I’m The Male Lead’s Biological Daughter, But I Want To Live With The Second Male Lead! - Chapter 76

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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 76
“Um, uh, um…….”
Mabel’s eyes darted back and forth between Winter and the luminous words, her bewilderment plain.
Those letters—they had to be Winter’s words, she thought.
Though exactly what had happened, she couldn’t quite piece together.
[Prayed. God.]
[Needed. Angel.]
[Help. Please.]
The fragmented message made Mabel’s expression grow heavier.
‘This must be from when he was trapped in that cage.’
How terrified and alone such a small creature must have felt.
Though she could never know the full weight of Winter’s suffering, her heart ached for him.
Tears threatened to spill over, so Mabel held him tighter and pressed her cheek against his soft fur.
But Winter, who had been quiet, gently pushed her back.
He wasn’t finished yet.
His sky-blue eyes blinked as fresh letters materialized above him.
[Came. Mabel.]
[To. Me.]
[Angel.]
[Mabel. Angel.]
“……!”
An angel.
“I didn’t really do anything special…….”
Cutting through those chains was something anyone would have done, seeing Winter in that state.
To be honest, she’d even cut them longer than necessary because she was afraid of scratching him again.
And it was Winter who had approached her afterward, asking her to unfasten his shackles.
“There was nothing to eat, and I only made things worse for you…….”
If it had been Kellic who’d been kidnapped instead of Mabel, they could have escaped far more easily.
‘Because of me, everything became more complicated. Maybe that’s true…….’
And yet—did she even deserve such praise?
As Mabel hesitated, wrestling with doubt, Winter projected new words.
[Sorry. Scratched.]
[Sorry. Screamed. Loud.]
[Sorry. Echo. Hurt.]
“Why are you apologizing for that? That was only natural!”
Mabel shook her head urgently.
“If I were you, I would’ve been startled too if a stranger suddenly reached out their hand. And you couldn’t have known the echo would affect you like that.”
[But. Outcome. Worst.]
[But. Mabel. Still. Here.]
[Saved. Me. Winter!]
As Mabel read the words, her eyes grew hot and wet with tears.
[Thank. You.]
[Saved. Me.]
[Angel.]
[Mabel!]
Winter let out a soft, trilling laugh—a sound like a bird’s call.
Then, with infinite gentleness, he extended a foreleg toward the moisture gathering at Mabel’s eyes.
His thick, rounded paw—soft as a rice cake—carefully brushed away her tears.
Though clumsy, his gesture was warm, and Mabel pulled him close once more.
His small, warm body felt so infinitely precious.
“Thank you for saying such things to me.”
A handkerchief appeared before Mabel as emotion overwhelmed her.
It was Ella, who had been quietly watching over them both, offering it to her.
“Here you go, Miss~”
“Thank you, Ella.”
Mabel wiped away the tears that had pooled in her eyes.
Ella spoke to her gently.
“It seems things are working out between you two~”
Now that she thought about it, Ella couldn’t see the words hovering above Winter’s head.
And even when she heard Winter’s vocalizations, she said she couldn’t quite make out their meaning.
It seemed only she could hold a proper conversation with Winter.
Mabel blinked her damp eyelashes rapidly and nodded.
“Thank you for saving me.”
Then she shared a word that felt slightly embarrassing but brought her overwhelming joy.
“He called me an angel.”
“My goodness~”
Ella smiled brightly, watching Winter.
Winter, nestled against Mabel and languidly wagging his tail, looked up at Ella.
‘I hope Ella and Winter get along well together.’
As Mabel harbored such warm wishes, Ella opened her mouth.
“So you’ve figured it out now~ Our young lady isn’t the White Lion at all — she’s an angel~”
Hmm?
Mabel tilted her head, puzzled by Ella’s sudden comment.
Wait — now that she looked closer, it seemed like Ella was eyeing Winter with a certain wariness.
‘Surely that was just my imagination…’
Why would kind, gentle Ella be guarding against a young creature?
Mabel assumed she’d misread the situation, but she hadn’t.
“So if you go spouting nonsense about being a companion, being paired, or any such rubbish, you can forget about it, Winter~”
The way she cracked her knuckles was thick with menace.
Indeed, Ella had just come from hearing an astonishing story from Zigmund.
