The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 283
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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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“Now, shall we repeat after me? I will not leave my bedroom without permission.”
“I will not leave my bedroom without permission!”
“I will not use magic on the guard knights!”
“….”
“Your Highness?”
“I will not use magic on the knight uncles….”
I sat in my chair and stared blankly at Yuriadne and Teacher Ann.
“What kind of ability does Your Highness have?”
“A special ability that not just anyone can use, inherited from Mom and Grandmothers….”
“You must not keep putting the wet nurse and knights to sleep with such an ability. And you must not sneak outside during that time either.”
“But they keep preventing Yuri from going out!”
“Keep preventing?”
“Keep preventing you!”
Despite her puffed-up cheeks, Yuriadne was answering all of Teacher Ann’s questions.
‘While she runs away at the drop of a hat when I speak….’
Teacher Ann, who handled Yuriadne so skillfully, was always amazing to watch.
“Also. Your Highness is still young and doesn’t know how to properly control the mana in your body, right?”
“I know! I just have to do it gently!”
“You did it gently, but Count Kardo, your guard knight, couldn’t wake up for two days, remember?”
“…Yes.”
“Your Highness. If someone told you to do nothing but sleep for two days, would you like it or not like it?”
“I would really not like it.”
“Should such a thing happen again, or should it not?”
“It should not….”
“Good. You answered well, Your Highness.”
Teacher Ann smiled brightly and reached out to Yuriadne.
Then she hugged the child tightly.
“You were so wonderful listening to me until now. The way you admitted your mistakes and promised not to do it again was like a grown-up child.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. Then shall we go over there and play with toys for a bit? This is a secret, but Teacher recently ordered a really big block toy set.”
“Gasp.”
“I’ll let Your Highness be the first to play with it. Now, let’s see how many seconds it takes to get to the toy box!”
As soon as Teacher Ann finished speaking, Yuriadne whooshed past me.
It was the same Yuriadne who had thrown tantrums all morning and put twenty-eight knights, one wet nurse, and three maids to sleep.
The child who had used magic to knock down everyone blocking her way had escaped from her bedroom.
Only I, who was immune to the child’s abilities as a Michaeliann, could chase after Yuriadne.
“Annellia. Are you okay?”
As Yuriadne went to the toys, Teacher Ann quickly approached me.
I pressed my lips together tightly, then let out a sigh.
“Yuriadne keeps using her abilities and it’s a big problem. She’s been doing it more lately, you know? When the child escapes like this, there’s no one who can catch her….”
“Not even His Majesty the Emperor?”
“He seemed to collapse while trying to stop the child from leaving the room. I guess being good with sword energy has nothing to do with magic immunity.”
Teacher Ann drooped her eyebrows as if feeling sorry.
I roughly combed my disheveled hair with my hands, braiding it down as I spoke.
“Yesterday, Yuri brought all the officials to the research institute again, remember? When I coaxed her to go back, she seemed to understand what I was saying….”
“Kids naturally forget once they turn around.”
Teacher Ann smiled and handed me a cup of water.
“We have no choice but to keep telling her until she understands. All kids go through such phases. It gets better with time.”
My eyebrows drooped.
Far from being comforting, Teacher Ann’s answer was too vague.
In the end, Yuri didn’t take even a short nap yesterday.
Instead, as soon as we returned to the Imperial Capital from the research institute, she fell into a deep sleep around five o’clock.
Thus, the time Yuri woke up today was three-thirty in the morning.
“Mommy, Mommyyyy. Play with me, okay?”
As soon as she woke up, Yuri came into Tian’s and my bedroom and bounced around on the bed.
“Mommy, we couldn’t play together yesterday evening like we promised. Right?”
“Princess, let’s play with Daddy. Mommy needs to sleep more.”
“No! Yuri wants to play with Mommy! Playing with Daddy is no fun!”
“….”
“Sigh, I should have just gotten up then.”
It was a mistake to leave everything to Tian, regardless of what would happen.
When I opened my eyes thinking the surroundings were too quiet, the bedroom was completely empty.
When I saw Tian sprawled on the sofa, snoring away, I immediately had a hunch.
Yuri used magic again!
True to being of Michaeliann bloodline, Yuriadne was born with an enormous amount of mana in her body.
Though less than mine, it was far more than the mana Leon was born with.
And whenever she was at a disadvantage, she would put people to sleep left and right.
This was precisely why it was useless to assign wet nurses and guard knights to Yuriadne.
“How about making the palace people wear defensive magical tools? So they won’t be incapacitated even if Yuriadne uses magic.”
“We naturally thought of that too.”
The method Teacher Ann just mentioned was the very first method we had tried.
The intention was to prevent people from falling asleep even when Yuriadne used sleep magic, but….
“The magical tools can’t handle Yuri’s power and all break. The problem is that the child also becomes exhausted.”
When her power didn’t work, Yuriadne instinctively used even more power.
There were times when she fell into an exhausted state from mana depletion.
It was a problem that arose because the child was still young.
