I Will Become Your Family
The sensation of the young girl’s soft cheek burned against my palm with a sharp slap, followed by a heavy thud.
Damn it.
A wave of disgust rose inside me at the realization that I had struck a child.
“Whoa! As expected of Brother Leon! The blood of the Leonhardt Ducal family really is on another level! To knock that bitch down with a single blow—you’re incredible!”
Even if he’s only an older brother in name, the way he reacts after hitting his own sister is pathetic.
Inside the attic of the Bilman Barony’s modest mansion, a pig-like boy clung to my side, giggling as if we were the best of friends.
His name was Hambur Bilman.
The son of a nouveau riche family who had purchased their baron title with money after starting out as merchants supplying ingredients to the duchy.
Normally, there would have been no reason for me—the eldest son of a prestigious ducal house—to set foot in such a shabby place.
Yet this upstart family had been currying favor by supplying every crop from their barony to the Leonhardt Duchy at half price.
The usual response would have been an elegantly worded letter that essentially said, I understand your intentions, so consider yourself part of the noble faction from now on.
Instead, they had sent an invitation claiming they wished to host me.
Father, who knew my original temperament well, had been ready to decline.
But the invitation had caught my bored eye, and I threw a tantrum until they let me come.
The anxious faces of my parents as they watched me leave still lingered in my mind.
I really did have a terrible personality, didn’t I…
After a surprisingly decent meal, I had chatted with the little pig.
He mentioned there was a useless commoner girl in the house and offered to let me take a look.
I followed without much thought and found a rather pretty child, though she was filthy.
Then the pig suddenly kicked her in the stomach.
While I stood there in discomfort, the girl—who had been crying out in pain—vomited, and some of it splattered onto my pants.
Before I regained the memories of my past life, I had been a neurotic clean freak and a horrific authoritarian.
In short, a complete spoiled brat.
A childish fool whose body moved before his brain could catch up.
That had been me.
So I slapped the cheek of a child who looked like she had no place left to be hit—and in that instant, I awakened to the possession.
Beautiful pink hair that still held its luster despite the grime. Golden eyes that glowed even in the dim room.
It was unmistakably the female protagonist, Ester.
She looked exactly like the illustrations from the novel I had read multiple times.
Ester was staring at me with eyes full of terror.
Her swollen, reddened cheek stood out with painful clarity.
Even though I was the one who had hit her, a surge of pity and guilt washed over me.
I squeezed my eyes shut and slapped my own cheek as hard as I could.
Slap—
That hurts…
How much pain must this small child have endured?
A far louder crack than before filled the tiny attic.
The metallic taste of blood seeped from my slightly torn lip.
Ester’s fear turned to shock as she looked at me. The little pig grabbed my collar and yanked.
“B-Brother…! Why did you suddenly—!”
Thwack—
“Aaaack!”
I struck him with my fist instead of my palm.
“O-Older brother…?”
The heroine was visibly confused, unable to comprehend the sudden shift.
To think she had to call a bastard like him “older brother.” What a heartbreaking child.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
His face remained annoyingly intact despite the solid hit. No wonder the impact had felt so soft—his cheeks were padded with fat.
“Even if you are the eldest son of a ducal family, to assault me without any reason—”
“Hambur Bilman. You dare bring me to a place like this and force me to commit violence?”
“W-What are you talking about? I only meant to show you that piece of trash… It was entirely your own decision to—”
“Silence. The very act of calling a person ‘trash’ reveals your disgusting character.”
“B-But the information guild said that Brother Deon hates commoners…”
To cowardly throw facts in my face.
Until a moment ago it had been true, so I couldn’t deny it.
But now that my past-life memories had returned, things were different.
“You dared to investigate me—Leon Leonhardt, eldest son of the Leonhardt Ducal family?”
“T-That’s not—! No, I’m sorry! I apologize for my sin!”
Hambur scrambled to his feet and fled, wiggling his fat backside as he ran.
At least he knew how to read the room. If he had stayed any longer, I would have beaten him properly.
“U-Um… excuse me… who… who are you?”
A small, trembling voice like a frightened animal came from behind me.
Ester, who had witnessed the entire scene, was looking up at me with worried eyes.
