Chapter 126
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Family Harmony Brings Prosperity
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“Ugh...”
Right after the family meeting ended, I was moved to a villa near the imperial palace and began receiving the utmost care, but even after several days, my cold showed no signs of fully clearing up.
'Nearly died there.'
Of course, the cold was a problem in itself, but what was far worse was the dramatically heightened attention from everyone.
Take good care of yourself.
Brush your teeth regularly and wash up properly...
On top of that, Big Sis System had been nagging me nonstop since earlier, which was starting to get on my nerves.
“So, what's the deal?”
I asked with a deliberately sulky expression.
Starting Chapter 4 Main Quest.
[Chapter 4 Main Quest]
Third Daughter's Favorability: 100 (95/100)
Second Daughter's Favorability: 100 (80/100)
Eldest Daughter's Favorability: 100 (90/100)
Astridje's Maternal Love: 100 (99.9.../100)
I stared blankly at the main quest that had ambushed me after a whopping two years, slowly opening my mouth as cold sweat trickled down.
There is a note.
The maximum favorability reachable through normal familial love is 80.
“...Huh?”
But before I could fully process it, a sinister chuckle came from beside me.
“Hehe...”
“Ah?”
“Fever still hasn't gone down, has it?”
I hurriedly closed the system window and turned my head, where familiar squinted eyes came into view.
“Uriel Sis?”
“My cute little brother.”
“What brings you here?”
Uriel Sis had somehow perched on the edge of my bed, stroking my head and leaning in even closer with a smile in her eyes.
“I brought some medicine so my darling little brother can recover quickly.”
Her whispered words were slightly touching, but there was one problem.
“Th-this is wine!”
“Black Rose, 50-year vintage. Mother's absolute favorite.”
“You want me to drink this?”
What she held out wasn't ordinary medicine, but top-shelf wine adorned with gold leaf.
“Yes, just one glass.”
“I-I'm only twelve!”
Naturally, I recoiled in horror, but Uriel Sis tilted her head with a puzzled look.
“Oh? You didn't know?”
“...?”
“For the Belverk clan, wine is like blood.”
As I listened to Sis's ensuing explanation, I narrowed my eyes skeptically.
“We're vampires to begin with—there's no way we'd get drunk on booze, right?”
“Ah...”
“Even the first Demon King used to smash wine on the ground to recharge his mana before dueling heroes.”
The more I heard, the more convincing it sounded, oddly enough.
“Come on, just a sip.”
“...”
“It'll warm you up from the inside and help you recover faster.”
Well, at this point, Uriel Sis wasn't about to poison me or anything.
“Thanks, Sis!”
With that thought, I decided to trust her, flashing a bright smile as I gulped down the red liquid from the wine glass she offered.
“Ufufu...”
Hm? But in the reflection of the wine glass, Uriel Sis's lips were split in a creepy grin...
“Got you.”
...Wait, what did she just say?
“Assemble! Everyone assemble!”
“Ugh?”
“S-scared me...”
About fifteen minutes later, in the small garden inside the villa.
“What the hell is it, waking us up and shit...”
“It's our day off.”
“Finally got some vacation...”
The Belverk maids, lounging lazily there, started rubbing their eyes and stirring at the shout of a pale-faced maid who burst in.
“...Young Master is rampaging!”
But that only lasted a moment. The eyes of the dispatched maids changed upon hearing the bad news.
“Oh, is today the Matriarch's rampage day?”
“C-can't miss that...!”
“No, that's not it!”
But just as the dust-covered, terrified maid was about to explain with a frustrated look,
“Yah!!!”
A situation needing no explanation unfolded right before their eyes.
“Hyah!”
“Ow.”
“Run, familiar!”
Uriel, with Kairen on her back, was crawling on the ground when she took a hit to the thigh, grimacing as she glanced downward.
“Yesss...”
Feeling the maids' gazes around her, she blushed and murmured softly.
“Move snappily!”
“Eek.”
“Fulfill your duty as a familiar!”
But after another slap from Kairen landed on her rear this time, Uriel hung her head low and began trembling.
- Trembling...
And after some time had passed.
“Haha... sorry.”
Uriel finally lifted her head, explaining the situation to the frozen maids with as calm an expression as she could muster, looking incredulous herself.
“I just wanted to get him drunk and mess around a bit...”
“...”
“Didn't think it'd be too much even for me... Eek.”
But before she could finish, Kairen—still riding her back with his face flushed—pinched her flesh, and she dropped her head again.
“Wh-what do we do?”
