I Became the Youngest Sister-in-law of the Ruined Reverse Harem’s Male Leads - Chapter 187

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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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#.05

The school atmosphere was strange.

Michela, who I greeted earlier, made an odd expression, and some second-years were whispering while looking at me.

‘Did word get out about yesterday’s amazing practice?’

There was this kind of buzz when Antonio received an offer to join a famous troupe in the middle of his third-year first semester.

For reference, I received my offer in the second semester.

“Lilliana!”

“Oh. Damiano. Good morning.”

Damiano, who had shown interest in me since enrollment, confessed to me even knowing I had a boyfriend.

Since that was a week ago, facing Damiano felt a bit uncomfortable.

“Good morning to you too. How’s the recital preparation going?”

“So-so. What about you? Your exhibition is coming up soon.”

“I feel like I’m dying. But I have something to give you.”

“What is it?”

What Damiano held out was none other than a keychain.

“I’m not giving this just to you. I’m handing them out to everyone around, so don’t feel burdened.”

Since he didn’t buy it because of me, it was better not to refuse.

“Thanks. But isn’t this a souvenir sold at Fantasy Park?”

“Right! You recognize it? I went there over the weekend.”

Just as I was about to ask if he went to the horror theater, Antonio came running from the end of the corridor and grabbed my arm.

“Why, what’s wrong?”

“Let me talk to you for a moment. Damiano. I’m borrowing her.”

When we reached a deserted corridor, Antonio asked.

“You went to Fantasy Park, didn’t you?”

“Uh, how did you know?”

“Who did you go with?”

I kept my mouth shut.

While young kids think of it as an amusement park and go to play, from my age it was a place to go on dates.

I was honestly embarrassed that I went to such a place with Protagonist’s Older Brother and the twins.

It felt like I’d become an idiot who couldn’t even go to an amusement park unless I tagged along with little kids.

‘But I really wanted to go.’

To ask Edgar to go together, he’d been clearly tired from heavy workload these past few weeks.

That’s why I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

“I went with kids.”

“Kids who? Damiano?”

“Why would I go to Fantasy Park with him?”

“Then who?”

“Don’t, don’t ask. It’s a secret.”

“A seeecret?”

Antonio and I were too close for me to make excuses casually.

We shared friends and went to the same school, so any lie would be exposed quickly.

‘If he finds out I went with the twins, he’ll tease me endlessly.’

I absolutely had to keep it secret.

“It’s a secret.”

“Lily. It hurts my feelings when you say that. Are we strangers?”

“Since we’re not strangers, we should respect each other’s privacy. You have one or two secrets you don’t want to tell me too.”

“Is going to Fantasy Park really worth keeping secret? You’re suspicious.”

“You’re not Edgar, so why are you being suspicious? Don’t tell me you’ve been spying on me for Edgar’s side all this time?”

Then Antonio played innocent with a straight face.

Anyone else might have been fooled, but since we’d been friends since we were babies, now lived under the same roof, and were both learning to become actors, I knew Antonio was putting on a very natural act.

“Don’t tell me the imperial chocolates Edgar gave you all this time were bribes?”

I couldn’t hold back and let out a shriek.

Antonio’s eyes wavered very slightly.

“I knew it!”

I believed he was looking out for me because Antonio liked chocolate, but that wasn’t it.

I felt hurt by Antonio who had been spying on me while taking bribes, and betrayed by Edgar who had him spy on me by offering bribes.

“Sp, spying? I just swatted away some flies.”

“What? I clearly told you not to cut people out on your own!”

He didn’t cling to me like in childhood and exclude other friends, but Antonio still had closed-off aspects.

Still, I thought he’d improved a lot since coming to art school.

Though friends he could share his inner thoughts with were rare, he was getting along well with everyone.

He even made something of a best friend in the composition class.

“Since you have Edgar anyway, it doesn’t matter if I draw some lines.”

“That’s my job, not yours, and you, you sold me out for chocolate!”

“I didn’t sell you out. Speak properly!”

“Hey! Antonio Benichka!”

Clang. Clang.

Just then the morning bell rang. We couldn’t keep fighting, so I hurried to the classroom.

I was so angry my insides were boiling, so I ate lunch separately from Antonio and sat far away from him in the practice room.

“I heard you fought with Antonio.”

“Don’t bring him up.”

Then for some reason, Gemma and Natalia exchanged glances.

“Are you meeting Edgar after today?”

Edgar would probably come to pick me up, but right now I don’t even want to see Edgar’s face.

I felt betrayed by both of them, so I wanted to be alone for a while.

“I don’t know. I’m thinking of just practicing until night today.”

Since the graduation recital was right around the corner, that might be better anyway.

I decided on night practice, resolving to have a word with Edgar when he came later.

* * *

“Sorry. I decided to do night practice today. Don’t wait and just go.”

Lilliana’s tone was cold. Her eyes had sunk down and she seemed to be subtly avoiding him.

Edgar chewed his lips nervously.

Could she have developed interest in that Damiano bastard?

“Then how about we eat dinner together before night practice?”

Edgar waited anxiously for an answer.

