I Became the Youngest Sister-in-law of the Ruined Reverse Harem’s Male Leads - Chapter 99

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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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#.99

I stared intently at Francois, who had come for my regular checkup.

“Lilliana. Are you staring at Uncle because he’s handsome?”

“Mm-hmm. That’s part of it, but I was wondering if Uncle is okay.”

The original story begins when I turn 12 years old.

The male leads meet Rebecca, fall in love with her, and keep each other in check.

By the time Francois met Rebecca, 40% of his consciousness was already eroded.

Then when war broke out, more than half his consciousness was eroded, making it hard for him to maintain his sanity.

‘Only 2 years left until the original story starts.’

At first, I was scared of Francois.

I think I was a bit nervous, thinking he might change at any moment.

Francois came every week for my regular checkups until I grew more than a span taller.

And the palm-sized candy he gave me recently required standing in line from dawn, whether you were nobility or wealthy.

Since each person could only buy one, Francois must have stood in line three times.

“If Uncle gets sick, I’ll be so sad. Don’t get sick and play with me for a long, long time.”

When I hugged him tightly, Francois’s eyes, who had been adding to the seal, grew moist.

Then Liliana, who had been watching us from the side, swallowed her tea with a sour expression.

“Little one. Will you tell your sister to stay healthy and live long too?”

“Mm-hmm. Of course. You know, Uncle. When I grow up later, I’ll have to break the seal, right?”

“That’s right.”

“If you keep adding to the seal, won’t it be difficult to remove later?”

“Little one, in your case the seal is difficult but removal is easy. It’s because the target is a living being.”

When I didn’t understand right away, Francois explained in detail once more.

“Living beings naturally resist abnormal states. For Lilliana too, it’s natural for your ability to leak out, but we’re forcibly sealing it. So even a slight shock can easily break it.”

“Gasp. Then it could break while I’m playing? Does that mean I can’t play ball anymore?”

“Little one. Even though Francois may seem like a foolish uncle who spoils you, he earned his position as head of the Mage’s Tower through skill alone. You don’t need to worry.”

Liliana subtly pulled me away from Francois’s embrace.

Then she moved my arms to make me hug her instead.

Hmm. Is Liliana jealous too?

“Hehehe. Liliana. If you like me, just say so. Then I’ll hug you like this.”

While hugging Liliana tightly, I also gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“See? This is how good I am.”

“Grow up a little.”

Liliana is an adult, but at times like this she seems younger mentally than me. Sigh.

* * *

“…So breaking the seal is quite easy. So please break my seal.”

When I visited without notice and made this ridiculous demand, Chris just gaped with his mouth hanging open, as if he had no strength to refuse.

“Chris. You’re a genius. Teacher Gabriella said you’re at middle school level.”

“There are reasons why adults put seals on things. Sorry, Lilliana.”

“If you won’t do it, I’ll lie down here and cry.”

Chris squeezed his eyes shut as if he didn’t want to see me cry.

Just try to break the seal at least.

“I’m going to lie down? I’m really going to lie down!”

“L-Lilliana. I really can’t.”

He hadn’t done this in years, but now he was even stuttering as he turned away from me.

I plopped down on the floor and shouted.

“I’m going to lie down and cry? I’ll flail my arms and legs too! And, and also…”

What else should I do?

It had been so long since I was a baby that I couldn’t remember how to throw tantrums.

“I won’t go home until you say you’ll do it!”

Chris likes being alone.

So if a noisy friend like me stuck around all day, he’d surely wither away from the stress.

My guess must have been right, because Chris spoke as if he had no choice.

“I-I’ll try! So please go home…”

“Great! You’ll need time to prepare too, so I’ll give you a week.”

When I quickly got up and brushed off my skirt, Chris looked as dejected as if he’d been scammed.

Chris is so naive that even when he becomes an adult, Edgar and I will probably need to stay by his side.

Otherwise, he’ll obviously get thoroughly used by bad adults.

“Well, I’ll be going now! Bye!”

Chris probably can’t break the seal, but couldn’t he at least make a small crack?

If that happens, my ability would leak out creating a gap, and if the gap grows, the seal might break.

I returned to the Imperial Palace with hope.

* * *

When I went to find Edith after returning from Chris’s house, there were strangers there first.

