The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 198

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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 198
* * *
At the same moment, in the Zebert Duke’s Mansion.
“Hmm, so this is the man presumed to be the biological father of our youngest fairy.”
Liam murmured to himself.
“We need to decide how our family should respond to this situation.”
In the spacious Inner Chamber, a round table sat at its center, and around it gathered the family members.
“I’m now calling this emergency strategy meeting to order.”
The Jebert Family’s family conference had begun.
“We should simply confine her to the mansion as Rubian instructs.”
The quiet suggestion came from Kalid, who sat with his legs crossed. He had just returned after escorting Rubian to the outskirts.
“Confine her? That’s easy!”
Ballock exclaimed. Before the Old Master, whose keen eyes gleamed with fervor, could rattle off the names of various confinement weapons, Kalid stopped him with a long sigh.
“…You must have heard this from Rubian already, so why are you acting like this? Pretending it’s a welcome? I mean, isn’t Casalia’s guest also currently locked away in the Imperial Palace for these past few weeks?”
Ah, that’s true.
“Kalid’s right, Father.”
Rosetta agreed.
“That way she won’t entertain any foolish ideas and will stay subdued. We still don’t know her true intentions for certain, and since Rubian’s coming-of-age ceremony is tomorrow, we need to keep her under control for now.”
Her tone was calm, yet somehow carried a chill.
Then, Void, who had been listening quietly, raised his hand slightly.
“I have a question.”
“Go ahead, Void.”
Liam granted him permission to speak. Void’s violet eyes swept slowly across the room before settling on Kalid’s face.
“Why is Kalid here if this is a family meeting?”
His expression seemed distinctly displeased. Kalid, for his part, didn’t even blink.
Rosetta spoke with a gentle smile.
“Void, Kalid is family too.”
“Huh?”
“Actually…Mother is going to adopt him soon.”
“Huh?”
“Right, Kaaaalid….”
Bang!
The man, who had seemed unmoved by any words, abruptly stood up with an openly displeased expression.
He looked as though he wanted to make a sarcastic remark or pick a fight, but faced with Rosetta, he seemed helpless.
“…I’m busy, so I’ll take my leave. The horses need feeding.”
Watching his sturdy figure disappear, Rosetta covered her mouth with her hand, delighted.
“He’s adorable.”
“I have another question!”
“Go ahead, Void. Your participation rate is excellent.”
Liam nodded approvingly.
“About that Mage who’s presumed to be his biological father. May I curse him to his face? Whether he’s the biological father or not. It’s just…. The way he’s toying with our Rubian is absolutely infuriating.”
Liam nearly nodded in agreement. Of course, Rosetta added her own comment.
“Void, didn’t Kalid just say something about being somewhat welcomed?”
“Then where am I supposed to vent this knot of anxiety in my chest about losing my younger brother?”
“I feel the same way!”
Ballock pounded his chest with a thunderous boom and shouted.
“Young Void! For once, you and Grandfather are on the same wavelength!”
“That’s a lie!”
“What?”
“-just as much as I do!”
“Ahahaha! You rascal! Anyway, I happen to have a method I’ve used well before! I often wanted to use it when cursing that previous Emperor’s brat….”
Void’s ears perked up with interest.
“…What is it?”
Either way, the two of them, who clicked together in the oddest ways, huddled their heads together and whispered conspiratorially.
“Hmm, there’s actually not much to discuss.”
It seemed like they could each just welcome him in their own way.
As Rosetta murmured to herself, twirling her pink hair, she suddenly turned to look at Liam.
“By the way, Liam.”
“Yes, Mother.”
“Have you written your graduation thesis?”
“….”
Liam calmly adjusted his glasses with both hands.
“Mother. I’ve been wanting to mention this since earlier…. In the family council chamber, please speak only after obtaining the floor. That’s the rule. Today is Friday, so the chairperson is….”
Gleam—his glasses glinted brilliantly.
“Me.”
Rosetta’s smile deepened immeasurably. She rose slowly with a graceful, picturesque motion.
“Why, suddenly shifting targets….”
Liam sensed something amiss and carefully tried to back away.
“That…. I have a feeling the youngest fairy will be arriving soon….”
Whoosh. The two figures disappeared into the distance.
“Oh dear, oh dear.”
Ballock traced their afterimage, tears streaming down his face.
