I’m The Male Lead’s Biological Daughter, But I Want To Live With The Second Male Lead! - Chapter 16

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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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Episode 16
The boy’s gaze fixed on the mirror was grave beyond measure.
Aselt was handsome enough that even his raw wounds seemed charming, yet he could think of no other reason for the child’s shock.
After holding the Eye Bandage to his face and removing it again for a long moment, Aselt reached a conclusion.
Perhaps the child had reacted in such horror because he was simply too ugly.
The girl must be terribly vain about appearances.
* * *
Mabel, led by Ella’s hand out of the Greenhouse, wondered where they were headed.
But Ella offered no explanation for her curiosity.
Neither did the other servants.
They only smiled knowingly and said, “You’ll see when you get there~”
“We’ve arrived, Miss~”
Ella, standing before an archway woven of rose vines, pointed inside.
“Here?”
Mabel craned her neck suspiciously to peer through, seeing nothing remarkable inside.
There didn’t seem to be anything worth all this fuss.
Ella laughed at her turtle-like posture and gave her a gentle nudge forward.
Mabel hesitated a moment, then gathered her courage and scurried in.
And moments later…
Bang! Pop-pop!
“Eek!”
At the sudden burst of fireworks, Mabel leaped to her feet in surprise.
The crowd gathered in the Rose Garden burst into bright laughter and cheers at the startled child.
“Congratulations, Miss~!”
“Congratulations, Miss Mabel!”
“I—what—?”
The Rose Garden, festooned with ribbons and all manner of decorations, was crowded with people.
What on earth was happening?
As Mabel stood bewildered, looking from face to face, Ella spoke with a laugh.
“The Lord Archduke told us~ That our young lady made quite a remarkable discovery~ That’s why she went to the Hermetic Kingdom~”
“And now she’s been formally hired as the Lord Archduke’s Successor, is that right?”
“At such a young age, too! Truly remarkable!”
“Thanks to our young lady, the Lord Archduke has one less worry. We’re so grateful!”
“That’s right—we owe her a great debt. Thank you so much!”
Mabel’s mouth fell open at the servants’ unending gratitude.
Scraps of paper from the fireworks drifted down through the air like flowers, while laughter and applause never ceased.
“They were all late because they were helping prepare this~ So many people wanted to attend the celebration party~”
Ella apologized, saying she’d been delayed helping with the preparations herself.
Mabel, staring blankly at the crowd, hurried to protest.
“I—I haven’t done anything that deserves such thanks! The Horn Spirit Summoning Ritual hasn’t even been fully verified yet!”
Besides, the Haber-Bosch Method wasn’t something Mabel had devised at all.
She had merely happened to recall something someone else had discovered.
Yet here she was, accepting congratulations and thanks—it made no sense.
Ella patted Mabel’s hand gently.
“You needn’t be so modest~ Miss~ You deserve every bit of praise~”
“But—still…”
Fortune might smile on her only once.
Siegmund and Dein might praise her as a prodigy now, but she harbored secret doubts about whether she could truly be of great use to them in the future.
As Mabel fidgeted, Ella offered her a soft smile.
“Even if you never complete the Horn Spirit Summoning Ritual, Miss, that’s quite alright~”
“That’s right! After all, the fact that you’ve become the Lord Archduke’s Successor is true either way!”
“So from now on, you’ll be staying here with us, yes?”
The servants celebrated her appointment as Successor regardless of her actual accomplishments.
Mabel gazed at them, bewildered.
‘I thought they’d all resent me becoming a Successor…’
Mabel was Sophia’s daughter.
The thief who had stolen away all the research materials Siegmund had labored to gather.
That Mabel, now a Successor.
She had thought that even the kind-hearted people of House Eschlid would harbor some resentment.
Yet they welcomed her appointment with one voice and one heart.
Her heart hammered against her ribs.
‘These are truly good people.’
That such kind souls should be scattered to the winds as House Eschlid crumbled—it was far too tragic to bear.
Mabel had come to love this place.
She wanted to stay here, in this house, among these good people, for as long as she could.
‘So I’ll prevent House Eschlid’s collapse.’
So that Siegmund and everyone in the estate could smile for years to come.
Mabel steadied her resolve once more and took Ella’s hand, moving toward the center of the ballroom.
“Hehe, thank you!”
She smiled so brightly that anyone watching would feel their own joy kindle.
