The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 29

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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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“Why is she still so small?”

Inside the carriage heading to Abner Manor, Sharon spoke.

Wendel, who was sitting across from her, raised his head to look at her.

“I mean Annellia. Why isn’t she growing? Is her diet inadequate?”

“No. The meals going to Lady Annellia’s room are inspected every time. The maids also pay a lot of attention to Lady Annellia.”

“Then what’s the reason? She’s still nothing but skin and bones.”

Wendel tilted his head, recalling Annellia’s cheeks that had become plumper recently.

“She has gained a lot of weight. Compared to when she first arrived, really.”

“You call that gaining weight?”

Sharon Abner frowned.

Had that little one been so thin when she first came to the manor?

Just then, the road curved to one side.

Through the window, she could see a small carriage following behind.

The child was riding inside with a maid.

Sharon Abner stared at her intently, then grumbled for no reason.

“Because of that child, I’m really too busy to live.”

When she first met the child, she had been running around everywhere to eliminate Longton’s spies who had infiltrated the territory.

Afterwards, she had to prepare a separate room in the main manor and increase the variety of kitchen dishes, which required attention.

When the little one ran around the main manor and picked up books to read in the library, it made her chuckle.

The child would often visit the training grounds with the maids when she got bored of reading.

Bowing politely to the soldiers in training.

Moreover, recently, she had unexpectedly picked up a talented mage scholar on the road and made him one of Abner’s people.

“How about what I asked you to investigate last time?”

When she asked calmly, Wendel remained silent for a moment before speaking.

“We haven’t witnessed any attempts to make contact with Ann Clark.”

“I see.”

Sharon Abner’s purple eyes slowly narrowed.

At first, when the child had used the family’s secret seal to send a strange letter.

When she provided clues about Longton’s spies and said ‘don’t ask anything.’

“Don’t ask anything and just keep me here, I’ll study hard. When I grow up, I’ll make lots of magic formulas too!”

“I can also… succeed in the research the Duke wants…”

These were stories she could neither believe nor disbelieve.

So she had answered for now.

“I have no intention of asking you anything. How you knew about that seal’s existence. Where the information about Longton spies came from.”

But that was only what she would do regarding that little one; it didn’t mean she would completely bury the incident.

“So the person behind this isn’t Ann Clark?”

“Are you asking for my opinion? Or are you asking for the most likely scenario?”

“The most likely scenario first.”

Wendel nodded.

“Ann Clark is still suspected. As the person who provided classified information to Lady Annellia.”

“Yes, and so?”

“I can’t think of any other candidates. From our investigation, Lady Annellia has virtually no acquaintance with anyone other than Ann Clark. First of all… she’s only four years old.”

“Then that person also approached me using Ann Clark’s information.”

“Yes.”

Sharon Abner finally nodded.

Then Wendel added.

“May I now share my thoughts?”

Sharon Abner looked directly at Wendel.

“As I mentioned, the fact that someone is behind Lady Annellia cannot be denied. Otherwise, we couldn’t explain how Lady Annellia knew about the spy information and the secret seal.”

Even to his eyes, the child was certainly clever.

In the field of magic studies, she even seemed like an unprecedented genius.

However, as Wendel said, the child knowing about the spy information and the seal’s existence was a matter of a different dimension.

That’s why she had been suspicious.

That someone might be behind the child.

That there might be some impure intention in the child’s approach.

Moving the child’s residence from the quarters to the main manor had ultimately stemmed from such suspicions.

Because she wanted to watch her more closely.

“But I don’t think Lady Annellia approached you with bad intentions.”

Sharon Abner slowly raised her gaze.

“Exposing the corruption of House of Coel this time. It would have been impossible without Lady Annellia.”

“…”

“The same goes for meeting the Dowager Empress and Crown Prince today. To be honest, from the family’s perspective, it’s an unexpectedly enormous fortune.”

“…Yes. You’re right.”

She recalled the Dowager Empress’s extremely favorable attitude toward her.

The Dowager Empress had even said she would personally visit Abner Manor on the child’s birthday.

Along with Crown Prince Tian, no less.

‘The Dowager Empress has rarely shown herself outside the palace.’

Such a Dowager Empress would travel far to celebrate a mere four-year-old child’s birthday?

The nobles would surely think this way.

That the Abner family had now grown large enough to invite even the Dowager Empress to a sponsored child’s birthday party.

“That’s not all. I… just feel it when I see Lady Annellia.”

“What do you mean?”

“She is wary of me.”

Sharon Abner’s brow furrowed.

Without realizing it, a displeased voice escaped her.

“What did you do to make that little one wary of you? That’s why I told you to smile more.”

“It’s not that kind of problem. Lady Annellia is wary of everyone.”

Her mouth closed.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t noticed, but hearing it directly from Wendel’s mouth felt strange.

“Of course, she smiles well and often approaches first. But she never seems to completely open her heart…”

“…”

“Meanwhile, I heard something strange.”

Sharon Abner’s eyebrow slowly raised.

“What story?”

Wendel hesitated to speak easily, then said in a low voice.

“It seems… she was abused. From when she was at the orphanage.”

Sharon Abner’s eyes widened.

“What did you say?”

“There are stories that she watches the maids’ reactions excessively. To a strange degree.”

“What!”

“She also constantly says things like ‘I’ll work harder’ and ‘I’ll be helpful.’ She’s afraid of being hated.”

Her mouth fell open.

Come to think of it, she had heard such words from the child several times herself.

Wendel continued with a frown.

“Given this situation, what I think is…”

Sharon Abner instinctively felt she knew what he would say next.

“The child is clever, so Ann Clark, the orphanage director, used that little thing.”

“….”

“When adoption talks with that Longton bastard started going back and forth like selling her off, she got scared and sent me a letter.”

Thinking about it this way, everything fit together.

“Only someone like me could have thwarted Lambert Longton’s adoption plan, so she chose me for that reason…!”

It was shocking.

Even more than when I realized Camilla Coel had thoroughly backstabbed me.

Before I knew it, I could even picture the child prostrating herself before Ann Clark, crying her heart out.

“Annellia! Can’t you do it properly?! I told you to develop a magic formula!”

“I don’t know, teacher, I don’t know…!”

Veins bulged at Sharon’s temples.

“Bring me Ann Clark right now-!!”

However, Wendel stopped her with a complicated expression.

“We have no evidence. Also, if we bring Ann Clark right away to investigate the facts and the young miss sees….”

Sharon Abner hesitated.

“…She would be frightened. Severely so.”

A deep sigh escaped.

She stared out the window with clenched fists.

She acted like she was begging the maids not to hate her?

No, what did she even do wrong!

“Hic, ugh… I’m scared. Annellia did wrong. Please don’t hate me….”

I could picture Annellia crying in the maids’ arms without even seeing it.

Come to think of it, on the first day she came.

Didn’t she say something similar to me when she woke up from a nightmare?

That she would be useful, that she would be helpful.

Her expression was colored with determination.

“I can’t let that tiny thing relive those terrible memories again.”

“I think the same way.”

“Also. She was extremely happy when I said we’d throw her a birthday party.”

On the way back to the carriage, the child had a sulky expression.

But what she was thinking inside could be seen just by looking at her small feet moving cheerfully.

“The birthday banquet is on hold.”

“Yes.”

“Interrogating Ann Clark comes after that, no matter what.”

“Yes, understood.”

Sharon Abner opened her eyes sharply and added one last thing.

“Naturally. Even when we capture Ann Clark, that little one must never know.”

It was the moment when the evil abuser Ann grew uncontrollably large in Sharon Abner’s mind.

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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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