“That little kid has grown this much?”

“They say other people’s children grow up fast…”

When the unfamiliar adults looked at me in surprise, I was the one who was bewildered.

“You should greet them. Sister, these are my old work colleagues.”

“Hello. I’m Lilliana and I’m our big sister’s little sister.”

“Auntie’s name is Dalia. Did you come to see big sister?”

“Yes.”

“Lilliana. Go wait in the study for a moment. We’re in the middle of an important conversation.”

“Okay.”

When I went to the study, Marius was sitting there – I don’t know when he arrived.

I narrowed my eyes and glared at Marius.

Usually he was a playful and easygoing brother-in-law, but now I don’t know how much of him I can trust.

‘But he was always sincere with me.’

No matter how busy he was with official duties, he always ate dinner with us.

He read fairy tales before bed, and on weekends, despite being Emperor, he took us everywhere fun from suburban farms to theaters.

‘It’s not too late to judge after the seal is broken.’

When I slowly climbed onto the sofa and lay down with my legs crossed, Marius stroked my hair.

I could faintly hear the conversation between Edith and her old colleagues through the door.

“The Order kidnapped children to sacrifice them. They’ll be alive until the ritual is over, so we just need to wait for the Knight Captain to return.”

“Edith, you know well too. Lorenzo who went with the Knight Captain can visualize traces of black magic.”

“It’s frustrating having to stay quietly in the Imperial Palace when such a disaster is happening before our eyes.”

I slowly looked at Marius and was startled.

He had a frighteningly dark expression on his face.

‘He probably had that expression when he was obsessed with Rebecca in the original story.’

A mixture of thirst and impatience, almost manic…

But when our eyes met, he quickly erased his expression and smiled warmly at me.

I didn’t like that Marius had made that scary face. It felt like he had become a different person I didn’t know.

So I called out loudly for Edith.

“Big sister! Let’s hurry and go eat dinner!”

* * *

After finishing their meal, Edgar and Lilliana said they had things to do together and rushed off to the playroom.

This left Marius and Edith alone together.

Edith was reviewing the profiles of the Trobancha Security Bureau members who would be cooperating with the Empire.

Marius, who had been reading a book with his legs crossed as usual, suddenly brought up a sensitive topic.

“Are you planning to return to Trobancha when our contract period ends?”

“I suppose so. But there’s still a lot of time left. It seems a bit early to worry about that.”

“Seeing you today, I feel like when that day comes, you’ll leave without hesitation. I’d like you to think of me and hesitate a bit before leaving.”

His grip on the book had tightened.

Marius reminded himself that trying to manipulate someone using power like in his previous life would be meaningless.

“That’s why the Imperial Palace is too small a nest for you to stay in.”

Without realizing it, a long sigh escaped him.

Whenever his deep obsession raised its head, he had to be wary of himself.

He didn’t want to ruin this miraculously rewritten life again.

‘Still, looking at that face, I think I can endure it.’

The sight of the confident and self-sufficient Edith looking flustered and apologetic toward him seemed to tell him she was thinking of him at least a little, which was comforting.

Rebecca, who had been obsessed due to a love potion, wouldn’t have responded to his love even if he had offered her the entire world.

She never once showed any sign of remorse to the despairing Marius.

‘At least Edith treats me with genuine sincerity.’

It would be nice if that sincerity could build solid affection.

“The matter of rooting out the Order will be assigned to you, Edith.”

“Me? Not Leopold? If it were dealing with dark mages, I might understand, but rooting out the Order means being the one ultimately responsible for this disaster.”

The dark mages moved under the Order’s command.

Therefore, they were like soldier ants acting on orders.

“The Knight Order will deal with the dark mages. They’ve been training their bodies for that purpose. Since you have experience coordinating with the Trobancha Inspectors for a long time, I think you’d be skilled at mediating between the two.”

Moreover, she was skilled in combat, came from the Security Bureau, and now knew the Empire’s affairs well too.

So Edith was the right person for the job.

“You can’t just keep a soaring hawk chained up in a cage. You have wings and sharp talons.”

If he expanded her nest like this, perhaps on the day the contract ended, she might hesitate to leave, thinking it had been quite a cozy and decent place.

Marius secretly harbored this small hope.

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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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