I Became the Youngest Sister-in-law of the Ruined Reverse Harem’s Male Leads - Chapter 37

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

#.37

While Lilliana became the center of commotion in a corner of the banquet hall, Edith was surrounded by ladies.

“You must have had a hard time traveling such a long way. My, how could there be another woman so beautiful? His Majesty was right to go all the way to Trobancha to bring you here.”

“How is life in the Empire? Compared to Trobancha, there are so many etiquette rules that it must feel stifling. Isn’t it difficult to adapt?”

“At least you’re not lonely since you’re with your siblings. Though historically, there are very few cases of coming with so many relatives.”

They continued talking without pause.

Since Trobancha was more free-spirited compared to the Empire, they subtly looked down on them as people who didn’t know proper etiquette, or gave hints about bringing their whole family along.

But Edith didn’t mind.

Having lived practically on battlefields where blood and flesh flew while dealing with criminals and invaders who roamed the seas, this was just noise to let in one ear and out the other.

“Isn’t it nice coming to the Empire? There are few places as developed as this.”

Edith showed her characteristic polite and calm smile to the gaze that looked down on Trobancha.

“It’s nice seeing exotic scenery every day.”

While giving a roundabout retort to sarcasm was a good method, there was no need to create unnecessary noise before the wedding.

When she neither agreed nor denied, the ladies thought Edith was just being prideful for no reason and wore faces full of superiority.

“You must be very busy with wedding preparations. May we invite you to a tea party after the royal wedding?”

“Of course. Thank you.”

While Edith was fighting a silent war with the ladies, the men glanced at her and whispered among themselves.

“Not even a princess of a small country, but a woman from a country without royalty. Does it even make sense for barbarian blood to mix into the imperial family?”

When Duke Berg sighed and made a comment, Count Ruman chimed in.

“What good could come from forming a blood alliance with Trobancha? They may have strong power through their abilities, but the Empire also has mages and excellent knights.”

“Exactly! We must drive out that woman before the official wedding ceremony!”

Baron Gresli agreed with them.

As much as they had complaints, they could suggest them to Marius, but they didn’t. More precisely, they ‘couldn’t.’

Having spent their lives in noble society, they all remembered the bloody purge Marius had carried out.

Marius was a beast-like man who could become cruel at will, so they dared not rebel against him.

But that didn’t mean they welcomed Edith either.

If she bore a son, he might inherit her abilities and become an even more powerful emperor who would oppress the nobles.

Furthermore, there was a high possibility that foreign relatives would wield power in the Empire.

So they had no choice but to be wary of Edith, again and again.

“We must stop the marriage. We need to make that woman give up the marriage herself and run away.”

“How? Duke Berg, do you have a good idea?”

“Barbarians are proud of their abilities. Wouldn’t it work if we made her unable to use her abilities?”

“How?”

Duke Berg, who had been stroking his mustache, smiled showing his yellow teeth.

“Since she’s not royalty, she should at least go through minimal verification, shouldn’t she?”

“Minimal verification… Are you talking about a hearing?”

To Count Ruman’s question, Duke Berg shrugged his shoulders instead of confirming.

Baron Gresli exclaimed in admiration.

“It’s not a challenge to imperial authority but a legitimate procedure for the country, so His Majesty won’t be able to object! As expected of Duke Berg!”

“Ahem. Well then, Baron Gresli, I’m counting on you.”

“Yes. Don’t worry! I’ll gather people right away so we can hold a hearing within a few days!”

Baron Gresli hurriedly left his seat, saying he would spread the news to other nobles.

Not long after, when Count Ruman’s son returned crying at the hands of Countess Berg, he spat out curses.

“Stop it, Chris! You couldn’t even win against those barbarians and came back crying – don’t you know shame!”

“Dear. I think we need to have a separate word with Duchess Ecroyd. If we leave the young duke like that, something terrible will obviously happen!”

Count Ruman scolding his son, Duke Berg with sinister eyes, and the duchess making a fuss beside them.

Marius watched the situation unfold from afar while sipping champagne.

Leopold, who had returned after confirming Lilliana going off to play with Edgar, sighed.

“You don’t seem to plan on helping.”

“She needs to establish her own authority. If I help, it’ll only make her position ridiculous. I should just support from behind.”

