I’m The Male Lead’s Biological Daughter, But I Want To Live With The Second Male Lead! - Chapter 60

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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 60
“Yes. An engagement.”
Mabel nodded despondently while sipping her warm cocoa.
It was the continuation of a conversation that had started when asked what she’d been doing—she’d said she was with Zigmund.
“Apparently Her Majesty the Empress wants to make me the fiancée of His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“What?! That woman’s insane, isn’t she? Doesn’t she know how old you are?!”
Kellic shot up from his seat and squawked indignantly.
“I-insane, brother?!”
Could you even speak about the Empress that way?!
Mabel turned to Ella in panic, but her situation was far worse.
“Huh? Ella, the chair—it’s all crumpled, isn’t it?”
The chair Ella had been sitting in was clearly made of iron, yet its armrest was now crinkled like paper.
“Oh my, how strange—”
Ella feigned ignorance and casually brought over a new chair.
Once Ella had settled into her seat, she spoke.
“Miss dear~ So then~ You don’t mean to say His Highness the Grand Duke agreed to it, do you~?”
Her voice simmered with barely contained fury.
Mabel had only just learned about the engagement herself moments ago.
“No, no! Of course he said it was out of the question!”
Mabel answered urgently.
Any delay in her response, and Zigmund’s safety would be in grave jeopardy.
“In fact, he’s already preparing a solution! And D-Dain even said he’s assembling an elite unit for exactly that purpose.”
Upon hearing Mabel’s response, Ella calmed down slightly.
“An elite unit, you say? Hmm, I wonder if they intend to assassinate the Empress…….”
Ella muttered something under her breath, but Mabel decided she hadn’t heard it.
Kellic’s reaction was similar to Mabel’s.
“Well, Master opposes it too, and Dain’s formed a unit, so we’ve got nothing to worry about!”
He laughed it off without even knowing exactly what kind of unit it was.
Under normal circumstances, he would have rushed straight to Zigmund on the spot.
Ella’s words were dangerous enough that Mabel had deliberately steered the conversation elsewhere.
‘Brother, you’re more thoughtful than I gave you credit for.’
Mabel sipped her cocoa with a thought she must never share with Kellic.
And so Mabel’s engagement quickly faded from the topic of conversation.
Very briefly, that is.
“What……? Mabel is getting engaged?”
The second round began courtesy of Aselt, who heard the engagement news while eating dinner.
* * *
Time passed, the cold season ended, and spring arrived—a step behind elsewhere, at the Grand Duke’s Castle.
“I was unable to locate Sophia. She was nowhere to be found among any of the places you predicted, my lady.”
Contrary to expectations, Dain’s report brought tidings that didn’t match the season—cold and bleak.
“Furthermore, at the very last location you indicated, we discovered traces of another presence.”
Those traces belonged to none other than Caesar Asilonia.
Dain bowed his head shamefully as he continued his final report.
“I apologize. It appears we were…… a step too late.”
The garden had already begun to show new shoots, yet winter still lingered at the Grand Duke’s Castle.
And Mabel’s purpose of preventing Caesar and Sophia’s happy ending appeared to remain incomplete.
Elsewhere, Zigmund rubbed his temples as though troubled.
“Sigh……. How am I supposed to tell Aselt about this?”
Aselt, a basilisk beastman, normally remained motionless throughout the winter.
But last winter was different.
At every opportunity, he’d attempt to slip out of the castle and head for the Imperial Palace.
– Don’t worry, Mabel. I’ll turn that Crown Prince to stone right now and make sure he can’t even dream of an engagement!
So he would say.
As a result, Zigmund spent the entire winter chasing Aselt all over the castle.
He’d be eating and suddenly bolt out to catch Aselt, be researching and suddenly bolt out to catch him, shower and catch him, sleep and catch him…….
A beekeeper who happened to witness this once laughed, saying it looked exactly like himself running out to catch hornets.
Zigmund found it anything but amusing.
Fortunately, Zigmund had yet to let Aselt slip through his grasp.
Had he succeeded even once, the entire Grand Duke’s family would surely have been arrested on charges of treason.
Whether Aselt knew this or not, he would protest to Zigmund every time he was caught.
