Youngest on Top - Chapter 255

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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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Chapter 255

In any case, Perardin Noishurael Duke’s reaction was far from ordinary.
I hastily terminated the communication.

“Tell the adults too. Especially the fathers!”
[Youngest!]
[Honeybread!]
[Saelika—.]

I heard the children calling out to me, but the connection had already been severed.
When I lifted my head, Perardin Noishurael Duke still stood motionless in that same spot.
Shattered porcelain lay scattered beneath his feet in disarray.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

Perardin Noishurael Duke stared at me without blinking, his gaze burning with an intensity that was almost sinister.
The sheer ferocity of it was palpable.

“I’ll sleep here.”
“Ah… yes.”
“Right here.”
“Yes…”

‘Is that not allowed?’

Sensing the ominous atmosphere, I hesitated.
Perardin Noishurael Duke’s eyes widened sharply.

“Everyone, did you hear that!”

With that cry, grotesque figures burst forth from the ceiling, walls, and floor.

‘What?! Intruders? Assassins?!’

Snap.
Snap snap.
Snap!
The strange figures knelt on one knee with deliberate precision and cried out.

“We have been waiting for you, Young Lady!”
“We shall serve you with all our might, Young Lady!”
“It is our honor, Young Lady!”
“??!?!?!?!”
“We are the dedicated maids prepared solely for you, Young Lady!”

That was it.
The strange figures who had burst in so suddenly were not assassins.
They were all dressed in maid uniforms.

“Now then, let us start with a warm bath, shall we?”
“We have prepared every fragrant oil in the world.”
“For nightwear, we have options made from Esserin silk, Peyran silk, and Barba silk—which would you prefer?”
“The designs are quite varied. We have a teddy bear pajama, a chick pajama, a rabbit pajama, and a tiger pajama—which would you like? My personal recommendation would be the rabbit pajama, but….”

What on earth was that pajama preference about?
I answered while remaining on high alert.

“…A bath right now is a bit sudden.”
“Oh my! What is all this dust?”
“Of course, our Young Lady remains lovely even covered in dust!”
“The dust sparkles like fairy powder!”
“But for the sake of our Young Lady’s health, we must wash it away!”

The maids lifted me up effortlessly.

‘What on earth is happening?!’

But for some inexplicable reason, I could not resist their overwhelming momentum.

.
.

Shortly after Saelika was dragged (?) into the bathroom.

“Did Protagonist really say she’d sleep here and stay over?!”

The door burst open as Admiral Ekellan entered.
Perardin Noishurael Duke gave a brief nod.

“She did.”
“Sleep here and stay over… that means—.”

“I need to go back. Everyone’s waiting for me.”
“Randel said I should sleep at home. He worries if I stay out.”

The child had spoken so casually about going “home.”

“…Could it be that Protagonist has begun to think of this place as ‘home’?”
“We don’t know yet.”

Perardin Noishurael Duke continued coldly.

“We cannot miss the opportunity given to us today to make her think that way.”
“…Indeed!”

Admiral Ekellan straightened his posture.
Perardin Noishurael Duke turned to his two sons.

“Demian.”
“I’m ready.”
“Mikhail.”
“Yes, yes, I’ll cooperate today.”

Perardin Noishurael Duke looked over the three men.

“Understand? There must be absolutely no mistakes. Especially!”
“…”
“There cannot be any intruders in the mansion. This is war.”
“…”
“You must protect this time with the youngest at all costs!”

The eyes of the three men gleamed sharper than ever before.

* * *

“Wow…”

How was I supposed to describe this?
After bathing and changing into casual indoor clothes, I stepped out into a world that seemed utterly surreal.
Even the Emperor’s birthday celebration wouldn’t be this extravagant.

‘Are these dishes… diamond?’

I was starting to feel a bit overwhelmed.

Admiral Ekellan spoke to me.

“You made the right choice, Apple. When you’re not feeling well, you should rest in the bosom of ‘family.'”
“That’s right. Why don’t you just stay here permanently? If you don’t like it here, you could always move to Ekellan’s residence instead.”
“Mikhail.”

