I Became the Youngest Sister-in-law of the Ruined Reverse Harem’s Male Leads - Chapter 31

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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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#.31

Marius’s mother, Princess Kailen, died after falling ill following childbirth, just like Princess Elizabeth.

After Princess Kailen’s death, the previous emperor married another kingdom’s princess and had three sons.

When Marius inherited the throne at the young age of seventeen, the new empress Rosalin decided to make her eldest son Lucas the new emperor.

However, her plan was discovered early and shattered to pieces. According to imperial law, the empress and Lucas were executed.

“If you remain loyal to me, I will guarantee your safety and honor for life.”

Marius warned his remaining brothers.

Do not betray me, for I do not wish to kill you.

But his brothers fell for their uncle’s schemes and plotted rebellion by bringing in maternal relatives.

Marius suppressed the rebellion with Leopold and personally beheaded his brothers and uncle.

The purge ended when he was nineteen. With eyes dead as coal, he came to believe that family was an illusion.

So when he faced ‘that incident,’ he thought what was bound to come had come.

“Edgar. Do you understand the meaning of your actions right now?”

“I know very well what it means to point a sword at my brother.”

“You’re doing this knowing what it means?”

“I’m doing this precisely because I know.”

What was bound to come had come, but it was so disappointing and heartbreaking.

‘That incident’ left Marius with an irreversible wound.

That was why he kept Edgar at a distance. Who could guarantee that Edgar wouldn’t stab him in the back again once he was fully grown? He didn’t want to be hurt again.

“I suppose a beating would be more satisfying? I feel the same way. It’s better to see blood and end it cleanly – the other side gets scared and there’s no aftermath.”

“….”

“Max was investigating to turn the Palace upside down. We were ready to start as soon as we found one thing to pin on them, but I guess we should start cleaning house now.”

“Then Your Majesty can handle this case, and I’ll take care of everything after that.”

Edith plopped down across from Marius.

Her anger at the unfair treatment Lilliana had suffered caused her usually suppressed power to burst forth.

But seeing Marius looking somewhat out of his mind brought her reason back.

“Hostility toward a foreign empress is fine. It’s unavoidable and I can handle it. But Lilliana is different. I cannot stand by and watch them blatantly ignore that child, so give me real authority.”

“What kind of real authority do you want?”

“The power to appoint and punish Imperial Courtiers.”

“Ah. You’d naturally gain that when you become empress, but since the wedding isn’t far off, it doesn’t matter.”

Marius took out the empress’s seal from his drawer.

Edith raised an eyebrow, not having expected him to give it so readily.

“Thank you. I’ll also handle the Grand Duke’s problem myself.”

“Edgar too?”

“The Grand Duke was also refused entry.”

“Still, since we’re not married yet, you don’t need to worry about Edgar.”

“And after marriage it’s fine?”

This time Marius’s eyebrow went up.

It was a pointed question asking if it was really right not to care about Edgar just because they weren’t married yet.

Edith had already noticed that Marius deliberately withheld affection from Edgar.

“How did you know?”

His uninjured arm throbbed, and Marius unconsciously rubbed it.

“You look at Lilliana and the Grand Duke differently – it would be stranger not to notice.”

“Oh my. I didn’t think I’d be caught, but I must have shown it. Don’t get too attached to Edgar either, Miss Edith. It’s a relationship that will end in ten years.”

“Becoming an adult who neglects a child beside me because I’m afraid of parting is exactly what I fear most.”

Edith answered firmly and stood up, waving the seal back and forth.

“Well then, I’m counting on you to clean up the Imperial Palace. I hope nothing like this happens again.”

Marius found himself unconsciously following Edith as she tried to leave his office.

Being disappointed in yourself is scarier than getting hurt?

Edith’s retreating figure as she moved forward without fear was more solid and admirable than anyone’s.

Envying that solidity, Marius felt his heart flutter.

* * *

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Lilliana broke apart her cookie like a squirrel, tapping it into pieces.

Color was beginning to return to her chubby cheeks. Her eyes sparkled as usual while examining the chocolate chips in the cookie.

“Uncle. Thank you for helping Lilliana stay healthy.”

When their eyes met, she grinned bashfully.

Francois, visiting Edith’s drawing room, felt his heart grow heavy.

The child who had only been born six years ago was truly just a little thing.

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Mm-hmm. It doesn’t hurt at all now. So I decided to go with big sister when she visits the Knight Order in a few days.”

“That’s good. Then you’ll need to start drinking the mana potion again.”

“I don’t want to. Can’t we just pretend to drink it and have grape juice instead?”

