I’m The Male Lead’s Biological Daughter, But I Want To Live With The Second Male Lead! - Chapter 18

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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 18
The next morning, Mabel set out with Ella to tour the Grand Duke’s Castle.
“Now then~ are you all ready~?”
“Yes!”
Mabel answered with an excited face, gripping the straps of the Rabbit Doll Bag that Ella had fastened for her.
For ease of movement, Mabel wore round Pumpkin Pants beneath her skirt, and she looked like a living doll.
With her twin braids tied down at the ends, she resembled a rabbit from a storybook.
“Kyaa~ I styled you myself, but you’re so adorable~!”
Ella squealed with delight, bouncing on her toes before catching herself.
“Now~ what did I tell you~? First, be wary of people, second, be wary of people, and third~?”
“Be wary of people! And if you see anyone suspicious at all, call for me right away!”
Mabel answered quickly, having heard these words beaten into her ears since yesterday.
But Ella found it difficult to restrain her worried nagging.
Mabel understood Ella’s concern, but she was growing restless to board the carriage and set off.
‘But this is my first time seeing a marketplace!’
As luck would have it, today the Inner City that Mabel would explore held a fair.
Having heard the news yesterday, Mabel had been too excited to sleep properly.
There was good reason—she’d never experienced anything like this before.
‘It’s not even in my memories!’
Yes, memories.
Ever since she’d realized this world was actually from within a novel, Mabel had been wondering vaguely whether she might be a Reincarnate.
But there was something odd about that theory.
‘I have no idea what kind of person I was in my past life.’
Strangely, concepts from the Modern Era came to her mind easily enough, yet she had no recollection whatsoever of herself.
So it occurred to her that this might not be a typical reincarnation at all.
Though come to think of it, what would a typical reincarnation even look like?
In any case, only after enduring more of Ella’s warnings did Mabel finally manage to head into the Inner City.
* * *
“We’ve arrived. This is where the fair is being held today.”
The Coachman opened the door and explained kindly.
“Come now, step out~ Miss~”
Ella, who had alighted first, extended her hand to Mabel.
“Thank you!”
Mabel descended from the carriage with a thump-thump flutter in her chest.
And as she took in the surroundings, her heart swelled with wonder.
“Ha ha ha! This isn’t an opportunity you get every day!”
“That’s too expensive—knock off a little, won’t you!”
“About this Carpet, it comes from way down in the Southern Region~”
The lively voices of people crowding the marketplace rang out all around.
It was dizzying, yet somehow exhilarating.
“Wow…!”
At the sight of makeshift stalls and hanging wares filling the street, Mabel let out an involuntary gasp of wonder.
Her cheeks flushed with excitement, and a warm glow spread across her face.
“Hehe~ what do you think~? Impressive, isn’t it~?”
“Yes!”
Mabel squeezed Ella’s hand tightly, her eyes sparkling with delight.
The last time she’d entered the castle, she’d come straight along the main road without noticing much.
She’d had no idea the place was wide enough to accommodate so many vendors!
“The fair here in the Inner City is smaller than the one held down in the Lower City, but it’s packed with goods~ lots of foreign items come through here~”
Mabel nodded vigorously as she listened to Ella’s explanation.
She was eager to dash from place to place, and her body tingled with anticipation.
Though she’d come into the Inner City with a purpose, Mabel was already absorbed in exploring the fair.
And so she didn’t notice.
“Isn’t that Ella from the Grand Duke’s Castle?”
“Yes, it does seem like her. Then who’s that child standing next to her?”
“Now that you mention it, Cojette—the merchant who delivered to the castle—was saying the Grand Duke purchased girls’ things.”
“Ah, I’ve heard about it too. The maids were chattering about ‘Miss this’ and ‘Miss that’ all day long.”
“That’s right! Come to think of it, the Escort Knights, who usually pay no mind to girls’ accessories, started buying them up one after another!”
“I’ve never seen that face before… wait. Why are her eyes that color?”
