The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 210
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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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“Ka, Kanaelle….”
Duke Victor’s territory.
“Kanaelle, open your eyes… How, how could you, why…!”
Duke Victor’s hand trembled as he touched his second daughter’s cheek.
“You must have known her health was never good to begin with.”
The knight sent by Karin spoke coldly.
Duke Victor couldn’t take his eyes off his daughter as thick tears rolled down his cheeks.
“This afternoon, she coughed up blood severely and then passed away. The Empress expressed her condolences.”
The knight spoke matter-of-factly as if the Duke’s grief meant nothing to him, then bowed curtly.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”
“Stop right there!”
However, Duke Victor’s furious voice immediately caught the knight.
“My daughter has come back in this state and that’s all you have to say? Even if it’s Her Majesty the Empress, at least a proper explanation of the situation…!”
“I was ordered to relay this if you became angry as you are now.”
The knight approached and faced Duke Victor.
“‘By principle, I should hold you responsible for offering me such a frail child, but considering your grief over losing your daughter, I’ll let it pass.'”
“…What did you say?”
Duke Victor’s fists trembled violently.
The knight watched this scene dryly before bowing his head once more.
As he mounted his horse, the Duke let out an agonized wail and collapsed over Kanaelle.
“Aaaaah-! This cannot be! Kanaelle, Kanaelle-!”
Behind him, Kanaelle’s older sister Morgan and younger sister Gabriella sobbed.
“Kanaelle, Kanaelle!”
Along with the Duke’s desperate cries, raindrops began to fall from the sky.
The rain soon soaked the Duke’s head and dampened Kanaelle’s clothes.
Just after the knight’s carriage disappeared toward the forest boundary, splashing muddy water.
“Kanaelle….”
Morgan approached with bloodshot eyes and stroked Kanaelle’s cheek as she lay still motionless.
Then she spoke in a wistful voice.
“Get up, the rain washed off all your makeup.”
At the same time, Duke Victor, who had been wailing, cleared his throat and awkwardly got up.
The youngest, Gabriella, ran over and shook the Duke’s shoulder.
“Wow! It was really true that Father’s childhood dream was to be an actor!”
Morgan shook her head.
“Father. I was worried because you couldn’t memorize five lines for over a month, but you did surprisingly well.”
“Ahem! Is, is that so?”
“Yes. Especially the emotional delivery of ‘Stop right there!’ and ‘…What did you say?’ was impressive.”
The Duke scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
“I find it harder to immerse myself when the lines are long.”
“Ugh, won’t someone help me up instead of just standing around?”
Then Kanaelle groaned.
The Duke and Morgan hurriedly pulled Kanaelle out of the wooden coffin.
“I didn’t expect much, but it was truly horrible beyond words. How could she transport a maid who served her for 7 years like this?”
“Exactly! I was so shocked when they just opened the coffin lid right in front of Father!”
Gabriella also shook her head.
Morgan, who had been watching, subtly chimed in.
“But Kanaelle. You were really convincing. Your skin was so pale and cold, you looked exactly like a real corpse.”
“It’s medicine Annellia gave me. It lowers body temperature, so while it’s cold, it’s perfect for playing dead.”
“What about the makeup you put on your skin?”
“She told me to be careful not to let it touch water, but I didn’t know it would rain. Still, since I came in a coffin, no one would have noticed.”
Kanaelle slowly got up and stretched her back.
Then she looked up at the sky where rain was starting to pour and spread her arms wide.
“Ah~ What wonderful weather!”
Morgan came over and covered Kanaelle’s head.
“What’s so wonderful about it? They say it’s going to rain non-stop for a while.”
“Sister, you’ll never understand. The feeling of finally being free after 7 years of serving a woman who was practically my enemy!”
Morgan burst into laughter.
The two soon walked toward the palace under the Duke’s protection.
“By the way, the palace is really empty, isn’t it?”
“We gave everyone vacation except the butler, cook, and head maid! We can’t have everyone fainting from seeing the dead Duke’s daughter walking around perfectly fine!”
Kanaelle patted Gabriella’s head.
“Right, let’s rest quietly for a while.”
“Until the servants return, we each have to clean our own rooms ourselves.”
“What? I’m not good at organizing and cleaning?”
“It’s okay, sister! Then just live messily!”
Duke Victor watched his three chattering daughters and burst into hearty laughter.
