The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 2

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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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One sunny morning in February.

Ann, the director of Evehill Orphanage, was in a good mood.

‘What a truly perfect start to the day.’

Today, even Tom the sleepyhead had woken up early and tidied his own bed.

The soup she’d hastily made in her rush turned out perfectly seasoned, and even her face in the mirror while washing up looked better than usual.

‘Is it because today’s a special day?’

She looked up with a pleased smile.

Beyond the huge window that occupied one side of the orphanage living room, hills still covered with unmelted snow stretched out.

Above them, a long procession of carriages could be seen lined up in the distance.

“Wow, Duke Longton is really coming!”

Three-year-old Lulu grabbed and shook the hem of her skirt with a bright face.

Ann stroked the child’s head before suddenly scooping her up into her arms.

“That’s right, he’s coming to take big sister Annellia today.”

“Wow, wowow, big sister Annellia is so lucky!!”

Lulu looked around searching for Annellia.

However, Annellia wasn’t among the children gathered together in the living room.

‘That’s strange.’

Ann made a worried expression.

Children facing adoption typically couldn’t sleep the night before from excitement.

It went without saying they’d be practically glued to the living room window on the morning of.

But Annellia wasn’t here.

‘Maybe she went out to the garden?’

She went toward the kitchen and looked out at the backyard through the side window.

But Annellia wasn’t there either.

‘So it wasn’t just my imagination that she seemed uncomfortable…’

Annellia’s adoption had been decided a month ago.

When she’d gently told her the news, Annellia had been overjoyed.

She ate well and slept well.

During playtime, she ran around energetically.

She even clearly explained to the other orphanage children what kind of family House of Longton was.

But then Annellia had suddenly changed.

About two weeks ago, after she’d suddenly burst into tears during dinner.

‘She didn’t show it, but her heart must have been complicated after all.’

Ann secretly let out a small sigh.

Well, it wasn’t just any child, but Annellia.

Annellia was different from ordinary children.

‘And here I am, supposed to be a teacher, not even noticing something like that.’

That child, yes.

She was definitely special.

‘Duck stew with spinach…? Teacher! This is a crime!’

Annellia was quick with words.

How surprised she’d been when that small, thin child, much smaller than her peers, would chatter away combining words.

And that wasn’t all.

‘Teacher, there are no books in the playroom!’

‘No books? Are the books packed full on the bookshelf magic books that only teacher can see~?’

‘Ugh, that’s not it, there are no books for Annellia to read.’

After learning to read, she’d read every book in the orphanage in one go.

Over and over again, until she’d memorized them all.

Because of Annellia, Ann had to frequent the used bookstores in town countless times over two years.

Once, because she’d begged so much, Ann had taken the child directly with her.

As soon as they entered the bookstore, Annellia’s big eyes sparkled as she rummaged around here and there.

Then, just before leaving the store, she shyly presented several thick books to Ann.

‘What’s this, Annellia? Basic Magic Pharmaceutical Dictionary?’

Not fairy tales or picture books, but magic.

The mysterious ability that was called sorcery in ancient times.

According to the empire’s founding legend, Taranta’s ancestors were sorcerers who inherited divine blood.

But as time passed, the sorcerer’s blood grew thin, and people today couldn’t use magic.

That didn’t mean magic had completely disappeared from the world.

Though the process was very complex, limited magic could be used through magic formulas.

There were only two institutions on the continent that researched and published these magic formulas.

The International Mage Tower and the Imperial Pharmaceutical Academy of Taranta.

The book Annellia had picked up was a magic formula textbook written by the Imperial Pharmaceutical Academy.

‘Ha, haha, that book might be a little difficult for our Annellia to read. How about teacher picks out a different book?’

‘…One. The goal of pharmaceutics is to standardize the production of materials needed for magical research.’

‘Annellia?’

‘Two. Magic pharmaceutics is based on all magic formulas consisting of straight lines and curves with defined slopes!’

‘…A, Annellia.’

‘Three. Pharmaceutics is classified as a sub-discipline of magic studies, and its most basic value is…’

‘O, okay, Annellia! I understand.’

That day Ann bought several books she couldn’t even understand: Basic Magic Formulas, Basic Magic Pharmaceutics, Advanced Magic Studies.

When they left the bookstore, she didn’t notice the shop owner staring at them with eyes that seemed ready to pop out.

A few weeks after that incident, a letter bearing the seal of the Longton Family arrived at the orphanage.

‘You want to adopt Annellia?’

To summarize, that’s what happened.

The bookstore owner, impressed by Annellia memorizing the magic dictionary, told his wife about it.

The wife told a regular young man at the library where she worked.

…That young man turned out to be a fellow academy graduate who corresponded with Longton’s administrator.

‘It’s an incredibly strange coincidence, but…’

If a great noble family like Longton wanted to adopt Annellia, Ann had no reason to refuse.

‘His Grace has long hoped to form a precious bond with a child around Annellia’s age. If the adoption goes through, we also promise substantial regular support to Evehill Orphanage.’

Ann was proud of Annellia.

Partly because she wouldn’t have to worry about the orphanage’s finances immediately, but there was something bigger.

When she’d carried that abandoned newborn in her arms and brought her here, she hadn’t known.

She hadn’t known Annellia would be such a special child.

“Lulu, big sister Annellia is a blessing. She’s kind, cute, and even the smartest genius in the world.”

When Ann hugged Lulu tightly, Lulu nodded vigorously.

“Yes! All my friends know! Big sister Annellia is a genius!”

That’s right.

Lia is definitely a genius, no doubt about it.

Just look at this.

Even the great Duke Longton himself has come personally to escort Lia.

All the way to this small and humble Evehill Orphanage at the very edge of the Abner Estate!

Ann carefully set Lulu down.

Then she looked around at the children with a proud expression.

“Now, is everyone ready to go out and greet our guests?”

“Yes!!”

It was truly time to welcome the visitors.

“Welcome, Your Grace.”

I secretly watched the bustling crowd of people in the orphanage garden, holding my breath.

Someone among them greeted Teacher Ann.

“It’s an honor to meet you. Just as you wrote in your letter, this is truly a beautiful place.”

He was the butler of the Longton Family, whom I knew very well.

And beside him was…

“It would be best to skip the cumbersome pleasantries. Where are the children?”

A dignified yet intimidating baritone voice.

The man who had been my adoptive father in my previous life.

My heart pounded the moment I saw Lambert Longton.

I stiffened and crouched even lower behind the barn.

Duke Longton looked younger than I last remembered.

Since I had turned back time, it was perhaps only natural.

Teacher Ann answered respectfully.

“The children are inside.”

“Is that child inside as well?”

“Well, actually…”

Teacher Ann hesitated and trailed off.

Perhaps because of the distance, I couldn’t hear what followed.

Just as I poked my head slightly around the side of the barn to listen more carefully.

“What, the child is anxious?”

Duke Longton asked seriously.

“Yes. Since a few days ago, a little…”

The Duke’s brow furrowed deeply.

After keeping his mouth shut as if pondering for a moment, he spoke.

“…I see. Since you said the child was precocious, perhaps they felt fear about the changing environment.”

He nodded slightly to the administrators around him.

The administrators began looking around the garden as if they had been waiting.

I took a breath and gripped tightly the bundle I was holding under my sleeve.

My hands were already drenched with cold sweat.

‘Why, why.’

It should definitely be time for them to come.

“Why aren’t they coming…”

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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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