The Baby Raising A Devil - Chapter 96

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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 96

* * *

After hesitating a bit at Adrian’s question, I spoke in a small voice.

“It’s Leblaine.”

“…Leblaine.”

That child repeated my name several times as if savoring it, then smiled brightly.

“It’s pretty, your name.”

“You’re really such a fool….”

I keep sighing.

‘How is he going to survive being this kind?’

My bean-sized conscience keeps getting pricked, so I’m genuinely worried about that child.

In the future, there will be an even sharper path of thorns ahead of that child than in the past.

Adrian’s future has changed for some reason I don’t understand.

He, who should have been exiled due to his maternal grandfather’s treason, faced no consequences and is living at the Grand Duchess’s Residence instead of the Imperial Palace.

‘The Emperor probably entrusted Adrian to the Grand Duchess.’

The current Imperial Palace belongs to Empress Yvonne, who bore the Imperial Family’s eldest son.

Originally, the Empress Dowager should have kept Empress Yvonne in check, but both were from the same Marche Ducal House. Empress Yvonne was the Empress Dowager’s eighth cousin.

In other words, there’s absolutely no one in the Imperial Palace to protect Adrian.

Of course, the Emperor can’t step forward either, given his position.

If he shows interest in Adrian, the Marche Ducal House will be on high alert, and Adrian’s maternal family will start winning over nobles with both hands raised.

‘Your life is as troubled as mine, so you can’t afford to be foolishly kind!’

You’ll be torn apart from all sides and become a complete wreck.

“Adrian.”

“Yeah.”

“Come sit here.”

I plopped down on the grass and patted the spot next to me. Adrian obediently sat beside me.

“When someone tries to deceive you or crush you, glare at them like this and say, ‘I suppose your life isn’t precious to you.'”

“…Huh?”

“Repeat after me. I suppose your life isn’t precious to you.”

“I suppose your life… isn’t precious to you.”

“Good. And smile in the most wicked way possible.”

When I imitated Father’s expression, Adrian smiled with his eyes crinkling.

“No, no. That’s just handsome.”

When I spoke sternly, Adrian just raised the corners of his mouth again.

‘Hmm, it’s still lacking, but if it’s this much.’

“Now, next say, ‘How can you be so certain about the future?'”

“How can you be so certain about the future?”

“Good. And now you mustn’t smile. Say, ‘If you’re unlucky, losing just one limb won’t be the end of it.'”

“If you’re unlucky, losing just one limb won’t be the end of it.”

“Good! Now try doing it all again from the beginning.”

“Don’t you value your life? How can you be so certain about the future? If you’re unlucky, losing just one limb won’t be the end of it.”

“Excellent.”

That’s when it happened.

“Young Lady?”

I heard the Grand Duchess’s voice from afar.

I quickly got up and said to Adrian.

“Next time I’ll teach you how to intimidate even more frighteningly. Practice what you’ve learned. Got it?”

“…Will you come again next time?”

“Yes. I’ll come often.”

Adrian smiled with his characteristic heart-melting smile.

I waved at him and quickly ran to the Grand Duchess.

The Grand Duchess was waiting for me near the training room.

“You seem to have enjoyed watching.”

“Yes. It was fun!”

“Good. Shall we go in now?”

“Yes, Grand Duchess.”

I took her hand and entered the training room.

* * *

Clink, when I set down the teacup on the saucer, the Grand Duchess smiled brightly.

“Flawless.”

“It’s thanks to your excellent teaching.”

When I said this with a bright smile, she tucked my hair behind my ear and nodded with satisfaction.

‘Something like drinking tea!’

Even Madame Confine, who taught etiquette in Dubbled, was amazed the first time she saw this.

You have no idea how severely I was taught by Duchess Valois in my second life.

The position where you set down the teacup, the angle of your arm when drinking tea, the finger that touches the teacup handle first.

She would nitpick even the most trivial things, making me hold a teacup all night long, or I’d get hit with a rod because she didn’t like the amount I drank in one sip.

‘The way to drink tea is engraved in my soul.’

Chuckling inwardly, I picked up the teacup again. Then the Grand Duchess gently pressed my hand.

“The test is over, so you can drink freely now.”

“But…”

“Though I do teach you etiquette, I think it’s just empty formality. How can you savor the tea’s fragrance while worrying about such things?”

Saying this, the Grand Duchess broke a scone in half and gave it to me. I quickly took it and giggled.

Actually, the tea fragrance was so wonderful, and she had added plenty of cream to make it easy for a child like me to drink, so I wanted to gulp it down.

After munching on the scone and loudly slurping my tea, the Grand Duchess chuckled softly.

Just then, the sound of knocking on the door was heard.

When the Grand Duchess permitted entry, a butler in a tailcoat entered.

“A visitor has come to see you.”

A faint wrinkle appeared between the Grand Duchess’s brows.

“Someone who comes without notice is not a guest. Send them away.”

“However, given the status of the person who has come…”

The butler continued with a troubled expression.

“It is Duchess Valois.”

“…Is this about the Imperial Palace translation smuggling?”

She was referring to how the Duchess had secretly smuggled out Imperial Palace translations to get her son Nils into the prestigious Imperial Academy.

Since I had publicly exposed the smuggling while humiliating Nils, it couldn’t be easily overlooked.

The butler bowed his head.

“Yes, she said she would wait until you agree to meet with her.”

The Grand Duchess let out a thin sigh.

“Bring her to the reception room.”

I fiddled with my teacup and lightly raised an eyebrow.

‘She must be quite desperate.’

Seeing someone who fears bad rumors in high society the most acting so rudely and stubbornly.

“I’ll teach you chess another time.”

“Yes, Grand Duchess.”

“I’ll have the butler prepare some books you should read, so wait outside the reception room.”

