I’m The Male Lead’s Biological Daughter, But I Want To Live With The Second Male Lead! - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 100
To cut to the chase: there was, of course, no lawsuit.
Zigmund and Aselt had both recognized their mistake and apologized profusely.
Fortunately, Winter forgave them both with a generous heart.
Though there were conditions.
– I, Zigmund Eschlide, swear that I shall never again raise Shears before Winter.
– I, Aselt Ella-pid, swear that henceforth, exactly once, I shall obey whatever Winter asks of me, no matter the request.
Winter had squeezed both of them quite thoroughly.
Somehow it felt as though the difficulty of their oaths had been reversed.
In truth, Winter had almost no actual intention of suing the Grand Duke’s House through the Wingtrion Family.
Everyone gathered in the Office knew this.
And yet they had yielded to Winter’s terms solely to placate her mood.
Winter, understanding this as well, had forgiven Zigmund and Aselt conditionally.
In any case, the matter was concluded: Winter and Mabel would not undergo the Subjugation Mark, and Winter’s nature as a Fantastical Species would remain secret.
They also discovered the reason Winter had been unable to perform Humanoid Transformation until now.
– Apparently, for a Fantastical Species to achieve Humanoid Transformation, they must drink the blood of their parents or a bonded companion.
But Winter neither knew who her parents were nor had she formed a bond with Mabel, so transformation had been impossible.
On the surface, it seemed all troubles had been smoothly resolved.
Except….
“Winter, I’m sorry. Please? Forgive me, please?”
Despite having forgiven Zigmund and Aselt with relative ease, Winter remained utterly intractable toward Mabel alone.
Mabel prostrated herself on the bed to catch Winter’s eye, but to no avail.
“Hmph!”
Winter turned her head away sharply, and words materialized above her head in staccato bursts.
[Evade. Mabel.]
[Responsibility.]
[Shift blame.]
[Me.]
[No. Fault.]
[False accusation.]
[Not. Listen. My words.]
[Hardened. Stone. Petrified.]
To summarize: she had shirked responsibility for the child in her womb while accusing Winter of a crime she did not commit.
She had refused to hear Winter’s side of the story and even let her turn to stone.
“I’m sorry. But I didn’t know you were a Fantastical Species either, and when you healed under that light, I only assumed—”
[So then.]
[It’s my fault?]
“No, that’s not what I meant—”
Mabel pleaded earnestly, but Winter was merciless.
In the end, Mabel alone remained the one person who had not received Winter’s forgiveness that day.
Winter’s cold demeanor persisted through the following morning.
After breakfast, Mabel watched Winter leave the Dining Hall alone, and muttered to herself.
“This won’t do.”
Yesterday, Winter had eaten and slept apart from her entirely.
Only this morning, half-asleep, had Winter nestled against Mabel—but look at what happened.
The moment Winter finished eating and came to her senses, she simply huffed and turned to leave!
“If this goes on, Winter and I will truly grow distant.”
Mabel decided to change tactics.
If begging won’t work, then a full-scale campaign would!
Mabel resolved to craft something today to win back Winter’s affection.
Back in her room, Mabel laid out her plan to Ella.
“I’d like to visit the Craftsman District. Would that be possible?”
“Well, that shouldn’t be difficult, but~”
Ella tilted her head, chin resting on her palm.
“I understand your desire to cheer Winter up~ but it’s only been a day, you know~?”
It was somewhat unexpected—Ella usually took a favorable view of whatever Mabel proposed.
Of course, Ella had not been present in the Office yesterday to learn what had actually transpired.
She only knew that Mabel had somehow wronged Winter.
So Ella gently suggested that perhaps waiting a little longer would be wise.
Not that there was anything wrong with Mabel inventing something new and bustling about—it was just a thought.
“Hmm…”
Mabel fell silent for a moment after hearing Ella’s story.
To be honest, I’m not sure myself.
Why I’m so earnest with Winter, why I feel such a special connection to that beast.
When I think about it calmly, it’s genuinely strange.
‘At first, he scratched me and called me a pervert, then he argued with me about the head of the household, and as a male he demanded I take responsibility for the child…’
And that’s not even all of it.
‘Even now it’s the same. Whether it’s this feline heat or whatever, he doesn’t listen to a word I say. He was lying to me all along, and yet he’s just doing whatever he wants!’