Even though he knew well that Lilliana wouldn’t meet another guy, seeing her cold expression made anxiety wash over him.

“I’m planning to make do with leftover bread from lunch… I’ll be busy for a while, so let’s meet on the weekend.”

“The recital is next Tuesday, right?”

“Yeah. I can’t focus on anything else right now.”

And yet she went to Fantasy Park?

I came all the way to Trowance because I wanted to stay close to you…

When his thoughts reached that point, Edgar couldn’t bear the disappointment.

“It’s not because of that kid Damiano, is it?”

“How do you know Damiano? Antonio?”

“Why didn’t you tell me you got confessed to?”

“Because you’d worry about it.”

“You could have told me in a way that wouldn’t make me worry.”

“You even gave Antonio chocolate to watch me, so do you think I wouldn’t care just because you said something?”

Her cold tone sounded like she was announcing it was over between them, making Edgar’s heart sink.

“I-it wasn’t surveillance, I gave it to him asking him to take good care of you.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Do you think I’m an idiot? Did you think I’d hold hands with some other guy if you didn’t do that?”

“Li-Lilliana.”

When Edgar unconsciously approached and grabbed her wrist, Lilliana coldly pushed him away.

He could see the back of her hand slowly turning red. Edgar’s jaw clenched tight.

“As for you, the sky won’t fall even without me. Right?”

“What?”

“I was the one who liked you first, and I’m the one who likes you more. Why can’t you always understand me? I don’t know why you’re so childish. Is it so hard to acknowledge my feelings?”

I wish you would like me as much as I like you.

I wish you were also anxious to kiss and be together like me.

Will there ever come a day when you guard and get jealous of the staff around me like I do with the male students at your school…

“Sometimes I feel really lonely when I’m with you. I don’t even know if I’m someone special to you… Even without me, you’d only be sad for a brief moment and live well. That really hurts me.”

“Edgar?”

Edgar’s body moved away as he stepped back.

“…Let’s meet after the graduation presentation is over. That would be better.”

Leaving the flustered Lilliana behind, Edgar turned his back.

It felt like a storm was raging in his chest, making him want to cry his heart out.

* * *

“Your Grace?”

“Ah. I apologize. Yesterday we scheduled a meeting with Trobancha’s Ministry of Justice regarding the criminal extradition agreement, so prepare the materials and convey our side’s opinion.”

“Isn’t Trobancha being stubborn again?”

When Edgar came to Trobancha as the youngest diplomat, he was only nineteen years old.

Since Edgar was the Emperor’s cousin, many people thought he was dispatched based on blood relations rather than ability.

That’s why the Empire’s staff also subtly ignored Edgar.

“This isn’t work for Your Grace to handle. We’ll take care of it ourselves, so please go rest.”

“I came here to work, but if I just sit idle, I won’t have the face to meet His Majesty. Give it to me. I also know how to process official documents.”

He could have gotten angry since he was frequently excluded from work.

However, Edgar silently proved himself through his abilities.

He thought that if he made mistakes, it would disgrace his brother Marius.

So his true personality came out only after he started gaining recognition from those around him.

“You know well that Trobancha pursued an isolationist policy until 13 years ago, so you should work accordingly, right? We even welcomed an Empress from Trobancha, but if they become closer with other countries, won’t we be like a dog that lost the chicken it was chasing?”

He would give sharp criticism to staff who worked carelessly.

“I trust that the Marquis, who is the chief supervisor, doesn’t think we can work leisurely just because His Highness the Prince inherited Trobancha blood.”

He even confronted his superiors.

Even if Edgar quit being a diplomat, he still had his bloodline as the Emperor’s brother and his title as Duke of Runtbollenu, so he had nothing to fear.

“Oh right. And I happened to learn while stopping by the Ministry of Justice that Trobancha seems to be trying to form a federation with southern countries. If that happens, many things will become disadvantageous to the Empire, so we need to quickly gather information and establish countermeasures.”

“If that’s true, we should first inform His Majesty and start by writing a report to submit together.”

“Here it is. I only organized clauses related to economics, but I think His Majesty will be satisfied with this much.”

After checking the documents, the Marquis unconsciously opened his mouth at the report that was more detailed than expected.

“When did you write this?”

“I couldn’t sleep yesterday, so I made it while I was at it.”

Because of Lilliana, he couldn’t stay sane, so he wrote it at night while sipping warm milk alone.

“Your Grace. I heard you’re close with Her Majesty the Empress’s family – did you find out from them?”

“What do you take me for… I have no intention of gathering information that way.”

Edgar frowned at the employee’s bold question and denied it, then sharply picked up his bag saying it was almost time to get off work.

Usually when he left work at this time, he would meet Lilliana in the commercial district, have dinner together, and go on light dates.

They would look at the sea together, go to bookstores, and sometimes even include Antonio as they wandered around the alleys.

But now…

“How terrible.”

It had been a week since he last saw Lilliana. Each day was not just lonely but empty.

Even his childhood without Lilliana seemed miraculous in comparison.

‘I should have just worked more.’

Going home would obviously just leave him with silence. So Edgar decided to visit his cousin’s house for the first time in a while.

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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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