Demian gave Mikhail a reproachful look while cutting my steak for me.

“Chew it well.”
“Yeah, thanks.”

The food was honestly amazing.

‘Is this fork… sapphire?’

The problem was I felt like I might get indigestion.

Throughout the meal, a prima donna who sold out entire opera houses sang for us.
Every lyric spoke of the importance of family.

“Shall we take a walk?”

After dinner, Perardin Noishurael Duke suggested it.
I’d naturally assumed we’d head to the garden, but instead we strolled through the mansion itself.
Though honestly, the estate was so vast that just walking indoors felt like exercise.

Before long, we entered a room overflowing with jewels and gold.
The Duke asked me.

“What do you think?”
“Well, it looks expensive.”
“Take it.”
“…?”

After walking a few more steps, another room appeared.
It was filled with desserts I loved.
The Duke asked again.

“What do you think?”
“…It looks delicious?”
“Take it.”
“…?!”

Walking a bit further, yet another room appeared.
It was an indoor garden where beautiful flowers bloomed regardless of the season.

“What do you think?”
“…It’s decorated nicely?”
“Take it.”
“…?!?!??”

As I stared at the Duke with bewilderment, he spoke bluntly.

“When you live in a house, there are many things like this.”
“….”
“When you live in a house, there are delicious things, pretty things, and cute things.”

I gazed up at the Duke in a daze.
This clumsy man was doing his best to be a father in his own way.
I opened and closed my lips a few times before asking.

“…What about the training grounds?”

The Duke’s training grounds were absolutely magnificent.

* * *

Artemia Temple System Branch.
Kaiser and Randel found themselves drawn to the priest’s quarters by an unsettling, inexplicable sensation.

“Kaiser, Randel!”

The children who had returned from the sanctuary and were resting welcomed them.
But among them, my daughter was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is Sae?”
“Well—.”

At Randel’s question, the children exchanged awkward glances.
One of Kaiser’s eyebrows arched sharply upward.

* * *

Shiver.
A sudden chill ran through me, and my body trembled.
Saelika rubbed her arms and tilted her head in confusion.

‘Why is this happening? I have this ominous feeling, as if war is about to break out….’

Demian, who stood beside her, silently draped a blanket around Saelika’s shoulders.

“Thank you, Demian.”

Demian simply nodded lightly.

‘What’s wrong?’

Demian was not particularly talkative by nature, unlike Mikhail.
But today he was unusually quiet.
Rather than pressing him, Saelika chose to share the silence with him.

How much time had passed?
Demian’s lips parted.

“…I’ve never been disappointed in you.”
“…?”
“Never. No matter what happens.”

It was something Saelika had never expected to hear.
But Demian spoke each word with force, as if releasing words he’d held back for a long time.
His clear blue eyes held Saelika’s gaze.

“I have never once been disappointed in you.”

Saelika suddenly understood what Demian was saying.

“Admiral Ekellan must be completely fed up with you now, right? Demian will be disappointed in you too.”
“…”
“Even Mikhail will turn his back on you. Ah, did you notice that child who said he’d sit in your family section didn’t come today? He didn’t come because I cried yesterday. In the end, Mikhail cares more about me.”

‘Could it be that you’ve been holding onto Shuellina’s words in your heart all this time? Even now?’

The person in question herself hadn’t even given it much thought.

“I’m fine.”
“…”
“Demian, you were worried about the strangest things.”

Saelika smiled with a slight grin, but Demian’s expression grew darker.

“…You didn’t.”
“Huh?”
“You never denied it when I said I’d be disappointed in you.”
“…”
“You thought I’d be disappointed in you because of that fake.”
“That was— because at that time Demian still thought of Shuellina as your sister, so naturally I…”
“Do you remember what you answered back then?”

Honestly, she couldn’t remember.
Seeing Saelika’s expression, Demian’s face crumpled.

“You said you were used to being hated.”
“….”
“You thought I would hate you.”
“Mm….”

Saelika scratched her cheek.
Demian gazed at his sister’s face with an aching heart.

This child didn’t think it was anything serious.
Accustomed to being hated and misunderstood, she didn’t even remember saying something so terrible.
And yet.

