I’m The Male Lead’s Biological Daughter, But I Want To Live With The Second Male Lead! - Chapter 58

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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 58
“A… betrothal…?”
Mabel echoed the words in a daze, tilting her head.
It took her a moment to process something she’d never once imagined.
A beat behind in understanding, Mabel leaped down from Zigmund’s lap and cried out.
“Wait, a betrothal?! Me?!”
Her shock was so complete that even her half-tied hair stood on end from the force of her jump.
Mabel wasn’t the only one whose voice pitched higher at the absurd news.
“Have you lost your mind? How old do you think the girl is?”
Zigmund’s anger at Dain was immediate and sharp.
Dain protested, clearly aggrieved at being scolded for something that wasn’t his fault.
“It wasn’t me, sir! It was the Duke of Asilonia who said it!”
Dain wiped away beads of perspiration and let out a low groan.
“The Empress intends to make Miss Mabel a betrothed of the Crown Prince.”
“What?!”
Mabel, shocked twice over now, was on the verge of fainting.
Her mind was already reeling from this sudden talk of betrothal—and now the Crown Prince?
“But I’ve never even met him once!”
What possible reason could they have for choosing her as his betrothed?
Common sense offered no purchase, but then understanding dawned on her.
‘Oh, right—this kind of thing is normal in this empire.’
Most noble families conducted strategic marriages for the sake of their houses.
That was precisely why Caesar and Sophia’s marriage for love had become famous.
‘So… does that mean I’ll end up…?’
Good heavens.
Shock and resignation washed over Mabel’s face at once.
At that, Zigmund lifted her back into his arms and held her tight.
As though he would never let her go.
“You’re right, Mabel. How can she be betrothed to someone she’s never even seen?”
Mabel glanced up at Zigmund at his words.
She hadn’t expected such a statement from the Grand Duke’s lips.
‘A lifelong bachelor, truly…!’
It was an irreverent thought, but she found herself moved all the same.
Yet what truly incensed Zigmund lay elsewhere.
“Besides, he already had her parental rights stripped from him. What gives him the audacity to decide Mabel’s future?”
When Dain thought about it, that was true.
Stripped of parental rights meant he was no longer family.
But Dain answered with evident difficulty.
“Still, he is the Family Head of Asilonia. He has the authority to intervene in matters of the house.”
Under Greenhurst Empire law, any betrothal or marriage of a cadet branch required the Family Head’s approval.
Mabel was still of the house Asilonia, so Caesar’s influence was sufficient to reach her.
“But—but couldn’t it be refused?!”
Mabel had recently thrown herself into studying imperial law with fervor.
For no other reason than to guard against Caesar doing something foolish again.
“The law says that even if the Family Head gives an order, the guardian can refuse it, and it cannot be forced!”
This clause existed to prevent tyranny within a house.
Of course, few would dare openly refuse a Family Head’s command.
“You could just threaten Mother again to make her refuse!”
At Mabel’s words, both Zigmund and Dain’s faces brightened considerably.
As it happened, the same thought had occurred to them both.
The only difference was that the words “Let’s threaten your mother again” didn’t come as easily to Mabel’s lips.
Though Mabel sided with Zigmund in his hatred and disgust of Sophia, suggesting such a thing directly to the child was another matter entirely.
After the trial, Zigmund had no wish to burden Mabel any further with her biological parents.
“Truly our young lady! Oh, blessed one of the God of Alchemy, thank you for lending us your radiant wisdom!”
Dain dropped to his knee in prayer, relief flooding his features.
“There’s no need for such things, really…”
Though Mabel had grown accustomed to Dain’s usual flattery, being called “blessed one of the God of Alchemy” still made her deeply uncomfortable.
As Mabel floundered, Zigmund stroked her hair and spoke.
“A clever thought indeed. You’re truly my assistant.”
“Hehe…”
Mabel smiled warmly at Zigmund’s praise, then asked for the map.
‘After the first hideaway was exposed, she would have gone here…….’
Mabel pointed out a location where Sophia was likely to be.
“You seem to know the place well—last time and now?”
Zigmund watched intently where Mabel’s finger touched the map and asked.
“Oh, um, I… I remember it. I heard about it often back then.”
Mabel stammered awkwardly, offering an excuse.
