Tia’s Smooth Life After Regression - Chapter 141

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

Tiya’s Smooth Regression Life

Chapter 141

* * *

In the end, Tiya failed to feed Father her ‘release commemoration, family secret cookies.’

“These cookies are burnt black.”

Tiya immediately protested against Shurkha’s cold assessment.

“They’re not burnt, they’re just chocolate flavored!”

At Tiya’s insistence, Shurkha said nothing more. He simply broke the cookie in front of him in half, picked up a piece with his hand, and held it out in front of Tiya’s mouth.

Tiya’s eyes sparkled.

‘Father is trying to feed me a cookie!’

Maybe her character education had worked and Father had changed!

Tiya immediately opened her mouth wide, but before she could taste the release commemoration cookie, she first experienced Winter’s ruthless comment.

【You’re about to taste the bitter flavor of life.】

“Huh?”

As Tiya glanced sideways at Winter, the release commemoration cookie filled her mouth completely.

Tiya reflexively moved her jaw and, just as Winter had warned, experienced the full bitter taste of life.

“Ughhh!”

Tiya covered her mouth as if she had eaten poison and groaned before finally managing to swallow the cookie down her throat.

The taste was so terrible that tears and even a bit of snot leaked out.

Shurkha took a tissue and vigorously wiped Tiya’s messy face clean.

Tiya didn’t notice Winter watching this scene with a strange expression as she slumped her shoulders and became dejected.

“My release commemoration cookies… I wanted to let Princess sister taste them too. Sniff.”

She had almost ended up imprisoned next after Shurkha. And for the crime of attempting to assassinate royalty, no less.

The Count’s hand paused momentarily upon hearing Tiya’s words.

“Are you planning to visit the Imperial Palace?”

“Yes! Princess sister helped a lot this time, so I should go thank her.”

It was no exaggeration to say that Tiya had been able to visit her imprisoned father at the Imperial Palace as if it were her own home entirely thanks to the Princess.

So now that everything was resolved, it was natural to go thank her. Yet Shurkha fell into thought as if there was a major problem with Tiya’s words.

“Don’t worry. I won’t give Princess sister the release commemoration cookies.”

“That’s not what I—”

Shurkha’s gaze turned toward Tiya as he was about to say something. And he immediately intuited that no matter what he said, he couldn’t break Tiya’s determination to go to the Imperial Palace.

“That’s not what?”

“…Never mind.”

In the end, instead of finishing his sentence, Shurkha suddenly grabbed Tiya’s chin. As Tiya’s cheeks were pressed by Father’s hands, making her lips pucker like a fish, it happened.

Something pricked the back of her neck sharply.

“Huh?”

【What the hell are you doing!】

Tiya couldn’t see it, but Winter, who was guarding her back, saw it clearly.

A scorpion summoned from the back of Shurkha’s hand moved stealthily and thrust its sharp tail tip firmly into the nape of Tiya’s neck.

Tiya, who had escaped from Father’s hands, rubbed the back of her neck and glanced up at Winter, who was glaring fiercely at the Count.

Seeing Winter’s reaction, it seemed Father had done something.

“Something stung just now?”

“I injected my spirit’s poison so my spirit can stay by your side. It will detoxify itself by tomorrow, so don’t worry about it.”

【Spirit’s poison? As if you wouldn’t worry about that.】

Winter crossed his arms and grumbled, but Tiya didn’t seem particularly concerned and just nodded.

“I see. Then Father, I’ll see you at dinner later!”

Winter, who trudged after Tiya as she scurried out of the Count’s study, had deep wrinkles forming on his brow.

“Winter, you’re going to say something bad, aren’t you?”

【…Something bad, well.】

“You’re going to badmouth our Father.”

【That’s not it—】

Winter only got that far before closing his mouth.

To see the Count doing something suspicious and not even question it.

Moreover, Tiya seemed completely unaware of what had happened in the Count’s study.

That she had just spent time with the Count and had trivial conversations without using Father’s time. Like a close father and daughter.

