I’m The Male Lead’s Biological Daughter, But I Want To Live With The Second Male Lead! - Chapter 3

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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 3
“……Mabel, Mabel.”
A soft voice penetrated Mabel’s drowsy mind.
Strange. No one at the mansion ever called her by name.
‘Then this must be a dream.’
At that thought came the wish not to wake.
“We’ll arrive soon. Come now, wake up.”
Someone grasped her shoulder and shook it gently.
Who on earth was touching her?
Everyone had always avoided even meeting her eyes……
She forced her eyes open, but through the fog of sleep her vision blurred until she caught sight of silver hair.
“Mm, wha……?”
“The seat must have been comfortable.”
Siegmund laughed softly as he watched the bewildered Mabel struggle back to awareness.
“Here.”
“Thank you…….”
Only after taking the damp handkerchief did focus return to Mabel’s eyes.
‘Goodness, when did I fall asleep?!’
She’d been tensed the entire ride, ready to slip out of the carriage at the first opportunity!
Yet drool had dried completely at the corner of her mouth—proof of how deeply she’d slumbered.
‘This is all because of the milk and bread.’
Her last memory was of soft, fluffy bread and warm, savory milk.
Her belly was full, the carriage seat plush, and Siegmund had even wiped her face and hands—of course a weary child’s body had simply given in to exhaustion.
‘That terrifying sub-lead male……!’
Mabel scrubbed her lips furiously, glaring at Siegmund through half-closed, puffy eyes.
“Not me—look out the window. Go on, look there.”
Siegmund smirked and pointed toward the glass.
Beyond the dense coniferous forest, rising starkly atop a sheer cliff, stood a white castle of magnificent proportions.
With its natural waterfall and ingeniously constructed moat and waterways, it was the acknowledged Impregnable Fortress.
“The Eschlid Grand Duchy Castle.”
The sub-lead male’s stronghold.
So she had come here after all.
‘My destination was supposed to be a nice orphanage for children!’
But she wasn’t ready to give up yet.
They said even if you entered a tiger’s den, you could survive if you kept your wits.
This time, she’d find an opening and escape.
Impregnable or not, there had to be some small gap—a drain or passage—that a tiny thing like her could slip through.
‘I have to stay sharp!’
Mabel clenched both fists tight.
* * *
But Mabel’s resolve lasted all of ten minutes.
“You must be terribly weary from your journey~ Would you care for a warm cup of cocoa~?”
“The girl surely feels nauseous from the carriage ride—why speak of hot drinks? Something cool would suit better. Miss, how about lemonade? Quite tart and refreshing, I assure you.”
“Yes, lemonade sounds perfect. But then let’s prepare some sweet cookies to go with it?”
“And cake would be lovely—something pretty with abundant cream and fruit.”
With each word from the servants, Mabel’s gaze darted this way and that.
The moment she’d descended from the carriage, Siegmund had been called away by an aide on urgent business, and Mabel was led by a maid’s hand to the drawing room.
Until the moment she sank into the plush sofa, her wariness held firm.
The trouble began the moment she opened her mouth.
“How do you do.”
Just one phrase. A single phrase!
Merely uttering a greeting, the maids who had been watching the child with measured expressions suddenly melted, their faces softening as words tumbled out.
“At last, my fate blesses me with a young mistress……!”
“Master has been away searching—we’ve all been praying he’d bring a miss home!”
“Lace-making level-one certification? That course is already full?”
“It’s been full for ages~ But our young mistress—might she be seven this year~? The head chef was asking how many candles he should light~”
Control the opponent and control yourself, and victory follows in every battle.
Mabel was a small child who, thanks to her knowledge of the novel’s plot, understood the future, while the maids before her……
“Ha, ha, I want to make those cheeks rosy, ha, so plump and full, ha…….”
“I, whew, want to brush that thick, lush hair, whew, whew, so quickly, whew…….”
“I’m going to tie your hair up in the most adorable way every single day. How cute will it be? Oh my~!”
This was quite the formidable opponent.
‘So this is what they mean by doting affection—cute and heartwarming when you read about it in novels.’
But experiencing it firsthand left her paralyzed with uncertainty.
In her eight years of life, Mabel had never been surrounded by so many people at once, never faced so many smiling faces, never fielded so many questions all at the same time.
‘I need to be careful…… I shouldn’t let myself slip…….’
Just as when Siegmund’s gaze had fallen upon her, her chest tickled uncontrollably and heat crept up her cheeks.
In the end, Mabel’s eyes darted about as she fumbled for an answer.
“I’m, um…… eight years old…….”
