Translator: Nox

Chapter 12

I Will Save My Father

I Will Save My Father, Episode 13

Episode 13

Theon had left the Red Eagle Knights. This meant that, starting today, he could no longer stay in the knights’ dormitory.

“This is the only room left with a bed.”

At the sudden appearance of a guest, Sherry hurriedly looked for a usable room.

Theon said he would be fine with just a sleeping bag, but there was no way Dad would allow him to sleep on the bare floor.

It wasn’t just because Dad was Theon’s guardian and teacher, or because Theon was of noble birth.

“If you sleep on the floor during a growth spurt, you won’t grow tall.”

Right. Growth spurts are important.

The future Crown Prince Theon would be very tall, but Dad didn’t know that yet.

“…Is it really alright for me to use this room alone?”

Theon hesitated to step through the wide-open door, lingering at the threshold.

I brushed past him and led Dad into the room.

“It’s right across from mine!”

It was smaller than my room, but it was reasonably spacious and clean.

“Not bad.”

Dad’s reaction was positive. When Sherry gestured for him to come inside, Theon hesitantly moved his feet. His expression was awkward, but he didn’t look like he disliked it.

“Theon! Come over and play whenever you’re bored!”

“What do you mean, ‘whenever’?”

Dad placed his hand on my head.

Then, with a stern expression, he addressed both Theon and me.

“From morning until 3:00 PM. After that, entering each other’s rooms is forbidden. And if you’re together, the door must remain open.”

It was exactly the kind of line a father with a daughter would say. But isn’t 3:00 PM a bit too early?

“Aww, Dad. That’s so old-fashioned….”

“Berry’s allowance depends on it.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll keep that in mind.”

When my only source of income is held hostage, I have no choice but to live by old-fashioned rules. I relayed this tragic news to Theon as well.

“You heard him, right, Theon? Please cooperate, our allowance is on the line.”

“Our allowance?”

Theon reacted as if he had heard something strange.

“Master, am I getting an allowance too?”

“Of course. How much did you get before?”

“I’ve never received one.”

It was common for noble children to start receiving an allowance at the age of seven. Even if they weren’t nobles, all my commoner friends back home lived on allowances.

Theon saying he’d never received an allowance meant that Baron Boltman’s financial situation was so tight he couldn’t even spare some pocket money for his grandson.

Sensing the weight of Theon’s answer, Sherry looked on with an uneasy expression.

‘Sherry was born and raised in Travel, too. To her, the idea of a noble having less money than a commoner must be unheard of.’

But to my dad, poverty was nothing. He reacted as if it were no big deal.

“Is that so? Baron Boltman must have intended to give it to you later.”

Who was my dad? He was a man who had successfully bought his own house in Bonwell Village starting from zero.

Whether you have money or you don’t, don’t let it consume you—that was one of Dad’s philosophies.

And there was something he always said whenever guests came to the two-story cottage where we used to live.

I brushed Dad’s hand off my head and declared:

“When you come to the Quartz house, you have to follow the Quartz Law!”

“…There’s a Quartz Law?”

“Allowances start from age seven, and you have to wash your face thoroughly with lots of bubbles! The first weekend of every month is Overspending Day, and—”

“Thank you for the kind explanation, Miss Berry-Berry.”

As my explanation grew longer, Dad cut me off. He then raised an index finger toward Theon.

“You heard Berry, right? Under Quartz Law, children seven and older must receive an allowance. Allowance day is the first of every month.”

“…….”

Theon couldn’t find the words to answer Dad easily.

He seemed to be hesitating, unsure whether to say he liked it or not.

“This is the part where you say ‘thank you.’”

So I gave him the answer instead. Theon looked at me, seemingly lost in thought for a moment, and then nodded.

“I’ll keep a close watch.”

“Huh. My ears must be acting up. I thought I heard ‘watch’ instead of ‘thank you.’”

As I fiddled with my ear, Sherry let out a little chuckle and asked me,

“I heard you’re going outside the castle walls tomorrow?”

“Outside the walls? This is the first I’ve heard of it.”

“Master Raytan said so. He said he’s taking Lady Berry and Lord Theon together.”

Theon and I both turned our heads toward Dad.

“It’s a trip to the market. To buy Berry some summer clothes and some clothes for Theon too.”

“Master, I don’t really need—”

Theon hurriedly waved his hands. As he did, his folded sleeves slipped down and fluttered over the backs of his hands.

