The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 206
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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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Imperial Palace Corridor.
“Mother!”
A child crossed the carpet, curly blonde hair fluttering behind them.
Kanaelle followed behind with quiet steps.
“Mother, Yan has been waiting and waiting. Where did you go for seven whole nights?”
“…Adrian.”
Karin lifted the child with a tired expression.
And roughly patted their forehead a few times before saying.
“I had business to attend to. You know your mother is busy, don’t you.”
The child’s name was Adrian Lacteus Carillonia.
The Second Prince of the Taranta Empire and Karin’s son who had just turned seven.
“But Mother. I was so sad all this time. Playing only with Wet Nurse every day was boring too….”
“Sorry, but I’ll listen later. I need to go see the Officials right away.”
Adrian’s small eyebrows drooped.
“Yes….”
Karin handed Adrian over to Kanaelle and said dryly.
“Take him to Wet Nurse.”
Adrian sniffled and leaned his head against Kanaelle’s chest.
And watching Karin’s retreating back, he said.
“Mother is always busy.”
“….”
“Nobody here plays with me. Everyone hates me.”
Kanaelle patted Adrian’s back.
Adrian pouted his lips and stared at Kanaelle.
“Kanaelle. No matter how much I think about it, Yan must be useless. Only Kanaelle and Wet Nurse like Yan.”
Kanaelle widened her eyes, then moved one hand to point toward the window.
Adrian turned his gaze and reluctantly nodded.
“Of course Grandmother and big brother like Yan too, but….”
“If you know that, why are you making such a sad face. How can someone who’s only seven years old say they’re useless.”
At that moment, a stern voice came from behind.
Adrian looked back at the owner of the voice and quickly climbed down from Kanaelle’s arms.
And hurriedly ran to stand before the Dowager Empress.
“Grandmother!”
The Dowager Empress bent down and patted Adrian’s head a couple times before asking.
“What brings you to the Grand Council Hall? Are you trying to attend the meeting too, Adrian?”
“No! Adrian is still too young to attend meetings! I have to become a big adult like big brother to do that!”
“Then why did you come here?”
Adrian fidgeted with his fingers.
“Well, everyone said Mother came here….”
The Dowager Empress’s gaze turned toward the far end of the corridor.
In the distance, she could see the Empress just turning the corner and disappearing.
The Dowager Empress’s expression became serious.
“It’s true that your mother frequently visits her family home.”
However, she soon erased her expression and smiled at Adrian.
“Adrian, do you like your mother?”
“Yes!”
“How much do you like her?”
“More than Butler, but a little less than Wet Nurse!”
A strange look crossed the Dowager Empress’s face.
“A little less than Wet Nurse? But she’s your mother?”
Adrian answered cheerfully.
“Mother gave birth to Yan but didn’t raise me. She doesn’t give much love either. So I like Wet Nurse more.”
The Dowager Empress closed her mouth for a moment.
However, after patting Adrian’s back a few times, she said to Kanaelle.
“Take him to his room. I’m asking you.”
Kanaelle nodded and lifted Adrian again.
As soon as the two moved away, the Dowager Empress muttered.
“Poor thing. What sin has the child committed, tsk. Isn’t that right, Jeremy.”
Butler Jeremy, who was standing beside her, nodded.
“…It’s true that the Second Prince, no, Adrian is pitiful.”
“Though it’s also true that Tian was far more pitiful.”
Jeremy closed his mouth.
Soon he asked in a small voice.
“When you punish Karin for her crimes in the future, will you punish Adrian as well?”
The Dowager Empress stared toward the far end of the corridor without saying anything.
“Who knows.”
Then she quietly added.
“If necessary, I suppose I’ll have to.”
And then she began walking.
At the same time.
Karin, who had disappeared around the corner, changed direction once more instead of going to the Grand Assembly Hall.
Walking through the maze-like twisted corridors, she came upon an abandoned room full of dust.
Karin entered and locked the door behind her, then muttered.
“I failed.”
“What do you mean by that!”
Simultaneously, someone who had been hiding silently in the shadows jumped out.
He roughly grabbed Karin’s hands and asked urgently.