* * *
That evening, after the servants had finished preparing the party and the festivities had wound down, Mabel heard an unexpected revelation from Ella.
“A disciple……?”
Now that she thought back, she remembered Aselt calling Siegmund “Master.”
“Yes~ When he was young, the Duke saved Aselt from being sold in the Black Market~”
Aselt had demanded that the servants keep his existence secret.
But because Mabel had nearly come to catastrophe, Ella had broken her orders and told her the truth.
This was the moment Mabel understood why the villainous boy from the side story was living in the Eschlid Estate.
‘The Black Market……. No wonder that man didn’t seem like a novice at picking up children.’
Siegmund was a seasoned professional.
And in that same moment, Mabel understood why Aselt hated Sophia so deeply.
Sophia had played a crucial role in the downfall of House Eschlid.
To Aselt, who revered Siegmund as both master and lifesaver, she was an enemy he could barely contain himself from tearing apart.
‘And I’m the daughter of that enemy.’
Unknowingly, she had nearly tried to sell information about House Ashlonia to him!
If she hadn’t encountered Siegmund first and gone straight to Aselt instead…….
‘Hic—!’
Mabel shuddered as she recalled the crushing pressure she’d felt in the boy’s presence.
“My, my~? Are you cold~?”
Unaware of the truth, Ella brought a warm blanket and draped it over Mabel’s shoulders.
She also pressed a warm cup of milk into her hands as she continued speaking.
“And the Duke has another disciple~ A demihuman as well~”
“Ah……. But wait, didn’t someone say there was still no heir?”
She recalled Dein muttering something to himself.
— If they appointed the Saint of Alchemy as the successor, even those stubborn old men wouldn’t dare object…….
She hadn’t heard the rest—his voice had been too quiet.
Ella nodded in agreement, confirming what Mabel had suspected.
“That’s right~ The two young masters are merely disciples of the Duke, not adopted sons~ So neither is his heir~”
Ah, she remembered this from the novel.
Siegmund had tried to adopt his two talented disciples as his heirs, but the elders had opposed it due to bloodline concerns.
‘So the bloodline issue was about their race…….’
Even in the Age of Magic, demihumans had walked as equals beside humans.
Being a race close to nature, their Mana Affinity was superior, and they were even recognized for possessing greater magical prowess than humans.
But as magic waned and Alchemy rose to prominence, the standing of demihumans diminished steadily.
One day, among alchemists, a perception spread that demihuman bodies were exceptionally excellent materials for Alchemy.
As a result, by the present era, most people regarded demihumans as mere beasts, or as nothing more than materials for Alchemy.
In the past twenty years alone, demihuman trafficking had begun occurring even outside the Black Market.
And yet Siegmund had taken demihumans as his disciples.
“Do you find it strange, perhaps~?”
Ella asked with a gentle smile, as if reading Mabel’s thoughts.
“That House Eschlid—masters of Alchemy—would take demihumans as disciples~”
“Well…… a little, yes.”
“Hehe, our House has always insisted~ that demihumans aren’t necessary for Alchemy~”
More precisely, the House maintained that Alchemy could be researched and advanced without sacrificing demihumans.
“Because~ even when magic still existed in the world, House Eschlid has always~ pursued Alchemy~”
In those days, they couldn’t even obtain materials through demihumans.
And yet they researched well and produced results—so why would demihumans be necessary now?
Mabel tilted her head thoughtfully as she sipped her milk.
“So everyone who says demihumans are used as Alchemy materials is lying?”
“Well~ but one thing is certain~ that claim was spread from the beginning to oppress the demihumans~”
As she spoke, Ella wiped the milk foam from Mabel’s upper lip with a soft handkerchief and careful touch.
Her movements were gentle, deliberate, almost tender.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t trust you, miss—truly~ It was simply that Aselt requested I not share information about the young masters, so as not to prejudice you against them~”
“Then… is Aselt wearing the eye bandage because he’s a demihuman?”
“Yes, that’s right~ His Basilisk Eye turns anything to stone if you look upon it~”
Yet the Aselt she’d read about in the side stories wielded that ability freely.
Was he struggling to control it now?
Is that why he kept the bandage on, despite how raw his skin looked, despite how even the slightest irritation caused blood to seep through his wounds?
‘He looked like he was in so much pain…’
Mabel, who had fallen quiet in thought, suddenly lifted her head with a glimmer of resolve.

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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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