Lord Baby Runs A Romance Fantasy With Cash [EN]: Chapter 66

☆ 67 ☆

* * *

Wide, violet eyes trembled.

This is a dream.

Just a nightmare the damned curse is manifesting in a different way.

Even while thinking that, his body moved.

As he caught the collapsing girl in his arms, she looked up at him with hazy eyes.

Blood-stained lips trembled, and a frail voice escaped.

“It’s okay… It’s nothing serious…”

Even while collapsing, she was telling him not to worry.

Why doesn’t she speak cruelly like before?

“Don’t mind it…”

The moment blue eyes disappeared behind her eyelids, his vision narrowed abruptly.

Something bright blue flickered like flames inside his stomach, burning everything.

A feeling he was experiencing for the first time.

Not even when the curse was etched into his bones and soul, not even when he was drugged and sold as a slave, not even when he accepted his own mother’s neck—.

Crack.

The sound of ice breaking came from the floor.

From the spot where Sid stepped, cracking ice spread out.

The regulator [a device limiting his power] was still working.

As proof, black electricity crackled from the collar on his neck.

The power that originally shouldn’t have been able to manifest rampaged madly as if its leash had been cut.

Extreme pain flowed through his neck.

‘Ah, no.’

Sid calmed his emotions and tried his best to gather his strength.

But the reason he was trying to suppress his power wasn’t because of the pain from the regulator.

‘This soft little girl will get hurt even by this.’

He hugged the child in his arms tightly.

Feeling her small, fragile, and warm body, the coldness that seemed like it wouldn’t stop even if it froze everything around him subsided.

“…Doctor.”

Holding the child, Sid got up and went out of the room.

As he tried to leave the designated space, an impact struck from the collar on his neck.

The crackling black electricity sparked, as if burning all his nerves.

But Sid didn’t even let out a groan as he moved his feet. Without a single hesitation.

‘It’s meaningless.’

He knew.

Perhaps right now, he was lying on the cold stone floor, suffering from the curse.

Trying so hard like this was meaningless.

But he couldn’t stop despite the pain constricting his neck.

It was truly a terrible nightmare.

Before, he just had to endure, pretending not to feel anything, pretending not to see anything.

But this, he couldn’t even ignore.

Even knowing, he had no choice but to walk into the mire himself.

“Kyaa! Young Lady!”

“Quick, get a doctor… !”

The people who found him in the hallway screamed.

In an instant, people flocked around.

“Get your hands off.”

The sharp-eyed boy looked down with cold red eyes.

Only then did Sid realize that he was still holding the girl.

He hadn’t even thought of letting go.

People were fidgeting around him.

As he handed over the girl, they finally picked her up and ran somewhere.

Unintentionally, he took a step to follow, but someone blocked his path.

“You’ll die if you keep doing that.”

It was a boy with curly hair and slightly drooping eyes.

Unlike his impression, his expressionless face was endlessly cold.

“His Excellency personally infused that collar with power for my sister’s safety. Even now, mana is probably paralyzing all your nerves.”

“How are you enduring this? Amazing. Are you tough or something?”

“But just because you endure the pain doesn’t mean the damage disappears. My sister worked hard to save you, so you can’t die.”

“That’s right. You’re getting care that even I haven’t received.”

“Go back.”

As soon as those words ended, the black mana that stretched out from the boy pushed Sid away.

Boom, his body floated and slammed back into the room he was originally in.

As he returned to the room, the crackling black electricity subsided.

“…”

Sid raised his unmoving body.

On the floor were a bouquet of flowers, a key, and a regulator.

Sid picked them up.

The bouquet was still fragrant, and the key and regulator were cold and hard.

A sensation too vivid to be called a dream.

Perhaps, this might not be a dream.

For the first time, he had that thought.

But what about the curse?

“My sister worked hard to save you, so you can’t die.”

Did that girl undo the curse?

But was it that easy to undo?

It was a curse engraved on the soul that no one could undo.

But his visible arms and legs were clean, and there was no trace of the curse anywhere.

At that moment, the image of the girl spitting blood and collapsing flashed before his eyes.

‘Could it be.’

Sid’s face turned pale.

‘The reason that child collapsed—.’

For me.

To undo my curse.

“Now, live freely.”

From what?

He had that question when he heard those words.

The way the girl looked down at him was strange.

Now he realized the meaning of that gaze.

‘From the curse. And… from me.’

Sid clenched the key and regulator tightly.

The sharp end of the key dug into his palm, tearing his skin, but he didn’t care.

That wicked girl.

To become his master as she pleased, to save him as she pleased, and now to abandon him as she pleased.

“Live.”

“Sid, a seed can become anything.”

“You choose what kind of person you will become.”

Alright.

I will live as you say.

I will live and live the life I choose.

“So never again, let someone control your life as they please.”

Never, will I live according to someone else’s will.

“Don’t obsess over me.”

“You don’t need to repay me.”

Master, even your will.

* * *

“Ha.”

A dumbfounded sigh escaped.

“Seriously, this damn ability.”

Why does it have to activate there?

[Fatigue has been completely relieved.]

[Dark circles have disappeared.]

[Rough skin has become smooth.]

I pushed away the floating notifications.

My body, which had been damaged from not being able to sleep properly for days while investigating the curse and nursing that child, had become healthy again.

‘Looking at this, it’s not such a bad ability.’

The problem is the timing, the timing.

‘How great would it be if I coughed up blood when I was alone?’

Still, it activated all three times with this.

The endless 〈Cough, cough, hack!〉 is over!

To make it real, I opened the status window and checked my abilities.

– Currently Equipped Ability: X

〈With Such Singing Skills〉 and 〈Please Forget Me〉 were also used for the last time when I named Sid and gave him the collar key and regulator last time.