“It seems like she can’t control her power. Ever since then, I keep worrying….”
As I spoke, another sigh escaped me.
Teacher Ann made a “hmm” sound and asked.
“How about leaving Yuriadne with me for a few weeks? I’ll give her a proper education.”
At those words, my ears perked up.
“You, Teacher?”
“Yes. The Imperial Nursery starts operating tomorrow anyway. Looking after one more Yuriadne is nothing.”
“But still….”
“The nursery was created to reduce the burden on people working in the Imperial Capital, so it fits the purpose. As for safety concerns, well, we have my husband, so no worries.”
Wendel, who had been Grandmother’s adjutant, became the Imperial Palace Guard Captain when I entered the Imperial Palace.
This was because the existing Imperial Palace Guard Captain had declared his retirement after the war ended.
“Don’t worry too much about Yuriadne’s abilities. I have ways to handle everything.”
I looked toward Yuriadne with a bewildered expression.
Yuriadne was absorbed in making a giant dragon shape with toy blocks.
“Really?”
“Of course, really.”
“I can really, really trust you and leave Yuri with you, right?”
“Ho ho ho, would I dare lie to Her Majesty the Empress?”
Finally, a smile spread across my lips too.
I hugged Teacher Ann tightly, just like I used to when I was little.
“Teacher is the best. Grandmother says no, but she’s too old, and Mom and Dad are already busy just taking care of Luel and Leon.”
Teacher Ann gently patted my back.
“Don’t worry. Yuriadne will nap well here. Then she’ll sleep properly at night too, and at least she’ll wake you two up less often at dawn.”
Yuriadne sleeping at the right time and waking up at the right time!
Just imagining it was blissful.
“You were like that too, Annellia, but then you got better. She’ll improve soon.”
When I widened my eyes at those words, Teacher continued.
“When you were at the age of talking and running around. You used to secretly wake up at dawn and get caught reading books.”
I didn’t remember, but somehow it seemed like something I would have done.
Teacher Ann chuckled.
“It’s obvious. She’s your daughter, so who else would she take after?”
“Mom!”
Just then, Yuriadne came running with the toy she had assembled.
When I sat Yuriadne on my lap, the child began chattering while moving her white cheeks.
How she had assembled this toy.
Her voice explaining where I should look closely sounded just like a chirping little bird.
“Annellia.”
How much time had passed? The kindergarten door opened and someone approached, placing a hand on my shoulder.
“Tian?”
Breathing heavily as if he had rushed here, Tian was looking at me.
“Sorry, Yuri again…”
“Dad! Look at this!”
I gently took Tian’s hand to show I was fine.
Yuriadne was already explaining her assembled creation to Tian too.
Tian and I exchanged glances and quietly listened to Yuriadne’s voice.
“From here to here is the rule. There’s a rule that you can’t use red blocks for the tail… Oh! But the yellow block raised a cat so it hates black!”
They were words that made no sense at all.
Smiles eventually spread across our faces.
“Teacher! Look at this!”
Yuriadne jumped down from my lap and this time ran to Teacher Ann.
I watched the child’s retreating figure and whispered to Tian.
“I decided to leave her here for a few weeks. Teacher said she’d watch her.”
“…Really?”
Tian’s eyes widened as he asked back.
I asked playfully.
“Are you that happy?”
“No, it’s not that…”
“I’m happy about it.”
“Huh?”
“Now Yuri won’t be barging into our bed at dawn anymore.”
When I poked his side, Tian flinched.
I wrapped my arms around his waist and burst into helpless laughter.
Even though I was exhausted from staying up last night, even though I had a mountain of work to handle this morning.
“…I’m happy.”
Holding Tian made my heart feel at ease right away.
At the same time, I couldn’t take my eyes off Yuriadne, who was chattering away so adorably.
I quietly asked Tian.
“Honey. Should we go on strike today?”
“Again?”
“We only did it once after getting married, so it’s about time for another one. Honestly, the Research Institute staff and the Officials would welcome it. They might even dance with joy.”
“What would we do on strike?”
I narrowed my eyes as if asking why he would ask such a thing.
Then I glanced at Yuriadne and Teacher Ann before quickly kissing his lips.
“Let’s rest in our room. We’ll leave Yuriadne with Teacher Ann and ask them to bring up something delicious.”
Tian’s pupils dilated.
Soon he held his breath softly and answered.
“…Okay.”
For some reason, Tian’s voice was trembling slightly, making me burst into laughter again.
After giggling for a while, I looked up.
Bright morning sunlight was streaming through the huge window that occupied one wall.
Flowers swaying in the wind.
The morning scent that seemed to melt early summer.
“This is Mom’s block, this is Dad’s block! This is for grandmothers and grandfather, aunts and uncles, teacher and friends…”
Listening to Yuriadne’s voice made me realize it again.
That I, that my child, was nestled in the very heart of happiness.
I smiled and murmured softly to Tian.
“Tian, I think summer is coming.”
The world around us was moving toward another season.
And I still believed.
That just as it had been until now, I would continue to be purely happy.
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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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