“I didn’t understand what was being said at the time, but I suppose they were organizing places to escape to…… Um…….”
Of course, she knew it from the novel, and the memory lingered faintly in Mabel’s mind as well, so it wasn’t entirely a lie.
But Mabel worried that Zigmund might suspect her of lying, so she watched the adults’ expressions carefully.
Fortunately, there was no sign of suspicion……..
“Hmm, I see.”
Zigmund’s expression had changed for a different reason—for the worse.
He worried that his casual question might have stirred up unpleasant memories for Mabel.
“Why would you even ask something like that…….”
Dain seemed to share the concern, letting out a disapproving hum as he shot Zigmund a side-eye.
“Ahem.”
Dain cleared his throat and quickly changed the subject.
“Then I shall prioritize searching the location you’ve indicated, Miss.”
“Yes.”
Of course, now that the story had diverged slightly from the novel, there was a chance they wouldn’t find Sophia.
But searching blind would be far worse.
Dain left the Administrative Office at once, saying he would gather his finest men and form a covert search team.
“Well then, I should be going too!”
“Hm? Already?”
Zigmund looked at Mabel with evident reluctance.
“There’s still some time before snack hour. Why leave so soon?”
“I promised Kellic earlier. We’re going to spar at the Training Arena today, so I promised to watch.”
“You did?”
“Yes. I’m going to watch that and then have snacks together, so I need to get going soon.”
She hadn’t realized time had slipped away like this.
Whenever she was with Zigmund, she couldn’t fathom how time flew by so quickly.
They weren’t even conducting research or studying—they were simply talking, yet it happened anyway.
‘Because chatting with him is so much fun that my Subjugation Mark Research keeps falling behind…….’
Regardless of anything else, this was something she really needed to reflect on.
In any case, if Dain hadn’t come in when he did, she might not have noticed the time and Kellic would have sulked.
“If you have a prior commitment, there’s nothing to be done.”
Even as he said this, Zigmund still held Mabel reluctantly, unwilling to let her go.
“Oh, come on, please put me down now.”
Only after Mabel squirmed about like a teddy bear did Zigmund finally set the child down.
“Sparring can be rough, so don’t go too close. The dust will fly, so cover your mouth with a handkerchief.”
Zigmund followed Mabel to the doorway, piling on his concerns.
“Oh my, really.”
Mabel hugged one of Zigmund’s legs tightly and looked up at him.
It was Mabel’s ultimate trump card of aegyo.
Ever since she’d successfully used this technique once to stop his nagging before, Mabel would grab his leg whenever his scolding seemed about to grow longer.
The problem was that Zigmund, despite knowing full well what she was doing, fell for it every time.
‘This is trouble.’
No matter how many times it happened, instead of growing used to it, that shameless cuteness only endeared her more to him.
“Enjoy your snacks.”
“Yes~”
As soon as Zigmund opened the door, Mabel scampered out.
Struck by the sight of her leaving without a backward glance, Zigmund leaned against the doorframe and watched her departing figure.
Lundwell, who happened to catch the sight, chuckled and remarked.
“Anyone looking at you would think the young miss was being sent on some distant errand.”
The Training Arena was, after all, just around the corner.
Yet for Zigmund, anything outside the building felt equally perilous.
When Zigmund responded with silence—tacit agreement—Lundwell shook his head with a wry smile.
“How do you ever intend to let the young miss marry off later?”
“……Why would I let her marry off?”
Zigmund turned his head with a sharp movement, his voice cutting through the air like ice.
“……What?”
It had only been a joke.
“Mabel getting married? How old is she? She’s far too young for that.”
“Ah, no, I didn’t mean right now…….”
“Marriage, betrothals—don’t even dream of such things. Not while I’m watching with both eyes wide open. Absolutely not, you hear me?!”
Zigmund erupted without warning, his words tumbling out in a torrent before he slammed the door shut with a bang.
Lundwell stood before the firmly closed door, utterly bewildered.
“……Has he developed some form of separation anxiety?”
It was a reasonable suspicion.
All summer long, he’d carried Mabel at his side like a cherished doll.
“I see, I see…….”
Lundwell murmured to himself and took his leave.
Lundwell’s misunderstanding would be cleared up some time later.

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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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