“You need a lot.”

Dad pointed out Theon’s attire with a cold, discerning eye.

“The shirt is baggy, and the pants are long.”

Sorry, Theon. Mr. Raytan is very sensitive about how clothes fit….

Even if the clothes weren’t expensive, they had to be neat and tailored to one’s body—that was Dad’s fashion philosophy.

He’d probably been itching to buy Theon new clothes since the moment he first saw him.

“…Yes, sir.”

Theon nodded dejectedly.

After that, we set the schedule for tomorrow.

The plan was to have breakfast, then Dad would have his first lesson with Theon, and then we’d head out to buy clothes.

All the while, Theon wore an expression as if he were a burden. He seemed fine with Dad’s sponsorship to stay at Travel, but perhaps he felt receiving clothes was too much.

I needed to lighten the burden on his heart.

“Theon.”

Before leaving the room, I grabbed Theon’s arm and whispered.

“My dad is secretly loaded.”

---

Starting today, I sleep alone.

That meant that from now until morning, no one would be coming into my room.

Creeeeeak—.

“No need to worry about being caught even if I’m in the secret space.”

Humming to myself, I entered the secret space next to the fireplace. I pressed the brick next to the door, and it closed on its own.

The room looked like a classic study. There was a walnut desk and bookshelves. Deep green wallpaper with a gold floral pattern. The yellow glow of lightbulbs scattered across the walls illuminated the room.

I thought it would be cool to give it a name, so I decided to call it the ‘Contemplation Room.’

“There’s no better place than this for hiding information only I know.”

In fact, the other ‘me’ had gathered information about Dad’s death here.

I placed the tray with the cookies Sherry had baked and the glass of water I brought on the floor and took a seat beside it.

There wasn’t much of a reason for sitting on the floor instead of at the perfectly good desk. It was just that the chair was too high and hard to climb into.

“Hmm.”

I said I’d stay at the bottom of the rankings, but that didn’t mean I was going to stay quiet.

To think they’d hold my innocent dad collectively responsible.

I picked up a pen with a wicked smile.

On the first page of a snow-white notebook, I wrote down a name.

Marian Carnelian Travel

In nice terms, it was a watchlist; in blunt terms, it was a revenge list.

Aunt Marian had poked a sleeping lion.

“If Butler Servair wrote about it in his journal, her achievements must have been massive, right?”

I tried to reconstruct the incident based on the information in the butler’s journal.

The pearl earrings were a rare item from across the continent and were scheduled to be the main item for a charity auction hosted by my grandmother. And Aunt Marian would earn significant credit for her role in recovering the stolen pearl earrings—.

“Ugh.”

I hit a wall.

I couldn’t figure out why Aunt Marian was framing Anne as the culprit of the pearl earring incident.

‘Since Butler Servair wrote the journal for himself like a diary rather than for reporting, there’s not enough information….’

I needed to know this part to form a plan for revenge.

A plan to hide my identity and ruin Aunt Marian’s achievements!

“Hmph. What was the other me doing at seven years old without knowing any of this?”

My brain was starting to overload, so I craved something sweet. I picked up a cookie and took a bite.

The crispy cookie melted in my mouth. Sherry said she used plenty of butter and sugar, and boy, expensive ingredients really did make a difference.

My eyes sparkled in admiration. It was so delicious my body practically shivered.

“When your mouth gets too sweet, you drink some water, and then you can keep eating cookies like it’s your first one again.”

That was a tip Sherry had taught me. See, bringing the water was all part of the plan.

I reached for the glass with my right hand. It was a mistake to underestimate the large glass and try to grab it with only one hand.

The water from the tilted glass spilled right onto my clothes.

“Ack!”

I jumped up quickly, but the cotton pajamas had already soaked up the water. The skirt and the hem of my top were soaking wet.

This… was not part of the plan.

“I messed up.”

Would it dry by morning? It seemed best to change clothes for now.

I pressed the brick to leave the secret space and was waiting for the door to open when—

[……tz.]

A sound like a sharp friction echoed in my ears.

“…….”

Did the door always make a sound like that when it opened? Hearing it while I was alone made me feel a bit creeped out.

“Is it because my skirt is wet? It’s cold, so I’m getting the chills.”

[…tzz….]

“The door needs to open faster. I have to dry my clothes quickly—”

[……Quartz!]

“Eek!” Still in the middle of stomping my feet, I bolted out the door the moment it opened.