Then he firmly locked the palace gates.
The emergency Council of Nobles meeting was in five days.
An unprecedented storm of blood was scheduled to blow through the Imperial Capital.
“So, that singer asked Lady Hamlet to elope with him!”
“And then?”
“It turned out that Lady Hamlet and the singer’s father were the same person!”
Clatter.
Emperor Edward set down the teacup he was holding on the table.
His red eyes were trembling endlessly.
“Is that really true? How could such a thing happen?”
“Do you remember what I mentioned earlier? That Lady Hamlet’s father went to war in his youth.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“It turns out he spent a night with an unknown woman he met on the battlefield, and the child born from that was….”
“The singer, that child became a singer!”
Annellia nodded.
A sigh of “Hah!” burst from Edward’s lips.
“What a twist of fate. This way, the two of them can’t live together….”
Edward looked at Annellia with a troubled expression.
“So? So what happened?”
Annellia shook her head.
“Just as Your Majesty said. They can’t live together, but….”
“But?”
“They can die together.”
Bang!
Edward lightly struck the table.
The tea that spilled from the teacup soaked the tablecloth.
Annellia skillfully pressed and wiped the tea with a nearby cloth while waving her hand.
“Your Majesty. This doesn’t even count as particularly sad. There are other classics that you can’t watch without tears.”
“I don’t want to hear anything like 【The Singer and Lady Hamlet】. They overcame countless trials and hardships and finally confirmed their feelings, but for it to end like this….”
“Alright then! I’ll keep 【The Festival Man】 to myself.”
“…I suppose it would be fine to hear just the beginning. I don’t have anything else to do anyway.”
Annellia’s eyes widened.
As Annellia began chattering again, the Emperor’s eyes became serious.
Tian, who had been watching this scene, burst into a chuckle.
“He seems to have improved a lot.”
The Dowager Empress sitting across from him also nodded her head.
“It’s more than just improvement.”
She added contentedly while sipping her tea.
“He said it feels like the hazy fog that had been clouding his mind has completely cleared.”
Tian raised his gaze to look at the Dowager Empress.
“Since his headaches have mostly disappeared, he seems to sleep through the nights without tossing and turning these days.”
“…That’s a relief.”
The Dowager Empress quietly met Tian’s eyes.
“Tian. A few days ago, Edward casually said something.”
“What did he say?”
“That he doesn’t understand why he made Karin his Empress.”
Tian’s eyes became quite serious.
“Literally. He says he can’t remember what happened during the time when he was selecting an Empress. Also… the events around when Miraena started falling ill.”
Tian’s brow furrowed slightly at the name of the former Empress that flowed from the Dowager Empress’s lips.
Dowager Empress Miraena.
She was a mother who had left Tian’s side when he was too young, and now he could barely even remember her.
“If my guess is correct, it seems Karin had been consistently using dark magic even before we knew about it.”
“…”
“To become Empress, and to seize power in the Imperial Palace.”
Tian’s eyes darkened.
The story that Karin was using black magic around the time the former Empress passed away meant…
‘That woman was involved in Mother’s death.’
Tian turned his head to look at the Emperor and Annellia, who were still engaged in conversation.
Annellia had been visiting the Emperor regularly since the day of their engagement ceremony seven years ago.
When told it wasn’t necessary, she would always repeat the same words with an awkward expression.
“I’m doing this because I want to! I’m only telling Your Majesty this, but actually when I was little, I secretly said terrible things about His Majesty.”
“What did you say?”
“I can’t tell you that because it would be terrible, but anyway, since I was the one who misunderstood His Majesty the Emperor, I’ll treat you well from now on!”
“Aren’t you uncomfortable around Father?”
“What’s there to be uncomfortable about? Maybe it’s because I have a father now too, but when I think of Your Majesty as a father, it only feels comfortable.”
The Emperor, who had initially been uncomfortable with Annellia, gradually changed.
These days, those two were completely absorbed in novels popular among commoners.
“So when Young Lady Lillianne had just turned seventeen, the moment she saw Young Lord Teakan, she fell in first love…”
“Seventeen, that’s much younger than Lady Homlet. Come to think of it, Annellia, weren’t you also seventeen?”
“Oh, yes. Why?”
“Do all young ladies experience their first love at that age these days? Annellia, is that the case for you too?”
Tian’s head slowly turned.
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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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