I bowed my head.

And I followed her out of the training room.

After the Grand Duchess bid me farewell and entered the reception room, I sat on the small sofa placed in front of it and pretended to wait for the books the butler would bring… while eavesdropping on the conversation leaking out.

“Grand Duchess, you must help us.”

“What power does an old woman who left the Imperial Palace have?”

At her leisurely voice, Duchess Valois’s tone became even more urgent.

“Even His Imperial Majesty shows deference to the Grand Duchess, doesn’t he?”

“Choose your words carefully. To say His Majesty is swayed by a mere old woman.”

“Th-that’s not what I meant… Grand Duchess, this is also for the order of high society. It’s not just my son and I who will suffer hardship from this incident. Empress Yvonne is also greatly troubled.”

“…”

“If the Grand Duchess resolves this matter, how grateful the Empress would be for your consideration.”

“…”

“Only the Empress can control those who disrupt the order of high society, relying on the Empress Dowager’s authority. So this opportunity…”

Though she spoke like that, her true meaning was ‘this is an opportunity to draw Empress Yvonne, who is allied with the Empress Dowager, to the Grand Duchess’s side.’

“I need time to consider, so you should return for now.”

“I trust you will give me a positive answer.”

The sound of Duchess Valois rising to her feet came after her earnest reply.

‘But will things go as planned?’

The fact that the conversation ended before the butler could even arrive meant that the Grand Duchess had absolutely no intention of entertaining her.

‘In the end, Duke Valois will have to step in.’

If the Duke stepped in, things would certainly be resolved. He was a person with that kind of power. But the Duchess’s dignity would undoubtedly plummet to the ground.

As soon as I thought that, the butler came carrying books and a chess board.

“This is the chess set that the Grand Duchess used to play with.”

The antique chess board, bearing the traces of time, was truly beautiful. The chess pieces inside, made of ivory and decorated with black pearls and rubies, were incredibly luxurious.

“Wow, it’s so pretty! I’ll wait here and greet the Grand Duchess before I go.”

“Yes.”

The butler smiled and withdrew.

Just then, the door burst open and Duchess Valois emerged from the reception room alone.

After closing the door, she spotted me and immediately frowned deeply.

“A crow cawed this morning.”

That was a social idiom meaning she had encountered an unlucky person.

I smiled brightly and greeted her.

“Hello, Duchess Valois.”

“You know me?”

“I saw you leaving with Young Master Valois at the party!”

Running away with your tail between your legs, that is.

The Duchess’s face flushed red as she understood my meaning. But she didn’t realize that I, a child, had said it on purpose, so she just gritted her teeth.

Grinding her teeth, she forced a smile.

“I see. I know you too, dear.”

Duchess Valois looked me up and down with an arrogant gaze.

“It’s such a shame that God’s Crest hasn’t manifested in you yet.”

“….”

“Do you know? The fate of those who don’t know their place and embrace what’s beyond them has always been terrible.”

She meant that a fake like me might be lucky enough to enjoy luxury as the Young Lady of Dubbled now, but once the truth was revealed, I would be torn limb from limb.

Duchess Valois smiled coldly and turned her back on me.

I called out cheerfully.

“Don’t worry too much!”

“…What?”

“Father said that even though Young Master Valois almost got into the Imperial Academy that was beyond him with lies about deciphering scripture, he probably won’t die horribly.”

“What, what did you say?!”

“His reputation will fall to the ground and be buried, but he won’t die. So, so…!”

When I made a comforting expression, Duchess Valois bit her lips tightly with a bright red face.

“You…!”

Just as she was about to shout, the Grand Duchess came out of the reception room.

“What’s going on?”

I quietly took the Grand Duchess’s hand and tilted my head, while Duchess Valois clenched her fists tightly.

“…Nothing. I was just greeting the Young Lady.”

Do you think I’m still that pitiful Leblaine who gets hurt by a single word from some lady?

I innocently waved my hand toward her as she left.

“Have a safe trip!”

* * *

Valois Mansion.

The Duchess looked at her extremely agitated husband with a pale face.

Bang!!

When he slammed the table, the Duchess’s shoulders flinched and shrank back.

“D-dear, don’t worry. If the Grand Duchess steps in…!”

“We came out like we were being chased without even being offered a cup of tea, and you think that old woman will step in for us!”

“Th-then what about Nils and me…?”

The Duchess covered her mouth with trembling hands and quickly approached her husband.

“Then what should we do? Is there no way? Dear!”

The Duke frowned menacingly.

‘Damn it, damn it…!’

The Duke had issued a statement last month trying to prevent Priest Adolf’s execution. However, in the end, Adolf’s execution could not be stopped and he fell out of the Emperor’s favor.

At such a time, his family had caused a major incident, so it couldn’t be resolved with ordinary means.

He roughly ran his hand through his hair and pulled the bell cord. Soon the Administrator entered and the Duke spoke.

“Go and prepare ‘that thing’. I will present it to the Emperor soon.”

At her husband’s words, the Duchess’s eyes widened.

“By that, you don’t mean the thing you developed with the Temple, do you?”

“That’s right.”

“If he receives that, will the Emperor change his mind?”

“He’ll have no choice.”

What was ‘that thing’? It was an item developed by sharing all the documents collected since their ancestors’ time with the Temple.

If he received that, even the Emperor’s eyes would light up.

Duke Valois took out a small card from the drawer, fondled it, and pulled up the corners of his mouth.

This was an amazing item that could not only cover his family’s faults but also strengthen his relationship with the Emperor.

‘It’s the kind of thing that would make even the thorn-in-my-side Dubbled cling to my feet begging to purchase it.’

This medium-range teleportation circle could move over 3 kilometers further than the short-range teleportation circles currently on the market.

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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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