“Failed again? Failed again!”
The one asking in disbelief was Duke Hunt, Etian.
“I don’t know! I don’t know either!”
Karin irritably shook off Etian’s hands.
“What can I do when it won’t work? The energy I felt when I first used the scale, that response, no matter what I do now it won’t appear!”
Etian stepped back with his jaw clenched.
Thirty years ago, Karin was the only one he thought might be useful and spared.
He had killed both her mother and father directly, but left Karin alone.
There was only one reason.
“I know my parents did terrible things. But why me? I’m not them! I don’t want to die, it’s unfair!”
Karin’s parents had staged a rebellion within the family.
On the day they were executed, twelve-year-old Karin stared directly at Etian and demanded.
“You’ll regret killing me, won’t you? That thing that’s just taking up space in the basement, that ritual altar!”
“….”
“I, no, only I know how to use it.”
An object passed down through generations in the Hunt Family.
According to the first Lord’s records, that object received as proof of a contract with a god was a ‘sacred relic’.
However, there had never been anyone who could properly handle that object.
Until that day, that moment when Karin stepped forward.
“In two days. Go back to Hunt Territory.”
Etian spoke with a voice filled with anger, his teeth clenched.
“Go there and somehow! By any means necessary, regain the power of the sacred relic and deal with the Emperor!”
He roughly grabbed Karin’s wrist.
“Thirty years ago, you should have been beheaded along with your parents.”
“…Let go.”
“You should have had your neck cut as a traitor’s daughter, but there was only one reason I let you live. Because you know how to handle the sacred relic.”
“I said let go!”
“I made you Empress and treated you well all this time, so did you forget your place? Karin Hunt.”
Hatred filled Karin’s eyes.
However, Etian only glared at Karin with an even colder intensity.
“If you fail to kill the Emperor and succeed in the rebellion. If I cannot become Emperor.”
“…”
“I will finish what I couldn’t do thirty years ago. So remember that.”
Blood vessels bulged in the whites of Karin’s eyes.
Etian released Karin’s wrist as if it were filthy.
Hot breath burst from Karin’s mouth as she glared at the door Etian had left through.
“…Vermin of a human.”
She ground her teeth.
“As if I’d be crazy enough to hand over the imperial throne to an old man like you. Once the rebellion succeeds…”
One corner of her mouth slowly twisted.
“That position is mine, Etian Hunt.”
A cold voice echoed through the dusty room.
“The one who will be beheaded won’t be me, but you.”
“The bottom right definitely has this shape. The left side too… it’s a bit confusing, but I think it’s correct.”
Kanaelle nodded as she carefully examined the ritual altar.
I finally smiled brightly.
“Wow, then that’s it! This is enough!”
As if her tension finally eased, Kanaelle leaned back against the sofa.
“Thank goodness. How nice would it be if I could remember things I’ve seen once like you? You don’t know how hard I tried not to forget the spell pattern from when we left Hunt Territory until now.”
I silently pushed the cookies and tea toward Kanaelle.
Kanaelle brought a biscuit covered with plenty of chocolate to her mouth with a happy expression.
“Sister. You’re still pretending to be sick, right?”
Kanaelle nodded while chewing.
“Yeah. That medicine you gave me last time really worked well. As soon as I took it, I felt nauseous and threw up a lot in front of Karin. But that wasn’t real blood, right?”
“It’s plant sap that looks similar to blood. It doesn’t harm your body at all either. How did Karin react?”
“She just smiled? Maybe she was happy that she didn’t need to kill me directly.”
I spoke in a serious voice.
“Sister. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“The past seven years. Eating and sleeping next to Karin, following her to Hunt Territory and memorizing the altar’s shape for me.”
“Hey, it took longer than expected because my memory is terrible. I’m actually sorry about that.”
“No, you couldn’t have done any better than that! Once this is over, you’ll really be able to rest peacefully after that.”
Kanaelle smiled sheepishly.
Then she let out a small sigh.
“It feels good to think about resting. But… I keep worrying about Yan.”
My eyes widened.
“Yan relies on me a lot. He really likes me and the Wet Nurse. If I’m said to be dead, he’ll be hurt.”
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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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