I Became the Youngest Sister-in-law of the Ruined Reverse Harem’s Male Leads - Chapter 181
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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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#.181
The packing that began Saturday evening continued into Sunday morning.
Thanks to purchasing various daily necessities during our stay and collecting plenty of souvenirs, our luggage had doubled in size since arriving in the Empire.
But convincing the twins was harder than packing the bags.
“Youngest aunt. Are you really leaving?”
“Can’t you not go? I’ll tell you you’re pretty every day. Please?”
The twins sat on top of the trunk and drooped the corners of their eyes.
Yosiyas looked very disappointed, and Filippo was almost on the verge of tears.
“Do you not want aunt to leave?”
“When youngest aunt leaves, mom gets sad. I won’t call you curly-hair anymore. Don’t go.”
My heart ached as he held my hand tightly while pleading. But there was nothing I could do.
Even if Liliana stayed in the Empire, my guardian was my brother and my residence was Trobancha.
I hugged the twins with both arms. Filippo sniffled quietly. Yosiyas gripped my clothes so tightly I could barely breathe.
“You have to write letters to aunt every week. Understand?”
“I don’t want to. I’ll never do it.”
“You can’t do that. Then aunt will be so sad she’ll cry every day.”
“Really?”
“Of course. Yosiyas. Don’t you trust aunt? Aunt cries really well.”
“Sigh. Fine. I’ll do it. Don’t be like that to Yosiyas.”
Just then, Edgar started wailing loudly enough to shake the manor from the adjacent room.
“Nooo! I don’t want to be separated from my brothers! Edgar won’t go! I want to live here!”
The farewell was the same for 5-year-old Edgar. The more Edith tried to comfort Edgar, the louder his crying became.
Then Filippo sighed deeply in a way uncharacteristic of a child and pulled away from my embrace.
“Want to go see Edgar?”
“I’m the older brother. So I have to comfort him.”
“Brother, let’s go quickly. You need to show your brotherly dignity.”
The twins trudged over to the adjacent room.
As I was carefully stacking the souvenirs I’d bought into boxes, my brother knocked on the wide-open door.
“All packed?”
“Just the big luggage. We need to load it onto the ship by afternoon, right?”
“We still have a few hours.”
My brother looked at the packed boxes and let out a hollow laugh.
“This is why you complain about not having pocket money every day. This is a coaster. Why on earth did you buy something like this?”
“It’s a coaster made using traditional Empire techniques. I bought it to give out as souvenirs.”
“Handkerchiefs as souvenirs, coasters… Sigh. Just like Marius said, I’m worried. Whether I’m raising you properly.”
“My lack of economic sense is hereditary. Grandmother was the same way, wasn’t she?”
I rummaged through the drawers one last time to check if I’d forgotten anything.
I glanced at my brother crouching in front of the boxes and spoke up.
“Brother, you know what. Actually, I heard mother’s voice…”
“Mother’s voice? How?”
“When I was eliminating Lazarus. I heard your voice too. Not much, just a little.”
My brother stayed quietly in place, then carefully asked after a long while.
“What did I say?”
There was no need to explain that my brother had been in agony while turning back time.
I hadn’t mentioned it on purpose to remind him of old grief.
“Mother asked you to protect me. That my name was Lilliana…”
“That’s what she said to Edith.”
“Yeah. That’s what it seemed like.”
Strength entered my hand gripping the drawer. My throat felt like it would close up.
Among us siblings, only I didn’t know our parents. Not their faces, voices, or embrace. So sometimes I envied my friends.
I didn’t wish to get scolded for wrongdoing, but I sometimes wanted to know at least who I resembled.
“They waited eagerly for the day you’d be born. Even knowing it would be the day of their death.”
My nose stung, so I quickly took a quiet deep breath. I didn’t want to cry in front of my brother.
“Lilliana. You received all the love other children get over a lifetime before you were even born.”
“Yeah. I know.”
Even as their lives were fading, it was a voice full of love.
After confirming my eyes were quite dry, I closed the empty drawer.
“And as you grew up, you received lots of love that other children don’t get.”
My brother who loved me like a father, three sisters, and brothers-in-law who cherished me like a daughter and younger sister.
“Thank you for protecting me, brother. And thank you for raising me.”
“You say things like that after you’re all grown up. When you can buy teacups instead of coasters as souvenirs.”
My brother ruffled my hair and put the boxes in the corridor so the servants could load them into the carriage.
* * *
As the servants began moving the large luggage to the carriage, Regina quietly entered her room.
