Favored by the Family That Will Become the Strongest! - Chapter 38

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Sevar’s curt tone did not intimidate Diena. She spoke with measured composure.
“I had nowhere else to go, so Barcan took me in.”
“Nowhere to go?”
“Yes.”
“A princess of House Rothwell with nowhere to go? With a perfectly intact house standing behind you?”
“House Rothwell is not intact.”
“Where exactly— No. Never mind.”
Sevar shook his head at once.
“I’d rather not hear this.”
He could feel himself weakening at the sight of Diena’s downturned expression.
It was better not to continue speaking with her. There was nothing he could do for her anyway, even if he listened to what she had to say.
He had summoned Diena to determine what sort of person she was. If she posed a threat to Barcan and Bianca, he would need to eliminate that threat before it became dangerous.
But Sevar found himself coming to a realization once more.
No matter how dire his circumstances became, he was not the kind of person who could threaten a child who had not yet reached adulthood.
“Leave my house at once—”
Before he could finish, Bianca stepped forward.
“If you make Diena leave, I’m really going to get angry, and I’ll really hate you!”
“…What?”
“I won’t look at your face ever again!”
Bianca threw her arms around Diena and cried out. Sevar’s pupils trembled visibly as though struck by shock.
Bianca, her face set in stubborn fury, seized Diena’s hand and bolted from the study.
* * *
After Bianca burst through the door, Barcan followed her shortly after with a look of disappointment cast toward Sevar.
Sevar stood alone in the sprawling study. Soon the door opened without a knock, and a smooth voice drifted in.
“This is trouble. Bianca’s really upset now.”
It was Malacar.
He settled into the chair across from Sevar as naturally as if it were his own room, crossing his legs.
“I didn’t know you had a hobby of eavesdropping on others’ conversations.”
“I wasn’t planning on it. Your voices carried so loud into the next room that with ears, one has no choice but to hear.”
Sevar frowned irritably.
Malacar sighed, observing him. Sevar appeared to be in a rather sensitive state at the moment.
‘I suppose it can’t be helped.’
The news that Bianca’s Darkness Corruption was improving was almost too good to believe.
But that wasn’t where it ended. The Duke of Rothwell had implanted a time bomb in Bianca that could detonate at any moment. It was a fact known only to Malacar and himself.
‘That piece of garbage. Threatening me with the child’s life.’
The Duke of Rothwell was blackmailing Sevar, saying he would unleash that darkness if Sevar refused to obey his orders.
“Who knows? The darkness in your daughter’s body might explode one day, just like that.”
“If that happens, she could die from the suffering. It would be similar to a Rampage state. Even if you gave her an Inhibitor from some cheap Magic Tower, could you really control it?”
Sevar had kept his absences from the house rare on the surface, citing Subjugation duties, but in truth he harbored this darker secret.
He was terrified that the moment he displeased the Duke of Rothwell, the man would kill Bianca outright.
He had considered responding with his own Special Ability, but fear held him back. Barcan had already experienced a Rampage once before, and his wife at that time had…
“Why didn’t you simply tell the children the truth? The reason you’ve been living this way. Then at least Bianca wouldn’t have come to hate you.”
“…Hate?”
“Well, not just your children. Diena seemed frightened as well. Of course, you’re clumsy with how you treat them, but to be hated by everyone—I find it rather regrettable.”
At those words, Sevar’s brow twitched slightly.
Malacar clicked his tongue.
‘He’s been shaken.’
Others might not have noticed, but Malacar knew. Sevar had been struck harder than one might think by Bianca’s words: “I hate you, Father!”
“It doesn’t matter.”
Though it clearly mattered a great deal, Malacar chose not to needle Sevar further.
“You’re truly unbothered by being misunderstood like this?”
“It’s not your concern, old man.”
“Then you really do intend to cast that girl out of House Cardia?”
Sevar’s sharp gaze turned toward Malacar.
“Why do you ask?”
He had come all the way here mentioning “a guest of House Cardia.” It was time to hear exactly why he had taken an interest in Diena Rothwell.
“If she’s cast out from here, she’ll be in danger.”
Malacar spoke in a voice that had grown quiet and heavy.
“Not long ago, those from House Rothwell sent a request to the Magic Tower. They wanted to use Warp.”
“…And the destination?”
“Here. House Cardia. They should be arriving soon.”
“…”
“Just don’t hand her back to House Rothwell. If you’re truly going to cast her out, I’ll take her to the Magic Tower myself.”
Sevar gazed out the window, lost in thought. Below, he could see Bianca tugging Diena’s hand as she huffed with determination, running toward her room.
“You came all the way here to say that?”
“Yes. I came to stop you in case you threw her out the moment you saw her. Though Barcan and Bianca’s reactions were unexpected.”
As Malacar shrugged, Sevar’s thoughts grew deeper still.
Barcan, Bianca, Malacar—all three were people who harbored suspicion and rarely gave their hearts to others. For her to have enchanted such people in so short a time, could she truly be a Mental-type Special Ability user?
Unaware of what Sevar was thinking, Malacar reached his own conclusion aloud.
“Yes, it might be better to take her to the Magic Tower. She’d be safe, and the Duke of Rothwell wouldn’t feel the need to come here and pressure you further.”
Sevar answered with an unreadable, expressionless face.
“Perhaps.”
“Well, think it over carefully either way. Otherwise those three children will resent you for life! And I won’t look at you again, either.”
* * *
The possibility that Diena might be cast out of House Cardia was enough to shake Bianca deeply.
Seized by anxiety, Bianca did not send Diena back to her own room that evening.
“Don’t go to your room, Diena. Sleep here with me tonight.”
Bianca clung to Diena’s sleeve and pulled her onto the bed with childish insistence. Diena followed willingly, drawn along by her touch.
Between the two as they lay side by side, the afterimage of candlelight wavered and danced.
“Don’t mind what Father said. I’ll protect you. How could he send you away when I’m begging him like this?”
Diena, who had hesitated for a moment, slowly opened her mouth.
“I understand. Sevar cares for you, after all.”
“My father?”
Bianca tilted her head in surprise.
“Why would you think that?”

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