I Became the Youngest Sister-in-law of the Ruined Reverse Harem’s Male Leads - Chapter 36
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
#.36
Huh? Is this a sign that I should become the fist king?
The girl asked again.
“You don’t really eat people, do you?”
Even though she seemed to have no malice, my feelings were hurt.
The maid sisters too, why do they call us barbarians whenever they see us? Since it’s come to this, I need to show them a lesson.
“Don’t say strange things—”
I stopped Edgar’s words and interrupted.
“How did you know? We do eat people.”
Whether Edgar frowned or not, I said what I wanted to say.
“So now we’re going to eat you up.”
The girl’s eyes shook violently. The boy who had chased after the girl turned pale.
Naturally, you have to play pranks on such innocent children that they’ll remember for a long time.
“Children are soft and tender, so they taste even better! Graaaar!”
When I raised my fingers like a beast with claws to scare her, the girl screamed “Kyaaah!” and ran away.
The boy fell on his bottom and started whimpering while looking at me.
“He, Helen… if you run away alone… sniff, huu… waaaah!”
Oh, oh no. I didn’t mean to make him cry…
“Don’t eat me! Waaaah. Please save me!”
“No, no… why would I eat you…”
“You said I’m tasty… huuuuh. I’m not tasty at all!”
“D, don’t cry.”
When I approached to comfort him, his crying became even louder.
Does he really believe I’m going to eat him?
I looked back at Edgar, but he shook his head saying he didn’t know either.
Do Empire children cry over just this much? We only cry when we get stung by jellyfish?
Then like a ray of light, a lady in a purple dress came and started comforting the boy.
“Chris. Why are you crying?”
“Co, Countess of Berg. Sniff. She’s going to eat me! Please tell her not to eat me because I’m not tasty.”
The Countess followed Chris’s fingertip and spotted me.
She looked me up and down with disgust and then turned her head away sharply.
Just her gaze made my body shrink, and I missed my sisters.
“Hey. Chris. No one can hurt you. So stop. You shouldn’t cry over something like this.”
“That’s right. Don’t cry.”
I reached out my hand to pat Chris’s back, meaning to calm him down.
Smack!
The Countess’s hand struck my hand away. My white hand instantly turned red.
“Ow, that hurts…”
This time it was my turn to feel like bursting into tears.
Even my sisters don’t treat me like this…
“Don’t touch him carelessly and apologize to Chris right now.”
Her accent was so strong that I couldn’t understand what the Countess said immediately.
As I stared blankly, she frowned.
“Didn’t you even learn how to apologize?”
“I was just playing around. And that kid’s friend asked me first if I eat people!”
“Is it right to scare someone for asking a question?”
“You’re an adult but you hit my hand and made it like this! You’re worse!”
When I held out my reddened hand and shouted, the Countess grimaced. Edgar joined in.
“Countess of Berg, you were wrong.”
“Young Duke. You seem too young to understand this situation, but it’s better not to make friends carelessly. I was only trying to protect Chris.”
My lips jutted out.
Everyone is being mean to me. If I were a strong adult, would they treat me well?
I want to go home.
In Trobancha, I’ve never been treated like a bad child.
I felt so wronged that I was about to burst into tears.
Edgar pushed me behind him protectively. That’s when it happened.
“What’s going on?”
Leopold, who was nearby, discovered us.
“Duke Baltrahen. Perfect timing. I was scolding this child for threatening Chris.”
“Chris?”
“Yes. Chris Ruman. From House of Ruman.”
“Ah. What kind of threat did Lilliana make?”
“That kid’s friend asked me first if I eat people! So I was just playing around, but that lady made my hand like this! Sniff.”
When a familiar adult appeared, it became hard to hold back my tears.
The more I pressed my lower lip firmly and rubbed my eyes with both hands, the bigger my teardrops became.
Leopold, who checked my hand, narrowed his brow. Then the Countess quickly made excuses.
“That happened because the child was trying to touch Chris carelessly, so I was protecting him.”
“Even so, that was excessive.”
“Excessive? What’s excessive? His Majesty’s fiancée, who wasn’t taught palace etiquette and is dressed in clothes that don’t suit the Empire, is what’s excessive!”
“Duchess of Berch. Making a six-year-old child’s hand like that is wrong. You should apologize.”
Leopold’s voice gained more strength.
Perhaps because of the undeniable dignity in it, the Duchess swallowed.
But she lifted her chin even higher, as if being intimidated hurt her pride.
“Duke Baltrahen. It must be hard taking care of your young cousin sister alone. Even so, I don’t think you should just leave her be like this. It would be better for the Duke to rely more on Duchess Ekroyd.”
