The Youngest Hides a Lot - Chapter 297
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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, Chapter 23
For a moment, I thought they were talking about us and was startled.
But seeing the rustling of paper continue….
“Calm down. Still, if the two of them just stay close together, somehow… it’ll probably work out fine.”
It seemed they were discussing a novel.
“But the problem is that ‘staying close’ part in the first place!”
“Well, the guy just needs to work up some courage, right?”
“Is that so?”
The girl let out a deep sigh.
“But… he didn’t seem that skilled at it?”
“Hmm….”
“Like, using injury treatment as an excuse to keep her at the mansion and dawdle around… would he even know such a technique?”
Leviathan, who had been listening quietly, suddenly tilted his chin.
‘Such a method.’
…existed?
It was a bit of a cheap trick, but it sounded rather plausible.
“And if they wanted to stay even closer together…!”
“Wanted to?”
“They could pretend to be fake lovers out of mutual need…!”
This time, Rosetta’s eyes sparkled.
“Of course, the two of them wouldn’t know such an advanced technique yet!”
‘Not bad… actually?’
I was slightly worried that the children were reading overly clichéd novels, but somehow I felt as though I’d found the answer.
‘I wanted to stay closer than anyone else.’
If we pretended to be lovers… it would be possible.
By staying by his side like that, I might be able to win over Leviathan.
‘But how should I bring it up….’
Then, the child took a sharp breath.
“The guy is under marriage pressure he doesn’t want, and the girl has the excuse of reviving her fallen house, right? So… even if onlookers think ‘they’re just playing around,’ the parties involved can think their interests align and bind each other with ‘I’ll use you thoroughly,’ creating a situation! But….”
“….”
“How would they ever know such an advanced technique!”
The child lamented with a sigh.
“Of course? And if we add the finishing touch by having them write a love contract or something? It would be even more certain! Since it’s such a promise! But they… sigh, anyway, it’s all ruined!”
“Okay. I’ve organized what you just said. Let’s leave it as a letter. Have them discover it like a hint.”
“R, really? When did you write it…. Yeah, okay….”
They were very resourceful children.
‘Sending a letter with clues about the future development of the novel to the author itself.’
I wanted to keep those children.
As the sound of the children’s footsteps faded away, Rosetta quietly closed the window and went to the Reception Room.
Leviathan also hurriedly closed the window and sat on the sofa.
“Is the treatment finished?”
“Yes. Thanks to you.”
Tick, tick.
Only the sound of the clock’s second hand filled the Reception Room.
‘Somehow… I think I was the only one who heard the children’s voices?’
Rosetta gazed at the tightly closed windows of the Reception Room, lost in thought.
Leviathan also confirmed the sealed windows through the crack of the Side Room door.
“….”
“….”
The two of them awkwardly avoided each other’s gaze.
Then….
Ahem.
Leviathan cleared his throat first.
“Well… the Physician said that the young lady’s injuries are far more serious than they appear, and the prognosis isn’t good, so it would be best if she received intensive treatment at our Zebert Mansion. Besides, she’s also the benefactor who saved my life….”
The words flowed smoothly.
“Ah… I also felt like that was what should happen. And I have a proposal for you.”
“…What is it?”
That night.
The two of them succeeded in keeping each other close by recklessly casting advanced skills from novels.
They carefully signed what they wondered was a legitimate love contract.
‘Good, infiltration complete.’
‘Finally caught her.’
Though there was some slight difference in their intentions, well… what did it matter?
After all, the result of this encounter was.
Already bearing fruit.
* * *
Rubian’s ears drooped.
He couldn’t think of a clever way to connect the two of them.
‘Kalid just keeps saying comforting nonsense that things will work out if they just stick together.’
“I don’t know the details either, but it seemed like they’d be fine just recognizing each other.”
That made even less sense.
“Sigh.”
He was even discovered talking with Kalid outside the Zebert Mansion and had to be transported back to the servant’s Bedroom.
Actually, he’d failed trying to go to the Reception Room where Leviathan was.
This Villa’s rooms all looked the same, and the windows were identical, so he couldn’t tell where anything was.
