The Oracle of the Villainous Baby - Chapter 62

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 62
Bunny loved being in Father’s arms.
Even though he wasn’t her real father, and she had to lie because he despised the Demon Clan so intensely, and she might have to fight fiercely with Father once she became the Demon King….
“That’s right, grow up slowly. If Bunny becomes an adult too quickly, I think I’ll feel lonely.”
At the gentle patting of his hand on her back, Bunny burst into delighted giggles.
“And from now on, whenever you go anywhere, don’t wander alone—you must always go with someone.”
“Okayyy.”
At her obedient response, Kiriel gazed at Bunny with an oddly anxious expression.
“Because Bunny is a special child who summoned a special Phoenix….”
Bunny’s ears perked up and her nose lifted proudly.
Hmph.
The satisfaction radiating from Bunny’s face as she exhaled through her nose was unmistakable.
“Bad people could snatch you away, so you can’t go alone.”
Heh.
At Kiriel’s worried words, Bunny thrust out her thumb with supreme confidence and opened her mouth to him.
“Bunny’s super strong, so nobody can beat me!”
“No matter how strong Bunny becomes, there are always people in this world who are far stronger. That’s why you must be careful. If you’re captured, you could spend your whole life trapped in a cramped prison, eating nothing but hard bread, and be exploited endlessly alongside your Phoenix.”
“…I don’t like hard bread.”
“Hard bread would be all there is. No chocolate, no chocolate cookies either. You’d be locked in a foul-smelling room, working constantly, endlessly.”
“…I don’t like stinky smells either….”
“That’s why whenever you go anywhere, even if it’s not with Father, you must always bring someone along.”
Kiriel slipped his hands under her armpits and hoisted Bunny effortlessly into the air, bringing his face close to hers as he spoke in deliberately grave tones.
“Okayyy….”
Sniffle. Sniff.
After wiping her nose, Bunny nodded slightly, her expression growing a little downcast.
“And if a stranger ever speaks to you, ignore them and remember what they look like carefully, then come tell me about it.”
“Yesss.”
Kiriel smiled softly and gently stroked Bunny’s hair.
A small smile tugged at the corners of Bunny’s mouth.
“And starting tomorrow, we’ll be living together in the Annex Building, so remember that.”
“Moving?”
“Yes. I mentioned it before, didn’t I? That the three of us would live somewhere else alone. Though somehow we’ve become four….”
“Because Bunny found it, we got a house?”
Bunny quickly raised the key she’d carefully kept in her pocket, speaking proudly.
Kiriel stared at it for a moment, blinked once, then with an expressionless face took the key and placed it in his own pocket.
“Huh?! Bunny’s key!!”
“Children can’t live alone.”
Rumble rumble! Crash crash!
Flash!
Once again, thunder and lightning crackled overhead, and Bunny’s mouth fell open in shock.
With that, she clenched her fists as though deeply wronged and opened her mouth.
“Bunny isn’t a baby anymore!”
“You’re still quite small, Young Lady. Living alone will only be possible once you’ve grown much bigger.”
At Kiriel’s words, Bunny’s lips jutted out stubbornly.
She had so much to say, yet even by her own reckoning, she remained far too small. Not as tall as Father, and considerably smaller than Allen or Kalbad.
“Bunny wants to be inde—”
“Independence is something you can achieve once you’ve grown much bigger and accumulated an enormous fortune.”
Still so tiny, Bunny was.
There was nothing she could do on her own.
“Life’s hardships are so exhausting…”
Daily survival was already grueling enough, yet the complexities of the world weighed on her too—Bunny sighed heavily through her small mouth, breath after breath.
Kiriel regarded her with an expression of bewilderment before letting out a soft chuckle and patting her back gently a few times.
“I’ll stay by your side until you’ve grown much bigger. So take your time becoming an adult. I won’t go anywhere until you do.”
At Kiriel’s words, Bunny’s eyes widened.
She grasped his garment firmly and buried her face against his chest.
“Father.”
“Yes.”
“Do you hate all Demon Clan members?”
At Bunny’s question, Kiriel stiffened.
She had asked him something similar once before.
He moved his lips, hesitating repeatedly.
Yes.
The answer should have been obvious, yet somehow the words refused to emerge easily from his throat.
The child’s innocent face filled his entire vision.
“…I’m not sure, truthfully.”
After a long pause, Kiriel’s answer came at last, and Bunny said nothing in response, simply burying her face deeper into his chest in silence.
“Why do you ask such a thing? Could it be…”
Kiriel’s lips moved uncertainly as his words trailed off.
Could it be that if she asked and received an answer contrary to what she hoped for—
What would he do then?
In the end, Kiriel asked nothing further.
The child, whose face remained buried against his chest, seemed on the verge of melancholy or tears, yet upon reaching her room, she was smiling brightly as though nothing had transpired.
For reasons he couldn’t quite name, an unsettling ache gnawed at Kiriel’s heart, and his brow furrowed.
* * *
A direct family council.
From time to time, the Udiah Duke Family Estate would summon all its direct members.
When their counsel was absolutely necessary. When the matter at hand was too significant for a single person to decide alone.
Such councils were typically convened before major crises arose or when matters involved the Demon Clan, and attendance was mandatory for nearly everyone.
Of course, Kiriel Yudia had rarely attended in the past—but lately, his attendance rate had increased noticeably.
“Aren’t we having far too many councils these days, Father?”
Salame Yudia, already exhausted from being constantly summoned here and there in her duties as a Saint, spoke with a weary expression. The dark circles beneath her eyes were remarkably pronounced.
“After so long since we last met, I have to say… I’d prefer to live without seeing your tiresome faces so often.”
“If I recall correctly, it’s only been a month since the last meeting.”
At Kiriel’s words, Ludbreed’s brow furrowed immediately.
He exhaled a sigh and waved his hand dismissively.
“Why are you being so quiet today, Klein? That’s unlike you.”
Ludbreed narrowed his eyes at his son, who unusually sat with arms crossed and lips sealed in silence, reproaching him.
Klein glanced at him, then straightened his posture and slowly uncrossed his arms.
Klein’s gaze briefly touched Kiriel. At that look, Kiriel responded with a languid shrug.
“It’s nothing.”
At Klein’s words, Ludbreed regarded both Kiriel and Klein with a peculiar expression, alternating his gaze between them before sighing and nodding.
“In any case, we have much to discuss—the ancient Elves, the Phoenix, Bunny’s engagement proposal from the Imperial Court, and… that fellow Dios as well.”
“…Wait, isn’t there something out of place mixed in there?”
Salame Yudia, who had been listening quietly, blinked and asked with a bewildered expression.
The other matters were understandable. They were all complex enough to warrant summoning everyone.
But suddenly inserting “Bunny’s engagement proposal” in the middle felt far too abrupt.
“Isn’t it good if an engagement proposal came from the Imperial Palace? The Imperial Court has been hinting at such things all along anyway.”
“She’s still far too young.”
“I agree. It’s not yet the time to discuss marriage or engagement.”
At Ludbreed’s words, Kiriel, who always kept silent during meetings, added his own remark.
Salame Yudia looked at Kiriel with exasperation, then turned her head toward Klein.
“Brother, if Father and the youngest are being unreasonable, you should talk them out of it. What did you do?”
Klein, who would normally respond with an easygoing laugh, remained silent.
“…Let’s stop wasting time with pointless talk and finish this quickly.”
“Brother, what’s wrong with you? Did something happen between you two?”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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