“Th-That’s not important right now… Mother will be furious if she comes. You should leave while you still can—ah…”
My heart aches so badly I feel like I’m going to lose my mind.
I’ve always been weak to good children. Especially ones who have been abused through no fault of their own.
And here she was, telling the very person who had just slapped her to run away for her own safety.
I stepped closer and gently wiped the vomit from her cheek with my handkerchief.
“It’s… it’s dirty… you’ll ruin your handkerchief…”
“It’s not dirty. If anything, I’m sorry for pressing something I’ve already used against your face.”
“N-No… I’m the one who’s dirty and useless…”
“No. You are neither dirty nor useless. I’m the trash for doing something like this. Let me apologize first. What is your name, child?”
“Es… Ester.”
“Ester. What a lovely name. I am Leon, eldest son of the Leonhardt Ducal family. I sincerely apologize for striking your cheek. I even slapped my own to show my remorse—won’t you forgive me?”
“Ducal family…? I’m sorry… I don’t really understand ranks. But an apology…? To slap yourself because of someone like me… I don’t deserve that kind of treatment…”
Fuck. How on earth did they treat her to make her react like this?
She didn’t even know basic social ranks. It seemed they hadn’t given her any education at all.
“No, Ester. I have a condition called mysophobia. No matter how hard I try, I can’t seem to overcome it. Your vomit accidentally splashed onto my pants, and my body reacted before I could stop it. I am truly, deeply sorry.”
Ester’s eyes widened into perfect circles at my repeated apologies.
She really did look like a baby rabbit.
Her body was still trembling, as though she couldn’t believe my words.
What a pitiful child.
I reached out slowly and stroked her hair with careful fingers. Her small frame flinched violently.
Her trembling pupils stayed fixed on me for a moment, then gradually softened as the tension melted from her gaze.
It seemed my touch wasn’t unwelcome.
A poor, kind child who grew up without receiving any love.
In the original romance fantasy, Ester was loved by the Crown Prince, the Grand Duke of the North, a foreign king, and the Master of the Magic Tower.
The difference from typical stories was how often she appeared burdened or outright rejected their advances rather than feeling excited by them.
That’s why it received so much hate.
It must have been the natural reaction of someone who had never received love before—feeling burdened by it.
Later in the story she gradually grew accustomed to affection and began to smile. That part had been heartwarming.
Yes. Since I’ve possessed this body anyway, I should shower her with love, raise her properly, and give her the happy ending she deserves.
I withdrew my hand from her hair and stood up.
“Ah…”
She seemed startled by the sudden loss of warmth.
I met her eyes, smiled gently, and offered my hand.
“Stand up, Ester. Let’s leave this room and come with me. I will become your family.”
“…Family? But I’m already… this house’s daughter.”
Ha. Some family.
“I’m not talking about a fake family like that. I mean a real one. I may be the ugly person who just struck your delicate cheek, but my feelings are sincere. I will never hurt you again. I will never make you cry. I will never break your heart. I will become your true family and make you happy, Ester.”
“Real… family…?”
Anxiety flickered in her trembling golden eyes.
She must have learned the word “family” in this garbage dump of a place.
“Yes, a real family. So please, will you give me the chance to become one? If you take my hand, I’ll take it as your consent. If not—”
Bang!!
The baroness burst through the door with a violent slam.
And just when the conversation was getting somewhere.
My expression hardened.
“Young Master Leon!! Did you truly use violence against my son?! No matter how important the eldest son of a ducal family may be, to commit violence against the son of the house that invited you! What is this barbaric—”
“That’s enough.”
I like children.
Pure, untainted, adorable children.
“Does the Bilman Barony dare to raise its voice at me—Leon Leonhardt, the one and only eldest son of the Leonhardt Ducal family?”
But I absolutely loathe narrow-minded adults who are already set in their ways and refuse to listen.
I turned and slowly walked toward the pig-like woman who was glaring at me.
“Moreover, you call me barbaric? The wife of a worthless family that bought its noble title with money dares to lecture me?”
The baroness flinched, sensing that something had gone terribly wrong.
Yet her eyes still burned with resentment toward me.
“You must have lost your mind.”
