The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 283
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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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Side Story 9
Liam was also peering at the communication device from beneath the table.
His cold eyes beneath his glasses were deeply furrowed.
Gilchi’s Restaurant (23 years of tradition)
Well… I’m not entirely sure.
Whatever it is, it seems like a serious matter.
As expected—
Gilchi’s Restaurant (23 years of tradition)
Should I go with the authentic “Demon Discovery” series, or should I opt for the thrilling “The Day the Demon Vanished”?
Ugh, the night is far too short…
I’ll just sleep when I’m dead.
Ah, focus already!~!!
Thief
Prince Liam, could you pass the mashed potatoes? Rubian skipped lunch.
Gilchi’s Restaurant (23 years of tradition)
OK
“Ah, wait!”
Void sprang to his feet.
“Void?”
Rosetta lifted her head in surprise.
Rubian’s eyes widened as he chewed a mouthful of tenderloin steak.
“Ha-ha. Ha. The steak is just so delicious…”
“You’re certainly serious about building muscle.”
Rosetta smiled gently and picked up her knife.
“But do cultivate your character and perseverance as well.”
“Ah, yes…”
“A toned physique and a chiseled handsome face are worthless if your heart is narrow.”
Swish, swish-swish-swish! The meat was diced beneath Rosetta’s blade.
“…”
The man with the toned physique and chiseled handsome face clenched his teeth.
The air grew even heavier.
I might throw up the steak and die
Gilchi’s Restaurant (23 years of tradition)
You’re really making a fuss, Void. Are you the only one using the message box?
And please use proper spelling.
Finally, Liam spoke up.
Void typed out a message indignantly.
Why are you so composed, hyung!!!!
Gilchi’s Restaurant (23 years of tradition)
Well, the youngest fairy is composed.
Oh, right, now that I think about it.
“Ugh, this doesn’t taste very good… I should give it to Father. Father!”
Why does Rubian seem so unbothered?
‘Rubian’s perceptiveness is sharper than mine.’
Gilchi’s Taste House (23-year tradition)
If it were truly serious, the sound of our food sprite’s eyes rolling would’ve been louder than the noise of typing out messages.
Is that so?
Or is she just hungry?
Thief
Rubian skipped lunch
look! You said you skipped lunch ㅠㅠ
“Ah, I just want one bite of this… I should give the rest to Father, Father!”
In any case, Rubian was more absorbed in her meal than ever before.
Void exhaled a long sigh as he watched her innocent demeanor.
Yes, perhaps it’s better that she didn’t notice
This is something the older brothers need to handle, not the youngest
Void bit his lip. Though he spoke with composure, ominous thoughts began spreading like clouds.
But seriously, this is my first time doing something like this, so I’m honestly embarrassed. What if the two of you continue to be in a cold war like this? What if you regret getting married?
What if they actually… divorce?
His eyes quickly began to glisten.
Should I follow Mother or Father?
Gilchi’s Taste House (23-year tradition)
Void, keep your fantasies quieter.
And you’re an adult.
Tonguuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. What should we do ㅠㅠㅠ
Then, Kalid, who had been quietly staring at the message, suddenly furrowed his brow.
Thief
Regret the marriage, you say?
That’s right! It’s truly the worst-case scenario
Thief
Then
There’s a high probability they’d oppose all kinds of marriages?
Isn’t that obvious? Who would recommend something they think is bad?
At that moment, Liam, who had been quietly peering into the communication device, spoke urgently.
Gilchi’s Taste House (23-year tradition)
W-wait
K-Kalid, are you s-saying something w-weird?
“Waaaahhh. I’m so full!”
At the same time, Rubian patted her belly contentedly.
“Thank you for the meal!”
Before I knew it, I had polished off even the peach sorbet with impressive efficiency.
Rubian, who had been quietly observing the dining table, tilted her head curiously.
“…But why haven’t my brothers and Kalid eaten anything at all?”
“Right? Everyone’s been unusually quiet today, each lost in their own thoughts~”
Rosetta smiled.
Rubian simply sipped her water with an unbothered expression.
“Then I’ll go rest in my room and come back down for tea!”
Rubian trotted toward the Dining Room entrance.
As she opened the door with a creak, she glanced back over her shoulder.
At that exact moment, her eyes met those of Kalid, Void, and Liam. When those piercing blue eyes locked onto them, all three men’s bodies flinched.
Now that I thought about it….
There was no way a Mage like her could have failed to sense the flow of magical device usage.
‘Stop exchanging messages.’
Rubian glared with her eyes and jabbed her thumb toward the outside with sharp flicks.
‘Get. Out. Now.’
