The Youngest Member Filming a Parenting Show is Adorable - Chapter 219
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Part 2, Chapter 26 (219)
“You say that, yet you end up petting my head anyway!”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Aunt, I really love this.”
“You’ll mess up your hair, child.”
Despite her gruff words, my Aunt continued to stroke my hair slowly, and I leaned into that warmth, indulging in childish affection for a long while. Afterward, the tangled thoughts in my mind felt somewhat clearer.
“Aunt, but there’s something… Father thinks it would be better for me to become the Crown Prince’s bride and receive the protection of the Imperial Family, doesn’t he?”
My Aunt’s hand stilled for a moment.
“The Osirian Church is trying to establish me as a saint and use me. It’s not certain, but there are circumstances suggesting it.”
“Hmph, where did you hear that?”
“My friends told me.”
My Aunt, who had been stroking my head, clicked her tongue.
“Your father wouldn’t even broach such a topic… It’s absurd to hide things from a child who’s grown up.”
“So that means it’s true. Grandfather’s sudden recommendation of marriage also has its reasons.”
“Yes. What the Osirian Church intends to do by making you a saint remains unclear. But it won’t be anything simple.”
My Aunt’s voice was low and resolute.
“Everyone acts as though they’ve forgotten that tragedy. They pretend not to know of any connection to the Osirian Church.”
“Yes, Aunt.”
“Those who speak ill of the Osirian Church are suffering political retaliation. In fact… the damage has already begun.”
If my Aunt spoke with such gravity, the situation must truly be dire.
The First Prince and the Empress’s faction were secretly eliminating their rivals… which meant Maximilian’s path to the throne would be extraordinarily difficult.
“The current Emperor of this nation is on death’s door. The Crown Prince is of little use. If only there were clear evidence that the First Prince is a puppet of the Osirian Church… but without that, the Capital Region nobility will reach this conclusion: it is better to have a potential Emperor who is an ally than to plunge the entire nation into chaos.”
“Because if the succession becomes unstable, foreign nations might launch wars?”
“Precisely. Politics is that complex. That’s why they’re hastening the marriage. If a saint marries, her divine status crumbles.”
“I see.”
“To diminish your value as a saint without tarnishing your image… a marriage to the Crown Prince is most efficient. Even a contractual marriage would suffice.”
My Aunt, as always, cut straight to the heart of the matter.
“Alternatively, receiving protection from a powerful mage faction like Rasifer Laximon would also work. Religion and magic are inherently opposed, after all.”
“Yes, Aunt.”
My Aunt withdrew her hand from my hair and murmured softly.
“That tower. They surely intend to send you there. They’ll package it beautifully on the surface—calling it the saint’s trial, a noble duty, and so forth.”
My Aunt fell silent for a moment, her gaze distant.
“I hope you won’t go, should such circumstances arise. For some reason, it feels ominous. Very, deeply ominous.”
Cecilia had spent long years on the battlefield. Her instincts were honed razor-sharp.
I trusted my Aunt’s intuition.
“I must decide quickly, before they can bind me with the shackles of ‘sainthood.'”
“That’s also sound reasoning. If you’d rather not take this seriously, simply enter into a contractual marriage with someone suitable.”
A contractual marriage seemed preferable to an actual one, but then—who on earth should I contract with?
Even after my Aunt left, I pondered this for a long, very long time.
Then, when I arrived at the party venue—
Quest!
(Contract) Choose a Husband
The Emotion Spirit King has assigned you a task!
✔
Lovers should have no secrets between them. Uncover the secret that Rasifer Laximon is hiding from you!
Reward upon Success
★Well Done★ 1 Stamp.
The moment I entered, multiple Quests materialized before my eyes.
* * *
Meanwhile, Blake sat alone in a darkened room.
Thick curtains sealed the windows shut, allowing not a whisper of wind to pass, and dust from the bookshelves drifted faintly through the cool air.
“….”
Laughter echoing from afar felt unfamiliar.
Gentle music, voices, the clink of glasses—such sounds.
