The Baby Who Regressed Refuses Childcare - Chapter 85

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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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Sharon Abner had an extremely, extremely serious expression on her face.

“I live in the palace dealing with you every day, yet you always stiffly call me Duke, Duke.”

“….”

“But that black-hearted old man who I see maybe once a month gets called grandmother with just one word….”

Sharon Abner added in a voice so quiet it was barely audible.

“At this rate, I’ll soon hear that you’re going to move into the Dowager Empress’s Palace.”

I barely managed to come to my senses.

Then I hurriedly stood up from my seat.

“N-no!”

When I shouted frantically, Sharon Abner looked at me with lifeless eyes that had no spark in them.

I waved both hands frantically as I spoke.

“That is, I wasn’t discriminating…!”

“You weren’t?”

“I mean…!”

As I opened and closed my mouth like a fish, Sharon Abner turned her head as if she had expected this.

“D-Duke doesn’t look like a grandmother!”

At that moment, Sharon Abner’s gaze returned to me.

I hurriedly continued speaking.

“Y-your back is straight, and you don’t have many wrinkles! You don’t look like a grandmother, so I didn’t call you grandmother!”

An awkward silence settled in the room.

“Annellia has been excessively polite to me for some time.”

“I know.”

“Even though we’re close, she insisted on the formal title Duke, Duke.”

“…You know?”

“Do you know the reason?”

The Dowager Empress looked puzzled.

“Should I know?”

“No. You shouldn’t know. It’s a secret.”

Sharon Abner lifted her head slightly and let out a meaningful smile.

The Dowager Empress looked at her as if she found it absurd.

I quietly turned my head away from that scene.

Last night’s events automatically came to mind.

‘From now on, call me comfortably too.’

‘R-really?’

‘Yes. Ahem! I may not look like a grandmother, but officially I am your grandmother, aren’t I.’

‘T-then I will!’

‘My goodness. So that was the reason… Sigh….’

Sharon Abner had a servant bring her another glass of beer and drank it all while sitting there.

I earnestly pleaded with her just in case.

‘B-but this is a secret from Dowager Empress!’

‘A secret?’

‘Yes! Why I didn’t call Duke grandmother….’

If I told her, it would mean I called the Dowager Empress grandmother because she looked like one, so it couldn’t be helped.

Fortunately, Sharon Abner nodded obediently.

So I trusted her….

“But why did Annellia readily call Your Majesty grandmother, grandmother?”

“…Who knows?”

“I know the reason.”

“What is it.”

“I’d love to tell you, but this is also classified. I’m sorry.”

The Dowager Empress looked at her humming again as if wondering why she was acting like that.

I tried hard to focus on the refreshments placed in front of me.

‘I-I don’t know anything about this. Let’s pretend I didn’t see.’

As I was desperately avoiding their gaze, the door to the grand banquet hall where we were sitting opened.

“Did you all rest well last night?”

The Emperor, Edward Lacteus, was entering the banquet hall.

Tian was with him as well.

“I have a bit of a hangover. The wine from Mount Aias tastes good. Three bottles were empty in the blink of an eye.”

When he said this as he took his seat, Marquis Aias’s face brightened.

On the other hand, the faces of several nobles who didn’t get along with him turned ashen.

I looked around the banquet hall where joy and sorrow alternated, then turned my gaze to Tian.

He was sitting properly right next to the Emperor.

The Emperor casually picked up his knife.

“Also, yesterday’s afternoon reception.”

At those words, the nobles exchanged glances with each other.

The afternoon reception meant the one where the commotion with Bella and the corsage had occurred.

“I heard there was an incident.”

For a moment, perhaps it was my imagination, but the Emperor’s gaze reached me.

The nobles’ eyes widened.

“What incident do you mean….”

“I heard there was a quarrel among the young ladies.”

Immediately, silence fell over the banquet hall.

When I turned my head, I could see Viscount Howell, Bella’s father, turning pale.

I was surprised and reflexively looked at Tian.

‘What? How does the Emperor know?’

About what happened between me and Bella at yesterday’s reception.

The Emperor muttered while cutting his veal with scraping sounds.

“I’ve been having various thoughts lately.”

The nobles swallowed nervously with tense faces.