The voices of people chattering away were beginning to quiet.
The eyes of those haggling over wares and hawking their goods slowly converged on Mabel.
They lowered their voices and began to murmur amongst themselves.
“Look at that—her eyes are red!”
“Red eyes? Then could it be…?”
So that was it, that explained everything!
The crowd’s chatter grew louder and louder, until Mabel could no longer pretend not to hear.
Coming to her senses, Mabel realized that every eye in the marketplace was trained on her.
‘What? Me? Why?’
Now she saw it clearly—they had abandoned whatever they were doing and gathered in a circle around her, regarding her with undisguised fascination.
‘Good heavens, they were really staring!’
Once she’d noticed it, the weight of their attention became almost unbearable.
As Mabel puzzled over the cause, a thought struck her.
‘Oh, could it be…they’ve recognized that I’m from Ashilonia?’
It was a plausible explanation.
The enmity between Escreed and Ashilonia was common knowledge.
Though the reasons weren’t widely discussed in detail, small conflicts and disputes occasionally flared up among the Territory Residents.
‘The people at the Grand Duke’s Castle didn’t mind, but others surely would.’
She should have been more careful, but she’d grown careless, warmed by the kindness of the castle household.
The bright anticipation that had gleamed in Mabel’s eyes dimmed, replaced by a flicker of fear.
Being stared at from all sides without reprieve would unsettle anyone.
Seeing this, Ella bent low and met Mabel’s gaze, speaking to her gently.
“Mmm~ our Escort Knight seems to be running a little late~ Since your legs are tired, shall we wait in the carriage~?”
In truth, Ella had noticed the crowd’s shift in attention some time ago.
She’d thought it would fade before Mabel caught on, but she’d misjudged.
“Let’s get in the carriage, shall we~ The Escort Knight will need some time to arrive~”
Ella pressed closer and playfully swung their clasped hands back and forth.
Thanks to this, Mabel was able to hide from the crowd’s gaze while fixing her attention solely on Ella.
But both Ella and Mabel knew the truth.
Getting into the carriage was only a temporary measure.
They might have to give up on browsing the market entirely today.
“Yes…”
Mabel nodded sadly.
Thud!
Someone’s foot struck the dry earth with force.
The startled crowd turned toward the sound.
There stood a man so enormous he towered well over two meters tall.
Mabel looked up at him in surprise.
Plate Armor adorned his forearms and shoulders in all the right places, and his gaze swept across the crowd with a chill that froze the air itself.
The marketplace, which had been hot and thrumming with the energy of human activity, seemed to cool in an instant.
As the man took a step forward, those surrounding Mabel hurriedly parted to make way.
Ella, who had been crouching in front of Mabel, slowly rose to her feet.
She stepped forward protectively in front of Mabel, facing off against the massive stranger.
A tense silence stretched between them.
And in that moment,
“I apologize for my tardiness.”
The enormous man dropped to one knee before Ella.
What on earth was happening?
As Mabel’s eyes darted about in confusion, Ella replied in a tone uncharacteristically cold.
“Because you were late, our young lady here suffered quite the ordeal~ How do you intend to make amends~?”
Though her melodic manner of speaking remained, her fury was unmistakable.
The man, who had been standing silently with his head bowed, rose and asked their forgiveness.
“Forgive me.”
“Do carry on~”
It was immediately after Ella’s reply that she clapped her hands over Mabel’s ears.
“Stop your gawking! You think this is a show? Never seen a cute girl before? Got nothing better to do? Listen here—if I make up my mind, I’ll tear through every stall in this market, and I guarantee there’s not a soul among you who’d walk away without a speck of dust! Now avert your eyes and get back to work!”
The man drew a sharp breath, then bellowed out the words with tremendous force.
His Lion’s Roar was so fierce and terrible that even with Ella’s hands covering her ears, Mabel could hear it clearly.
Still, she was grateful not to hear it full-force.
Several people in the crowd were tapping their ears, grumbling that they’d gone numb.

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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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