“Oh my goodness, eight years old!”
“Why, she’s practically a baby!”
“Her voice is absolutely precious!”
“My, so our young lady is eight then~? What might your name be, sweetling~?”
“My n-name is Mabel…….”
“How delightful! Even her name is adorable!”
“How can a person’s name be Mabel of all things?!”
Each answer she gave seemed to invite another wave of doting enthusiasm.
The atmosphere here was utterly foreign—nothing like the Ashilonia Duchy Mansion.
“Now then, Miss Mabel? Here’s some refreshing lemonade~”
Just then, a maid in a long dress offered her a beverage brimming with ice.
Tiny lemon slices floated in the drink, and carbonated bubbles rose and popped gently on the surface.
Mabel swallowed hard without realizing it.
But when the child merely looked and didn’t reach out, the maids exchanged puzzled glances.
“What’s the matter? Do you perhaps dislike cold drinks? Have they ever upset your stomach?”
“Then how about something warm? Sweet cocoa, perhaps~? Or warm milk with honey drizzled in?”
“Oh, no. It’s not that…….”
Cold drinks? She didn’t dislike those.
Sweet, warm milk and cocoa? Just hearing it made her mouth water.
But…….
“Please, feel free to say whatever you’d like, Miss~”
After hesitating for a long moment, Mabel asked the maid in a small voice—the one who had knelt so respectfully before her.
“How much does it cost……?”
Mabel whispered the words as if sneaking them out.
“I don’t have any money…….”
It was shameful to be so destitute, but it was the truth.
She’d already received so much from Siegmund.
Cookies, chocolate, warm milk, bread…….
And he’d even used his Aura to soothe away the itching in her scalp!
What if he expected repayment for the carriage ride here too? Could she ever pay him back?
Thinking rationally, she ought to refuse whatever was offered.
That’s what she should do…….
‘But that’s carbonated!’
According to memories that surfaced now and then—whether from a past life or something else—that drink was truly delicious.
And it was said to be incredibly expensive.
So if she didn’t drink it now, when would she ever get another chance?
Just as Mabel was steeling herself to close her eyes and take a sip, she noticed the room had gone quiet.
The maids’ lips, which had been curved in smiles moments before, were now drawn into thin lines.
Some of them even narrowed their eyes.
‘Oh no—did they not like that I said I have no money?’
She could repay them eventually, but perhaps that wasn’t good enough for them.
Just as Mabel was about to turn her face away from the lemonade—
“……It’s free.”
The maid’s eyebrows, which had been tilted downward as she looked at Mabel, sagged further.
Tears brimmed in her gentle, sorrowful eyes.
“So don’t think like that. Just have some. As much as you’d like, Miss. However much you want…….”
“Yes, that’s right. Children shouldn’t have to worry about such things.”
“At least not here, Miss.”
The other maids spoke through barely suppressed tears.
Mabel’s body went rigid at their words.
‘At least not here…….’
The Ashilonia Duchy and the Eschlid Grand Duchy were not on good terms.
Partly because they were the main character’s and the secondary character’s families, but mostly it was due to Caesar’s stubbornness.
Throughout the story, Caesar was perpetually tormented by inferiority, desperate to curse Siegmund.
Unlike Caesar, who came from an illegitimate line, Siegmund was a legitimate son—superior in every conceivable way.
‘So if everyone learns I’m from the Ashilonia faction, they’ll all be displeased.’
They wouldn’t be nearly as kind and well-disposed as they were now.
The moment this realization struck Mabel, it became even harder to reach for the Lemonade—but then……
“Please, miss. It truly is refreshing and delicious, is it not?”
Effervescent bubbles popping on her tongue, a delicate lemon scent brushing her nose.
In the end, Mabel couldn’t resist the allure of carbonation—she squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed the Lemonade.
When she carefully bit down on the glass straw and took a sip, her crimson eyes went wide as saucers.
‘This, this taste is……?!’
Cool, refreshing sweetness spread through her small frame.
“Ahhhhh……”
Tasting carbonation for the first time, Mabel simply melted away.
‘Even if I were to drown in mountains of debt after this, I’d have no regrets……’
The second sip was tingling and crisp.
* * *
Having finished his urgent business, Siegmund hurried toward the reception room.
Even as he’d drifted into the mansion half-asleep, the child had been demanding to be let go, crying kidnapping.
And Mabel was from the Ashilonia faction.
His servants hadn’t shown any sign of displeasure in his presence, but who could say how they might behave in front of the child.
So he quickened his pace—
“What on earth is this?”

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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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