If he told her this fact, she would obviously become triumphant, saying the Count had changed and her education had been effective, so Winter shook his head vigorously.

【Forget it, it would only hurt my mouth to say anything.】

“When I look closely, Winter and Father are exactly alike.”

【Where did you learn such horrible words? Don’t ever say that again.】

Winter shuddered as if truly getting goosebumps and rubbed his arms.

* * *

The Princess’s Palace.

Though it was a sweltering day without a breath of wind, the tea table for the two girls was prepared in the reception room rather than the garden.

Because no one should eavesdrop on the conversation they would have.

Tiya sat in front of the perfectly set tea table as always. The three-tiered tray on the table was full of all kinds of desserts, but she couldn’t hide her disappointment.

If only she could have accompanied it with successful release commemoration cookies, it would have been perfect.

However, she was soon able to forget her disappointment with the conversation that followed.

“Is the Count in good health?”

“Of course! It’s all thanks to Your Highness the Princess.”

“No, what did I really do? I’m just glad everything worked out well.”

Though Anaël blushed and felt embarrassed, without her help it would have been impossible to contact Shurkha in advance and convey Rodion’s plan.

No amount of gratitude would be enough.

After such exchanges of thanks and modesty went back and forth three or four times, Tiya carefully asked while fidgeting with her iced teacup.

“Are you alright, Your Highness?”

“Me? Oh, are you worried someone found out I helped you? Don’t worry. Probably—”

“No, that’s not it. You look troubled. …It’s because of the Prince, isn’t it?”

Anaël couldn’t readily say she was fine. Because she really wasn’t fine.

She thought she had hidden her feelings well, but it was useless in front of Tiya.

For a while, only the sound of tea drinking filled the room. Then the Princess quietly spoke.

“It was the first time I saw Brother crying.”

After Count Montes was imprisoned.

The Prince went to see the Emperor every single day without fail.

At first, he only raged while appealing the Count’s innocence. Then as the Count’s imprisonment grew longer and evidence of his corruption began emerging one after another, he tried to negotiate with the Emperor.

Even so, there was no sign of the Count being released.

And the day before, Anaël had accidentally overheard the Prince’s tearful plea leaking from the audience chamber.

“Uncle, not Uncle! Your Majesty, no, Father. I will kneel and beg like this. Please…”

There must have been not only the Emperor but also ministers and guards in the audience chamber.

Her brother, who was so arrogant and prideful, had collapsed like a child without any thought for his dignity.

Anaël couldn’t bring herself to enter and fled from that place. However, her brother’s voice followed her to her bedside, and she ended up losing sleep from the heart-wrenching sadness.

“…I feel sorry for Brother.”

After saying those words, the Princess realized her mistake.

The person the Prince was begging for mercy for was the Count, and that Count had framed Tiya’s father, who was sitting right in front of her.

Depending on how it was heard, she might be misunderstood as pitying her father’s enemy.

As Anaël was about to hastily make excuses, she met Tiya’s direct gaze and suddenly realized.

That I have something else to say.

Anaël, who had organized her thoughts until all the ice in her teacup had melted, continued speaking.

“But I don’t think Count Montes should receive leniency. No matter how much Brother grieves, he must receive just punishment for the crimes he committed.”

Only after saying those words did she truly realize it.

Her heart ached thinking that Brother would lose his uncle. However, it wasn’t just compassion that kept her from sleeping.

She already knew where the Prince’s rage would be directed after his loss.

Probably at me and the Vladijef Family.

Thus, she realized that this incident had made her cross an irreversible river with Brother.

Heavy silence settled between the two of them.

It was when Anaël was trying to change the subject with a forced smile.

Urgent footsteps running down the corridor could be heard, then someone knocked on the reception room door.

As soon as the Princess gave permission, the door opened roughly and the Steward appeared.

Both Anaël and Tiya instinctively sensed from his urgent expression that some accident had occurred.

“Your Highness, a fire has broken out at the west stables of the Princess’s Palace.”

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