The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 48

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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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“For a Crown Prince’s procession, is that all there is?”

I was waving enthusiastically at Tian as he departed when Owen whispered quietly.

I glanced at him slightly and said.

“That’s actually increased. When he came here a few months ago, he didn’t have any guards at all.”

“Really?”

“Master, do you just live being fooled all the time?”

“No, that doesn’t make sense. Even if he’s a scarecrow-like Crown Prince, would he really go around so defenseless?”

I let out a deep sigh.

Then I turned around and headed toward the research room.

Owen quickly followed.

“My disciple. I don’t understand what you’re thinking.”

“Adults can never understand a child’s heart.”

“What are you talking about? You’re an adult wearing a child’s mask.”

I glared at Owen sharply.

“I wasn’t an adult before either!”

I died at seventeen, so I was clearly a teenager.

“It’s already an unfair part, so stop teasing me about it.”

Owen chuckled softly.

I left him behind and started walking again.

Owen followed alongside me, making a humming sound.

“I was thinking about it yesterday. Why you specifically asked the Crown Prince for a recommendation letter. Since you have connections with the Dowager Empress too, no matter how I think about it, that would seem easier and faster.”

“…”

“Could it be that you like that soft Crown Prince? In my eyes, our Awin is much…”

My steps came to an abrupt halt.

Owen stopped as well.

I looked up at Owen with the most pathetic expression I could muster.

“Master.”

“…Huh?”

“Do I look like I have time for romantic games right now? Especially with someone who has zero possibility?”

Owen closed his mouth.

“I know Master is at an age where you’re very interested in the opposite sex. But I’m not interested in boys. That kind of thing is for idiots who have time to waste.”

“…”

“I’m too busy just trying to survive. I’m in a complicated situation where I can’t even use my brain freely because I don’t want to be misunderstood as a dark mage.”

Owen’s eyes widened.

Soon he waved his hand dismissively.

“No, it’s just that you act so affectionately toward the Crown Prince…”

“That’s because there’s no reason to be cold to the Crown Prince.”

“Then why specifically ask him for the recommendation letter?”

“Because establishing the Crown Prince’s position is the same as establishing my own position.”

Perhaps it was an unexpected answer, as Owen looked dazed.

As I started walking again, he hurriedly followed and asked.

“What do you mean? Like you two suddenly became some kind of community of shared fate?”

We had reached the entrance to the separate stone staircase leading to the main manor basement.

I stopped and checked that there was no one around before speaking.

“Master. I don’t want to die again.”

Owen closed his mouth.

“This time I’ve resolved not to die early and to do everything I want to do.”

“And?”

“From what I can see, this place isn’t very safe.”

There was the assassin from two months ago, and just living in the manor had taught me something.

‘Sharon Abner’s position is weaker than I thought.’

During the birthday party and throughout my recovery period.

Countless guests came and went from the manor.

Of course, it wasn’t to see me.

My injury was officially kept secret.

And they were too high-ranking to visit a child like me anyway.

Right.

Nine out of ten visitors to the manor were Abner branch family members.

‘Is the master still in the meeting?’

‘Y-yes, it seems so. The Council of Elders members are no ordinary people.’

During my recovery, I occasionally pretended to sleep while eavesdropping on Miel and Soya’s conversations.

Of course, I didn’t miss what Marenese and Phil said either.

‘Ugh, why does Lady Larien complain so much about the food when it’s not even her house?’

‘Has that nasty woman ever been different? Just ignore her.’

‘How can I ignore it! She nitpicked at our master throughout the entire meal, I was so angry I got scolded.’

From what I heard, the reason the branch families kept visiting was clear.

‘They can’t stand that she brought in a sponsored child on her own, really! They think it’s a waste for Abner’s budget to go to a baby from the orphanage, you know?’

‘How ridiculous. They don’t even know the air they breathe is more wasteful!’

‘And then what did they say, if she was going to invite the Dowager Empress, she should have called the branch children too to introduce them, why did she proceed with such a banquet without notice, something about disciplinary action…’

Sharon Abner was being torn apart mercilessly by the branch families who saw this as their chance.