“Such a good eldest son….”
* * *
The Mage arrived at the Zebert Mansion with the Duke and Rubian.
And he was bewildered.
‘What’s this…. Such an impressive display of servants.’
A long line of people stretched out against the backdrop of the grand Duke’s Residence.
News must have reached them, for every servant in the mansion had come out to welcome him.
‘Why are they greeting me? I’m a fake….’
He had been mechanically walking forward, repeating the same words over and over in his mind since earlier.
Even though he rationalized that everything was proceeding according to plan, something felt off. He was watching for an opportunity to flee if things went south, but the Duke stood directly beside him, and next to the Duke were the young lady and a blue-haired Knight, with an intimidating man radiating an enormous aura stationed right behind him—it felt awkward to keep glancing around.
‘But that man in the back… is he a Mage?’
He could sense a dense magical power.
‘Though it might be the young lady’s magical power.’
As a low-ranking Mage, his ability to sense magical energy wasn’t particularly refined.
“Well then, please rest for now! I’m actually planning to throw quite a large birthday party tomorrow, so I’m terribly busy. Kalid, let’s go!”
Rubian spoke brightly and bounced into the mansion.
“Feel free to use whichever room you’d like. Everyone will be happy to show you around.”
The Duke also leaned on his shoulder and disappeared into the mansion, as did the Guard Knight and the blue-haired Knight.
“Please come inside, Mage.”
The Mage climbed the creaking stairs as if entranced. His gaze was captivated by the grand and ornate interior of the Lobby, but only for a moment.
“Oh my, it’s you.”
A breathtakingly beautiful woman approached with a smile.
“I-I’m honored to meet you, Duchess…”
“Never mind the formalities. Drop it. You’re our Rubian’s biological father, after all.”
“Um, but why are you sharpening arrows…?”
“Oh, it’s my hobby.”
The Duchess twitched her nose and suddenly took aim with an arrow.
“Like this!”
Whoosh, thunk!
“Kyaaah!”
“I often shoot them around the house. Whenever stress builds up. You’re similar, aren’t you, Mage?”
Who in their right mind shoots hobby arrows inside a house?
“N-no, why at a person!”
“Pardon? A person? Do I look like such an inconsiderate woman to you? I was aiming at the decoration behind you.”
Rosetta drew the bowstring again.
The Mage quickly fled. But the arrowhead followed him.
“Eek!”
“Hmm? Why do you keep following my arrow? Do you want to be pierced?”
He wanted to say that it was her arrow chasing him, but the Mage was genuinely too terrified that his forehead might be skewered to speak properly.
“Oh, sometimes they do accidentally fly at people… Surely you can dodge them, right? Our Rubian can dodge with her eyes closed. Since you’re a Mage too, you should be even better at it.”
For a moment, the man genuinely wondered if there was something wrong with him for being unable to dodge the incoming arrows.
The Maidservants and Maids giggled, saying things like, “Oh my, the Duchess is at it again!”
Before he could become a target and be pierced, he hastily climbed the first staircase that caught his eye.
From behind, he heard a gentle voice saying, “Then, please rest comfortably!”
‘Something…’
The Duchess isn’t in her right mind, is she?
Thinking this, he was once again surveying escape routes.
“Grandfather, there’s this score I’ve been obsessed with lately.”
A quiet voice echoed from the end of the corridor, followed by a raspy one.
“Art collections, poetry collections, and now sheet music? Hmm, let me see!”
“I was confused about this note.”
Two figures approached, examining a score together. I recognized them immediately.
“Tsk tsk. Your musical knowledge doesn’t even match this old man’s! This is do-re-”
Grandfather lifted only his eyelids, glaring coldly at the rigid Mage.
“Mi!”
What was happening?
“Mi! That’s it! Mi!”
“Ah! Mi!”
The second prince also shouted, staring straight ahead. Then Ballock pointed at the Mage with a theatrical gesture.
“Oh my! If I’m not mistaken, that’s the Mage presumed to be our Rubian’s biological father!”
The prince glanced at the sheet music and cried out.
“Mi!”
“Biological father!”
….
What was this feeling of being mocked right before my eyes?
Caught in an endless loop of do-re-mi and biological father, the Mage swallowed the emotion welling up inside.
