Choosing the Baby’s Father From the Following – Chapter 33

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟑
“Yes, older brother.”

However, after hearing that he had organized his belongings, a sudden thought came to mind.

“But if you mean you’ve organized the things you brought from the battlefield……”

“Huh?”

Lurik looked down at me with a puzzled expression.

“I was wondering if…… the letters we exchanged were also thrown away.”

Lurik let out a hollow laugh, as if dumbfounded.

“Don’t be ridiculous.”

He said curtly and then added,

“The letters you sent were the cleanest and purest things on that battlefield. There’s no reason to throw them away.”

Oh……

I had planned to find and read the letters if he had thrown them away somewhere, so I tried to hide my disappointment.

‘I wish I could see those letters someday.’

Then, looking at the magic sword that was always hanging from Lurik’s waist, I asked,

“The sword…… Do you always use the same one?”

Lurik habitually moved his hand and lightly brushed the hilt of the sword.

“Yes. You would never know in your lifetime, but a sword to a swordsman is like a hand or an arm. Also, this sword is Brentania’s treasured sword.”

To be precise, it’s a magic sword.

Both Lurik and I are aware of that fact, but it was suspicious that he deliberately called it a ‘treasured sword.’

‘Did he deliberately call it a ‘treasured sword’ in case I told him to change swords?’

For now, since Lurik had organized his belongings, I needed proof that it wasn’t enough.

In other words, it meant I had to wait for the moment when Lurik showed signs of going berserk again.

So, I decided to talk about the magic sword later and opened my mouth again for my own sake.

“It’s nice to see you often now that you’re back in the capital, older brother. Although it feels like autumn is coming faster than at the Academy.”

Lurik replied with an indifferent face.

“Well, I heard you rarely returned to the Imperial Palace even during vacations. The weather in Timor might suit your constitution better.”

I nodded happily.

“The air was mild, perhaps because it was warm and close to the lake.”

That was a characteristic of Timor, where the Academy was located, but according to my research, the lakeside city of Edessa in Flavi was the same.

Unaware that I was diligently laying the groundwork to get permission for a recuperation trip to Edessa in the future, Lurik nodded softly.

“The capital is drier than the southern cities. So how cold and desolate Babenberg must be. It’s a good thing I didn’t stop by Babenberg this time.”

Although the conversation felt strangely disjointed, I was satisfied and retreated.

“That’s right, older brother.”

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

Even while I was confined to my room for several days, the diary showed me a few pages of new entries.

However, the diary’s time was still stuck in the first month at the Academy, and the name of Moghald, whom I was so eager to see, never appeared.

‘Callisto again today.’

I found a familiar name in the newly revealed diary entry and frowned slightly.

This time, the diary didn’t end with his blundering but included a third party.

I was surprised by Chilla’s visit to the dormitory.

My older sisters had never visited me separately since I entered the Academy.

She complained that she didn’t like her mentee because he was stupid, and that upperclassman Callisto would think the same of me.

If she came all the way to give me that kind of advice, it was a wasted trip.

I know that without her telling me.

It seemed that Chilla had had feelings for Callisto for quite some time.

I chuckled as I found a terrible misunderstanding and a small, sharp thorn in Louise’s writing.

The disgruntled diary entry continued for a long time after that.

My sister commented that my room was lucky to be the closest female dormitory to upperclassman Callisto’s room, but the only luck I wanted was to avoid being bombarded with questions in history class because I was a member of the royal family.

Also, my sister said that I had wasted upperclassman Callisto’s precious time by being introduced to the Academy three times.

It was only after hearing that that I clearly realized that Chilla had feelings for the second son of Babenberg.

If Her Majesty the Empress found out, she would be very angry, and I hoped I wouldn’t be blamed for my sister’s unnecessary courage.

Uh……?

Now that I see it, Louise seemed to be more clever and perceptive than I expected.

‘She’s definitely not the type to act foolishly.’

But then why, how did she manage to create three candidates for the baby’s father?

‘By the way, she only called Cal ‘the second son of Babenberg.”

Although it was before he earned his title, Louise was extremely cold compared to Chilla, whose attitude was no different from now.

‘Cal must have really suffered a lot……’

I felt a bit of sympathy and closed the diary.

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

“Lou, were you waiting for me? I’m a little late, aren’t I?”

