Tia’s Smooth Life After Regression - Chapter 48

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Tiya’s Smooth Regression Life

 

Chapter 48

 

The butler found the study carrying a silver tray with a teapot and teacups. The room was filled with quite a fragrant tea aroma.

 

Though he preferred alcohol to tea, he couldn’t ignore his granddaughter’s sincerity.

 

The Duke willingly brought the teacup to his lips, then,

 

“Pfft!”

 

Spat out half of it.

 

The tea was still disgustingly bitter and tasteless. He’d been drinking it for days but couldn’t get used to the taste at all.

 

When will I ever finish all this.

 

The teapot he peeked into was still full of herbal water.

 

“Ahem, Butler. You’ve worked hard assisting me.”

 

“Of course. If I were to explain all my hardships, three days and nights wouldn’t be enough. And that’s not all? When that son I had with such difficulty in my old age said he’d follow the young master to The Dominion, this old father’s heart was torn into a thousand, ten thousand pieces—”

 

The butler, whose honesty was both his strength and weakness, began to ramble on.

 

The Duke quickly cut him off.

 

“I know your hard work well. So in the spirit of taking care of your health, I’ll share the medicinal herbs my granddaughter sent. Starting right now, we’ll have tea time once a day.”

 

“Pardon? But you just spat out the tea—”

 

“When I say do it, you do it.”

 

“….”

 

The butler, gloriously seated across from his superior, carefully tilted his teacup.

 

“Kugh!”

 

It was more bitter than his sixty years of life.

 

A torturous tea time filled only with coughing sounds continued for a while.

 

* * *

 

“The tea aroma is quite nice.”

 

Anton, Shurkha’s aide and the butler’s son, had no idea his father was tasting life’s bitterness and was thoroughly enjoying life’s sweetness.

 

“Father, say ah~”

 

“….”

 

“Oh my, our father is such a picky eater. Come on, father’s time for 10 minutes!”

 

Only during the youngest miss’s ‘snack time’ could he legally escape from work hell.

 

Moreover, whatever the inner circumstances, the father and daughter sitting across from each other looked quite cozy.

 

Even while carelessly chewing the dessert his daughter fed him, Shurkha’s gaze never left the documents.

 

Thanks to Tiya understanding her father’s busy situation, he could check simple documents even during his hourly part-time work.

 

【Look at this guy. Working inflexibly again. Why is he so diligent! Tax evasion, double bookkeeping, doesn’t he do any illegal or underhanded stuff like that?】

 

Of course, he had no idea that a ghost who’d been desperately searching for his weaknesses for months was peeking at his ledgers right behind him.

 

“Then do you know what Brother Lev said? He suddenly shrugged his shoulders and—”

 

Half-listening, the Count who had been silently turning pages suddenly stared at Tiya.

 

Actually, there had been one thing bothering him for a while.

 

“Empty your mouth when talking.”

 

“Huh? I don’t have anything in my mouth.”

 

Fine wrinkles appeared on Shurkha’s brow.

 

Her cheeks were so puffed out like that. He couldn’t understand why she was telling such an obvious lie.

 

Instead of saying more, Shurkha pulled Tiya’s left cheek like catching a hamster hiding in a storage room.

 

“There’s definitely something in here….”

 

“Uwah uweoweo?”

 

“….”

 

This time he pulled her right cheek too.

 

“Amweo uwweoweo!”

 

But no matter how much he pulled, no nuts came tumbling out of her mouth.

 

Shurkha finally let go and picked up his documents again.

 

“Strangely shaped.”

 

“What! I’m not strange!”

 

【At least in appearance, she’s the spitting image of the Count.】

 

“Right! If I’m strange, then Father is strangely shaped too!”

 

The Count didn’t even respond and turned his attention back to the documents, but could no longer concentrate on the numbers.

 

‘Rodion and Lev had hollow cheeks and sharp jawlines even at that age.’

 

Shurkha paused while unconsciously recalling his sons’ childhood appearances.

 

He’d been doing this often lately. Taking out dusty memories, wiping them with his fingertips, and staring at them without realizing.

 

Probably ever since that tiny debt collector rolled into his life.

 

‘I’m having useless thoughts.’

 

He brushed away the distracting thoughts like wiping dust off his hands.

 

Then with a snap, he closed the open pocket watch and issued a cold order to leave.

 

“Time’s up.”