The branch families found every possible fault and made an issue out of me.

Among all the things Sharon Abner had done, taking me in as a sponsored child was the easiest target to attack.

But even so, they seemed unable to outright demand that she get rid of me.

Because Sharon Abner kept sending them away with the same response.

‘She says the baby is superior to most branch family blood relatives, and if they have complaints, they should bring a child more mature than the baby.’

I couldn’t imagine Sharon Abner saying such things, but honestly, my shoulders felt a bit proud.

And also.

‘She says Crown Prince Tian and Her Majesty the Dowager Empress technically visited because of the baby, and if it weren’t for the baby, there would have been no reason for them to set foot in Abner Manor, so everyone just shut their mouths!’

Marenese told the story so vividly that I sometimes forgot to breathe while listening under the covers.

“Crown Prince Tian needs to gain much, much more influence than he has now.”

When I spoke seriously, Owen tilted his head.

“It wasn’t intentional, but anyway, right now Abner seems to be tied together with Crown Prince Tian as one entity.”

The Dowager Empress leaving the Dowager Empress’s Palace was something that hadn’t happened in the past few years.

Thanks to that, after my birthday, the system was in an uproar for a while.

Everyone was curious about the real reason the Dowager Empress suddenly left the palace.

Moreover, since the destination was some commoner sponsored child’s birthday party, the controversy was even more extreme.

“Master said earlier. Whether the Crown Prince should be going around so defenseless.”

“I did.”

“Of course that’s not okay, right? Are you stupid, Master? The fact that there are no people around Tian means he has that few allies!”

The first day I met Tian, the reason I gave him advice was simply because I felt sorry for him.

Still so young, with his face pale as a sheet, trembling before the butler—it was just too pitiful to watch.

‘Back then, I didn’t have any particular thoughts about it.’

I was busy enough just trying to survive myself, so there was no time to look after others.

‘But now the situation is different.’

Somehow I ended up receiving help from the Dowager Empress, who had been a Chief Justice.

‘Tian likes me more than I expected.’

Of course, I didn’t attach much significance to that.

‘He lived lonely in the Imperial Palace, and I was the only one who extended a hand to him, so of course he’d like me.’

The problem was that he had unintentionally become my halo.

According to the newspaper that Teacher Ann brought, I was now quite famous in the system.

Come to think of it, that made sense.

Publicly, I was known as an incredibly gifted child who became the Abner Family’s first sponsored child.

But through this birthday party, one more fact was revealed.

It became clear that I had a friendship with the Crown Prince and was receiving favor from the Dowager Empress, who cherished him dearly.

‘An incredibly smart commoner girl who gets along especially well with the Crown Prince and even makes the Dowager Empress leave the Empress’s quarters.’

That incredible child was me!

…So.

“Since things have come to this, there’s no choice.”

I looked at Owen and spoke very seriously.

“When I came to my senses, I found myself in the same boat as Crown Prince Tian.”

“…”

“Then at least until we reach our destination, I need to take very good care of him.”

This thinking of mine became more concrete the more I reflected on the recent attack incident.

‘Duke Longton is trying to kill me.’

The assassin I saw that day was definitely Brooke, who had been Duke Longton’s closest aide.

‘Given that person’s personality, it seems like he did this with the intention of killing me if he couldn’t bring me back as his daughter.’

That made it even more dangerous.

I knew better than anyone how tremendous Lambert Longton’s obsession was.

‘Lubarina and Lubawen will definitely be huge hits.’

It happened in my previous life, so why would this life be any different?

Moreover, in this life, the popularization of Lubarin grass was scheduled to be 10 years earlier than in my previous life.

‘If I have Tian write a recommendation letter for those medicines, I can share some of my halo with him too.’

As I said earlier, we were in the same boat.

And my destination was safe independence from Abner Manor.

‘Tian can’t be deposed before then.’

At least not until I achieve my goal.

Now that I’ve created the impression that Tian, and furthermore the Dowager Empress and the Abner Family are close, Tian’s downfall wouldn’t help Abner’s prosperity at all.

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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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