“It’s not like she’ll be in the empress position forever, just ten years. I don’t know if it’s necessary to go that far.”

“Just ten years? Ten years is a very long time.”

Though they had fought over Edgar’s issue, they were still irreplaceable friends and had a ruler-subject relationship that had overcome many difficulties together.

So regardless of their hurt feelings, they could have dry conversations without any problem.

“You look in a bad mood, Marius.”

“…”

Instead of answering, Marius let out a deep sigh and pressed around his eyes.

Due to a headache from fatigue, he quietly got up and moved to the balcony.

With no one but Leopold able to approach the balcony, Marius’s true face was revealed.

He was neither the cold emperor nor the adult who liked pranks, but a man with heavy, sad eyes.

“Is something wrong?”

“Go take care of Edgar.”

“Did you say something inappropriate to Edgar?”

“…Damn it. I think Edgar heard our conversation. The conversation we had the day Miss Edith visited the knight order.”

“No way.”

Leopold gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut.

Marius couldn’t hide his guilt. Rubbing his perfectly fine arm, he confessed.

“It’s true that I tried to distance myself from Edgar, but I didn’t want to hurt him like that.”

“From the moment you distanced yourself, you were already hurting him. You’re neither Edgar’s brother nor anything else. I’m taking Edgar to the ducal house soon. From now on, keep your hands off Edgar.”

After pouring out harsh criticism, Leopold left because he no longer wanted to be with Marius.

Left alone, Marius slumped into his seat and let out a heavy breath.

Thinking of the small child who had been avoiding his gaze made him feel bad.

No. ‘Bad’ wasn’t an adequate expression. He felt devastated and tormented.

Edgar was a child. A little kid who had just turned seven today.

‘Edgar. It’s not that I dislike you. Really, that’s not it.’

He swore he didn’t hate him. He had wanted to keep distance, but that was all.

Rather, because he had loved him like a son, he had tried to distance himself from the child.

Because he didn’t want to punish Edgar out of madness from betrayal.

The champagne glass shattered in Marius’s hand.

Glass fragments scattered and his palm was torn, blood dripping steadily, but he didn’t realize this fact.

‘That day,’ which had tormented him every night since returning to the past, unfolded in his mind once again.

* * *

That day, heavy rain fell.

The world was dark with rain clouds, and thunder and lightning struck even though it was daytime.

Every time lightning struck and the sky flashed, Max urgently reported.

Edgar was in the middle of taking Lilliana Berchio out of the tower and escaping outside the palace.

“What about the Mage Tower master?”

“Master Francois is in a situation where he cannot come outside, so the report hasn’t reached him yet.”

“We need to handle this on our end before that bastard finds out. If that guy steps in, Edgar will be in danger too.”

Marius didn’t care what the mad Mage Tower master did outside.

When Leopold was invading Trobancha, even when he entered the island and kidnapped the girl named Lilliana, he had let it be.

The guy named Francois was quite insane, but what Marius wanted was the Mage Tower master’s abilities, not the man named Francois.

As long as he didn’t attack him, he didn’t care what he did.

But Edgar clashing with Francois was a different matter.

Francois was obsessed with Lilliana Berchio.

He was more obsessed with her than he loved Rebecca, so he might really try to kill Edgar for helping Lilliana escape.

“What do you plan to do?”

“I’ll have to punish him separately so the Mage Tower Master can’t. Either confine him from going out for a month or send him to spend a couple of months in the countryside.”

Though he was a cousin, the large age gap meant he had raised the boy like his own child.

It started as a promise to his aunt, Princess Elizabeth, but as he became everything to that small, fragile being, he unknowingly fell in love.

He thought his feelings might be paternal love.

Though he had never had children of his own, there was a tenderness he had never felt toward his siblings.

That’s why he had rushed into action upon hearing that Edgar had encroached on the Mage Tower Master’s territory. But…

“Edgar. Do you understand the meaning of what you’re doing right now?”

Edgar was a clever child.

So he must have chosen this period when the Mage Tower Master couldn’t go out due to his madness.

When his tail was caught and he personally stepped forward to block his opponent, it was to become bait to buy time for Lilliana to escape far from the Imperial Palace after her getaway.

It wasn’t a wise choice.

Far from stepping aside, he dared, he dared… to point a sword at him.

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