The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 159
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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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In the greenhouse where silence had settled.
“Lord Wendel… I told you so…”
“I have nothing to say…”
I blankly stared back and forth between the two people.
Teacher Ann with her reddened face, unable to even lift her head.
Wendel with a troubled expression like someone who had committed a sin.
Even the rose flowers surrounding them both.
“…”
Behind Wendel, the cloth that had fallen from the ceiling earlier was crumpled up.
“L-let’s talk about this later since Annellia is here.”
Teacher Ann turned her body toward me.
“Let’s go, Annellia.”
“Are you going to avoid it like this again?”
But at that moment, Wendel’s voice stopped us in our tracks.
Teacher Ann hesitated.
I seized the opportunity and slipped my shoulder out of Teacher Ann’s hand.
Then I quietly stepped aside.
In my field of vision, I could see Wendel staring intently at Teacher Ann.
“Teacher, do you really… hate me that much?”
“…”
“I’m asking if you absolutely cannot see me as a romantic partner, even if it kills you.”
My mouth fell open involuntarily.
As I hesitantly covered my gaping mouth, Teacher Ann whirled around to face Wendel.
“Yes, that’s right.”
Teacher Ann’s voice sounded like she was suppressing something.
“I told you, didn’t I? Lord Wendel is like… a good younger brother to me.”
Wendel’s face hardened.
His eyes clearly showed signs of being hurt.
But Teacher Ann continued speaking.
“I was eighteen when I first started running the orphanage. Do you know how old the children I took care of were?”
“…”
They were six years old, just starting to lose their baby teeth. The exact same age as Lord Wendel.”
I racked my brain to calculate both their ages.
‘Teacher Ann is thirty-nine.’
And Wendel is…
“How can I see Lord Wendel, who’s the same age as the children I cared for, as a man? Lord Wendel speaks so easily about it, but for me, it’s been 12 years—time that can’t be ignored.”
That was right.
Wendel was only twenty-seven.
As a result, the age difference between them was twelve years.
Teacher Ann weakly lowered her head.
“I was grateful for your feelings. But what’s not right is not right.”
Then she bit her lip.
“I’m just a commoner, but Lord Wendel is a nobleman from the Abner branch family. Plus, the age difference can’t be ignored either. So…”
“Then why did you act that way a few weeks ago?”
At that moment, Wendel interrupted the teacher’s words.
“The night we watched the night view together behind the townhouse.”
Teacher Ann lifted her head.
I also hesitated along with her.
Behind the townhouse, watching the night view?
“Teacher, weren’t you behind the main manor a few nights ago?”
“I think I saw something through the research room window a few days ago.”
“I saw it clearly and went ‘Wow, this is really crazy!'”
Could it be, could it be that what Owen saw a few weeks ago was…
“Th-that was…”
“It was my first time.”
I took another step to the side.
Then I quietly went behind the nearby bushes.
‘I am air. I am air from now on.’
Hoping that the two would please forget about my existence, I crouched down low.
“You say I’m not even a man, so why did you act that way that night?”
Did killing even my breathing have an effect?
Wendel continued speaking in a trembling voice.
“Ever since that day, I…”
As I stole glances at Wendel, I covered my mouth with one hand.
‘Crying? Uncle Wendel is crying?’
If there was something I had never seen once in the past 5 years, it was Wendel’s tears.
He was only gentle with me; Wendel was originally a taciturn person.
“L-Lord Wendel.”
Sure enough, Teacher Ann showed a flustered expression.
“That day, I…”
“Please don’t say it was a mistake. I know it wasn’t a mistake. No, it couldn’t have been a mistake.”
Wendel took a step toward Teacher Ann.
“Of course, it wasn’t a mistake for me either.”
The distance between the two grew closer.
“Please, can’t you just see me as myself?”
“Lord Wendel, I…!”
“What does social status matter, what does age matter! When a person likes another person.”
Teacher Ann cast her eyes downward.
In the suffocating silence.
It was when the tense atmosphere continued.
“My disciple! My disciple!”