As she listed it all out, Mabel felt her throat tighten.
Her hands clenched into fists—Winter’s thoughtlessness infuriated her.
But wait.
Looking at it this way…
‘What?’
There really wasn’t any reason to like Winter more than anyone else, was there?
‘So should I just let him exhaust himself and move on?’
But Mabel released the tension in her fists.
‘But if Winter hadn’t been there…’
Mabel might have suffered terrible things at the hands of poachers in that cave.
Winter had been grievously wounded protecting her, and that was why he’d sought the Subjugation Mark—some of that burden was hers to bear.
‘And I even had my claws removed so things wouldn’t get worse with my brothers…’
Just as Mabel felt an inexplicable special affection for Winter, so too did he.
He’d called her an angel who’d come to him, and he’d grown deeply attached to her from the moment they first met.
“Sigh…”
The memory drew an inevitable breath from her.
She’d thought long and hard about it, but her conclusion remained unchanged.
‘Even if I’d known everything from the start… I think I would’ve let Winter place the Subjugation Mark on me anyway.’
Whatever the cost, it was better than Winter dying.
She still didn’t understand why, but Mabel genuinely believed it.
Mabel looked up at Ella and spoke.
“Still, I want to go. What you said makes sense, but I don’t want to just stand by and do nothing.”
Besides, she couldn’t keep Winter’s true nature as a Fantasy Beast hidden forever.
Moreover, Fantasy Beasts typically bonded with other Fantasy Beasts, she’d been told.
Which meant that someday, Winter would find someone precious.
‘I said I’m not a seer, after all.’
She wanted to create as many happy memories with him before that day came.
Not this cold silence between them.
“Well, if the lady insists~”
Ella smiled warmly and brought out her outdoor clothes.
Then she cheered Mabel on, lifting her spirits.
“Let’s make something that will catch Winter’s interest right away~!”
“Yes!”
Beaming, Mabel headed toward the Inner City with Ella.
* * *
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The steady, solid ring of hammers echoed through the workshop, as befitted a place where wooden furniture was crafted.
Mabel was glancing around when she spotted something familiar.
“Oh? That’s…”
Just then, Dorothy—who’d taken a commission from her before—recognized Mabel.
“Young Miss!”
Dorothy, who’d been sanding, hurried over with delight.
“How have you been, young miss?”
“Oh, I’ve been well. How about you, Dorothy?”
“Wonderfully, of course!”
Dorothy nodded cheerfully, laughing brightly.
Mabel had been worried to see the shadows under her eyes, but it seemed she was fine.
Relieved, Mabel pointed to what she’d just discovered.
“But Dorothy, what is that…?”
“Oh, that?”
Dorothy turned her head to follow Mabel’s finger and answered.
“It’s the Scratcher you designed, miss. We’ve gotten a large order for them!”
“A bulk order?”
Eh?
In a world without house cats, who on earth would buy a Scratcher?
As Mabel tilted her head in confusion, Dorothy wiped beneath her nose and spoke.
“Customer information shouldn’t be disclosed carelessly, but just between you and me, Miss…”
Dorothy glanced around before stepping closer.
Whisper, whisper, whisper.
Mabel’s eyes widened as she listened to Dorothy’s words.
“Wha—!”
“Shh—”
Mabel quickly covered her mouth before she could cry out.
With her index finger held to her lips, Mabel whispered back to Dorothy.
“The Empress Consort commissioned it?”
“That’s right? She’s having it placed outdoors, so she kept emphasizing how sturdy it needs to be.”
Ah, now that she thought about it, she’d heard that the Empress Consort kept cats in the Garden.
‘Did she see mine when she visited last time?’
How impressive—she’d grasped its purpose from observation alone. Truly befitting of a lady’s attendant.
“But Miss, what brings you in today?”
“I’d like to commission something. Take a look!”
In answer to Dorothy’s question, Mabel handed over the blueprint she’d prepared in advance.
Though Dorothy couldn’t quite make sense of it, she quickly examined the blueprint and furrowed her brow.
“What exactly is this?”
She’d never seen a blueprint like this before and couldn’t get her bearings.
Yet seeing the smile bloom across Mabel’s face, Dorothy knew this would be an interesting project regardless.
Sure enough, Mabel beamed and spoke an unfamiliar word.
“A Cat Tower!”

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