The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 79

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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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‘I don’t know what I’ll do to you, sister. I could make it so you can’t set foot in the Imperial Capital. Making sure no one stays around you—that’s easy for me.’

For some reason, Hiana’s words kept echoing in her ears.

Bella’s face turned pale as she muttered.

“N-no one will believe me…”

And even if they did believe her, if that young lady insisted she never said such things…

A sense of defeat appeared on her ashen face.

She had just been humiliated in the banquet hall and practically chased out to the garden.

On top of that, if she said she had such a conversation with the Longton Duke’s daughter, people wouldn’t support her.

“They’ll say I’m crazy…”

After the conflict with the Abner Duke’s daughter, now having a conflict with the Longton Duke’s daughter too would make her a laughingstock.

Bella trembled in place for a long while.

Then she was reluctantly led back to the banquet hall by the group that came looking for her.

“I heard there was a commotion.”

Inside the bustling banquet hall.

I was sitting in a corner resting when someone spoke to me.

“Huh?”

When I turned my head, Tian was looking down at me with a serious expression.

As if he had rushed here, Tian’s breathing was slightly rough.

“…It’s my fault. I should have gone to escort you to the Imperial Palace.”

Tian muttered while examining my face.

But I stared at him with surprised eyes, forgetting to answer.

Because Tian, whom I was meeting after more than a week, had somehow changed.

‘What, did he grow taller again?’

Tian was dressed splendidly for the banquet.

He looked magnificent in a white silk shirt with a neat cravat, wearing a formal uniform mixed with black and red.

‘No way, he grew again in just over ten days? I’m still the same?’

I stared blankly at Tian’s long, stretched legs.

Ever since Tian started receiving training from Logrio, we had been seeing each other more often than before.

Even so, it was just eating something simple after training or taking walks in the garden, but Tian was extremely happy with even that.

He was truly a Crown Prince with no friends except me.

“Did you change into that dress?”

Tian asked while touching my sleeves as if checking them.

From him saying ‘that dress,’ it seemed he had come after roughly understanding the situation.

“Yes. The previous one had glue on it.”

Tian’s expression grew even darker.

He bit his lips tightly and then opened his mouth.

“Who was it?”

I answered promptly without any hesitation.

“Bella Howell! She’s twelve years old and was wearing a yellow dress.”

“Got it.”

When I rattled off Bella’s details, small murmurs could be heard from around us.

Actually, nobles had been gathering around us for a while now.

Though they were pretending to chat among themselves, I knew. Everyone was focused on Tian and me.

Tian spoke quietly enough for only me to hear.

“Stay with me at the next Imperial Palace banquet.”

“Why?”

“Well…”

“Are you worried Annellia might get bullied again?”

Tian’s eyes widened as if flustered.

I patted his arm gently.

“Annellia is fine! I was a little upset earlier, but I’m not upset at all now!”

“Still, you were insulted.”

“Being insulted doesn’t make the medicine Annellia created disappear, and it doesn’t make me a commoner again—that’s what His Grace said.”

“…”

“I was a little sad because it seemed like only Annellia had no friends, but thinking about it, Annellia has friends too.”

“Really? Who?”

“Brother Awin and Mica! Lulu and Tom are Annellia’s siblings too.”

Then Tian’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

For some reason, he wasn’t even blinking.

After staying silent for a moment, Tian asked in an anxious voice.

“Anyone else?”

“Um… Laura and Daisy who came to Annellia’s birthday party are probably Annellia’s friends too?”

“And?”

I closed my mouth and looked at Tian.

Tian was now staring intently at my lips.

I tilted my head inwardly, then soon realized something and clapped my hands.

“Y-Your Highness too…!”

Tian, who had been frozen like stone, finally blinked.

I didn’t miss the moment and rattled off words.

“Y-you’re the first friend Annellia made after coming to Abner Manor!”

I had long since abandoned modifiers like ‘daring to address the Crown Prince.’

No matter how careful I tried to be, Tian kept crossing the lines I drew.

Even the necklace I wore to today’s banquet was something he gave me.

Speaking of which, it was actually a relic of the late Empress.

‘Both Tian and the Dowager Empress… is it hereditary?’

