Chapter 90

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Translator: Harry Potta

Chapter: 90

Chapter Title: Two Grandmothers Arrive

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The shop owner's eyes went wide. The group of boys gaped, mouths hanging open.

"No way..."

The big boy muttered, but I slammed my seal down on the receipt for real.

Then I gathered up toy bows of every type in my arms and handed them over to Lionel.

"Here."

"Y-Young Lady!"

Letitia hurried over and grabbed my hand.

"Please cancel it now. You can't give away toys this expensive. And not just one or two of them."

"I'm lending them!"

"Pardon?"

"I'm lending them to Lionel, and I'll get them back when I want to play with them myself."

Only then did Letitia let out a helpless sigh and release my hand.

I sent the two of them ahead to the pastry shop and glanced at the boys, who were still staring at me with stunned faces. Then I asked the knights.

"Do you know who those kids are?"

"Yes, Little One."

The boys flinched and exchanged glances. Even as children, they were capital nobles, so they clearly knew who held the advantage.

Not all of them, though.

The big boy whose bow I'd taken bellowed.

"What do you need my name for, you crazy bitch!"

'Oh dear.'

I inwardly offered a silent prayer for the kid who'd spat out his curse so boldly.

Since he'd insulted their lady right in front of the knights, no mere warning would end it.

The knights' eyes had already turned fierce.

"Wh-What, what?"

I let out a sigh and said.

"What do you mean, what. Your house is about to get torn to pieces because of you."

While Letitia was off at the notary's office, I sat by the pastry shop window and looked after Lionel.

I wiped the crumbs from the corner of his mouth as he wolfed down his bread.

"Eat slowly. Want some milk?"

"Mm..."

I poured milk from the glass bottle into a cup for him.

The boy dove back into demolishing his bread. Worried he might choke, I had a knight fetch some digestive aid from the carriage.

Then, propping my chin on my hand, I gazed fondly at Lionel.

It had been ages since I'd seen a kid younger than me.

'First time since the tea party.'

Those kids had all been carefully selected noble children picked by Nos—clumsy, maybe, but they knew their etiquette.

Lionel, though? He didn't have a trace of noble manners. He looked every bit the common street kid.

'Reminds me of the orphanage days.'

Back then, there'd been tons of little ones younger than me, so I'd played the big sister role.

"Lionel, what do you do at home?"

"Um... watch my sister work. Or read books, play with blocks, or..."

"Wanna play with me next time?"

"Really?!"

"Yeah. Oh, more bread?"

"But my sister said I can't take any more..."

"It's just bread."

"I already got the bows, though..."

"It's fine."

Really, it was.

'Because your grandma's going to become my godmother and pay me back two thousand times over.'

I smirked to myself.

In exactly one month from now, Lionel would be revealed as Duke Rocar's son.

He'd sneak out of the mansion without Letitia knowing and get crushed under a carriage in an accident—critically injured.

Surgery would cost a fortune, but Count Bartu had seized every coin Letitia earned, blowing it all on his own sons' tuition and living expenses. He wouldn't spare a penny for his grandson's operation.

With no other options, Letitia would turn to the Grand Duke. He'd send his top physicians to save the boy.

Lionel would survive, but unfortunately, the delay meant his arm necrotized.

They'd pour untold riches into temple treatments for his arm, but it wouldn't be enough.

Lionel would live on as a one-armed boy.

'Not this time.'

But if there was no accident, Letitia wouldn't approach the Grand Duke at all.

'She's afraid her family will block his path.'

Duke Rocar had been the late emperor's favorite son. The throne went to the eldest, the current Emperor Alexander, but the late emperor had granted Rocar a grand duchy and the empire's richest lands as his territory.

'There were rumors of secret wealth and a private army, too.'

Naturally, he was the emperor's biggest obstacle. The man was desperate for any excuse to strike.

But imagine if her accident-prone father became the Grand Duke's father-in-law.

'In the story, they caused a massive scandal that nearly ruined House Rocar.'

So Letitia wouldn't dare meet the Grand Duke again unless Lionel's life hung in the balance.

'That's why I chose this pastry shop.'

It was a favorite haunt of Lionel's grandmother—Camilla the Grand Lady, former consort to the late emperor!

She was due any minute now.

I glanced at the door. After a short wait,

the door opened, and an elderly woman in a cloak stepped inside.

'Camilla the Grand Lady's head maid.'

The maid headed straight for the counter.

"The order?"

The owner replied.

"Almost done. Please wait a moment."

I'd taken a seat near the counter on purpose. I turned to Lionel.

"Lionel, where'd you live before?"

"The forest."

"The forest?"

"Yeah, Thrush Forest. With my dad and mom!"

At the mention of Thrush Forest, the maid's gaze snapped to the boy.

It was only natural. That forest was infamous for monsters—no place for humans to live.

Which was exactly why the Grand Duke had chosen it for his secret retreat.