Ernst clung to me and acted cute as soon as he entered the palace.

Seeing Phoebe subtly get up and leave her seat, it seemed that the power of the bribe Ernst had offered her still remained.

“Of course, I was waiting. Why are you so late, Erni……?”

I responded to him appropriately and looked at him with anticipation.

I had been lying down for days using travel fatigue as an excuse, so it was obvious that Lurik would soon find it strange and call the palace physician.

‘It’s impossible to deceive the palace physician with the same trivial trick as in the monastery.’

Then, even if the palace physician examined me under Lurik’s orders, I desperately needed a palace physician who wouldn’t reveal the pregnancy.

Ernst, who was well aware of my situation, opened his mouth as if exaggerating.

“The Imperial Palace physicians are too unnecessarily clean. If I can’t find a weakness, I’ll have to use bribes or threats, so I was agonizing over which one to choose……”

“T-Threats might be a bit much……”

It’s not that I want to point out the illegality of it.

If a palace physician would succumb to threats from one of us, they wouldn’t be able to stand up to the even more frightening Lurik.

Fortunately, Ernst rolled his golden eyes and smiled with satisfaction.

“But our Toruan is quite skilled in loopholes.”

He proudly called the secretary’s name and said,

“He thoroughly investigated Zita, the chief physician of the detached palace, and it turns out his son is heavily in debt to the Babenberg Bank.”

“To the Babenberg Bank? If he’s the son of the chief physician, it would have been much more advantageous to borrow from the Imperial Bank.”

Although the Lurik in my novel would later use banks to exploit nobles, until then, the Imperial Bank was a cozy haven for nobles.

They could borrow freely, and if they flattered the Emperor a little, they could extend the repayment date like a rubber band. If they were rich, it was also good for playing with interest.

“It seems he tried to start a business without his father’s knowledge because he didn’t want to inherit the family business. By the way, the business seems to have already failed, and the repayment date is approaching.”

“So you’re going to have the Babenberg Bank pressure the Zita family for repayment?”

Ernst grinned.

“That’s right. Of course, the Zita family won’t have that kind of money. But he is……”

And he snapped his long, white fingers.

“A friend of the Crown Prince of Flavi.”

“……Since when?”

He shrugged, and the sound of his luxurious shirt rustling could be heard.

“Since tonight. And let me tell you, Flavi also has banks.”

I was relieved and grabbed his hand.

“It’s really good that you’re a friend of the Crown Prince of Flavi.”

The golden eyes facing me sparkled brilliantly like jewels under the chandelier.

“You just realized that now?”

🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹🔹

That same evening, I realized anew how wonderful a friend Ernst was.

This was because Ernst’s name, which had only been mentioned in passing in the diary, finally appeared in an important context.

Of course, it wasn’t a pleasant topic.

Was Chilla upset about my attitude yesterday?

If so, she could have just told me to fix it.

While it was entirely possible, it was underhanded of her to drag Jenais into it.

The diary was extremely provocative from the first line.

I didn’t know exactly what had happened, but it was so emotionally charged that the ink was smudged in some places.

Oh, Erni.

If it weren’t for Erni, how would I have survived in this Academy……!

When I read that far, my heart suddenly welled up, and tears welled up in my eyes.

Louise’s suppressed feelings of injustice strangely flowed into my heart.

‘This feels strangely like brainwashing.’

I pressed my hand against my heavy chest and read the next line.

Unlike a typical freshman like me, Erni took my hand with a calm and dignified attitude and rescued me from that pain.

My gold, my kumquat, my Erni.

Kumquat?

I alternately thought of the small citrus fruit and Ernst and burst out laughing.

‘They say they’ve been friends since childhood……’

She uses such a ticklish analogy for that big man.

You must remain unchanged and always be on my side.

My precious friend, Ernst.

My precious ‘friend’ Ernst.

Then, would Louise have felt betrayed when she no longer wanted him to be just a friend?

Translator’s Blog

Blog

• Did Uncle Steve RAID Your Snack Again?
• Who’s Your Waifu? Why Choosing Your Anime Spirit Animal Is Deeper Than You Think (And Who I’d Pick)
• Novel Review: Emperor’s Domination
• Do Your Gym Bros Think You’re a Weirdo? (Secret Signs You’re the Gym Oddball)
• Aqua Hoshino: The Ultimate Husbando?