I Became the Youngest Sister-in-law of the Ruined Reverse Harem’s Male Leads - Chapter 52
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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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#.52
Seeing his furrowed brow made my heart pound nervously.
When we go to the Imperial Palace later, I’m sure the sisters will scold me terribly too.
“…Are you angry?”
“….”
“Lilliana did something wrong….”
“….”
I looked up at Marius with the most innocent eyes I could manage, like the day I got caught scribbling on the floor with Liliana’s cosmetics.
Marius kept his mouth tightly shut in a frightening way. He was trembling with anger, his jaw shaking.
‘What should I do. He seems really angry.’
Since it’s come to this, it’s time to use my ultimate weapon.
I stuck out my lips and opened my eyes wide, making an expression that said “Are you going to scold me?”
Squeeze. I also grabbed onto Marius’s pant leg.
“Brother-in-law. I’m sorry.”
When I act like this, Liliana ends it with a flick to the forehead instead of spanking, and Edith sighs deeply and pretends nothing happened.
So please don’t scold me.
It would be even better if you don’t tell the sisters about what happened today!
“The most handsome and uh….”
I should say handsome, good-looking, and the best, but even though it’s a lie, it seems too much.
That’s why the words wouldn’t come out.
When Marius keeps his mouth shut, he’s quite handsome, but Francois is the good-looking one, and Leopold seems like the best….
‘No. I can do this.’
If I can avoid an hour of nagging or sitting in the thinking chair by flattering Marius, it’s worth selling my conscience.
Getting lost was a five-star mistake after all.
“Brother-in-law. Lilliana will reflect a lot. Okay? I’m sorry. Don’t be angry….”
Flash. I even raised my arms and stood at attention myself.
Then Marius’s body trembled.
The tension drained from his rigid face with a pop. His large body collapsed toward me.
Marius knelt on one knee to lower himself to eye level and opened his arms to embrace Edgar and me.
“Why would Lilliana get scolded.”
“Didn’t Lilliana not wait in front of the bathroom and follow someone else alone?”
“When Lilliana came out, the one who wasn’t there was brother-in-law. Lilliana. Edgar. Brother-in-law… I’m sorry.”
Sorry. His voice apologizing to us was deeply hoarse.
A faint trembling was transmitted from the arms and shoulders that wrapped around us.
Marius looked very exhausted. Only then did I realize that there was a faint smell of sweat coming from Marius.
He rarely ran in the Palace, but it seems he ran around frantically with Edgar looking for me.
‘He was really worried because of me.’
I thought Marius would always be leisurely and confident like a clever grasshopper.
So I never imagined he would jump around like this.
I hugged Marius’s neck tightly and patted his large back.
“Mmm. It’s okay. We met brother-in-law again.”
Usually in situations like this, don’t adults scold and comfort the surprised child?
Something seemed backwards, and he hugged me so tightly that my chest felt stuffy, but I decided to stay still.
‘Still, I don’t dislike it.’
Realizing that he genuinely worried about me like the sisters did, I felt for the first time that Marius was my guardian.
Of course, I have real guardians, but I realized that when the sisters aren’t around, Marius becomes their substitute.
So as a way of saying please take care of me from now on, I endured the suffocation and patted him gently.
* * *
In the end, I couldn’t watch the circus performance today either.
Because while there was chaos looking for me, admission ended and the performance had progressed to the final act.
Instead, Marius said since we came all this way, we should at least watch the fireworks, so he took us to a nearby hill and found a good spot to watch.
“Edgar. Share this potato with me.”
“Ah hae.”
“Aah.”
Edgar popped a piece of steamed potato into my mouth.
Marius sat next to us, wiping our sauce-covered hands and handing us drinks at the right moments, taking care of us.
A life where I just sit and eat while the Emperor does all the troublesome things. This kind of life doesn’t seem bad either.
“What are we going to do eating only this kind of food all day. Edith will nag if she finds out.”
“I’ll tell Edith we ate roasted pork from a shop. That’ll work, right?”
“Ha. This cheeky little one. You’re so crafty, there’s nothing you won’t say.”
Marius lightly pinched my cheek and smiled, showing his white teeth.
He also carefully patted Edgar’s head.
Edgar’s shoulders flinched.
Then, bang! Bang! Colorful fireworks embroidered the sky.
Every time red, yellow, and blue lights spread out, my mouth opened wide with “Heh―”.
