The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 197

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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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“Then the key issue would be how to make Empress Karin let her guard down.”

It was Rico who unexpectedly broke the settled silence.

Rico spoke matter-of-factly.

“That woman wouldn’t make contact with the evil god where everyone can see.”

Grandmother nodded her head.

Then she took something out of her pocket.

My eyes widened as I confirmed what the object was.

“This…!”

“Yes, it’s what Jayden had. I confiscated it because it looked similar to what you described.”

I stared intently at Crookiatus’s scale placed on the table.

It was to check if there was any dark magic remaining inside that could harm people.

But I couldn’t sense anything from within it.

“Annellia, what you want is to confirm how Empress Karin charges this thing?”

When I nodded, Grandmother’s brow furrowed.

“…Then we’ll have to start by delivering this to Karin by whatever means necessary.”

Wen stepped forward.

“But it would be dangerous if it’s revealed that we delivered it. We should disguise it as if the Prince, no, Jayden sent it.”

The meeting hall fell into silence.

Soon, Grandmother made a suggestion in an uncertain voice.

“How about we have Jayden write a letter? Making it seem like he’s having someone secretly deliver the item.”

Lady Isabel shook her head.

“If it were my brother, he definitely would have delivered it personally.”

Then she glanced at Tian.

“The relationship between the Empress and my brother is… that kind of relationship. It wouldn’t make sense to deliver such an important item with just a letter.”

Silence continued again.

But I couldn’t think of any proper way to deliver the scale either.

Eventually, after pondering for a moment, I spoke up.

“While everyone’s thinking, can I suggest another opinion?”

Then I looked at Grandmother.

“I’ve been thinking about it. If we’re planning to watch Karin, it would be advantageous to place many of our people in the Imperial Palace.”

Grandmother nodded with curious eyes.

She seemed curious about what I was trying to say.

“So what I’m saying is…”

I turned my head to look at Tian.

“How about His Highness Tian and I get engaged for just a few years?”

I heard Lady Isabel quietly gasp behind me.

I quickly waved my hands at Tian as if to tell him not to worry.

“Of course, we’ll break off the engagement right away when Your Highness wants to later! This is just to make it easier for members of the Abner family to come and go from the Imperial Palace.”

When I turned my head as if asking ‘isn’t that right?’, I saw Rico and Owen somehow sweating profusely.

Grandmother had been silent since a moment ago.

I tilted my head.

‘Hmm. I thought everyone would agree, saying it’s a good idea.’

Then I added in a puzzled voice.

“Um, if His Highness Tian and I get engaged, I can comfortably enter the Crown Prince’s Palace too.”

“…”

“I can also check when Empress Karin contacts the evil god, and give strength to the Dowager Empress faction nobles…”

“No way!”

Suddenly, an urgent voice was heard out of nowhere.

When I turned my head, the meeting hall door was wide open.

Through it, I could see someone whose face had turned pale.

“Scales or whatever. What kind of engagement for a ten-year-old? Absolutely not.”

The person speaking rapidly was Theo.

Theo, who had sent Rico saying he wouldn’t attend today’s meeting.

Theo urgently shifted his gaze to look at Lady Isabel.

“Bell, why are you just sitting there? You should tell the child not to say such strange things!”

“That’s right! The Magtop Lord is correct! Annellia, what are you saying right now?”

At that moment, Grandmother, who had been silent the whole time, also spoke up.

Grandmother was looking at me with a face almost on the verge of fainting.

“Engagement? How can you decide such a thing without consulting this old woman? No, absolutely not!”

I looked at the two people with a flustered face.

“Uh, I didn’t decide without consulting, I mean, that’s why I’m asking now…?”

“No way! Even if dirt, no, rocks get in my eyes, that’s not happening!”

However, Grandmother didn’t seem to want to listen to what I was saying.

I stared at Tian with a dumbfounded expression.

“Was it such a bad idea…? What about you, Your Highness?”

However, Tian didn’t answer readily.

He was just staring at me with a somewhat surprised expression.

‘I thought Tian would be the first to oppose, what’s going on here.’

Tian was actually staying quiet, while Grandmother, who I thought would readily permit it, was showing the complete opposite reaction.

Then,

“I’m in favor.”

Lady Isabel said.

Lady Isabel continued calmly.