Suddenly, it became noisy outside the greenhouse.
“They said she went toward the greenhouse, but where on earth is she…! I just remembered now.”
I secretly held my forehead.
“My disciple! This master finally remembered! I finally remembered what I saw outside the research room window last time!”
“…”
“What I saw was…! Well!”
Owen’s voice suddenly cut off.
Looking outside the bushes, I could see Owen frozen in exactly the same pose as me when I first arrived.
I scratched my head and then walked out from behind the bushes.
“M-Master. Let’s go.”
“…Strange? It was this scene back then too?”
“Stop it and let’s hurry up and go.”
“No, those two were standing side by side like that back then too? Then your teacher first…”
“Oh, come on!”
When I smacked Owen’s arm, Owen shut his mouth.
I practically dragged Owen along as we left the greenhouse.
And leaving Teacher Ann and Wendel behind, I hurriedly escaped from the rear of the main building.
For now, I had to take the oblivious Owen and get out of this place.
“I see.”
In the basement of the main residence that used to be the research room.
Owen shook his head back and forth.
“So that’s how it was? That’s why the atmosphere between you two was strange.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“What, Master, you weren’t completely oblivious after all?”
“What are you talking about? I did sense something. Whenever you two were together, the atmosphere felt awkward.”
“But you still couldn’t remember that important scene until now.”
“That’s because I saw it after staying up for three nights straight, so I wasn’t sure if it was real!”
As if still shocked by the revelation, Owen let out a “Hya-” sound.
“Now that I think about it, you two were really obvious. From what I could see, Miel and Soya definitely knew about this.”
“We were that obvious?”
“Yeah. Even if Ann didn’t notice, Wendel really showed it. Starting from his eyes.”
“Starting from his eyes? I couldn’t tell at all…”
Owen chuckled.
“There are things kids don’t understand. A certain kind of look in the eyes that can’t be hidden. When someone’s so concerned about the other person that they can’t sit still.”
“…”
“Ah, what is love anyway? Don’t you think it’s fascinating when you think about it, my disciple?”
I shook my head.
Whether I responded or not, Owen continued talking.
“You know there’s that theory about love paralyzing reason? I think there’s some truth to that.”
Owen, who had been pondering, suddenly made an “Ah” sound.
“But how did you end up at the greenhouse? I saw that poor kid was even keeping watch.”
“Oh, that…”
I let out a deep sigh.
“I was going to ask Uncle Wendel to teach me how to shoot a bow.”
“Why archery all of a sudden? Don’t tell me you’re planning to catch something during this hunt?”
I shook my head.
“Not me. Animals are apparently much faster than expected. I’m not even going to try since I know I can’t do it anyway.”
“Then who?”
“Well…”
After confirming the door was firmly closed, I spoke.
“Tian.”
Owen’s eyes widened.
I continued speaking dejectedly.
“This hunt is really important to Tian.”
“…”
“The Blessing Festival is actually a very political event, right? So since he’s supervising it anyway, it would be perfect if Tian could catch the sacrifice with his own hands…”
I spoke seriously.
“I think Tian can’t fight. He has no talent for martial arts.”
“…”
“Master. Do you remember how Tian kept coming to learn swordsmanship from Uncle Logrio until two years ago?”
Owen didn’t answer.
I looked at him and continued speaking.
“According to what Dimas told me, when swordsmen start manifesting aura, they usually change masters. But Tian learned only from Uncle Logrio for three whole years and then suddenly quit.”
“…”
“He must not have made any progress in swordsmanship. And when Imperial Palace affairs started getting busy, he just gave up on martial arts altogether.”
If that wasn’t the case, it wouldn’t make sense for Tian to suddenly quit sword lessons two years ago.
“Armin and Dimas are making a fuss about catching the sacrifice themselves…”
I couldn’t shake off my worry that Tian might be compared to those two.
As I fidgeted anxiously, Owen muttered.
“This is the look in the eyes I was talking about.”
“Huh?”
“Never mind… There are things like that.”
For some reason, Owen looked at me and shook his head back and forth.
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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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