He tilted his head for a moment.
Indeed, it was not a sound he knew well.
These were sounds that had vanished from Isthel long ago.
In truth, the journey from Isthel to the Capital took scarcely more than a few days—riding without rest, one could arrive swiftly—yet the landscape unfolding before him was so utterly different.
Blake gazed down at the small box in his hand with an expressionless face.
Purple wrapping paper bound with a golden silk ribbon. Within lay a treasure of considerable worth.
A pearl hairpin crafted from the finest pearls, matching the quality of the engraved pearl brooch.
In terms of value, it exceeded even a respectable high-tier grimoire.
At least, it did in Isthel, where the sea was distant.
‘And yet.’
Blake knew the truth.
To someone, this was nothing more than a meager offering.
‘To ask her to become my wife, and have nothing else to offer but this.’
Isthel desperately needed a lady of the household to support him now.
Of course, an heir was necessary as well.
With dungeons and the monsters pouring forth from them, who could say when he might fall?
‘I have worked tirelessly thus far, but restoring what my uncle destroyed requires more time.’
Support from the wife’s household would be essential.
Since the dungeons began opening anew, he had not allowed himself a single day of peace.
Monsters appeared suddenly one day, and the damage spread in an instant.
Whenever matters seemed to improve, everything reverted to square one.
As a result, Isthel’s finances perpetually teetered on the brink of ruin.
‘Originally, I intended to offer this to the daughter of a household renowned for commerce….’
Blake’s eyes darkened with turbulence.
He was thinking of Superti now.
‘This cannot continue.’
You know full well you’re not worthy of proposing to Fasayen’s precious daughter.
You shouldn’t have brought her to Isthel and caused her suffering.
And yet you know this.
‘If only Superti would help me as she did back then….’
How much easier everything would become.
He drew in a slow breath. In the darkened room, candlelight flickered delicately.
“Your Excellency, it’s time you departed for the party.”
At that moment, the Adjutant spoke carefully from beyond the door.
“…Very well.”
Blake rose heavily from his seat, breathing slowly and reminding himself again and again to choose reason over emotion.
Emotion and desire were luxuries he could not afford….
* * *
The party venue was truly crowded with people.
Everyone was smiling, yet no one was truly smiling.
Truth be told, neither was I.
Quest!
(Contract) Choose a Husband
The Emotion Spirit King has given you an assignment!
✔
To become lovers, you must come to know each other. Discover three pieces of information about ‘Blake Isthel’ that he doesn’t willingly reveal to others!
Reward upon success
★Well Done!★ 1 stamp.
Quest!
(Contract) Choose a Husband
The Luck Spirit King has given you an assignment!
✔
Spouses must share compatible values. Discover Maximilian Barateum’s philosophy of love and the family he dreams of building in the future!
Reward upon success
★Well Done!★ 1 stamp.
Three quests shimmer before my eyes.
It seems the Emotion Spirit King and the Luck Spirit King gave these to me out of consideration….
Or perhaps to keep me from dwelling on the Tower any longer.
[The Emotion Spirit King ‘■■■’ is playing dumb.]
“Are you nervous?”
“Not at all.”
“Whoever you choose, you’re too good for them. So don’t worry.”
Father’s eyes are filled with concern.
It seems he must have overheard my conversation with Aunt.
“I’m fine. It’s just… I wonder if marriage is the only answer. That’s all I’m thinking.”
“It’s the path back. A simpler one at that.”
“That’s right.”
I know that much.
Mother and Father both encourage marriage because they don’t want me to be in danger—I understand that well enough.
‘Honestly, I’m not sure. Whether the path of avoidance is truly the one I should walk.’
I have always, always chosen to face my struggles head-on.
‘Is this what it means to become an adult?’
At midnight, it will be my birthday.
Perhaps it’s because I’m coming of age on this particular day, but strange thoughts keep surfacing.
‘It feels as though I’m deciding what kind of adult I will become.’
A waltz began to play.
At that same moment, three men approached me.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————