* * *
To be honest, I was confused at first too.
“Hazel? What happened to my Mother and Father during the day? Tell me quickly!”
Those two who got along so well were fighting!
A cold war, no less!
‘It’s obvious they must have agreed not to fight in front of us, no matter what.’
But as an adult, unlike when I was younger, the discomfort felt far too apparent to me.
Hazel looked extremely troubled, unsure how to respond to my interrogation.
“Ah… really… how did you notice? They told me not to mention that the young lady and young masters were worried.”
“I’m a master of reading the room. Spill it now.”
“Ah, I really can’t… You absolutely cannot let them know you found out, okay?”
“Just trust me!”
Hazel agonized for a moment, then reluctantly told me the whole story.
“Actually… a letter arrived for Ballock in the afternoon.”
“From Grandfather?”
“Yes. When the Lord saw it, he suddenly said he needed to leave. Of course, the General tried to stop him… and they ended up having a small argument over the difference of opinion.”
“Huh? Where was Mother trying to go?”
“Um…. To Biltain in the Southwest Region.”
“Biltain? Isn’t that a restricted access zone?”
I’d heard that Biltain used to be an incredibly crime-ridden city.
‘It became ruins after the Human-Beast War, and these days there are frequent demon sightings, or so I heard.’
So it’s under restricted access until subjugation and reconstruction are complete… I recalled what Licht had told me.
Hazel scratched her cheek with a troubled expression.
“Actually, that place was the base of the Mercenary Company we used to belong to…”
“What?”
“Hmm…”
“Wait, didn’t you say that place was already annihilated?”
“Yes. It was completely destroyed.”
“Then what?”
“But it seems traces of the old Mercenary Company were discovered nearby.”
“Ah…”
I could roughly piece together what had happened.
Mother must have thought the old Mercenary Company she once belonged to had been revived and was trying to head to Biltain.
Father had clearly tried to stop her, and it escalated into a quarrel.
‘The Mercenary Company Mother belonged to…’
In truth, I didn’t know much about it myself.
Mother and the former Maidservants and Maidservants who had belonged to that Mercenary Company all kept quiet about those days.
‘Mother said she was just a simple Demon Subjugation Force mercenary…’
But judging by the atmosphere that seeped through between the lines, it didn’t seem like a particularly reputable organization.
‘They even forced her to learn assassination techniques!’
Of course, she said she was never actually sent on assassination missions.
‘But still, that’s too harsh!’
Then a fundamental question suddenly occurred to me.
“But wait. What exactly do you mean by ‘traces’ of that Mercenary Company? Don’t tell me… the leader we thought was dead is actually still alive! Something like that, right?”
“Oh no, that’s not it. If that were the case, I would have flown over there long ago and diced that bastard’s head into cubes.”
“…”
Hazel, that’s terrifying…
“It seems an object was discovered.”
“An object?”
“…A memorial box. That is, Rosetta’s mother’s…”
Mother’s mother?
I blinked rapidly.
So that means…
“G-Grandmother’s memorial box?!”
“Yes. It was thought to have disappeared when the Mercenary Company building collapsed, but it’s appeared again.”
“How did it end up there… Did Mother not manage to gather all her belongings when the building collapsed?”
Hazel quietly shook her head.
“Rosetta never even touched the memorial box. The Mercenary Company commander had been keeping it all along. In fact… Rosetta essentially worked for the Mercenary Company just to reclaim it.”
So that Mercenary Company really was a disreputable place. Holding someone’s precious belongings hostage like that and exploiting them.
I barely managed to steady my seething breath.
“Still… it’s fortunate either way, isn’t it? The memorial box Mother wanted so desperately to reclaim has appeared again.”
“Well, that’s…”
Hazel’s words trailed off ominously.
“The box is sealed with a magical lock, and for various reasons… His Excellency has been keeping the key. I heard he received it from Rosetta long ago…”
“Father has the key to the memorial box? Then isn’t that even better? But…?”
Hazel paused for a moment before speaking.
“Apparently you lost that key long ago, somewhere in Biltain.”
“…?”
“But you’ve been hiding that fact all this time….”
“…?”
“In the end, when Rosetta said she would go to Biltain herself to find the key, you tried to stop her and ended up arguing….”
“…??”
I tensed my abdomen deliberately, maintaining my composure.
And then I screamed.
* * *
“Dad, are you insane?!”
No… no, no….
My own cry from that memory echoed through my mind like a reverberating phantom.
I reached a firm conclusion.
“It’s 100% Father’s fault.”
After hearing my entire explanation, Kalid sat beside me and pressed his forehead wearily with his hand.
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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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