The Baby Raising A Devil - Chapter 98

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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 98

* * *

When I finished talking with the chairman and returned to Grand Lady Camilla, the atmosphere was chaotic.

The Grand Lady was looking at the noble ladies with a rarely seen angry expression.

“I owe my child an apology. Due to my poor judgment of character at this age, I chose the wrong people to invite. You ladies have no business being at a gathering to introduce my child.”

I groaned inwardly.

On the 8th, people would flock to Duchess Valois’s party rather than mine. For me, it would be more beneficial to withdraw the invitations entirely rather than have empty tables at my party venue.

Of course, if that happened, Godmother would be criticized for being swayed by emotions and not thinking of the child she was educating.

‘She’s thinking of me.’

I quietly took the Grand Lady’s hand.

The Grand Lady looked at me briefly, then passed by the noble ladies.

The noble ladies hurriedly greeted the Grand Lady, but she didn’t acknowledge them.

The Grand Lady remained silent throughout. Only after we had toured the entire second floor did she place her hands on my shoulders and meet my gaze.

“I will create a new invitation list with those who have ties to me. Since they are not blinded by immediate gains, you need not worry about the party.”

“Yes, Godmother.”

I answered obediently and hugged the Grand Lady’s waist.

“She has good judgment, this child…”

The Grand Lady said this, but she didn’t seem displeased, so I giggled and said,

“But I like Godmother!”

“Such a spoiled child.”

Considering the Grand Lady’s temperament, I must be the first child to suddenly hug her like this.

‘Lionel is also a shy child, so he probably doesn’t act spoiled with the Grand Lady.’

As expected, the Grand Lady seemed quite pleased with my affection, softening her eyes.

I smiled innocently like a child, but in my head, I was fiercely thinking sinister schemes.

‘I saw all the faces of those who were secretly happy when the Grand Lady said they shouldn’t come.’

* * *

After parting with the Grand Lady, I returned to the mansion.

As I got out of the carriage, Laura took my hat and said,

“Young Lady, gifts arrived from the territory today!”

“Gifts?”

When I widened my eyes as if asking what they were, Laura giggled and glanced at the mansion.

I tilted my head and entered the mansion. Then I widened my eyes at the sight of familiar faces.

“Dahlia, Linda, Yuni!”

My face instantly brightened as I ran toward them, and the maids squealed “Kyaa!” as they embraced me.

“What happened?”

These three people had committed more serious offenses compared to other employees of Dubbled, making it difficult for them to leave the territory.

“Lady Javelin summoned us!”

“Aunt did?”

“Yes, she resolved our travel restrictions in exchange for us serving Young Lady well!”

I took a deep breath and looked at my aunt standing among the employees.

‘Even for aunt, this must have been difficult.’

Recently she had been reviewing documents day and night, and when she wasn’t home, it must have been because of this matter.

This wasn’t something that could be done with just a few words. Only the Emperor and the Pope could pardon criminals. Either way, it would have required tremendous effort. I couldn’t even imagine how much money was involved.

“Thank you, Aunt!”

“I’m glad you’re happy about it.”

She bent one knee and smiled brightly while looking at me.

“Now no one can take your people away from you. Not even me.”

‘Ah…’

It seems she had been constantly worried about assigning my maids to that child during the Mireille incident.

“I can’t fully compensate for the hurt I caused you with just this…”

“Aunt, I’m hungry.”

When I changed the subject to indicate she didn’t need to apologize, my perceptive aunt’s eyes grew dim.

Reassigning employees was common, and since Mireille kept collapsing and causing a fuss, there was no choice but to accommodate her.

Besides, she must have been concerned about the other family members’ attitudes too.

Although Father and my brothers were tied up with Mireille, they took better care of me. Even while preparing for the trip to the Imperial Capital, the family members came to check on me whenever they had time, but they never sought out Mireille first.

For aunt, who believed Mireille was the Baby Bird, she must have wanted to give that child something, anything else.

Aunt smiled bitterly and stroked my hair.

“Right. I’ll tell the kitchen to prepare a meal. Come down after you wash up.”

“Yes!”

I took the maids’ hands and went up the stairs.

As soon as we entered the room, the maids examined every corner with eagle eyes.

“The bed is too hard! Young Lady likes softer ones!”

“The clothes are too frilly! What if our Young Lady trips!”

“Kyaaah! Who put scented candles by the bedside! They cause headaches!”

Watching the maids busily organizing the room, I inwardly exclaimed ‘Ooh…’ in admiration.

My room in the Imperial Capital was really nice too, but since they had been with me for so long, it became much more comfortable once their hands touched it.

“Now, Young Lady, shall we change your clothes?”

Linda smiled warmly and led me to the dressing room. Then, with sharp eyes like a badger trying to catch a snake, she scanned the dressing room and picked out my favorite outfit.