– How much time has passed, and you’re still going on about Sophia? Where’s the guarantee that she’ll help us this time?
And the conclusion was always the same.
– This time, we must finally secure the Empress so that Mabel never covets her again…….
Now, it wasn’t enough to petrify the Crown Prince—they had to uproot him entirely, which meant disposing of the Empress.
Even Kellic, who had tacitly agreed with this sentiment, took a step back, muttering, “This is a bit much.”
But Aselt burned with righteous fervor, insisting it was all for Mabel’s sake.
Zigmund had never realized Aselt could be so utterly intractable.
Kellic had even remarked that he wondered if their souls had switched places.
In any case, Zigmund had barely managed to pacify Aselt just days ago.
“And now if I tell them I’ve lost Sophia…….”
There would undoubtedly be hell to pay.
But Zigmund’s troubles didn’t end there.
“Your Grace, an invitation has arrived from the Imperial Palace.”
As if to taunt him further.
And with perfect timing, an invitation personally written by the Empress arrived.
The contents were simple enough.
The Crown Prince’s birthday celebration would be held soon, and Mabel was to attend alongside him.
The dress code was light blue—the color typically worn by guests attending betrothals.
Dain, who had read the invitation alongside him, spoke in an uneasy voice.
“It appears the Empress intends to announce the Crown Prince’s betrothal to Miss Mabel at this celebration.”
“Yes. That’s my sense of it as well.”
“Then…… could it be that Sophia has actually returned to the Asilonia estate?”
Dain asked worriedly.
Rather than answer hastily, Zigmund furrowed his brow and turned the situation over in his mind.
The secret search party sent after Sophia had found traces of Caesar instead.
By all accounts, it seemed certain that Caesar and Sophia had made contact.
But for reasons unknown, Sophia had not revealed herself since.
Not once.
‘Mabel’s custody rights are held by Sophia, so for the betrothal to proceed, Sophia would have to go to the Imperial Palace.’
The same applied to Caesar’s petition to restore his custody rights.
Sophia herself would be required for that.
These were matters that could not be handled by correspondence alone.
Naturally, there had been no reports of legal representatives visiting the Asilonia estate.
“But if the Empress truly intends to announce the betrothal at this celebration, Sophia would be absolutely necessary.”
“Quite so. Even with Caesar’s approval as the head of house, without Sophia’s consent, the betrothal would be incomplete.”
The Empress was exceedingly sensitive to appearances.
She would never specify light blue as the dress code to proceed with an incomplete betrothal.
“Which means…….”
Zigmund let out a frustrated sigh and stared at the invitation sitting bare upon his desk.
He frowned at it as though it were Caesar or the Empress herself, and spoke.
“This celebration will decide everything.”
“…… It does seem that way.”
Dain’s voice grew grave as he adjusted his spectacles with a sharp gesture.
One misstep, and Mabel could be dragged back to Asilonia.
Both men’s expressions grew troubled.
After a moment of silence, Zigmund suddenly spoke, as though a thought had just occurred to him.
“By the way, what is Mabel doing right now?”
“Ah, Miss Mabel is likely…….”
Dain trailed off briefly before exhaling.
“Quarreling with Ella.”
“Hm? With Ella? Why?”
Zigmund asked in surprise at this unexpected news.
“That would be because…… Simona visited us today.”
Dain gave a heavy sigh and shrugged as he replied.
Today was the day they were fitting Mabel’s spring dresses.
Simona, visiting after a long absence, had brought a stack of her masterpieces bundled up and ready.
“…… Ah.”
Zigmund’s mouth opened slightly as he grasped the situation.
Recently, Mabel had quarreled with Ella every time they went shopping.
It was because Mabel kept buying things that looked distinctly strange.
Since things had come to this, he would make the Crown Prince reject her himself.
“The young lady will probably choose the ugliest, most ridiculous dress again.”
Zigmund let out a low chuckle, recalling all the accessories and shoes Mabel had purchased over the years.
“Come to think of it, the Crown Prince was sensitive about resemblance to the Empress. Hmm….”
Zigmund hummed thoughtfully for a moment, then murmured with a rather intrigued expression.
“Perhaps I ought to give him a taste of his own medicine…”

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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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