Seeing they wouldn’t stop unless he fled, he bit his lip and escaped to the third floor.
‘Are there bedrooms on this floor?’
Somehow, I found myself alone. The third floor was shrouded in darkness. It seemed this was indeed a floor with bedrooms and guest rooms.
“Who are you?”
Footstep, footstep.
Then, a low voice approached along with someone.
The face revealed in the dim light was pale. And cold, gleaming spectacles.
Swish.
The approaching man pushed up his glasses.
With his middle finger.
Though I thought something was odd, the Mage spoke politely.
“I was told I could use any room I wanted, so I’ll be staying on this floor for a while.”
“Ah. Let me show you the way.”
“Thank you!”
‘Finally….’
I’d met a normal person!
Looking more closely, his hair was black, and his eyes were purple….
‘Ah.’
It was Prince Liam Zebert.
I’d heard he was somewhat eccentric, but compared to everyone I’d met so far, he was the most sensible.
The Mage followed Liam down the corridor.
And kept walking.
I walked without pause.
“Say, when exactly will we arrive….”
“Well…. Maybe the day after tomorrow?”
“What?”
What! Are you mocking me?
Growing increasingly frightened and indignant, the Mage pointed abruptly at the door visible before him.
“I’ll just use that room!”
The door swung open.
“…Oh.”
He went rigid.
Upon opening the door, taxidermied magical beasts and grotesque creatures filled the entire space….
“Mon… monsters….”
“Ah, it seems our guests have quite the knack for finding their way. Thank you for leading me to my Research Room….”
“Kyaaah, help, help me!”
A sharp screech echoed.
Liam, left behind, watched the spot where the Mage had vanished, blinking slowly.
“Why would someone run away when being thanked?”
He adjusted his glasses carefully with his well-formed middle finger.
“Truly unlucky.”
He was certainly an enemy.
“Gasp, pant pant.”
The man ultimately fled to the Stables.
‘I’d rather sleep in the Stables!’
The man’s footsteps halted abruptly as he walked through the well-organized Stables.
A beautiful white horse in the distance had captured his attention.
And a man clinging tightly to that white horse, stroking it with all his heart and devotion….
The Mage approached him and spoke.
“Say, are you perhaps a previous guest….”
“Seems like a horse thief.”
Upon closer inspection, it was the man with dark blue hair he had seen in front of the Mansion earlier.
‘His name was… Kalid, wasn’t it.’
The name he had overheard upon arriving at the Mansion suddenly came to mind. With such strikingly handsome features, neither his name nor face seemed likely to be forgotten easily.
“I’m not a horse thief!”
“But why are you trying to steal Kalid?”
“….”
An adult man who referred to himself in the third person….
The Mage was bewildered.
Are there only madmen in this place?
“I, I should go….”
“Correct.”
You heard the voice of my heart?!
“Ahhhhh! What’s with all these rats?!”
The air rippled once with great force, and from nowhere, a swarm of black rats came pouring in.
The Mage fled in panic once more.
Sob.
I want to go home.
In the end, in the sprawling Training Ground, I sat slumped beneath a tree stump, wiping away tears.
“Oh dear, you’re having quite the time. This house does have some barriers to entry.”
The Mage’s shoulders flinched.
What now? What else?
Looking up, I saw a man with an eye patch over one eye. He was chewing grass methodically, though his expression seemed rather friendly.
“I also joined as a latecomer myself… so I experienced some hazing too.”
He introduced himself as Allen.
“No, I didn’t think about joining or anything like that…”
I didn’t agree to come here.
Someone suddenly called me their biological father and brought me here… I never agreed to be part of this group…
Still, finding another person in a similar predicament provided some comfort.
“Do you see that Maidservant?”
The man pointed with his chin toward something.
“Yes? Yes…”
A woman in a Maidservant’s uniform, busily sweeping near the entrance of the Mansion. She was rather large, which seemed to make her work all the more efficient.
“That’s Hazel. She’s quite kind-hearted, so go explain your situation to her. I’m sure she’ll treat you well.”
“Thank you so much.”
The Mage got to his feet.
At least the servants here seemed kind, which was a relief.
So I didn’t notice.
The quiet exchange of glances between the former mercenary and the current one.
‘Fresh prey incoming.’
‘Understood.’
The silent handoff between professionals in the same line of work…

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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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