I changed clothes, washed my hands thoroughly, and came downstairs.

In the dining room, everyone including aunt, Father, and my brothers had gathered.

“I’ll be the one to escort Little One at the Imperial banquet.”

“Says who?”

“Be quiet. The escort for the first party is designated as the father’s role.”

Isaac, Henri, and Father were glaring fiercely at each other.

‘This topic again.’

For the past few days, the three of them had been practically ready to fight each other to determine who would escort me at the Imperial Palace banquet.

Now tired of that fight, I sat next to Johan with weary eyes.

He placed a napkin on my lap and said.

“For your meal, would you like meat or fish?”

“Meat!”

When he relayed my choice to the Butler, it wasn’t long before a large grilled piece of meat was brought out.

‘Meat… I love it so much.’

My eyes sparkled as I eagerly cut the meat with my knife. When I popped the properly cut meat into my mouth, it felt like magnificent fireworks were exploding – pop! pop! – in my mouth.

Johan placed something on my plate. It was salmon from his dish, cut into small pieces for me.

‘I don’t really like fish though.’

During my beggar days, I had gotten sick from eating spoiled fish. So even after being adopted into Dubbled, I rarely ate fish.

‘But Johan gave it to me…’

I looked at the well-cooked salmon-pink fish with contemplative eyes, then squeezed my eyes shut and put it in my mouth with a “hap” sound.

‘What is this, it’s delicious!’

I was so surprised that I opened my eyes wide and covered my mouth with both hands.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes!”

“It’s grilled salmon. It tastes even better when eaten with the Head Chef’s secret sauce.”

He dipped the fish in black sauce and offered it to me, which I eagerly ate.

‘I know this sauce. This is soy sauce with vinegar.’

It was a sauce made by mixing soy sauce with lemon juice and ground tangy green herbs.

It tasted even better with the sauce.

‘I can’t believe I didn’t know something this delicious existed. I feel like I’ve been missing out on life.’

I looked at Johan’s plate with eyes filled with emotion.

“Have you decided who you want to receive an escort from?”

The moment Johan asked, everyone’s eyes in the dining room focused on me.

I said “No” while concentrating on the fork Johan held out to me. When he spun the fork around once, my head also spun around.

“How about me?”

Completely absorbed in the salmon, I quickly nodded.

“Yes!”

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

Johan fed me the remaining salmon with an arrogant expression.

“Good.”

‘Delicious!’

I was so busy covering my flushed cheeks and mindlessly chewing the salmon that I didn’t notice.

That Father, Henri, and Isaac were looking at me with expressions as if the sky had fallen.

* * *

And time passed, and the day of the banquet arrived.

I arrived at the entrance of the Imperial Palace banquet hall, holding Johan’s arm.

Just as I was about to enter, I glanced back.

Father, Henri, and Isaac’s expressions were gloomy.

‘Maybe I should have just said I’d receive escorts from all four of them in turn.’

Because the family members other than Johan had been in bad moods for several days, the innocent employees and administrative officers had suffered.

It was just as I was looking at my family with eyes that said ‘What should I do?’

“Young Lady.”

“Godmother!”

Grand Lady Camilla and the noble ladies following her welcomed me at the entrance of the banquet hall.

I quickly let go of Johan’s hand and approached them.

“You look very lovely today as well.”

“It’s because I’m wearing Sharon’s dress!”

Then the noble ladies said with wide eyes.

“Sharon, you say? I heard she’s someone who even refused orders from Her Majesty the Empress Dowager, so how…?”

“She’s a close friend of my aunt.”

“Ah, I see.”

While we were having a light conversation, the surroundings became noisy.

“Duke and Duchess Valois are…”

“Today… the medium-range teleportation formation…”

“To His Imperial Majesty…”

Along with murmuring sounds, the people from the Valois ducal family who appeared walked across the banquet hall with a more confident attitude than usual.

“Hahaha! Duke Dubbled!”

Duke Valois, who had been looking around the banquet hall, approached me and Father who were nearby.

“You little mouse!”

“Don’t even think about whispering nonsense to the Empress Dowager. I merely disciplined a terrible girl who brings all kinds of misfortune wherever she goes.”

Suddenly, memories from my second life came flooding back and my breathing became labored.

The sound of the whip cutting through the air and Duke Valois’s footsteps as he grabbed my hair and dragged me down the stairs echoed in my ears.

My lungs kept feeling like they were shrinking, so I twisted my skirt hem tightly.

That’s when it happened.

“Leblaine?”

Father’s gentle warmth touched my fingertips.

“Are you alright?”

“…Yes.”

Like a lie, I felt reassured.

It’s okay.

I won’t be beaten by those hands anymore.

Gone is the me who would frantically hide in the wardrobe and cower at the mere sound of footsteps.

I didn’t avert my gaze from Duke Valois as he strode boldly toward Father and me.

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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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