"So you moved here with your dad?"

"No... Mom said she couldn't live with him."

"Why?"

The boy's face fell at my question.

"Dunno. We came here all sudden. We were gonna hunt together once Dad's eyes got better..."

"That must hurt."

I let my brows droop as I watched Lionel's eyes well up.

Being torn from his dad out of nowhere must have left him so lonely and confused. Feeling sorry for him, I gently rubbed his eyes with my palm.

'Don't worry, Lionel. You'll be hunting with your dad again soon.'

Because the maid had bolted out the door with a frozen expression.

She was probably piecing it together and rushing off to verify. In her shock, she'd even forgotten to ask our names.

That's why I'd paid for the fresh bread with the Duvered seal on purpose.

So the maid could track me down.

A little later, Letitia returned to the shop, arms full of documents.

"What am I to do with all this gratitude? You watched my boy and gave him such wonderful gifts. I'll make sure to repay the favor next time."

"It's fine. I made a friend, so I'm happy too. Right, Lionel?"

"Yeah! We're gonna meet again."

I took Lionel and Letitia back to the Bartu estate by carriage.

The next day,

Letitia brought breakfast and stared blankly at her son, who was fiddling with his toy bow.

"Lionel?"

"......"

"Son."

"......"

'What's wrong with him?'

He'd been spaced out ever since they got back from the shopping district.

Letitia set the tray on the table and sat down in front of her son.

Lionel looked up at her with drooping brows.

"Are you sick?"

"Yeah..."

She touched his forehead, but it felt normal.

With a worried face, Letitia peered into his.

"Where does it hurt? Fever? Feel like throwing up?"

Lionel clutched his flushed cheek with a small hand.

"My cheeks keep getting warm... and my throat's all tickly."

"A cold...?"

"And... sometimes I feel good, sometimes bad, and my heart goes thump-thump. Leblain says 'Lionel' in my head."

He let out a deep sigh.

[All these toys right here.]

The way she'd thrust her ring forward so commandingly—it was just like a hero.

[Eat slowly. Want more?]

And pouring the milk? Pure princess.

Letitia couldn't hold back her laughter at her dreamy-faced son.

His expression had looked off when they got out of the carriage. Looked like her boy's first love had struck.

With a mischievous grin, Letitia drawled, "Hmm."

"That's what happens when you think about the Young Lady, huh? Hmm. Guess you'll need to eat some carrots to get better."

"I hate carrots!"

"The Young Lady won't like kids who hate carrots, you know."

Lionel flinched and latched onto his mother.

"No, I like carrots."

"Oh? Think you could eat one if I gave it to you?"

Letitia speared a carrot chunk the size of her finger and held it out. Lionel gulped nervously, then shoved it in with a smack and chewed.

The weird taste made him grimace over and over.

He chewed it to bits and swallowed. Letitia promptly offered another.

"You'd need two for her to like you, right?"

After the first, the second looked even less appealing.

Lionel stared at the fork, face twisted in agony.

Letitia swallowed a laugh at her son battling the trials of young love.

I rolled around on the bed, fiddling with Etwal.

'Contact should be coming any time now.'

It had been three days since the pastry shop.

Someone as impatient as Grand Lady Camilla would've checked it out ages ago.

'Did it not work? No, she's famous for doting on her grandkids...'

Right then—thud! thud! thud! Footsteps pounded outside my door.

"Little One! Little One!"

Laura burst in without even knocking. I cheered inwardly.

'It's Camilla!'

"The Empress Dowager has arrived!"

......What?

Why was the uninvited Empress Dowager here?

In person, no less?

"She's asking for you, Little One. You should come down."

"Mm." I answered reluctantly, changed clothes, and headed to the grand reception parlor reserved for VIP guests.

"Baby!"

The Empress Dowager approached me with a warm smile.

"Glory to the Imperial House. I greet the Mother of the Empire."

I spread my skirts and dipped into a shallow curtsy. She waved it off.

"No need for such formality with me. Have you been well?"

"Yes."

"Come, sit here."

She gestured to the seat across from her. I sat carefully.

"I was thrilled to hear you'd come to the capital."

"I'm happy too—coming to the capital where Your Majesty is."

Just then—knock knock. I glanced at the Empress Dowager. She nodded it was fine, so I said,

"You may enter."

"My apologies for interrupting your conversation, Little One. We have a guest."

"A guest?"

That's when.

"I'll explain."

A noblewoman with lush orange hair streaked faintly with gray swept in, her voice urgent.

'Grand Lady Camilla!'

The Empress Dowager's face twisted the moment she saw her. Camilla's expression soured too.

The two had been notorious for their bad blood even in the late emperor's time.

"What brings you here?"

"Your Majesty should tell me why you've graced us with your personal presence."

"I have business with the baby."

"As do I."

And then they both turned to me.

"Baby."

"Young Lady."

......Save me.