Lord Baby Runs A Romance Fantasy With Cash [EN]: Chapter 83

☆ Chapter 84 ☆

At those words, I confidently puffed out my chest.

“It seems I’ve passed Her Majesty’s test! She didn’t seem too displeased, either.”

The Empress smiled and rose from her seat, lifting me into her arms.

“You passed with flying colors. Tell me, did Count Miaren really strike you?”

“Her Majesty’s eyes always see the truth.”

I grinned, showing off my perfectly fine cheek.

“Ha! What an amazing child! Paeraton will have wings now!”

She shook her head, saying, “Paeraton with such political acumen.”

“My dad is good at politics too.”

I said with a pout, and the Empress laughed.

“He is. But that comes from immense power. Of course, using that power right up to the very edge is also impressive. Duke Paeraton has an animalistic instinct for it.”

“Ares is good at it too. Ares doesn’t just use brute force.”

The Empress looked at me with amusement.

*No, this is turning into a kid bragging about her family!*

I’m just stating facts!

“Yes, but you are different.”

The Empress adjusted her hold on me.

“Ruatisha, you’re a smart girl, so you understand. Before you developed the cure, you were Paeraton’s weakness.”

This didn’t mean that Dad and my brothers cherished me so much that I *was* their weakness.

It meant I was an easy target to attack.

“Some are saying, ‘Is it really the Princess who developed the cure? Or did someone else make it and give it to her?’”

“I expected that.”

“But their underestimation of you will become your greatest weapon.”

Oh…….

It might not seem like much, but those words resonated deeply within my heart.

Because my family supports me, it’s okay for me to not have mana [magical energy].

But deep down, just a little, very slightly…

Whenever I meet people outside the family, I’m treated as lacking because I ‘don’t have mana.’

But to call my ‘deficiency’ a ‘weapon’…

The Empress’s eyes were so kind as she looked at me.

I was about to reach out to her without realizing it.

“Lulu.”

Turning towards the voice, I saw Dad leaning against the doorway, looking at me with a somewhat displeased expression.

“Dad!”

Dad silently opened his arms slightly.

“Please put me down.”

“……I have no choice.”

The Empress put me down with a slightly disgruntled look.

I ran to Dad, and he scooped me up.

Then, Dad raised his chin at the Empress, as if to show off.

“She’s my daughter.”

“I know.”

The Empress hummed and stroked her chin.

“How fascinating. Duke Paeraton holding a child. Or, with *that* child, perhaps it’s not so surprising.”

The Empress looked at me with a very keen gaze.

“I’m quite tempted.”

At those words, Dad’s eyes flashed darkly.

*D, don’t tell me something’s going to happen?!*

*Even if it’s the Empress!*

As I was worrying about how to stop them, Dad asked me.

“Lulu, what’s Lulu’s favorite bread in the world?”

“……”

Really?

Do I really have to do this?

Dad’s eyes seemed to be sparking.

Haa.

Let’s think positively.

My noble sacrifice has prevented a war with the Imperial Family.

* * *

Once the situation was somewhat settled, we sat on the sofa in the drawing room.

Dad still maintained a languid and relaxed posture even in front of the Empress.

*Is this okay?*

I glanced at her, but the Empress didn’t seem to mind.

Soon, refreshments were set on the table.

“His Majesty the Emperor has expressed great regret over what happened. To think the Empress would do something so rash.”

So, the rumor that the Empress ordered Aphelia to hide in Dad’s bed must have spread.

*The Empress must be quite upset.*

Serves her right.

“That regret has already been conveyed through letters and compensation. As for that thief—”

Dad’s gaze briefly turned to me.

“……I don’t particularly want to talk about it.”

Dad flicked the scroll on the table.

“You wouldn’t have come all this way just for that.”

The Empress smiled.

“I wish I could say no, but it’s true.”

Dad raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll get straight to the point.”

The Empress looked at Dad with a very serious face.

I swallowed hard.

Finally, I’m going to find out why the Empress came all this way!

She’s a very politically calculating person, so it must be something big—.

“Give me your daughter.”

Excuse me?

Me?

* * *

Asking for a daughter—isn’t that clearly a marriage proposal?

Suddenly a proposal!

Even from a married woman!

My mouth dropped open.

*B, but I’m still a baby!*

“……Give you my daughter?”

Dad’s voice was low and rough.

“Are you planning to take her and raise her in place of your deceased daughter?”

It wasn’t a marriage proposal, but adoption?!

“How dare you covet my daughter.”

Dad’s eyes were completely fierce as he looked at the Empress.

At this rate, something really bad is going to happen, so I clung tightly to Dad.

“Lulu, Lulu is Dad’s daughter!”

Abruptly.

The fierce momentum stopped in an instant.

“Lulu is Dad’s daughter, so she’s going to live with Dad.”

Dad looked down at me.

“……You said you’d live with me forever.”

“Yes!”

Dad pressed my head to his side.

