I’m The Male Lead’s Biological Daughter, But I Want To Live With The Second Male Lead! - Chapter 97

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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 97
* * *
“Are you really sure about this?”
[Don’t trust me?]
[Mabel. Me?]
“No, no. I do trust you, it’s just…….”
Despite her words, Mabel’s face was creased with worry as she gazed down at Zigmund.
The unconscious man’s features were twisted in apparent distress.
[It went down. Fever.]
[Right. My word.]
“Yeah, you were right. The fever did come down quickly, like you said.”
When Zigmund had collapsed, Mabel thought she would faint too.
She’d moved to call for help at once, but Winter had stopped her again.
It was best to leave him as he was, Winter had insisted—it was what Zigmund needed.
Waiting with half-doubt, the fever truly did break as Winter had promised, and now she was simply sitting vigil as Winter had advised.
Still, as Mabel couldn’t seem to shake her unease, Winter let out a sigh.
[No problem.]
[Wait.]
[Wake up.]
[Soon.]
[Trust me.]
“I understand…….”
Mabel answered listlessly and sank into a seat.
Once Winter saw that Mabel would not rush out, she padded over toward Zigmund’s prone form.
“Hm? What are you doing?”
[Check.]
Winter immediately seized the collar of Zigmund’s shirt.
Sharp fangs pierced through the thin fabric, and with a single violent motion, she tore it open.
“Oh no! If you’d just asked me, I would’ve undressed him!”
Mabel, startled, hurried to stop Winter.
But Zigmund’s shirt was already shredded beyond repair.
There was no hope of having the bedroom maids mend it.
Not that it mattered now.
“Ptui!”
Winter spat out the scrap of fabric caught between her teeth and looked toward Mabel.
[Don’t like.]
[Undress. Mabel.]
[Strange man.]
[Flirting forbidden.]
“What, what now?”
So taken aback, Mabel found herself completely speechless.
This creature couldn’t even speak properly, yet somehow picked up such vocabulary?
What on earth had she been listening to when she was with the poachers?
“The Guardian isn’t a strange man. And it’s not flirting—he’s my-!”
Mabel began to laugh it off absurdly, but her lips froze mid-word.
The truth was, a certain word had risen all the way to her throat, barely held back.
Father.
There had been moments like this before, several times now.
Each time, Mabel had forced out a different word instead.
One would think she’d gotten past this by now, yet still the wrong words kept threatening to spill out.
“Ahem! The Guardian isn’t a strange man.”
Mabel cleared her throat awkwardly and continued.
“He’s my teacher and Guardian.”
But it didn’t feel as difficult as it once had.
Perhaps it was because he was no longer merely a protective teacher, but now a legally recognized guardian?
‘That law keeping me tied to Asilonia is so incredibly irritating.’
Yet somehow, this particular law didn’t seem so bad.
“Anyway, why did you tear up the Guardian’s shirt?”
As Mabel asked, Winter jerked her chin toward Zigmund’s back with a sullen expression.
His shoulder was visible, blood seeping through the skin in a dark crimson stain.
Along with the clearly marked Subjugation Mark.
But something about it looked different.
“Huh?”
Mabel set Winter down and carefully wiped near the mark with the torn shirt.
Winter watched her movements with keen interest.
Fortunately, the bleeding had stopped.
Or rather, the opposite was true.
The wound that had seemed to bleed was gone.
“It’s not there… This part where it was marked, it’s disappeared!”
The mark had been half erased!
Seeing this, Winter exhaled sharply through her nose.
Like a deliberate harrumph.
“Winter, did you know this would happen?”
When Mabel turned to look, Winter was sitting with dignity.
With her head slightly raised and chest thrust forward, the fur there seemed to puff up a little.
[Superior.]
[Subjugation Mark.]
[Inferior. Crude work.]
[Subjugation Mark.]
[Partially destroyed.]
Mabel hung on Winter’s every word.
She didn’t want to miss a single syllable.
[But.]
[Didn’t know. Until I tried. To attempt.]
[Fortunate.]
Winter wagged her tail happily and let out a thin, delighted cry.
Hearing that sound, Mabel felt tears threatening to spill.
“Ahhhhh!!!”
Winter was so adorable she couldn’t bear it.
Heavens, she’d thought it was just a strange white lion spouting nonsense, with translator-like words floating above its head, but this was something else entirely!