“You don’t know how difficult it is to make that? Since it was extracted with such effort, drink lots and get strong. That’s how you’ll grow tall and become an adult.”

“Lilliana might not be able to become an adult.”

Lilliana casually uttered something terrible that made his face naturally scrunch up, then crunched on her cookie as if she knew nothing.

Did the little one actually know something?

Francois asked subtly, as if testing the waters.

“Why do you think that?”

“Because I’m always sick.”

“Uncle will make you healthy. So Lilliana should eat lots of delicious things and play hard.”

Lilliana didn’t respond. She didn’t even make an expectant face or look surprised.

Her calm reaction made Francois feel stuffy in his chest.

“But why do you keep looking at my face?”

“Because Lilliana is cute.”

“Mm. I am pretty cute.”

Lilliana grinned and lifted her chin.

Francois was someone far from kindness or warmth, but he did know how to find small, cute things endearing.

Lilliana was truly a lovable child. But if you asked him whether he loved Lilliana, that wasn’t the case.

Lilliana Berchio was nothing more than a chess piece for him. So she was…

‘A masterpiece.’

For Francois, who lived a life with a predetermined end even after fulfilling his ‘contract,’ she was his only perfect card.

That’s why whenever he felt even slight guilt about using the child, his breath caught in his throat.

“Eat this too.”

“Doesn’t Uncle need to eat?”

“Uncle already ate earlier.”

When he pushed the snack toward her, her eyes lit up like a squirrel moved by delicious almonds.

Then Edith, who had returned from her conversation with Marius, asked Lilliana.

“Where’s Regina?”

“Second sister is talking with youngest sister right now.”

“Then go call your sisters. Tell them to come quickly because we have something important to discuss with Uncle Francois.”

“Uncle…”

Francois scowled as if shocked when Edith referred to him as uncle.

Of course it was natural for the child to call him uncle, but shouldn’t other people call him oppa?

If they had eyes, they’d know that wasn’t a face that should be called uncle.

“I’ll be back!”

Lilliana went out to call her sisters.

When only the two remained, Edith asked.

“Is Emilia doing well with her work?”

“There’s nothing to worry about. She’s incredibly smart, you know. And she has grit too. If you’re worried about the mages giving her a hard time, you can put your mind at ease. They’re the type who’d rather read one more paper than waste time on petty harassment.”

“That’s a relief to hear.”

Harassment, what nonsense. With the appearance of a rare specialist in supernatural abilities that was hard to find in the Empire, they were all eager to get even a little closer to Emilia.

Right on cue, Regina came over after hearing the news from Emilia.

Regina had a pale complexion from staying up all night caring for Lilliana, but her eyes sparkled when she heard there would be an explanation about her youngest sister’s illness.

‘Their family love is truly touching beyond words.’

Francois, who had made this dry observation, began his explanation.

“After His Majesty requested that we take responsibility for Miss Lilliana’s health, I reviewed all the medical records you three provided together with high-ranking priests and doctors.”

Edith, who had become extremely sensitive due to Lilliana’s severe illness, cut him off mid-sentence.

“We already know that part. The Imperial doctors said it was a disease they’d never seen medically, and the high-ranking priest refused to become her attending physician, saying that as someone who handles divine power intuitively, he lacked professional knowledge for treatment.”

“So here, the Mage Tower Master decided to take full charge of Lilliana.”

Emilia skipped the middle parts and bluntly stated the conclusion. Regina frowned at this.

“Explain it in detail. Both sister and I need to know properly.”

“Emilia has agreed to research Lilliana’s illness together with me.”

“Wasn’t she hired as an assistant? That’s why she was busy with the handover, as I understood.”

When Edith questioned this as if asking what she meant, Emilia stepped forward.

“My official position is assistant, but the actual work is research. We’re conducting joint research with Lilliana as the subject. The handover was about cramming each other’s heads with the data I brought and the data they provided.”

“His Majesty allowed us to access Level 1 security classified materials within the Imperial Palace, so we had a lot to review together. Naturally, this led to working late into the night.”

“I was also studying medicine on the side, so there was an enormous amount to look at and I was incredibly busy. Anyway, that’s not the important part – we figured out what Lilliana’s real illness is.”

“What do you mean? Lilliana is suffering from an autoimmune disease. In the Empire with its large population, there should be more research on—”

“Unfortunately, it wasn’t an autoimmune disease.”

When Francois interjected with a solemn expression, both Edith and Regina’s gazes converged on him.

Emilia squeezed her eyes shut in anguish.

“All the medicine we’ve used so far was completely wrong. There’s no treatment method, no research data. Because it was a rare disease that even the Empire hasn’t studied…”

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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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