Giving me his mother’s relic, telling me to call her grandmother.

They each had unpredictable aspects somewhere.

‘At first, I didn’t think we’d become this close…’

Now there was no other choice.

As I told Owen, we were already in a relationship where the first button was fastened that way from the beginning.

Actually, it wasn’t particularly uncomfortable.

Though I was still a little cautious, I liked Tian and the Dowager Empress.

After becoming the Abner Duke’s daughter, I had somewhat let go of my worries about how to treat these two people.

“Annellia is happy to have Your Highness! I’m happy to be Your Highness’s friend!”

Only then did Tian’s expression soften.

He wore a sweet smile and answered.

“Me too. I’m also very happy to have you.”

“R-really?”

“Yes. I’m so happy when I’m with you.”

It was clearly the same thing I had said, but the atmosphere was different.

Tian somehow stared at me intently and muttered.

“Annellia, you are my savior.”

“Huh…?”

“If it weren’t for you, I would have remained a deposed Crown Prince forever. I would have lived and died very, very lonely as an elephant trapped in the Imperial Palace.”

My mouth fell open involuntarily.

Of course, in my previous life, Tian’s words had actually come to pass.

But still, hearing it so openly made me slightly embarrassed.

Tian smiled gently and softly caressed my cheek.

“So right now, I really like you just as a friend too.”

I tilted my head in confusion.

“I’ve been at the bottom for a long time, so I’m a Crown Prince who knows his place well.”

“Huh?”

A Crown Prince who knows his place well.

When I frowned at the strange words, Tian smiled softly and continued.

“More importantly, Lia. Today, several nobles from the Nemped region came to see me.”

“The Nemped region, you mean…”

“That’s right. Mother’s hometown.”

My eyes widened.

The Nemped region was Dowager Empress Miraena’s birthplace.

It was also where nobles whose power had greatly diminished after her death gathered to live.

For Tian, it was practically like his maternal family’s territory…

“Th-those nobles came to see Your Highness?”

“Yes. Each of them requested an audience, so I met with them all one by one.”

We were now whispering as if sharing secret stories.

Thanks to that, Tian was leaning toward me with his waist bent, and our faces were close.

Tian’s handsome nose and well-shaped lips were visible right in front of me.

“I told several of them to come up to the Imperial Capital soon.”

Hearing that far, I really, truly couldn’t help but be even more surprised.

“Orgeon Duke will come too.”

Orgeon Duke was Tian’s maternal grandfather.

The fact that he, who had been hiding in the west after the Dowager Empress’s death, was coming to the Imperial Capital was a clear signal that Tian’s power was recovering.

“Wow, Your Highness!”

I forgot that I had to pretend to be a child and fidgeted restlessly.

This was tremendous good news, and above all, Tian was so admirable.

‘I thought he was just busy with the Eastern Continent weapons support matter, but when did he even meet with the Nemped region nobles?’

For them to come up and even request audiences meant Tian had already been communicating with them through letters or messengers from before.

‘He’s been continuously moving to build his own power base.’

In the midst of all that, he paid attention to friendship with the Eastern Continent and came to Abner Territory for training every week.

From what I heard, he also did sword training every day at the Imperial Palace.

‘Does this even make sense?’

I couldn’t close my mouth.

Tian wasn’t the incompetent and violent Crown Prince I had seen in my previous life.

He was wise and clever, and an excellent future Emperor material who could take care of himself well.

But Karin Empress isolated this kind of Tian in the Imperial Palace, abused him from childhood, and ultimately made him die before even reaching adulthood…

My heart became complicated and I felt like crying.

“Your Highness, really, truly…”

I wanted to praise Tian, but that would mean I understood the entire situation.

When I hesitated because that might not seem childlike, Tian gently touched my hair.

“Don’t worry. I’ll introduce you later.”

“…Huh? Introduce me to whom?”

“My maternal grandfather, Orgeon Duke. He’s a good person. I’m sure you’ll like him.”

I bit my lips tightly and quickly nodded.

“I’d love that! Since Lia lives in the Imperial Capital now, I’ll come right away when Your Highness calls!”

Tian paused and asked with surprised eyes.

“What do you mean? Living in the Imperial Capital.”

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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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