The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 24

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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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“Lia!”

Owen’s Laboratory, and officially, the place where my lessons are conducted.

The East Wing basement door burst open.

The one entering with a bright face was Awin.

Owen nodded his head toward him.

“You’re here? How are you feeling?”

“I think I’m fine, brother. The headache is gone too.”

Awin naturally sat down next to me.

“Can I stay here? Until the lesson is over?”

Owen looked at Awin as if he found it strange.

“You won’t understand any of it anyway, so what’s the point?”

“Really, brother. Do you think I came here to see you?”

“Then what did you come to see?”

“I came to see Lia.”

Awin looked at me and smiled with his eyes crinkling.

I quietly avoided his gaze and flipped through my notebook.

‘Awin, this kid, he’s only seven years old…’

An angelic face, with a calm and gentle personality.

Though he wasn’t born with genius like Owen, he had a clever mind compared to his peers.

Though Awin came to Abner Manor as Owen’s younger brother, after a month had passed, all the servants liked Awin.

“Lia, do you know what I brought? Try to guess.”

“Hmm… What is it?”

“Ta-da! Bread!”

Awin held out a bread basket he had been hiding behind his back.

My eyes widened.

“Gasp. How did you know I was hungry?”

“You always have a snack around this time. I noticed last time.”

“…As expected of big brother Awin.”

I admit it.

Awin had completely captured my heart too.

‘Smart, quick-witted. He handles everything perfectly.’

Could there be anyone who would dislike such a child?

I was excitedly reaching for the bread when Awin stopped me.

Then he smiled brightly.

“Can I feed you?”

I frowned.

“I can eat by myself though?”

“Still, I’m your big brother. I want to feed you.”

I reluctantly nodded.

Awin, with a face full of excitement, broke off a small piece of bread and popped it into my mouth.

Owen, who had been watching this scene, muttered as if bewildered.

“Good grief. Anyone watching would think you two are family. Not me.”

However, Awin didn’t bat an eye.

He was just focused on putting bread in my mouth.

“Lia, is it delicious?”

“Mmm, yeah. It’s delicious.”

“Eat lots.”

That’s when it happened.

Owen suddenly leaned toward us.

Then he snatched away the bread basket that was in Awin’s hands.

“Brother!”

Awin frowned, but Owen just shrugged his shoulders and picked up another piece of bread from the basket.

And then…

“Here, eat.”

He held out a small piece of torn bread toward me.

I looked at him with a bewildered expression.

But soon I accepted the bread with an uncomfortable expression.

Because I instinctively knew that if not now, there would be no snack time.

‘It’ll be finished today at the earliest, right?’

For the past month, Owen and I had been focused on creating the purification formula.

Because the magic stone purification formula needed to be completed as soon as possible so that mining in the northern mines could resume.

Of course, we didn’t forget about making the medicine to cure Awin’s illness.

Thanks to that, Awin was gradually getting healthier at Abner Manor.

“You eat well, you need to eat more. You’re too small for a four-year-old.”

Owen put down the basket and dusted off his hands.

“Now then. Shall we slowly begin?”

It was the final process of developing the purification formula under the guise of lessons.

“It’s, it’s finished…”

I collapsed face-down on the desk.

When I turned my gaze, I could see Awin sleeping on the sofa.

“Good work, my disciple.”

Owen clicked his tongue and gathered the documents together.

“You too, master…”

I think we started around three in the afternoon.

Outside the small window leading to the surface, an orange sunset was already setting.

“But we finished before nightfall, right?”

“Since a certain someone who’s living their second life gave such perfect direction, there wasn’t much else to work on.”

“B-be careful when you say things like that!”

Owen shrugged his shoulders.

Just as I was glaring at him with frightened eyes, knock knock knock-

The sound of knocking was heard.

“Come in.”

When Owen spoke, the door opened carefully.

The ones who appeared were familiar faces.

“Sister Miel! Sister Soya!”

I jumped down from my chair and ran to Miel.

Miel skillfully lifted me up with one arm.

“Young miss, are your lessons finished?”

“Yes! Just now!”