Apparently, this White Lion beastman had taken a romantic fancy to Mabel.
Most beastmen develop romantic attraction only to their own kind.
Just as animals do.
Which meant that Winter’s supposed affection for Mabel might stem from him mistaking her for a White Lion herself.
The problem was that beastmen, regardless of age, sometimes formed households quite early.
‘Absolutely ridiculous. Our young lady is only nine years old.’
As if she’d hand her over to some White Lion beastman who knew where he’d crawled from.
Ella cracked her knuckles again, applying wordless pressure on Winter.
But Winter merely snorted in the face of her obvious hostility.
[Mabel.]
[Promise.]
[Maid.]
“Huh?”
Winter faced off against Ella with a confident expression, as if he had something to back him up.
Words floated above Winter’s head.
[We slept. Already. Holding hands.]
Oh, that’s right.
They did in the carriage.
[Child came. To be.]
[In my belly.]
“…Huh?”
[Promise. Maid.]
[Mabel. Duty.]
[Responsibility.]
[Winter. Carrying.]
“Wait a minute. Carrying?!”
“What?! Carrying?!”
Startled by Mabel’s cry, Ella was even more startled herself.
“Oh, it’s nothing at all!”
Realizing her slip, Mabel frantically shook her head.
Then she lowered her voice and whispered to Winter.
“What are you talking about? You’re male!”
[Holding hands. Carrying.]
“No, you’re male!”
[Child. Responsibility.]
“Males don’t carry children!”
[Responsibility.]
[Responsibility.]
[Responsibility!]
“…….”
Mabel’s consciousness grew hazy, and she squeezed her eyes shut.
‘Oh, I’m getting dizzy.’
But one way or another, she had to say something to Ella, who had been startled by mention of the pregnancy.
Mabel paused briefly, then answered with a weary expression.
“She asked me to raise him.”
* * *
But there was an unexpected obstacle lurking elsewhere.
It was none other than Zigmund, who suffered from a severe cat allergy.
“It’s out of the question.”
“But…….”
“Absolutely not!”
Zigmund, who was rarely ever this firm with Mabel, was a wall of resolve now.
What’s more, his body still bore the marks of hives.
It was because he’d taken the allergy medication too late, and Winter was in the house.
In truth, it would be fine if he just took the pills, and the hives would fade soon enough.
‘But I can’t spend my life constantly taking medication.’
The allergy medication had no side effects whatsoever.
It was simply tedious to remember to take something every time.
“But…… he can’t even transform into human form yet…….”
Mabel, knowing how severe Zigmund’s allergies were, didn’t press the matter hastily.
Yet to back down now meant leaving Winter, still in his beastman form, as a worry.
“No matter how good the family is that we give him to, there’s no guarantee he won’t be kidnapped again.”
Besides, beastmen as rare as Winter held significant value in the market.
“I shall send word to the Empress. Since she herself is a beastman, she will surely accept him.”
Zigmund was already drafting a letter to send to the Empress.
With that settled, there was nothing more to argue against.
In the end, Mabel had no choice but to return to her room empty-handed.
But.
“It’s not as if taking a little medicine is going to kill him…….”
“And the young lady’s so keen on it…….”
“Having a companion animal she’s responsible for is good for a child’s emotional development…….”
“Honestly, the Duke is busy with work, and the young masters are busy with their studies, so the young lady spends most of her time alone…….”
“She only ever plays with the servants—is that really fun…….”
In truth, the real obstacle was elsewhere.
“Feeding and dressing a child well is all we do…….”
“Can’t grant one wish the child asks for the first time, how petty…….”
“And the Earl’s heart is so narrow, what can we do…….”
It was the servants, who saw how deeply Mabel cherished Winter.
“The young lady smiling so brightly like that…… ah, there won’t be much time left now. Soon Winter will be going to the Imperial Palace.”
With Dain joining in as well, having suffered much at Winter’s hands, there was no way to hold out.
In the end, Zigmund relented with reluctant resignation and called Mabel to give his permission.
“Yes! I’ll take good care of him! We’ll get along wonderfully!”
“Fine…… but don’t get too close. You should maintain some distance. It’s alright if you keep a little apart.”
Though he couldn’t quite abandon his last hope.

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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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