“Since it’s Annellia’s engagement, Annellia should do as she wants. Especially if she thinks that’s the right thing to do.”

“Isabel! What are you saying to the child right now!”

“That’s right, Bell. What’s this sudden talk of engagement? And deciding so suddenly is absurd!”

Grandmother and Theo strongly objected.

Grandmother was one thing, but this was the first time I’d seen Theo express emotions so intensely.

Of course, Lady Isabel didn’t budge.

“Mom, honey. It’s Annellia’s life. We should let Annellia do as she wants. Besides, what’s important now isn’t our opinion, but the opinion of the party involved, His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Grandmother and Theo looked toward Tian as if just remembering.

Both of their eyes were gleaming fiercely.

However, Tian answered quietly without even looking at them.

“…I like it.”

I asked back with a surprised face.

“Really? Is it really okay?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s a relief! I thought Your Highness would strongly oppose it!”

“Why would I oppose it?”

“Well, Your Highness has a somewhat romantic side. I thought you’d want to get engaged to someone you truly love. Not this kind of contract engagement.”

Tian furrowed his brow.

Then he muttered, ‘But I am that kind of person.’

Before I could understand what that meant, Theo strode over here.

“No. This isn’t right. This won’t do. Tell her no, Bell. What won’t do, won’t do.”

Lady Isabel looked at Theo with a puzzled expression.

“I’ll follow our daughter’s opinion on everything. If you want to oppose it, you’ll have to tell Annellia directly yourself.”

Theo glanced at me with a start.

However, without being able to say anything, he shifted his gaze back to Lady Isabel.

“You’re the mother. As a mother, tell her that such a sudden engagement decision doesn’t exist anywhere, that even if it’s a contract engagement, you can’t allow it, that there’s no one in the world to trust except parents.”

Lady Isabel burst into laughter.

“First, saying there’s no one to trust besides parents isn’t appropriate. And is Annellia really a child who would make wrong judgments?”

“Even so, you’d arrange an engagement with some boy she barely knows, no, with the Crown Prince?”

“I will take special care of that matter.”

At that moment, Tian interrupted Theo’s words.

For some reason, Tian looked at Theo with determined eyes and continued speaking.

“So you won’t have to worry, I’ll fulfill my responsibilities as a fiancé more thoroughly from now on…”

“Fiancé, what…!”

For some reason, Theo gritted his teeth and gripped the table.

Lady Isabel shook her head as she watched Theo like that.

“Just sit down for now, you. Were you eavesdropping from outside the whole time? If you’re going to do that, just participate.”

Theo sat down unsteadily in an empty chair while holding his forehead.

Even while doing so, he muttered in a voice filled with frustration.

“If we’re going to have an engagement, we need an engagement ceremony, and according to Imperial tradition, she’d have to eat and sleep at the Imperial Palace for two weeks.”

“That’s fine to do, what’s the problem?”

“Annellia needs to stay at the Duke’s Castle. She needs to stay safely next to you, me, and His Grace.”

“I agree as well.”

Grandmother muttered gravely.

Everyone looked at Grandmother.

“I thought you were just a spineless coward. It’s good that we share the same opinion on such an important matter at least. Continue speaking.”

Theo looked down and then added.

“She’s still a child. I think engagement is too early.”

“That’s right.”

“Also… even if it’s a contract engagement, I think Annellia is too precious for this.”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying!”

I watched the two people who were in perfect agreement, then turned my gaze to Lady Isabel.

Lady Isabel, whose eyes met mine, shrugged her shoulders at me.

Then Rico quietly raised one hand.

“Well, no one would be curious, but I’m also in favor of this engagement.”

Theo’s brow furrowed deeply.

But Rico continued speaking comfortably.

“If they get engaged, as Lady Lili said, palace access becomes easier, and it becomes more convenient to monitor Empress Karin.”

He gestured toward the scale placed on the table.

“We could use the engagement ceremony period when she’ll be staying at the Imperial Palace to deliver the scale too, couldn’t we?”

I tilted my head.

“Exactly how?”

“By disguising as Jayden. We could naturally deliver it to Empress Karin.”

Everyone’s eyes widened at the mention of disguise.

Rico calmly pointed at Theo.

“It seems no one knew, but my brother is a genius at disguise. When he’s determined to deceive, no one can tell.”

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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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