“But... this side of the Young Master isn't half bad...”
“...Wonder if he'd ride on my back too.”
Watching secretly, the maids blushed and muttered among themselves.
“Uhahaha...”
“...”
“Power... power's overflowing...”
Meanwhile, Kairen—staggering from his spinning vision but somehow maintaining perfect balance—started spouting nonsense.
“I'm the strongest!”
“Pfft.”
“Uhaha...”
“Still cute even when drunk...”
As he raised the wine bottle in his arms, spread his arms wide, and bellowed, laughter began to spread here and there.
“...Uhhehehe!”
At that reaction, Kairen grew even more excited and started frolicking—right then.
“Hey, little bro.”
“...Uhhe?”
“Won't you stop now?”
Uriel, who had kept her head down, suddenly addressed him in a chilling tone.
“Even so, this is crossing the line.”
“...”
“If you keep it up, I'll get seriously mad.”
With that, she turned her head slightly, her eyes tinged red as she glared sharply at Kairen.
“Uh...”
At Uriel's eerie aura, unseen in nearly two years, Kairen half-sobered and shrank back—right then.
Action Recommendation: Pull her hair.
- Grip...
Before he could properly assess the situation, still half-drunk Kairen had already removed Uriel's hairband and was tugging her long hair.
“Eut...”
A short groan escaped Uriel.
“Told you not to...”
A murmur even more chilling and venomous leaked from her lips.
Second Daughter's Favorability: 100 (85/100)
If that message hadn't freshly updated before his eyes, Kairen would have stopped too.
“...Hic.”
After staring at the message for a long while, Kairen—now completely sober—began hiccuping right then.
“...Miss.”
Meanwhile, back at the start—in Lilien's temporary quarters on the third floor of the imperial palace villa.
“Your expression hasn't been good these past few days.”
“...”
“Is something wrong?”
Her dedicated maid knelt on one knee before the blankly seated Lilien, gazing up at her mistress with sharp eyes as she asked.
“No, not exactly...”
“...”
“...Sigh, fine. Fine.”
Faced with the worry from one of her few friends and trusted ally, Lilien—who had tried to brush it off—finally sighed and revealed her true feelings.
“...Looks like Mother has decided on Kairen as the next Matriarch, doesn't it?”
At those words, her dedicated maid—after briefly averting her gaze—gave her honest opinion.
“Frankly speaking... I think so too.”
“...”
“The incident at the conference hall a few days ago was probably the Matriarch deliberately empowering Young Master Kairen.”
And the silence that followed for a moment.
“...So that's how it is.”
In that silence, Lilien's low voice echoed, causing her dedicated maid's expression to stiffen.
“Miss, I am your confidante.”
“...I know.”
“I know how much you've wanted the Belverk Matriarch position.”
Lilien quietly bit her lip at her ensuing words.
“So, if there's a chance, this year will be the last.”
Her eyes flashed red for an instant.
“If we let this year pass, Young Master Kairen's faction will be beyond what we can handle.”
“...”
“So, if you want to turn things around, now is the perfect time...”
Seeing that, her dedicated maid pressed on with even firmer conviction—right then.
“...I've been thinking it over carefully.”
Lilien suddenly cut her off, her reddened eyes returning to normal as she began to speak.
“Truth is, I'm not a pure-blood Belverk, am I?”
“...Miss!”
“It's fine. Crimson Eyes are active. No one's eavesdropping.”
Her dedicated maid tried to dissuade her mistress, who had abruptly revealed a secret unknown to anyone, but Lilien waved it off nonchalantly.
“Even if not pure-blood, you're still a Belverk who inherited the Demon King's power through contract...”
“No, that's not what I mean.”
Her dedicated maid looked at her mistress with pity and tried to comfort her, but Lilien cut her off again.
“...What I mean is, I'm not blood-related to that pure-blood brat.”
“Pardon?”
“So... there's exactly one way to claim Belverk without betraying the brat...”
Saying that much, Lilien paused and suddenly began squirming.
“If I and the brat... that... together...”
“...”
“...Ah, no. Forget it. I won't say.”
Her expression as she mumbled in a trembling voice was one her dedicated maid had never seen before, at least in her memory.
“...”
Thus, her dedicated maid stared at her mistress with a 'no way' look.
“But... rethinking it, it's not impossible...”
At Lilien's continued words, she momentarily doubted her own ears.
“Because... uh, strictly speaking...”
The remark from Lilien—who had her head fully bowed, fingers pressed together—was shocking enough to upend the entire Belverk house.
“...It's not incest, right?”
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