‘You useless bitch! They said you had talent for magic, so why can’t you use it? Why?!’
‘Food? Don’t make me laugh. You can’t even pay for your own meals—what food?! No food until you can use magic!’
‘Oh, my beloved son. Use that worthless piece of trash to vent your anger whenever you’re upset. You’re already doing that? How clever of you.’
‘Do you want to go back to the orphanage?! Hurry up and clean! You useless, ignorant bitch! If you can’t do it properly, I’ll send you back to the orphanage… No, I’ll sell you to a brothel. Go roll your body to survive and maybe you’ll learn some gratitude!’
Stupid woman. This is exactly why people need to be educated.
Ester truly did possess magical talent. Enormous talent, in fact.
But magic could only be used in a calm, comfortable state of mind.
It was impossible in an environment steeped in abuse like this.
“A person must know their place, feel gratitude for what they possess, and live with moderation. They must know how to share love. Baroness. Are you upholding even one of these principles?”
“…Stop changing the subject! No matter if you are a child of the ducal family, this rudeness is—”
“Rudeness? First of all, you don’t know your place. Whatever someone of ducal blood does to the likes of your barony could never be considered rude. Even if I kicked your shin and slapped your cheek right now.”
“Such vulgar words…! And interrupting someone mid-sentence—the Leonhardt family’s education must be just as poor as—”
“You cannot even be grateful for what you have. Your current words are an insult to the ducal family. Even if I took your life a hundred times over, no one could complain. You do not keep moderation, and judging by the small child behind you, you clearly do not know how to share love either.”
“Th-That lowly bitch, why are you suddenly bringing her—”
“No. She is no longer lowly. Because from today onward, that child will become the adopted daughter of the Leonhardt Ducal family.”
The baroness’s eyes widened in pure shock.
If Ester had looked like a small rabbit, this woman looked like an ugly, aged pig bloated with fat and wrinkles.
“Therefore, bring me the adoption papers for the child at once.”
I released my aura, directing it solely at the baroness.
It was thanks to being born into the family renowned as the Empire’s Sword and training diligently since the age of six.
Shock turned to fear. Fear turned to deference.
The baroness’s arrogance crumbled.
Her eyes, which had been staring directly at me, dropped to the floor. Her entire body began to tremble.
Had it been a proper aura, she would have fainted, but this was the limit of what I could control for now.
“Then I shall spare your life.”
The baroness fled with surprising speed for someone of her size.
It annoyed me that she left without answering, but she must have understood.
I turned back to Ester.
The child was staring at me with a dazed expression, as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
I approached slowly and offered my hand once more.
“Ester, I’m sorry for calling you family without even asking. I’ll give you another chance. If you take my hand, we will be family from this day forward. If not, I will help you find a better place to live.”
A jewel-like tear slid down Ester’s cheek.
Her tightly pressed lips parted like a blooming flower, and a small, pitiful voice trembled in the air.
“…Will you… really give someone like me… happiness?”
“Of course. I will make you happier than you can possibly imagine.”
“…Bread and clean water too?”
“I will provide magnificent meals that fill your stomach to bursting at every single one, along with sweet drinks. Of course there will be clean water and soft, moist bread. For now, since you appear malnourished, you’ll start with delicious porridge.”
“…You won’t abandon me again… or s-sell me to a brothel… right?”
“Of course not, Ester. If one day you wish to leave our family, I will let you go. But unless that happens, I will never abandon you or send you to such a wretched place. The Leonhardt Duchy is wealthy enough to spend money for a lifetime and still have plenty left.”
“Why… why would you make such an offer to a child like me…?”
She was so wounded that she couldn’t accept even this golden proposal.
If left like this, Ester would continue suffering miserable treatment until she turned fourteen.
After that, the little pig would awaken to lust and try to lay his hands on her.
Unable to endure it, Ester would make the desperate decision to run away.
Disgusting little pig. I should have hit him one more time.
Fortunately, she would later meet a kind couple on the streets and survive…
But for the pitiful commoner heroine, a cruel fate would continue until the very end.
“Because you have the right to be loved, Ester.”
I wanted to become a good family for her. A solid support she could always lean on.