The abilities I currently had were the two that I had put in the ability storage.

– Extractable Abilities: 2/5

After confirming that it was displayed that way in the status window, I got up.

“Are you awake, Young Lady?”

The maids opened the bedroom door and came in.

“Why do you keep collapsing? It’s upsetting.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t want to hear an apology. I just want you to be healthy.”

“I’m healthy.”

When I made an arm muscle, Anna smiled and hugged me.

“That’s what the doctors say, but I need to be able to believe it.”

“Are those guys quacks?”

“To think they are enjoying the luck of being able to examine our Young Lady’s precious body…”

Seeing the grumbling maids made me anxious.

“A, are the doctors…?”

Are they safe?

“Shall I drag them here?”

“Are you still feeling unwell somewhere?”

“I need to deal with those bastards right now…”

No, calm down.

“No! I’m healthy! I was just going to thank them for making me stronger!”

“They did say that you were spitting blood because you were getting stronger and expelling the bad energy from your body.”

“Hmm, so they’re not quacks after all.”

“They were doctors after all!”

In an instant, those bastards turned into doctors.

Anyway, I’m glad the doctors seem to be safe—

“Now that you’re healthy, I should ask His Excellency to release the doctors from prison.”

—What.

“Where are Father and my brothers?”

“They were by your side until a little while ago. But a sudden uninvited guest came, and they went out.”

Uninvited guest?

I tilted my head and got up from my seat.

I was thinking of going to Sid.

I was trying to say goodbye in a cool way, but it was ruined because I coughed up blood.

‘Now I can’t even become a grandma anymore [referring to her desire to act as a caring figure].’

Even if I went in my real form, he might just bristle his fur.

Anna, who was following behind me and watching the direction I was going, tilted her head.

“Are you going to that slave?”

“Yeah.”

I even gave him the key, but it ended up being ambiguous, so I need to officially declare his emancipation.

“Um, Young Lady.”

Anna called me cautiously.

“Why?”

“That slave has already left.”

“Huh?”

“He said he heard the words to live freely… He also had the key and regulator. So His Excellency allowed it.”

What?

“Young Lady?”

I heard Anna’s surprised voice from behind.

Before I even realized it, I was running.

“Haa, haa…”

I finally stopped and caught my breath when I arrived in front of his room.

He left?

Well, of course.

I gave him the key and regulator.

What lingering feelings would he have to stay here?

Now that the curse is lifted, he doesn’t need to try to die.

Even while thinking that, my hand, which was holding the doorknob, was stiff with tension.

I counted to three and threw the door open.

The windows in the room were wide open, as if they were airing it out.

The spring breeze came in, the curtains fluttered, and the neatly cleaned room was tidy.

Yes.

Not a single trace of him remained.

As if he had never been there from the beginning.

Chapter 15. A Stepmother is Still a Stepmother!

A fancy tart topped with summer peaches.

Rich and fresh milk.

And the beautiful scenery of the central garden.

The sound that shattered this perfect paradise at once was heard.

I frowned deeply and asked Count Kandor again.

“What did you say?”

“I said that Lady Aphelia will arrive at the estate within a week.”

“No, no. So why is that Lady Aphelia coming?”

“Well, the official reason is that she is coming to discuss the land that His Excellency received for his achievements last time.”

“It was originally land that Lady Aphelia was in charge of. It was owned by the Imperial Family, but.”

“Don’t joke around.”

“The real reason is that she is coming to become the new mistress of the estate.”

“Yes, that’s it!”
Count Kandor smiled at me.

“Is it funny? I’m frustrated!”

“Why are you reacting so much? It’s hard to leave the position of Duchess vacant for a long time anyway.”

“It’s not the problem of having a new Duchess.”

“Then what is it?”

“The Imperial Family is trying to set it up!”

I hit my chest in frustration.

“A letter from the Imperial Palace?”

“Even without that, the absence of the mistress is felt everywhere.”

Thinking about what I heard when I eavesdropped on the Elder’s meeting last time, it’s certain.

“Oh, I’ve never taught you about the central political situation, but you know that. Amazing.”

“Don’t tease me! Why did I only find out about such an important issue now?”

“You were collapsed when the Imperial Family officially sent an envoy [a messenger or representative].”

I never thought that the ‘uninvited guest’ would be an envoy from the Imperial Palace.

“Even after you woke up, you were distracted by that runaway slave.”

“I told you he didn’t run away. I let him go.”

“Then why were you so shocked?”
Count Kandor looked at me as if I was someone who was trying to save face by saying ‘I dumped him, he didn’t dump me’.

Ugh, that’s not it!

“I thought he would at least say goodbye before leaving.”

Well, I gave him the key and regulator thinking it was our last meeting.

Still, he just leaves after I even coughed up blood!

How much care did this grandma give you?

You shouldn’t take in yellow-haired beasts [a saying implying untrustworthiness].

“Anyway! It’s a big problem! If she’s a duchess with ties to the Imperial Family, she’ll try to monitor our family in every little thing!”

The Imperial Family is really out of their minds.

How long has it been since Father went to war by the Emperor’s order and came back, and they’re doing this?

Of course, Father is still young and can naturally take a new wife.

Honestly, the absence of the Duchess is quite significant in governing this great family.

‘Then our family and Father should choose!’

Why does he have to marry a woman chosen by the Imperial Family!

He went to war, isn’t that enough? How much are they going to interfere with our family?

“You don’t have to worry too much, Young Lady.”

“Yes, His Excellency is not an ordinary person, and he will reject the marriage if he meets her and doesn’t like her.”

“Hehe, I thought you would like having a mother.”

“A stepmother is still a stepmother!”

I hate the Imperial Family’s stooge [a person used by another to gain an advantage]!