Chapter 59
Chapter 59
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: No Need for a Stepmom
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Dad, oblivious to my true feelings, stroked my hair and whispered.
“Won’t happen. Princess Anessa might drop by the family from time to time, though.”
“Huh?”
“...They’re calling it a marriage proposal, but don’t believe it. It’ll be over quick, so don’t think of her as a stepmom. She’ll just be some unrelated woman.”
This was Dad’s way of parenting.
Sharing information with me as an adult would.
Dad never dismissed me just because I was a kid.
He opened up about everything I was old enough to know.
From the info Dad shared, one thing was clear: he had no intention of marrying Princess Anessa.
But right now, that wasn’t a big issue for me.
“Hm. But Dad.”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t give up your whole life for me. Not that I want you to get married... but you’ve already sacrificed so much because of me.”
Even if she wasn’t a stepmom, I hoped Dad could enjoy some hobbies and see friends.
The moment I said that, Dad bit his lip hard.
“Our daughter’s already saying things like that... You’ve grown up so much.”
Dad’s eyes seemed to redden.
Oh no. Our soft-hearted Dad was about to burst into tears again... That’s what I was thinking when.
“It feels like just yesterday you couldn’t even talk, and now look at you, all grown up.”
Dad pulled me into a tight, flawless hug.
“U, ugh...!”
“Our daughter is Dad’s one and only pride.”
He squeezed me so hard I couldn’t speak, so I flailed around desperately.
“Mmph, mmph, can’t breathe-!”
But that didn’t last. Dad’s stubbly face kept rubbing my cheek, and I ended up bursting into giggles.
***
A few peaceful days passed.
Sien kept reviewing the resumes of mages applying to the trading company and held several interviews. Perhaps due to the drawback of it being a children’s trading company, they didn’t get applications from top-tier mages despite the fame.
Even so, looking over resumes was fun.
Just as Sien was getting hooked on the trading company work.
The palace formally requested a marriage proposal from Mathias Mirmod.
The intended partner was Princess Serena Anessa, the empire’s greatest beauty and daughter of the Empress.
And so... the union between the palace and the Mirmod family became a massive issue shaking the entire empire.
Yet the Mirmod family itself remained calm.
When the princess’s carriage arrived at the Mirmod estate, the family members weren’t particularly surprised.
Even if the palace and Mirmods were at odds, they still had some exchanges. Plus, the Mirmod family was always full of unimaginable events, so palace interactions didn’t feel that remarkable.
Watching the atmosphere quietly, the princess gave a faint, enigmatic smile.
Today was the day to meet Duchess Lukella and settle the marriage talk.
Entering the duchess’s mansion, the princess noticed it ran in a rather peculiar way.
For instance, the maids had a subtly bustling vibe. Like a house with a child in it. And they were chattering about Sien Mirmod, calling her “honey bun” and such.
‘People say Duchess Lukella has a slight interest in Sien Mirmod.’
Rumors about the Mirmod mansion rarely circulated. They were tightly controlled. But with Sien Mirmod’s trading company launch, whispers about internal Mirmod affairs started spreading.
Like how the nominal lady of the Mirmod house, Duchess Lukella, had a slight interest in Sien Mirmod.
‘Maybe it’s true that the duchess is interested in the child. Judging by the atmosphere...’
The princess was sharp. Naturally, she had researched Duchess Lukella’s temperament.
She entered the parlor the duchess had prepared, a faint smile on her lips.
Now it was time to act for her own goals.
“I greet the Duchess.”
Even in seclusion now, her aura was once said to be tiger-like, and it certainly was impressive. The princess bowed her head slightly, then lifted it to look at her.
Duchess Lukella then spoke softly.
“It’s been a while, Princess.”
“Yes, it has.”
The princess smiled beautifully, dimples forming at her mouth. The duchess stared intently, tilting her head slightly before speaking.
“Let’s get straight to it. You’ve put forward a marriage proposal.”
This was so Mirmod.
They weren’t gifted in social eloquence. Even Duchess Lukella, seasoned in high society, was the same. No need to hone rhetoric when people bowed to them anyway.
Hiding her twisted intentions, the princess maintained her pure expression.
“To be direct as well, I want to build a good relationship. With the Mirmods.”
The duchess hardened her mouth, sizing up the woman before her.
The princess wasn’t too young to not know what “good relationship” meant. So she must have come here resolved to marry Mathias no matter what.
In that moment, Duchess Lukella’s eyes narrowed.
“You really intend to marry Mathias?”