“Rubian, just get some rest for now. I’ll sneak the tactical note you mentioned into Duke Zebert’s Bedroom.”
“Understood….”
That was when.
“Huh?”
Something luminous slipped out from Rubian’s embrace.
Thump, thump—the torn page drifted through the air.
“A diary?”
What was this?
The characters written on the page shimmered, infused with blue mana.
Rubian’s eyes widened.
“Could it be… asking me to fix it?”
“Seems like it.”
Now that I thought about it.
Rubian’s expression brightened instantly.
“I know exactly what needs fixing!”
Year N, Month N, Day N
I held my engagement ceremony with Leviathan, who had just turned twenty. Whether it was because he’d aged another year or because he’d become my fiancé, I’m not sure, but somehow he felt more reliable?
It feels like just yesterday that we met at the Imperial Court’s summer banquet last year… My heart feels strangely moved.
Of course, we met very properly and ordinarily—passing by each other in the Banquet Hall corridor, our sleeves brushing for the first time.
(continued below)
“…”
Rubian stared at the sentence that was written particularly roughly, then realized.
‘Ah, Mother must have added this in a hurry.’
“Rubian, you said you needed Mother’s diary for your Academy assignment, right? Here.”
“Wow! Does it include the part about meeting Father for the first time?”
“Of course!”
To show it to Rubian.
She let out a short sigh, then moved her mana to correct the diary’s contents.
Of course, we met very properly and ordinarily—passing by each other in the Banquet Hall corridor, our sleeves brushing for the first time.
We met as an assassin and a target.
“All done…!”
“Wait.”
Just then, Kalid interjected.
“What is it?”
The young boy, who had been thinking for a moment, carefully placed his hand over Rubian’s and moved it gently.
We met as an assassin and a target
once more
and became one another.
“Huh?”
“…It just felt right somehow.”
Just as Rubian was about to ask more, a brilliant light erupted—whoooosh!
An intense radiance blazed forth.
Kalid furrowed his brow sharply and pulled Rubian close, shielding her.
System error 50% corrected!
Remaining lies: 1
“What?! You’re serious? Kalid! What is this? How did you know?”
“That’s… let’s finish this situation first.”
Kalid was right.
Mana churned dangerously around me, and message windows kept flooding my vision.
A portion of the warp system has been restored…
You can now change warp destinations!
I blinked my wide eyes.
“Gasp.”
“What?”
“The error that dropped us into this strange point in time… it seems we can correct it to some degree?”
“What? So we can move to the ‘engagement ceremony’ point we originally hoped for?”
“Probably? At least we might be able to fast-forward time to somewhere near that point!”
The remaining error was related to the ‘engagement ceremony’.
If I confirm that moment and correct the diary’s falsehood, I can safely end this time warp!
‘I already have the key in hand!’
Select a warp point!
Select a warp point!
The text flickered before my eyes.
Time warp end#$@%until
Remaining time: □□■■■
Then, I narrowed my eyes slightly.
“Huh?”
Now that I looked at it more carefully…
“It’s a gauge?!”
I’d thought the corrupted end message at the top meant the remaining time display was also an error.
“It must be a mana reserve indicator!”
Like a battery indicator!
“What does that mean?”
“It means we have to return to reality before the battery runs out!”
“…Otherwise, we’ll run out of mana and get trapped in this timeline?”
“Probably!”
Kalid muttered darkly.
“In this state?”
That was absolutely unacceptable.
Being close to the adorable Rubian was nice, but I desperately needed an adult body where I could do all those intimate things with her.
‘That’s the whole reason I came on this damned time journey in the first place!’
For a peaceful and smooth marriage consummation!
“If there had been no error, the system would have automatically returned us to reality… anyway, let’s hurry, Kalid!”
“Yeah.”
Kalid gripped her hand with burning determination like never before.
I hastily moved my mana.
“Come on, quickly to the next one!”
For a moment, I felt a slight worry about leaving Rosetta and Leviathan behind like this.
But since my body hadn’t turned transparent, I decided it was safe to proceed with the transfer.
“Then… spatial jump!”
Whoosh—!
The two small figures vanished, engulfed in a brilliant light.
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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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