“……You weren’t saying you’d adopt Ruatisha and raise her as your daughter.”

The Empress said with a slightly pale face.

She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and said to me.

“Ruatisha, I would like to be your chaperone. What do you think?”

A chaperone?

Usually, in K-Romance Fantasy worlds, a chaperone is someone who guides a young lady in high society.

Guardian, patron, godmother, etc. They are often called by names other than chaperone.

Usually, connections are formed through chaperones, which can even change one’s position in society.

But the Empress, of all people, as my chaperone?!

It was a huge deal.

*At the same time, it’s very dangerous.*

The more tempting the scent, the more poison there is.

The moment the Empress becomes my chaperone, I’m completely marked as part of her faction.

“Are you thinking of using my daughter as a tool in the Imperial Family’s power struggles?”

“Ruatisha is clever. She wouldn’t simply be a tool.”

“You don’t deny the power struggle. Do you think I would let my daughter get involved in such a dirty fight?”

“The more power one holds, the more unavoidable the conflict. The same goes for Paeraton. Then shouldn’t you actively participate in this war?”

“If my daughter doesn’t want it, no one can force her into the ring.”

“Do you think others will stand still? A needle in a pocket cannot be hidden. This child is a Paeraton and is even clever. And…”

The Empress paused, then said softly.

“Unlike other Paeratons… she’s easy to get along with.”

She chose her words carefully, but it meant I was easy to handle.

If I get angry, all I’ll do is shout. At worst, I’ll throw things, and it’ll be over.

But if Dad and my brothers get angry?

Ugh, I don’t want to imagine it.

“Right now, everyone is hesitant because they haven’t seen this child yet, but it’s only a matter of time.”

“I told you. As long as my daughter doesn’t want it, no one—”

Dad slowly tilted his head.

Depending on the changing angle, shadows slowly fell across his face.

I suddenly looked at the Empress’s hands.

She was still sitting upright and facing Dad in a calm tone, just like when she first appeared.

But her hands on the dress were white with tension.

Only then did I realize that the Empress hadn’t touched her tea even once.

It was to prevent her hands from shaking as she held the teacup.

“Your Majesty, there must be a reason why you want to be my chaperone.”

The Empress smiled at me.

“Anyone would want to be a chaperone to such a bright, cute, and lovely child.”

I smiled.

There must be other reasons besides that one.

“You’re right, Your Majesty. Many people will want to use me. Even if I’m not particularly smart, it’s beneficial just to create a connection with Paeraton by using ‘me, who is easy to get along with.’”

“Lulu.”

Dad called me softly.

It’s not self-deprecation. I’m just stating the facts.

I held Dad’s hand tightly.

“I have the choice.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

The Empress smiled.

“Now that I think about it, the Duke also said ‘if my daughter doesn’t want it.’ In other words, even the Duke can’t stop you if you want to.”

The Empress looked at Dad with a fresh gaze.

“Usually, a member of the family must follow the head of the family’s orders in political actions. Your father may be lacking in expression, but he respects and cherishes you very much.”

At those words, I confidently puffed out my chest.

“Of course! Dad has even respected me by asking, ‘Was the taste to your liking?’”

“……That’s a bit scary.”

Yeah, I was scared too.

“And please express it enough.”

I was a little embarrassed, so I looked down.

“Enough so that I can settle down with peace of mind.”

The hand holding mine tightened.

Unknowingly, the corners of my lips lifted.

“What are the advantages of me choosing Your Majesty?”

“This is quite a challenge. To make a proposal that a child as smart and sensible as Ruatisha would be satisfied with.”

The Empress reached for her teacup.

“There’s still some time. I’ll think about it until we meet again. How to win your heart.”

I looked at the Empress, who had regained her composure, and carefully opened my mouth.

“Um, and… earlier, when Dad mentioned the deceased princess, he didn’t mean any harm.”

At my words, the Empress’s eyes widened, and soon she burst into laughter, “Pfft…!”

Ah, no. Why is she laughing?

Did I say something funny?

As I looked in confusion, the Empress even wiped away tears as she laughed.

“My goodness, to hear such kind words.”

Ah, no, why is that?

Do I look that lacking in social skills?

“I know that your father didn’t say it with any other intention. If someone else had said it, I would have taken it as an insult, but I have to understand. Paeraton’s senses are different from others.”

The Empress’s gaze turned to Dad.

“……Still, seeing how he treats you, it seems like he’s developing some similarities with other people.”

She muttered and smiled softly at me.

“Since I was the one who made the misunderstanding in the first place, don’t worry about it. Thank you for thinking of me.”

“Yes……”

I felt a bit embarrassed because I was the only one who stepped up to defend Dad in a situation that no one cared about.

B, but it’s true…!

I glanced at Dad, and our eyes met.

I became even more embarrassed and looked at the Empress, who was giving off a strange smile.

‘Ugh…!’

I just gulped down my milk.