“Yes.”
“Even though he has a child? There’s no need for a princess like you to take the short end.”
“Oh my.”
The princess covered her mouth and laughed softly.
Her voice was still angelic.
“That child... I think I could raise well too?”
To the current Mathias Mirmod, the princess was the perfect choice.
But the duchess still suspected her.
Why would Serena Anessa, this beautiful woman with endless options, choose Mathias?
Duchess Lukella continued calmly.
“Mathias is.”
“I’ve met him once. He’s not particularly affectionate, but I don’t think he’d make a bad husband. He seems like a good man.”
Smiling lightly as she said it, Princess Anessa looked exactly like the kind angel people described.
But oddly, seeing that lovely face left a bitter taste.
‘I can’t shake the feeling she has some ulterior motive.’
And there was another concern.
Stepmothers don’t always abuse. But some do differentiate between their own child and others.
No telling what type this princess was.
Could a palace-raised princess truly be good to a little honey bun without a mother?
Anyone else would say Princess Anessa would be kind to everyone.
But Duchess Lukella was the type to tap even a stone bridge before crossing.
Especially when it came to her honey bun—she didn’t want even the slightest risk.
“Mathias Mirmod isn’t seriously considering the proposal.”
“Probably because of the child.”
Duchess Lukella didn’t deny it.
The princess, staring intently, spoke.
“In that sense... could I meet Sien?”
A lovely smile bloomed on her lips. But the duchess shook her head firmly.
“...Well, it’s only natural to ask Sien’s opinion about bringing in a stepmother.”
Princess Anessa bit her lip briefly.
She’d assumed saying she wanted to meet—as someone from the palace—would make it happen.
But things weren’t going as she’d planned.
‘Even Mathias’s marriage involves the child’s opinion? She might be a tougher opponent than I thought.’
It seemed Sien Mirmod wielded some influence in this house.
But it didn’t matter.
“Then please ask and let me know.”
She smiled beautifully, befitting her renowned fame.
She could break her with her own hands anyway.
***
I was playing house with Leonhardt and Acid when suddenly the maids started bustling about.
The princess had come looking for me. So if I didn’t want to meet her, I had to hide quick.
But I intended to meet that princess.
Princess Anessa—her intentions intrigued me.
“Hello, Sien Mirmod.”
At last, the princess entered the parlor gracefully.
I nodded my head toward her.
“I greet Your Highness the Princess.”
A picture-perfect smile formed on her lips.
Using her authority, the princess dismissed all the maids, choosing to be alone with me.
I quietly observed Princess Anessa’s actions. Neither stopping her nor supporting her.
I was a bit curious what this angelically beautiful woman would do to me.
‘Is she as kind as they say? Or bad for the Mirmods? Somehow feels like the latter.’
The princess didn’t deviate from my expectations.
Sitting across from me, the moment she realized we were alone, she dropped her angelic mask.
“You used a recording magic tool when tormenting Gabrielle, right?”
‘I never tormented Gabrielle.’
But she seemed to have heard everything as Melodia and Gabrielle’s friend. She pulled out a “recording nullification magic tool” from her bosom and grinned.
“Now you can’t pull any more tricks.”
“I’m not pulling any tricks.”
I really didn’t carry something like a recording magic tool.
I shrugged, and she crossed her legs, looking down at me arrogantly.
“I heard you’re a fake daughter.”
“No. I’m Dad’s real daughter.”
She scoffed sharply.
“As if. You’re from the slums, they say.”
This turn wasn’t what I expected.
I stared at the princess, at a loss for words.
I wasn’t a fake daughter—I was truly Dad’s daughter. But she clearly believed I was fake.
And she hated me.
Anyone who’s experienced hate can at least tell if someone likes or dislikes them.
And I could tell.
Serena Anessa Princess—the woman here to become Dad’s wife—hated me.
“It’s highly reliable info. So if I join the Mirmod family...”
She elegantly gripped her teacup with delicate fingers.
“I’ll have to verify you first, Sien Mirmod. Whether you’re real or not.”
I faced the princess’s transparent true feelings.
For me, it was actually a relief.
Thinking about it, the princess was like an upgraded Melodia. Unlike Melodia, who perfectly and beautifully hid her true self even from her enemies, pretending to be kind.
Her good-girl mask shattered before me.
‘She doesn’t even bother with a mask against a kid. Probably thought threatening a child would make me bow immediately.’
But I wasn’t an ordinary ten-year-old brat.
If Princess Anessa dropped her mask, I could just counter fairly.