The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 214
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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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‘It’s because of me.’
No, it’s not because of me.
“You succeeded in grafting it to the right arm?”
“Yes! Though the other twenty-two died.”
This happened after I was isolated at the Longton Estate.
At twelve years old, locked in solitary confinement, I could finally understand the meaning of that conversation I had heard in my childhood.
‘Implanting magical devices into human bodies.’
That thought I had formed in my young mind was put into action by Duke Longton.
And in that process, children with nowhere to go were mobilized as test subjects.
Everything became clear only after I stole the documents from Duke Longton’s office.
A total of twenty-four children were mobilized.
Only one of them survived and lasted three years.
That child’s name was Shasha.
“What are you doing?”
When I raised my head with trembling eyes, I saw Shasha with a very tense expression.
Vividly glowing orange pupils.
Hair that looked mottled with black and white mixed together.
‘I had completely forgotten.’
When my past life self noticed this incident, everything was already over.
All the children who had become test subjects were dead, and Duke Longton had not continued the experiments.
There was nothing I could do.
Nothing but blame myself that those children died because of me.
‘It was so painful… I tried to forget.’
And at some point, I seemed to have truly forgotten.
There were many other painful things happening at that time anyway.
After being reborn, I had never once thought about those experiments.
Because I had settled in Abner, not Longton.
Because I hadn’t said things like ‘Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could put magical devices into human bodies?’ to Duke Longton.
So Duke Longton wouldn’t have carried out those terrible experiments.
I thought there would be no incident of twenty-three children dying.
“Where did you get this?”
Shasha wrapped bandages around his right arm with a stern expression.
Every time his hand moved, the mangled skin came into view.
Flesh that was completely torn and tattered.
Iron and metal rods implanted in terrible shapes on top of it.
“Please answer me.”
When I spoke in a voice that was sobbing without realizing it, Shasha finally raised his head.
His eyes showed bewilderment along with faint suspicion.
Well, it was understandable since I had suddenly appeared, exposed his arm, and was demanding to know how this happened.
‘He could be angry about what I’m doing…’
“It’s a bit difficult here, but I’ll tell you if we go somewhere quiet.”
Shasha readily agreed.
Then he looked around and gestured toward an empty research room nearby.
“How about we go over there.”
When I nodded, he took the lead and entered the research room.
“I was experimented on by the now-extinct House of Longton.”
As soon as we sat down, Shasha spoke.
I unconsciously clenched my fists tightly.
Shasha continued as if it was troublesome.
“They captured about thirty-something kids and attached strange machines to their arms, legs, and chests. All of them died. Except for me.”
Even though I was clenching my fists, my body trembled uncontrollably.
I could feel Shasha looking at me with an expression that was half worry, half suspicion.
“Seven years ago, Duke Longton died, right? When the family was on the verge of extinction, someone set fire to the palace, and I was locked in the basement at that time.”
Shasha quietly looked down at his right arm.
“Then a girl named Hiana Longton came and opened the door for me. Said I shouldn’t be there.”
“…Who?”
“Hiana Longton.”
Hiana.
When Longton was destroyed, Hiana and the three princes disappeared.
People believed the Dowager Empress had shown mercy and spared those four, but that wasn’t true.
Those four had already fled before the Dowager Empress could make her decision.
“Actually, I was on the verge of death because I couldn’t eat or sleep well in the basement.”
Shasha frowned.
“But she took me to some forest cottage, treated me, and gave me food. The three boys took turns getting food, so even with five people, we could survive.”
Then he stared at me quietly.
“I found out later that they were the Longton princess and the three princes.”
I barely managed to calm my rising breath.
My heart was pounding, perhaps because too much information had come in such a short time.
‘Hiana and the princes are alive.’
It seemed they were quietly hiding somewhere in the forest.
“When my condition improved, they blindfolded me and brought me to Longton Territory City. They said I couldn’t stay with them forever. I didn’t want to keep living with them either.”
When Shasha rolled up his sleeve, the terrible wound was revealed once again.
“Hiana Longton said that. My arm was already irreparably damaged and needed medicine applied consistently.”
Through the bandages, Shasha’s arm condition was visible in more detail.
The magical devices that had been forcibly grafted were mostly broken, leaving only their forms.
The metals touching bone and flesh seemed to be constantly causing inflammation.
“If I don’t disinfect twice daily and change the bandages, the inflammation gets worse. Well, even when the inflammation is less severe, it’s still hideous to look at.”
Shasha glanced at me.
“That’s why I deliberately hide it. How did you know?”
I couldn’t give any answer.
So I stared blankly at Shasha’s arm.
‘I thought it was entirely because of me.’
I thought it happened because I said something unnecessary to Duke Longton.
But perhaps, that incident would have happened even without me.
The number of children mobilized for the experiments was nearly ten more than the twenty-four from my previous life.
“Ha…”
I barely managed to compose my expression.
And I faced Shasha.
“I just happened to find out. Doesn’t it hurt?”
Shasha’s eyes widened.
He let out a small laugh.
“Of course it hurts. Maybe because I’ve held back screams so much during disinfection, at some point my hair became like this too.”
Shasha’s hair, mixed with white and black, looked mottled like a botched dye job.
Shasha waved his arm to show me.
“At first, I thought about just cutting it off.”
“…”
“After Abner Territory was integrated with Longton Territory, my resident registration was restored too.”
He looked at me with sparkling eyes for some reason.
“The person who created the medicine that keeps this mangled arm from rotting turned out to be the Abner Duchess, no less.”
I silently looked at Shasha.
“At first it was curiosity. You were still young, so how did you create such an incredible medicine? I snuck into a nearby academy to eavesdrop on classes, and it made me curious.”
“…”
“What exactly is this machine that Lambert Longton attached to my arm.”
That’s how the research institute came to be, and Shasha submitted his name to the research institute.
Thanks to his decent test scores, Shasha was able to enter the research institute right away.
“It was fun. My heart was racing. I’ve been wanting to say this since earlier, but you know the Academy Director is my idol, right?”
“…”
“Our reports too. Looking at the same experimental content, how do you discover messages that others can’t see? You’re truly like a god, Academy Director.”
At the same time, a drop of blood fell from Shasha’s arm.
Blood was also spreading across his white lab coat.
Regardless, I watched Shasha’s sparkling eyes and let out a deep sigh.
Then I spoke in a slightly softened voice.
“Shasha, you.”
Shasha’s eyes widened.
“Do you want to see how your idol lives?”
The next moment his mouth fell wide open.
“Annellia?”
As I entered the mansion garden, Father, who had been enjoying sunbathing, jumped up.
Father’s eyes were unusually wide.
“How did you come at this hour?”
Father, who had been smiling brightly, soon saw Shasha frozen stiff behind me and frowned.
“What’s with that spotted calf of a human again.”
I pressed my forehead with a troubled expression.
‘…He’s only gotten gentler with me and the family, but Father’s personality is still the same.’
Then I approached Father and got to the point.
“Father, help me out. You’ll help me, right?”
Father’s eyes widened.
“Of course, I can grant any request from my daughter. As long as it’s not asking me not to break off your engagement with Crown Prince Tian.”
I narrowed my eyes as if to say ‘what’s that about’ and then gestured for Shasha to come closer.
Shasha stiffly walked over and stood in front of us.
Father’s eyes became strange.
“…The smell of blood is overwhelming.”
“He’s a student from our research institute. There’s a problem.”
And I carefully rolled up Shasha’s sleeve to show him.
“His right arm is full of broken magical device fragments embedded in it.”
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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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