* * *

The potion bottle with Paeraton’s crest made a popping sound as it was opened.

After feeding the potion to the man whose fingertips were turning black, we waited a bit, and surprisingly, the discolored parts began to return to normal.

The man, who had been suffering from a high fever until just now, shed tears as he looked at his recovering hands.

The others watching also shed hot tears.

“With this, are there no more infected people in our territory?”

“That’s right.”

“Don’t let your guard down. There may still be people who haven’t shown symptoms yet.”

The official who said that also had an undisguisable joy on his face.

He looked at the empty potion bottle.

“It’s really fortunate that there was a cure. Otherwise, the damage would have been uncontrollable.”

“Yes, Paeraton has done a great deed.”

With this, a new image of the Paeraton Duchy was strongly imprinted in the minds of the common people.

“I heard that Duke Paeraton is scary and fearsome.”

“And that the sons are bloodthirsty fiends.”

“Who are the ones who said such things! They gave us this cure!”

“When you think about it, isn’t all that bloodshed for our sake? Fighting monsters and waging wars!”

Among the nobles of each territory, there were those who subtly tried to hide Paeraton’s achievements.

But they couldn’t.

Because Paeraton’s crest was stamped in the most visible place on the potion bottle.

“But did you hear? The one who made this cure is Paeraton’s youngest princess!”

“The youngest princess? Isn’t she still young! Well, Paeraton is so mon… no, special!”

“When the Black Death first broke out in Miaren, the princess immediately sent the cure.”

“This precious thing! But why did the plague spread so much?”

“Count Miaren ignored it, saying it was a toy made by a child, and turned away the delegation.”

“Isn’t he crazy! If we had received it then, the Black Death wouldn’t have come to us!”

“Rumor has it that he’s a senile old man!”

“Damn old geezer!”

“But the youngest princess sent the cure to Miaren again.”

“My goodness, the young princess is so kind.”

“Don’t nobles value their pride more than the sky? But she still gave the cure to the old man who insulted her.”

“It must be for people like us. If Miaren is not resolved, the Black Death will continue to spread. And there are people like us there too.”

“She’s really like an angel.”

“So, the people of Paeraton call the youngest princess this: An angel without wings.”

“Indeed, indeed. An angel without wings. Perfect.”

“And the propagator of Chicken God.”

“……What is that? Chicken God?”

“And the saintess of the Chicken Church.”

“What kind of religion is that?”

No one could answer that.

* * *

[Quest 〈Save me, Reader!〉 completed.]

Seeing the quest completion pop up, I clenched my fists.

‘Finally……!’

A faster and more accurate notification than any report on the Black Death.

Quest completed.

In other words, the Black Death was over.

[50000-cash gacha ticket has been awarded as a reward.]

[You have succeeded in driving out the Black Death not only from Paeraton but from the entire Empire!]

[You have prevented the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people that were planned!]

[Your reputation echoes throughout the Empire!]

[Long live our Paeraton Princess, the saintess of the Chicken Church who propagated Chicken God, the angel without wings!]

“……”

No, everything else is fine, but why are those modifiers attached?

In romance fantasy, aren’t you usually given cool, plausible, and stylish modifiers?!

Even this time, it has nothing to do with chicken!

How long do I have to suffer from the consequences of that one slip of the tongue!

The price of one mistake is too terrible.

[The reputation of the Paeraton Duchy increases!]

[The people of the Empire envy Paeraton!]

[A place you want to live: Paeraton!]

[Additional rewards have been paid!]

Well, whatever, the good is good.

To stop the Black Death.

My heart swelled up warmly and softly like freshly baked bread.

‘Hehe, I have to tell the people who worked hard to make the cure!’

We should all eat something delicious tonight!

And, and I’m going to eat cake with Dad, Ares, Ixion!

It’s going to be a happy night.

Chapter 19. You Are My Youngest Sibling

I held the crayon tightly and marked an X on the calendar with a serious face.

I marked an X on every day until the day with the star!

Finally, tomorrow!

Doki Doki [heartbeat sound, indicating excitement].

“Hey, what are you going to do for my birthday?”

“I wonder.”

Anna chuckled and tidied my hair.

“Just tell me a little, huh?”

Sparkling.

Ultimate eye attack!

“If you just sleep tonight and wake up, you’ll know everything.”

But it didn’t work.

Anna pulled back the canopy of my bed and said.

“Now, you have to sleep. That way, tomorrow will come sooner.”

“Okay!”

I quickly jumped into bed and covered myself with the blanket.

October 11th.

My birthday.

It was the first birthday I was having since I found out when it was.

‘Tomorrow has to come quickly. If I fall asleep quickly and open my eyes, tomorrow will be here!’

I kept closing my eyes thinking that.

‘I can’t sleep!’

My eyes opened on their own.

Actually, my heart had been pounding since last week, so I couldn’t sleep.

But it was good.

Having a day to look forward to is really a happy thing!