Though she had built a family and made friends in the Empire, parting with family gathered after a long time was still difficult.
Just as Leopold, who noticed her mood, was about to follow Regina to the room.
“Leopold!”
He ran right into Lilliana coming down the stairs.
“Did you finish packing?”
“I’m going to pack clothes tomorrow. Going to see sister?”
When Leopold nodded, Lilliana handed him something.
“These are tickets to the most popular play right now. After we leave, take Liliana to see it.”
“Why don’t you go see it before leaving…”
“It’s obvious Liliana will be depressed after we leave.”
Being still a student, her allowance must be limited. Yet she had saved up penny by penny to prepare theater tickets for her sister, which was quite touching.
‘Even as a child, she knew how to tug at adults’ heartstrings.’
Leopold was so proud of his much younger sister-in-law that he took out his wallet.
Sensing his intention, Lilliana quickly made her escape, saying she’d go see Antonio.
Watching her hurriedly fleeing figure, he resolved to buy her lots of delicious food the next time he visited Trobancha.
By then Francois would have become the youngest brother-in-law, making it perfect timing to compete for the position of top brother-in-law.
“Regina.”
Regina, who had been quietly sniffling, quickly composed her expression when he appeared.
His heart felt like it was tearing apart, knowing she was crying essentially because of him.
“…The manor reconstruction will take time anyway, how about spending a few years in Trobancha with the children?”
“I’ve told you several times that won’t do. Why do you think we’re family? And you need to see the children grow up too.”
“But you miss your hometown.”
“This is my second hometown now. I’ve lived here for 10 years.”
“…With the Order settled, we should be able to take a summer vacation this year. Let’s all go to Trobancha in the summer. The children should know what kind of place Trobancha is. And.”
Seeing his crying wife made his heart break. Only thoughts of what he hadn’t been able to do for her came to mind, making him feel guilty.
If she hadn’t married him, she wouldn’t have had to shed tears over leaving her family.
Leopold wiped Regina’s swollen eyes and said.
“I haven’t forgotten the promise to spend more than 5 years in Trobancha before the children are fully grown. I’ve mentioned taking leave to His Majesty, so we should be able to pack up and go next year.”
Regina, who had been at a loss from surprise, burst into tears again. Though tears were flowing, she was smiling brightly.
Leopold hugged his wife and gritted his teeth.
Though he hadn’t kept his promise due to Order problems, seeing how happy she was made even that seem like an excuse.
“We’ll need to look for a house in advance when we go in summer.”
“We’ll need to find schools for the children too. It’ll be a very busy vacation.”
“I’m already looking forward to it.”
“…Thank you for marrying someone as lacking as me. I will devote myself more… and love you more.”
That confession was tantamount to a vow to set aside future work and dedicate his life to his wife.
* * *
After checking the luggage loaded in the carriage, Edgar asked one last time.
“You didn’t forget anything, right?”
“I said I didn’t. What exactly do you take me for?”
“A scatterbrain, what else.”
“Do you really want to get beaten up?”
“Go ahead and try.”
Just as Antonio was about to clench his fist, Marius came out carrying a large box himself and loaded it into the carriage. Edith followed behind him with a displeased expression.
“You already sent toys separately to Trobancha. If you take this too, the house will be too cramped!”
“Then move to a new house. I’ll find one for you.”
“Haven’t you thought that this might spoil him?”
“No child will be spoiled under your care. Don’t worry.”
Seeing that Edith was on the verge of exploding, Antonio and Edgar quickly went inside.
“What’s happening with those two? Is Edgar going to become the crown prince now?”
“After we leave for Trobancha, he plans to publicly announce Edgar as his son. He’ll give him the right to inherit the throne, but ultimately it’s decided to leave the final choice to Edgar. If not, he can just pass it to someone else.”
Since that ‘someone else’ would likely be Edgar, Antonio stared intently at him.
Then Edgar shook his head.
“Not me. First, there are legal issues, and I’ve already told my brother I absolutely won’t inherit it from him.”
“Then why did you choose politics as your major?”
“You’ll find out when the time comes. There’s a world that scatterbrains don’t know about.”
“What did you say? Are you looking down on me?”
“Ha. Anyone watching would think I only looked down on you today. I’ve been looking down on you all along.”
Thanks to their constant bickering for two months, the two didn’t need a separate farewell.
They continued their quarrel until the very end as they knocked on Lilliana’s door.
“Lilliana. Come out!”
“Wait! That’s not what’s important right now!”
At the urgent response, they threw open the door to find Lilliana shaking out her blanket furiously.
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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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