 

* * *

 

Tiya walked to her next destination with a sullen face, guided by Anton.

 

It’s been about three months since I came to this manor and met Winter.

 

During that time, I’ve been diligently raising Father, becoming a mage to save Lev, and working quite hard to get a cure for the epidemic.

 

‘Am I doing well?’

 

To borrow Winter’s expression, there was no sign of emotion returning to Father’s fish-like eyes.

 

I sent Grandmother the Palantio seeds imbued with divine power, but despite trusting Grandmother, I wasn’t confident that would be enough.

 

Moreover, I hadn’t even encountered Rodion since then.

 

I’m running forward earnestly, but it feels like the world I’m standing on keeps moving backward, so I’m just walking in place.

 

While Tiya was walking dejectedly, looking at the ground,

 

She noticed the manor was unusually bustling today.

 

Every employee she met in the corridor was carrying large bags or suitcases, and their excited faces looked elated about something.

 

“Everyone seems to have something happy going on.”

 

Anton answered Tiya’s question.

 

“They’re preparing to go on vacation.”

 

“Vacation?”

 

“Yes. The eldest young master gives the manor employees vacation two or three times a year. He even provides vacation pay, so everyone leaves the manor on those days.”

 

In other words, most of the adults would be away from the manor?

 

Suddenly, starlight sparkled in Tiya’s eyes.

 

【…Why are you opening your eyes like that? Huh? I don’t know what it is, but stop for now.】

 

Despite Winter’s restraint, Tiya immediately dashed to Lev’s room like an arrow.

 

“Hello, Brother! Hello, Valen! Does everyone know about that?”

 

“Yeah, I know.”

 

Lev’s short answer couldn’t stop Tiya’s mouth.

 

Tiya excitedly shared the news about the employees’ vacation. Lev’s expression, which had been indifferent since this happened every year, crumpled at what followed.

 

“So, we’re going to hold the Night of Trials that day!”

 

“What’s the Night of Trials?”

 

Lev wanted to cover Valentina’s mouth for asking that. He didn’t know what it was, but he had a very ominous feeling.

 

Tiya puffed out her chest proudly and explained as if she’d been waiting for someone to ask.

 

“The Night of Trials! It is a noble ritual of warriors to prove their bravery! Only those who overcome six trials can be called brave Northerners! Challenge yourself, brave friend!”

 

Though she spoke grandly, the reality was—

 

“So, you want to do a courage test?”

 

“Yes! We take turns telling scary stories, then find treasure hidden in the manor and come back.”

 

“No.”

 

Lev naturally refused outright.

 

However, there was one thing Lev had overlooked.

 

“Ah, why nooooo!”

 

“Let’s do it, let’s do it. Hm? Let’s overcome the night of trials and become brave Northerners!”

 

“Ehhhh, Mr. Lev Vladijef, are you scared? Scared?”

 

He had never once broken Tiya’s stubbornness until now.

 

“It’s okay, Lev. Being afraid of ghosts isn’t something to be ashamed of. It’s just something really embarrassing, that’s all.”

 

With Valentina’s supporting fire added to that, he had no choice but to give in.

 

“Sc-scared? Who said I was scared! Fine! It’s nothing, we can just do it!”

 

And so came the long-awaited ‘Night of Trials.’

 

Whether it was good timing or not, Shurkha wasn’t scheduled to return home from the Imperial Palace that day.

 

Late at night, the evening at Vladijef Manor was unusually quiet with only a few senior employees remaining.

 

Tiya wandered around the manor interior all by herself, going pitter-patter. She had finished decorating all the rooms for the ritual, so now only the final step remained.

 

That was—

 

“Thanks for helping me hide the treasure, Valen.”

 

Hiding treasure in every corner of the 3rd floor corridor.

 

Valen, who had readily volunteered to help Tiya, smiled shyly as he made star cluster flowers bloom in his palm.

 

When Tiya infused mana into those flowers, the yellow petals began to glow softly like starlight in the darkness.

 

“Don’t mention such a small thing. But is it okay to use flowers like these as treasure?”

 

“Of course! Originally we’d use things like glass marbles, but since it’s my brother’s first night of trials, he’ll need hints.”

 

Star cluster flowers that held mana and emitted light would serve as perfect hints.

 

The two children divided up the star cluster flowers and hid them here and there.

 

In the corridor where all signs of people had disappeared, only the dim light of torches hung at regular intervals flickered faintly.

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