole weeks?!”

North squawked after seeing the long list of names.

“We scheduled you as quickly as possible. If we went by the original order, you’d have to wait a month.”

“Are there really that many people waiting?”

At North’s question, the maids snorted as if he was asking something obvious.

“Our baby’s cheeks are lovely, adorable, and the softest in the world, so everyone wants to touch them.”

“Of course they want to touch them.”

“Anyone human would naturally want to touch them.”

North nodded earnestly again, and seeing this spectacle left me speechless.

‘Have they put on rose-colored glasses too enthusiastically?’

If I left them alone, they’d probably spend the whole day arranging the schedule, so I tugged at North’s pant leg.

“Gaja. (Let’s go.)”

This is tiring, so we should leave.

Only after hearing my words did North come to his senses and say “Ah, yes” while opening the door for me.

As we walked down the corridor to go to the Duke’s office, the castle was unusually bustling today.

Various items were piled up in the corridor, and employees were frantically organizing them.

When I looked at them with a curious expression, North explained.

“They’re organizing gifts to send for His Imperial Majesty’s birthday celebration.”

Come to think of it, around this time nobles were frantically busy preparing gifts.

Even Duke Amitie from my first life, who had no interest in such trivial matters, would prepare modest gifts as a courtesy.

‘Duke Valois even borrowed money to prepare decent gifts.’

He would spend money lavishly on such occasions, but was an incredible miser toward other people.

Especially toward me.

When I was the Young Lady of Valois, I once unknowingly bought a somewhat expensive fountain pen.

Duke Valois flew into a rage and locked me in the attic for three whole days.

I was locked in a dark, shabby attic, trembling and crying that I was sorry.

Seeing me like that, Duke Valois’s second son asked his older brother.

“Brother, aren’t we allowed to buy fountain pens?”

“Why not? If you asked for one, Father and Mother would be delighted. What parent would dislike a child asking for school supplies?”

“Then why did Leblaine get in trouble?”

“She’s not their real child.”

That’s when I realized.

Since I wasn’t their real child, I would be hated even for trivial things, so I had to work desperately hard.

‘Now I need to do something to win Duke Dubbled’s favor.’

If I just dawdled around, the adoption would fly far away.

With that thought, I entered the Duke’s office.

The Duke, who had been sitting at his desk, sensed my presence and looked up.

The silver-rimmed glasses he wore for reading documents matched his bright blue eyes so perfectly that I inwardly stuck out my tongue.

But maybe it was because of the glasses. Today he somehow looked fiercer than usual.

When I clung to North’s leg and hesitated, North smiled awkwardly.

He sat me on the Duke’s sofa and whispered so the Duke couldn’t hear.

“He’s not angry with you, little one.”

So he’s angry about something else.

“Really?”

“Perhaps he’s angry with himself for having expectations…”

When I looked at him with an expression that said ‘expectations about what?’, North made a tearful face and continued whispering.

“Please prepare two carnation corsages next time.”

Ah… Only then did I realize and flinch.

All the money I spent buying things at the general store belonged to Dubbled. Since I picked out various things randomly, it must have been quite expensive.

‘He must have felt bad that I spent the Duke’s money freely but didn’t buy anything for the Duke himself.’

I should have just bought two corsages. He seems to really like carnations.

But that was already in the past. I couldn’t buy them again, and even if I went to buy them now, it would only seem like petty protesting.

Rather, I needed to do something that would make him happy.

‘Among the things I know, what could be helpful to the Duke?’

While I was struggling with my thoughts, I noticed something placed on the sofa table.

Inside a luxurious jewelry box, a single black stone was sitting all alone.

‘Why would a stone be stored in such a luxurious jewelry box?’

It was just as I was tilting my head in confusion.

Whooom—

With a subtle vibration, my lungs tightened.

North’s voice became muffled and everything around me felt noticeably slower.

As if time was flowing differently for me and the world.

Light flowed over the black stone, then quickly scattered to form lines. Eventually, it became a hexagram with two triangles crossing above and below, rushing toward me.

Goosebumps instantly rose along my spine.

Screech─!

A ringing sound cut through my head.

[…child.]

[My….]

[Wait… for me.]

A voice that felt like it was seeping directly into my mind without going through my ears.

The sound that had been too faint to hear properly suddenly surged with tremendous force.

[My child.]

Rumble, the heavens and earth trembled faintly.

Only then did North’s muffled voice and sluggish movements return to normal.

North muttered in a stiff voice.

“Was that an earthquake?”

But the trembling subsided in an instant. Duke Dubbled, who had drawn back the curtain to check outside the window, spoke.

“Send an Exploration Team to Mount Rubeus. It could be a precursor to a volcanic eruption.”

“Yes.”

While Duke Dubbled and North were talking, I pressed my chest firmly with a pale face.

My heart was beating so fast that it was difficult to breathe.

What on earth was that?

The light of the Hexagram that had rushed toward me.

And that voice that kept rummaging through my mind.

The voice flowing from the stone called out to me desperately. My hand moved toward the stone as if it had a will of its own that I didn’t know about. As if it had become magnetic.

And when the stone filled my palm completely.

Crumble─

“…!”

It crumbled to pieces in an instant.

Finally coming to my senses, I was tremendously shocked and gaped my mouth open.

‘What, what, what!’

Not knowing what to do, I looked at Duke Dubbled and North.

“Oh, oh, what do I do, what do I do!”

Seeing the stone’s remains that had turned to powder and were scattering through the gaps in my fingers, North was greatly flustered. Duke Dubbled’s eyes were also unusually wide.

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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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