Mabel immediately pulled Winter into an embrace and planted kisses frantically on the soft crown of her head.
“Oof!”
Startled, Winter’s tail puffed up instantly, though only for a moment.
Winter settled snugly against Mabel, wiggling her hindquarters.
Smack-smack-smack-smack!
Winter’s crown, small cheeks, soft muzzle, round ears, the back of her head.
Mabel kissed them all indiscriminately, raining affection everywhere.
Mabel laughed brightly, kissing Winter nearly hard enough to devour her.
“Thank you so much, Winter! You did so well!”
Her cheeks flushed pink with pure joy, and it was utterly lovely.
Winter watched Mabel, her tail trembling as it stood at attention.
Then, hesitating slightly as if weighing something, she leaned her body forward toward Mabel.
Mabel was watching carefully, wondering what Winter would do, when Winter’s eyes squeezed shut.
Soft.
The plush muzzle touched lightly against Mabel’s lower lip.
It was an extraordinarily careful kiss, her whiskers trembling with tenderness.
“…!”
At Mabel’s sudden flinch, Winter pulled back hastily.
[Sorry.]
[If you disliked it.]
An apology flooded forward above Winter’s still-closed head.
The suddenness of it might have upset her.
Perhaps she’d push Winter away, call her a beast.
Winter had held herself back precisely because she dreaded that most, but Mabel had been so unbearably cute just moments before.
Impossibly so—she simply couldn’t help but show her heart.
Yet was this still too hasty?
[Won’t do.]
[From now on.]
[Without permission.]
[Sorry.]
[An apology.]
Winter apologized again.
He was prepared to accept it even if Mabel said she’d sleep separately from now on.
Though of course he’d cling to her skirts and whine about it.
He’d sneak over to Mabel’s side and sleep with her anyway.
But contrary to Winter’s worries—
“Heh!”
Mabel seemed unbothered.
Rather, her cheeks had puffed up as if she were struggling to contain her laughter.
Like a butler who’d just witnessed the world’s most adorable act of aegyo and personal charm…….
Wait? That’s not the reaction he expected.
“You’re so cute I could die, seriously!”
Mabel pulled Winter into a crushing embrace and swayed from side to side.
“How are you so cute and smart at the same time!”
Clearly, Winter’s sincere sentiment hadn’t gotten through to her by even the tiniest fraction.
Well, Mabel was a bad woman who wouldn’t even take responsibility for the child in her own womb.
He’d been a fool to expect such a woman to appreciate his devotion.
Winter simply sighed deeply as he nestled against Mabel, who was rubbing her face against the back of his head.
There was still a long road ahead.
* * *
A short while later.
True to Winter’s word, Zigmund soon awoke.
“Guardian! Are you coming to your senses?!”
Mabel, matted with white lion fur, rushed to greet Zigmund.
At first glance, one might have mistaken Mabel herself for the white lion and had to look twice to be sure.
“Startling…….”
At least the shock had jolted him fully awake.
“But why are my clothes torn to shreds?”
“That, well…… ah, this isn’t the time for that!”
Mabel, catching on to something, hesitated before hastily changing the subject.
She then led Zigmund straight to the mirror.
Since it was obvious Winter was the culprit, Zigmund didn’t put up much resistance.
“Do you see? Here, right here!”
Besides, Zigmund had witnessed with his own eyes before losing consciousness that part of the Mark had vanished.
‘As I thought…….’
Before passing out, Zigmund had briefly considered it.
This burning sensation in his shoulder—Winter had surely done something to the Mark.
“Unbelievable…….”
Zigmund wiped away the dried blood and examined the Mark once more.
The circular Mark that had once been whole was now nearly half erased.
And erased so cleanly it looked as though there had never been a wound there at all.
“Ha…….”
Zigmund pressed his throbbing temple and looked toward Winter.
His head ached from fragments of memory that hadn’t yet settled into place.
It was likely due to recovering some of his memories now that the Mark had been partially removed.
Therefore, Zigmund found he could not help but ask Winter something now.
Zigmund questioned Winter, who sat on the floor sweeping the rug with his tail.
“You. You knew from the start that you were a Mystical Being, didn’t you?”
At his certainty-laden question, Mabel also turned to look at Winter.
Under the gaze of both of them, Winter simply stretched out flat on the floor and answered.
“Yep~”
Of course.

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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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