“My goodness, didn’t you study too much today? You studied 30 minutes longer than usual.”

Soya looked at Owen with eyes that held a slight sense of hostility.

Her expression seemed to say that a teacher who made a four-year-old study for three hours was quite unreliable.

I tactfully patted Miel’s arm and laughed.

“That’s not it, I didn’t do my homework. Today I had to do homework too.”

“Oh my, what made our young miss forget her homework?”

“A-aren’t you tired?”

Soya also gently stroked my head and asked.

“Not at all.”

After answering, I turned to look at Owen and mouthed the words.

‘The completed purification ritual. To Sharon Abner.’

Owen nodded his head.

I looked at Miel again.

“Lia’s hungry! What are we eating today?”

“Today, Assistant Head Chef Marenese specially grilled steaks for us.”

“Wow, steak!”

“You want to eat quickly, don’t you? Would you like to eat in the dining room, or in your room?”

I pursed my lips and pondered seriously.

Then I answered.

“I’ll eat in my room!”

Today I had to finish my meal as quickly as possible because I had things to do.

‘Since the magic stone purification ritual is complete.’

I needed to gradually start preparing for the contamination re-investigation.

‘Camilla and Ruby.’

I had to get back all the money that mother-daughter pair had embezzled from Sharon Abner.

“What, what did you say? Baron Roman got fired?”

Camilla staggered in place.

An anxious voice came from beyond the communication stone.

“A-actually, it’s not just Baron Roman… All the Abner retainers who worked at the Northern Mining Refinery have been completely replaced.”

“Then what are we supposed to do? There’s nothing we can do!”

“R-realistically speaking, that’s true. Looking at the situation, the contamination re-investigation seems imminent too, and if that happens…”

Silence fell.

What that meant was clear.

All the facts would be revealed.

“No, no! We have to prevent that by any means necessary!”

It was none other than herself who had made the false report that the mine was contaminated.

House of Coel had been reaping enormous profits based on that ever since.

They had been secretly siphoning off mining profits that should have gone to Abner through illegitimate means.

‘It’s the Abner Family, you know. Do we really need to go that far?’

‘You don’t understand. That woman absolutely can’t pay attention to mining affairs! Even now she’s in a power struggle with the branch families!’

‘Still. What if we get caught later and things just get worse…’

‘There’s no way we’ll get caught! We just pressure them moderately, then when the Abner Family is struggling, we demand a huge sum and acquire the mine ourselves.’

The original plan was this.

First, pretend to help with mine development while drawing money to their side.

Then acquire the mine itself when Abner’s financial situation became precarious.

However, things didn’t go as expected.

‘You said it wouldn’t last long. But they’ve been doing just fine with those meager profits. How did this happen?’

‘Sharon Abner used her brain. She gathered those tiny mining profits and developed weapons. She’s expanding into business areas I know about.’

‘Then what do we do now? Isn’t acquiring the mine wrong? This way, our manipulation of the contamination results might be exposed…’

‘That won’t happen, okay? Somehow, I’ll handle it somehow, so you just stay put.’

It wasn’t her husband with no business acumen who had elevated House of Coel to its current position.

It was Camilla Coel herself.

‘Meeting face to face as often as possible, gradually figuring out the duchy’s financial situation. And while we’re at it, it’d be even better to make an impression with our Ruby.’

‘Are you certain Ruby can become Abner’s successor?’

‘Of course! Who does Sharon Abner meet most frequently right now? It’s me, me and our Ruby!’

Ruby becoming the successor of the Abner Family.

Acquiring the highly profitable magic stone mine.

She had believed everything was within reach…

“Wh-what do I do.”

Camilla collapsed to the floor.

Her remaining pawns at the mine refinery had all disappeared overnight.

“This can’t be happening…”

Even while frightened, her mind raced busily to find a way out.

‘She can’t be suspecting me.’

She was certain from her interactions with Sharon Abner over the past few years.

The fact that she could never suspect her.

‘Right, unless someone suddenly appears and tells her…’

She was originally a woman who knew nothing about mining business anyway.

Camilla’s eyes sparkled.

In this situation, there was only one thing left she could try.

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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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