Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 293

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Special Side Story Episode 6

“You seemed busy with your writing, so I didn’t want to disturb you. Should I have told you?”

“No, it’s not that….”

Something felt unsettling. Leo’s face, which had been frowning as he recalled Belinda’s letter and the children’s travel purpose, soon turned pale.

These kids, don’t tell me….

“Elsa, I’ll be back in a bit!”

“Okay.”

Leo immediately tried to rush out of the manor but stopped with a screech.

“Oh no.”

In his haste, he almost forgot the most important thing. Leo ran back to Elsa.

“Did you forget something….”

Leo lightly kissed the forehead of the puzzled Elsa and said with a gentle smile.

“I forgot to say goodbye. I’ll tell you the details when I get back!”

Elsa’s cheeks reddened as she unconsciously allowed the kiss due to being caught off guard. Not realizing her face had turned red, she pretended to be nonchalant and said primly.

“…Be careful and come back safely.”

* * *

If you were to pick the most glamorous and luxurious place in Jenos Kingdom, everyone would unanimously point to Red House.

Red House, which overflowed with sights and entertainment year-round, was always a bustling place, but today the atmosphere was particularly heated.

“My goodness, how many consecutive wins is that now?”

“Those brats are planning to clean out every gambler’s money here!”

“To push Joker that hard!”

“But that bright red hair, doesn’t it look familiar?”

Currently at Red House, a poker match of the century was unfolding that had turned all the casino’s customers and gamblers into spectators.

“Hehehe. This time it’s definitely Uncle Pool’s house!”

“Ah, Older Sister! How can you reveal everything like that!”

When the black-haired girl shouted triumphantly, the red-haired boy sitting beside her grumbled irritably.

Their bickering looked like immature children complaining about side dishes, but to the players facing them, they appeared as demons contemplating how to fleece them.

The mountain of golden chips piled behind the siblings spoke to their track record.

“Go, Theo! We must buy Mother a dress!”

Now all betting was finished and only two people remained at the table.

Joker, called the idol of professional gamblers, and a boy with mysterious skills that made it impossible to tell if he was a novice or veteran.

The two’s gazes clashed across the chips piled on the table.

“Please reveal your hands.”

At the dealer’s declaration, the boy began flipping his cards first.

Click, click, click, click.

As each card was revealed, the spectators’ cheers gradually began to subside.

Hearts Ace (A), King (K), Queen (Q), Jack (J) had gathered.

If only the Hearts 10 appeared, it would be a royal flush.

Amid the ice-cold silence, the final card was finally flipped.

“Ro, ro, royal flush!”

The spectators went wild and the siblings looked at each other with sly grins.

They had earned enough money not only for travel funds but to buy two of the finest dresses as gifts for Mother.

As they say, one should leave when receiving applause for a clean aftertaste.

Just as the siblings were about to rise from their seats amid everyone’s cheers.

“Leaving already? I heard you’ve only been here for two hours.”

Someone grabbed each of the siblings’ shoulders, pressed them back down, and spoke affectionately.

The siblings, who recognized the speaker’s identity just from the voice, gulped nervously.

“Br, Brother.”

“O, Older Brother.”

Leo’s gaze, his hair slightly disheveled as if he had hurried over, turned toward the golden chips piled to one side.

“Quite lucky, aren’t you.”

Leo squeezed between the twins and sat down, calling the children in a low voice.

“Theodor, Ophelia.”

“We didn’t do anything wrong!”

“Mother’s going to kill us.”

Ophelia, feeling guilty, shouted loudly, while Theodor covered his face with his hands in despair.

“I’m not here to scold you, so don’t worry. I won’t tell Belinda either.”

“Re, really?”

“Is that true?”

Leo’s voice remained gentle.

The twin siblings, who had hoped he might let this slide, hesitated at his next words.

“Instead, play a game with me and either win double the chips you have, or I’ll send you home when you’ve lost everything.”

Theo and Ria exchanged glances. The twins, having reached a silent agreement, nodded.

“Fine.”

“You promise?”

Sorry to Leo, but they had a sure-win strategy.

That was…!

“Suga, I had a newly discovered portrait of Adelia Blanche brought to the casino VIP room. Won’t you go see it?”

Lucky fairy Suga. That Suga was there, and then wasn’t.

At Leo’s single sentence, Suga flew away like an arrow. Leo knew exactly the only weakness of the fairy blinded by gold.

“We’re doomed….”

“What? What is it? Don’t tell me… no way, right Theo? Right?”

Unlike Theo, who inherited the Blanche Family’s ability and contracted with Suga, Ria couldn’t see fairies.

Even knowing this, she looked around searching for Suga, but doing so wouldn’t make the invisible Suga visible.

“Then let’s start the game.”

Clink. Leo placed a golden chip on the poker table.

It was the moment when the eyes of ‘Ending 41. Casino’s Black King’ gleamed.

If those troublemakers lost all their money, they probably wouldn’t dare come near a casino again.

“Brother!”

“Older Brother!”

“Stop whining and take your cards quickly.”

The twins reluctantly started the game.

Several dozen minutes later, it was only natural that the siblings, having lost the fairy’s blessing, would lose all their money against Black King.

* * *

Two months later, at the Summer Castle that had become much quieter since the twins left on their adventure.

Upon news that a letter and package from Theodor and Ophelia during their travels had arrived, Cesar headed to Belinda’s Office.

Belinda, who had been waiting for her husband to open it together, showed him the paper knife as soon as he entered.

“I wonder what they sent this time.”

As promised, the children consistently sent updates during their travels.

Along with letters, they always included small gifts, and thanks to this, a display case for storing the children’s gifts had even appeared in one corner of the Couple’s Bedroom.

Starting with hand-carved wooden figurines, to seashell bracelets and what looked like a portrait of the twins drawn by a street artist.

That display case, full of all sorts of trinkets, had become the couple’s treasure warehouse.

What gift had they sent today?

The couple’s expressions, which had been full of anticipation as they opened the package, soon changed strangely.

“…A fairy tale book?”

While Belinda examined the fairy tale book, Cesar looked over the contents of the letter the children had sent.

“They said it would take time to publish in the duchy, so they sent it as a gift in advance. This fairy tale is apparently very popular in the kingdom. The author is…”

Cesar trailed off. Only then did the couple’s gaze turn to the book’s author.

[King Jui-bam-tol]

The expressions of the two people quietly turning the pages changed moment by moment.

The content of the fairy tale was something the couple knew well.

Though it had been adapted to suit a children’s fairy tale, the dark history of the past that flashed through his mind upon reading made Cesar unable to lift his head.

Unable to endure it any longer, he eventually turned away before even finishing the book.

“I have things to do, so I’ll be going…”

Belinda set the fairy tale book down on the desk and followed after her husband with mischievous eyes.

“Come to think of it, I think you said something about pet names between lovers back then.”

“….”

“Won’t you call me by that pet name from back then, just once for old times’ sake?”

“…I don’t remember.”

“As a hint, I think it started with ‘nu’ and ended with ‘nim.'”

“I don’t remember.”

“Or maybe something that starts with ‘nu’ and ends with ‘na’ would be fine too.”

“I don’t…”

The sound of their footsteps faded along the walkway, accompanied by soft laughter.

A moment later, the study fell quiet.

A breeze from outside the window turned the pages of the fairy tale book on the desk.

One page, two pages turned, revealing the final sentence that the two had never gotten to see.

[And so they lived happily ever after.]

– Special Side Story Complete.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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