After spouting incomprehensible words, the Duchess took Chris’s hand and left.
Leopold was about to catch her immediately and demand an apology.
However, when I grabbed Leopold’s pants and whimpered while holding back tears, he sighed and picked me up.
“I’m sorry…”
“Uncle. Sniff.”
I hugged Cookie tightly in one hand.
I missed my sisters. Where is Edith?
Even when I tried to look around, my vision was blurry and I couldn’t see properly.
A large hand covered the back of my head and let me bury my face in his chest.
When I felt the warm warmth, tears gushed out again.
Leopold went to the garden in the palace courtyard, put me down, and wiped my tear and snot-covered face with a handkerchief.
Edgar, who had followed, restlessly held my hand.
“I want to go home… huuuh.”
The patting touch was gentle and the embrace was warm.
His face full of pity seemed to truly understand my heart.
However, since he didn’t say I could go home, Leopold felt quite cold to me.
* * *
“Say ah.”
“Ah.”
When I opened my mouth, Leopold put chocolate he had brought from the banquet hall into my mouth.
I chewed the chocolate while twirling Cookie’s ears with my hand.
“Uncle. You won’t tell my sisters, right?”
Leopold’s green eyes gazed at me without wavering.
However, there was no response from him. His stoic face made it difficult to read his expression.
“I don’t want the sisters to be upset because of me.”
Even now they touch my forehead daily to check if I have a fever, and if today’s incident gets out, I’ll be too sorry to have any excuse for being a picky eater.
When I kicked at the floor with my sandals, Leopold nodded his head.
“Alright. I’ll do that.”
“Thank you. Now go. I’m going to play with Edgar.”
“Let’s not go to the banquet hall and play in the garden instead. What’s the point of going there anyway when everyone just laughs while saying things they don’t mean? Let’s go quickly!”
Edgar pulled me along.
We ran toward the garden, leaving Leopold behind.
“Your eyes are so swollen you really look like a pumpkin.”
“Asparagus should be quiet.”
“I discovered there’s a lemon tree in the glass greenhouse over there.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Thanks to that person getting a 5-year sentence, when I asked the new gardeners where the lemon tree was, they told me right away.”
“Huh? 5-year sentence?”
“Something like that.”
Following Edgar, a lemon tree really appeared.
It wasn’t as big as the ones on Trobancha Street, but it wasn’t so small that we couldn’t sit under it.
‘I used to play under the lemon tree with Antonio often…’
Seeing the lemon tree made me miss Trobancha.
The hot sunlight and fresh olive oil, dishes using bay leaves, my hometown filled with the scent of the sea.
I already miss Trobancha this much, so what will I do going forward?
How many more days will I have to stay to fulfill all two hundred nights I promised Marius?
“What are you thinking about?”
“…Edgar!”
At Edgar’s voice, I belatedly remembered. The fact that today was his birthday!
Am I an idiot? How could I have forgotten that until now!
“What a surprise! What’s wrong?”
“Happy birthday! Since it’s your birthday today, we should have put candles on a cake together, but because of me…”
“How is that because of you? It’s because of that stupid Helene Aldridge and coward Chris Ruman.”
“Still, there’s delicious food at the banquet hall and tons of presents. Just looking at them would make you feel good.”
“Everyone who came today is stupid. There’s no one I want to play with.”
“Weren’t they your friends?”
“Helene Aldridge and Chris Ruman aren’t my friends! They’re complete idiots.”
Edgar suddenly turned red and shouted. If they’re not friends then they’re not, but why is he acting like that.
“Oh right. I couldn’t prepare a gift in advance. But birthday presents are important, so I’ll give you my treasure.”
“Treasure?”
I held out Cookie, which I had been clutching since morning, to Edgar.
“Here. This is my little sibling. When things are hard or scary, holding Cookie makes me feel better. I’ll give it to you, Edgar.”
“You’re giving away your sibling like this?”
“Since it’s my sibling, you have to take good care of it. Got it?”
Edgar stared intently at Cookie that he had received.
It got dirty with tears and snot from crying earlier, so it’s pretty filthy for a birthday present.
Well, I wouldn’t want a dirty doll either.
Just as I was about to take Cookie back and say I’d find a better gift soon, Edgar cheerfully answered.
“I like it.”
“Huh, what?”
“It’s my favorite among all the gifts I received today.”
Contrary to my expectations, Edgar’s lips curved up in satisfaction.
Then I completely forgot about the unpleasant experience I had today.
It was because his asparagus-like verdant green eyes sparkled pleasantly.
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————