“Nothing is interesting. Especially now that the Eastern Continent support matter is finished, each day is unbearably boring.”

The surrounding nobles fidgeted restlessly before stepping forward.

“Your Majesty, autumn is coming soon. I shall escort you to a place with beautiful autumn leaves.”

“Or how about inviting a musical troupe from the Eastern Continent to the Imperial Palace? I hear there are skilled performers….”

Clack.

The Emperor set his knife down on his plate.

“Those are all things I’ve done before.”

The nobles’ faces turned blue.

“T-then….”

“This reception was the same. Among the countless gifts, only one was completely new to me.”

The Emperor’s gaze, which had swept over the nobles, turned to me again.

As our eye contact lengthened, the nobles began looking at me one by one.

The Emperor’s mouth opened.

“Princess Abner.”

I straightened my back and quickly answered.

“Yes!”

“The remedy the Princess gave me. The effect was remarkable.”

I could hear the nobles muttering in confusion, “Where was His Majesty unwell?”

“I only applied it for one night, but the condition improved noticeably.”

But I knew what the Emperor’s words meant.

‘He tested the scar treatment.’

He had applied my remedy to the scarred area where he was bitten by a venomous insect.

But I pretended not to know and smiled innocently.

“Wow, I’m so happy it was effective! But please stay very healthy so you never need to use medicine again, Your Majesty!”

The Emperor laughed heartily.

Then with a satisfied expression, he picked up his knife again and looked around at the nobles.

“Did you hear that?”

The nobles looked at him with bewildered faces.

The Emperor slightly raised his chin and said.

“How refreshing. Both the gift and the Princess’s kind heart.”

Then this time he directed his gaze to Viscount Howell.

“So let’s have no disturbances. It’s been a while since I’ve had such a pleasing birthday banquet.”

I could see Viscount Howell trembling and bowing his head.

The nobles each became solemn and began to maintain silence.

Come to think of it, Bella wasn’t at the dinner.

The same went for other young ladies.

It meant I was the only child invited to this gathering.

I carefully picked up my fork, feeling my heart pounding.

‘What the…’

The Emperor’s words just now were essentially saying, ‘I like Princess Abner, so don’t mess with her.’

‘My goodness… getting there first really is the best.’

I could roughly understand how things were unfolding.

‘Bella Howell. She’s twelve years old and wearing a yellow dress.’

I remembered how I had rattled off Bella’s details to Tian yesterday.

‘Cunning Tian…’

But I didn’t expect Tian to go and tell the Emperor about it.

How admirably he did so.

I blinked as I put the already cut meat into my mouth.

‘I don’t particularly like the Emperor, but it’s good to have him on my side for now.’

Actually, I had been somewhat resentful of the Emperor all this time.

It bothered me that he had let Tian die in my previous life.

‘He should have protected his own son. Instead he was completely swayed by Karin Empress and immediately dethroned him.’

Of course, there must be more circumstances I don’t know about, but somehow he wasn’t a character I felt affection for.

But even so, I decided it would be good to stay close to him.

‘He’s Tian’s father anyway. And he’s also Dowager Empress’s son.’

That’s why I presented the scar treatment this time.

I planned to learn more about what kind of person the Emperor really was.

Most importantly, because of the Eastern Continent weapons support issue, it seemed like the relationship between the Emperor and Karin Empress wasn’t so close in this life.

‘It would be good to help the Emperor come to his senses before he gets completely manipulated by Karin Empress.’

I nodded and put another piece of meat in my mouth.

The dinner was truly exceptionally delicious.

The week-long Emperor’s birthday celebration came to an end.

Even so, the streets of the capital were still covered with colorful paper flowers everywhere.

On the day of returning to Abner Territory, while touring the bustling streets at the end of the festival with Sharon Abner.

“That place is the Academy of Pharmacy.”

Sharon Abner pointed to a certain place and said.

I stuck my head far out of the carriage.

“Wow, it’s huge!”

“It’s the continent’s largest research institute in the field of pharmacy, so it has to be.”

“Yes! The building is big, but Grandfather Headmaster of the Pharmacy Academy isn’t big.”

Sharon Abner looked at me as if asking what I meant, so I quickly added an explanation.

“I met Grandfather Headmaster of the Pharmacy Academy, and he was a very petty and cute person.”

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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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