“Both Demian and Mikhail deserve to be happy.”
“Demian still can’t shake off guilt for things that aren’t his fault, and Mikhail wounds himself even while saying it would be better if he had no younger sister.”

She said such things.
The one who should be happiest of all.

Seeing Demian’s expression, Saelika stammered and spoke.

“I’m, I’m sorry. For misunderstanding you, Demian.”

At her apology instead, Demian’s heart crumbled.
Saelika grew even more flustered.

“Saelika.”

At the call, Saelika lifted her head.
At the doorway stood Perardin Noishurael Duke, Admiral Ekellan, and Mikhail.
For some reason, they had left to check on the outside situation, but now they had returned.

Admiral Ekellan spoke with a bitter smile.

“Demian didn’t mean it that way, you….”
“You are my daughter.”

Perardin Noishurael Duke’s voice cut off Admiral Ekellan’s words.
He strode forward and gripped Saelika’s hand firmly.
And he spoke again.

“You are my daughter.”
“….”

Saelika’s eyes trembled.
The words carried so much weight.

“…When I first came to the temple as a child, I saw you from a distance, Duke.”
“I remember.”

How could I forget?
I had repeated meaningless regrets countless times—what if I had met Saelika back then, what if I had recognized her?
I had no idea how many times I had cursed my foolish past self.

“When I saw you then, I thought: a daughter must be so precious that you would come even to a temple that receives no divine revelations without the Sacred Maiden. You must have been so desperate, so earnest.”
“….”
“Perhaps my mother and father were searching for me the same way.”

Perardin Noishurael Duke met Saelika’s eyes.

“They were searching for you that way.”
“….”
“So desperately, so earnestly that they would have given their own hearts if it meant seeing you again.”

Saelika’s hand, clasped in the Duke’s, tightened with force.
Her youthful face flushed crimson.
Instead of crying, Saelika smiled.

“When my soul was separated into the past, my family called me back so I could return to reality.”
“….”

The ‘family’ Saelika spoke of must have been the Temple Priests.
Thanks to their ritual, Saelika had regained consciousness.

While I thought it natural and fortunate that Saelika felt they were her family,
the Duke’s chest ached with a dull throb.
And yet.

“I could feel the Duke’s power within it as well.”
“…!”
“And the Admiral’s, Demian’s, and Mikhail’s power too.”

Saelika laughed with a hint of embarrassment.
Perardin Noishurael Duke gazed at his daughter’s face in a daze.

“You’re calling me family right now…?”
“Yes, your daughter, Your Grace.”
“Saelika.”

Saelika moved her lips several times.
Then she spoke it out.
Somehow she resembled Perardin Noishurael Duke.

“…You can call me Reyarsha.”
“…!”

The Duke’s blue eyes, identical to Saelika’s, trembled slightly.
I recalled a conversation Shuellina and Saelika had shared long ago.

“Then why do you still call me Shuellina?”
“Because if I were you, I’d want that.”
“…What?”
“If I were in your situation, I think I’d still want to be called Saelika.”

So Perardin Noishurael Duke always called his daughter Saelika.
Whatever name she was called by, she was his daughter.

Yet it couldn’t help but weigh on him.
As if it were his own sin.

“Now that I think about it, having two names seems like something wonderful.”

Saelika spoke with an awkward expression.

“Well… Father gave me one of them, didn’t he?”

Father.
At that single word, Perardin Noishurael Duke froze as though struck by lightning.

“Mother told me you agonized over my name so much that it changed every single day.”

Saelika felt embarrassed and couldn’t bring herself to meet Perardin Noishurael Duke’s gaze.

‘I had a name.’

In truth, when I learned about my name in the past, I was overjoyed.

‘Not No. 72, not a name I gave myself.’

I had a name bestowed upon me by someone who rejoiced in my birth more than anyone, who was happy for my existence.

‘Wait.’

At the thought that surfaced, Saelika hesitated.

‘Come to think of it, who gave me the name Saelika during my time as an angel?’

As I lifted my head in contemplation.

“Ah, ah, Father?!”

Perardin Noishurael Duke had lost consciousness.

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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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