They say if you make a wish when a shooting star falls, it comes true, but wouldn’t it work if you make a wish when fireworks fall?
Nothing to lose, so I tightly held Edgar and Marius’s hands and made a wish.
‘Please let them reconcile!’
I hope Edgar and Marius become close brothers!
Please don’t let them fight anymore!
Please help Edgar not get hurt!
After making my wish and opening my eyes, I met Edgar’s gaze as he looked at me instead of the fireworks.
“What did you do?”
“I made a wish.”
“What kind of wish?”
“Mmm. That’s a secret. Edgar, hurry up and make a wish too.”
Edgar, who had been frowning at the word secret, closed his eyes tightly when I urged him to quickly make a wish.
What kind of wish would Edgar make? I asked as soon as Edgar opened his eyes a little later.
“What did you wish for?”
“It’s a secret.”
“Tch.”
I tried to let go of our joined hands to drink something.
Marius let go of my hand, but Edgar was different.
“Huh?”
Edgar held my hand tightly and just looked at the sky.
Even when I wiggled my fingers, it was no use.
We’re only a few months apart in age, but why is his grip so strong?
I looked up at Marius for help, but however he interpreted it, instead of helping me free Edgar’s hand, he just brought me a drink.
“Brother-in-law, why are you smiling?”
“Because you two are so cute.”
When I glared at him with narrowed eyes, Marius quickly pointed to the sky, telling us to just watch the fireworks.
Since I was too drained from the whole day to wrestle anymore, I watched the sky while letting Edgar hold my hand.
The fireworks embroidering the night sky were beautiful enough to compensate for all the tiring events of the day.
* * *
Inside the carriage returning to the palace, Lilliana had long been fast asleep with her head on Marius’s lap.
Edgar had been dozing off when the carriage jolted and he opened his eyes.
“Sleep more.”
A large hand stroked Edgar’s head.
The rough touch actually made Edgar fully awake, and he reflexively checked on Lilliana first.
“Brother.”
“Yeah. What? Is the carriage uncomfortable?”
“No. That’s not it… I’m sorry about earlier. I said mean things.”
Edgar’s voice practically crawled into itself at the last sentence.
Marius didn’t miss that small apology.
“What do you have to be sorry for? I’m the one who should be sorry.”
“Huh?”
Edgar, who hadn’t expected Marius to apologize to him, reflexively lifted his head.
Then he saw Marius’s face with reddened eyes. His nose tip was as red as his bloodshot eyes.
A large hand covered Edgar’s eyes as if embarrassed.
“I’m more sorry.”
“…”
“And I’m really, really sorry for making things hard for Edgar all this time.”
Something hot surged up from his stomach and his nose stung.
That dawn, only after hearing Lilliana’s words did he realize that Edgar hadn’t rebelled against him.
Edgar had believed he would be forgiven even if he took the form of rebellion.
Because he was confident he was loved that much.
‘You were very flustered then.’
Though he blocked his path and pointed his sword in confrontation, he probably never really intended to strike.
So when he saw the blood scattering, he must have been startled and dropped his sword.
Edgar had intended to stake his life from the beginning.
‘Please end it with just me’ meant he had come to his senses and was asking him to stop.
He only realized that fact now, after turning back time.
This late, only now…
“I was foolish and didn’t understand your heart. I’m sorry, truly sorry. Why didn’t I know? To you, I’m like a parent, so why on earth…”
He had been a mad tyrant then.
Driven insane by Rebecca Marchione through a love potion, he had started a war.
How many people had suffered because of that war.
Leopold died and all that remained for him was the infamy of being a warmonger and loneliness.
He thought he would die struggling with lifelong loneliness. Not knowing Edgar was by his side.
“I’ll do better from now on. If there’s anything that hurt your heart because of me, I’ll ask for forgiveness. I’m sorry for everything.”
Sniff. Edgar sniffled. Marius also quietly swallowed.
Below the hand covering his eyes, he could see small lips pressed tightly together with force.
He felt so sorry for what he had done to the child that he wanted to punish himself.
Edgar breathed heavily for a while, then pushed away Marius’s hand and wiped his eyes with his sleeve.
Green eyes moistened with tears met in the air.
“Fine. This is a special exception just this once.”
Marius wondered what Edith would have done at a time like this and awkwardly hugged Edgar.
Edgar squirmed awkwardly in his embrace but didn’t reject him.
Marius had an intuition. That his arms would never ache again.
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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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