Now This Family Belongs to My Mother Chapter 112

The strength in his large hand, which was wrapped around mine, increased. It gave me a sense of reassurance. But… This is the tangled thread that my foolish self from my past life created. I have to untangle it myself. I can’t rely on someone else again. It’s fine to accept help when necessary, but in the end, I have to do it with my own hands. More than anything, I still had many targets left. Even if I have to bring down his second son and the rest of his grandchildren, will he still stand by my side?

 

I simply smiled without giving an answer. In the meantime, the carriage arrived at the Blanche Mansion.

 

“Welcome. I’ve been expecting you.”

 

An unexpected person was waiting for me. Brown hair tied back in a long ponytail. A thin, frail body that seemed devoid of any muscle. And a single-lens monocle perched above eerie red eyes. The person I could never forget stood before me.

 

“Kobel, when did you return?” Hubert asked, surprised.

 

His second son knelt before him. “This unfilial son has wandered the world and only now returned. Please forgive me, Father.”

 

“Your expression doesn’t seem all that remorseful. I take it you enjoyed your travels.” Hubert, having calmed his initial shock, spoke rather coldly. It was understandable.

 

Kobel Blanche, the second son of the Blanche family. Since childhood, he had been obsessed with magic, living in a world of his own. After coming of age, he showed no interest in family affairs and roamed the world to learn new magic. This time as well, he had returned after months of wandering outside.

 

Of course that was just the surface of the story. What Kobel was researching wasn’t just any magic, but black magic. The purpose of his travels was to find a way to make Gale the master of the divine beast. And he had been doing so with Gale’s support. Since it was impossible through normal means, he must have been studying black magic while searching for a way to make Gale the master of the divine beast. But he returned later than I expected.

 

After Gale found himself cornered, he likely couldn’t send any more funds. There wouldn’t have been any other source of money either. Kobel’s worn and tattered clothes, reflecting the hardships of his travels, were proof of that. No one would think he was the second son of the Blanche family.  He must have returned only now because Gale contacted him after being driven into a corner.

 

I could vividly recall Kobel’s face, as if it were just yesterday, when he trapped Phoenix and me inside the magic circle and reveled in it. How had that cruel man placed a curse on Mother? What kind of expression did he have when he killed her? Just thinking about it made my blood run cold.

 

At that moment, Kobel stood up with a surprised look. “Father, who is the one beside you?” He approached me quickly.

 

Suppressing the nausea rising within me, I greeted him. “Uncle Kobel, hello. It’s a pleasure to meet you. My name is Epirosa Blanche.”

 

“Epirosa Blanche?” Corbel feigned ignorance as he glanced at Hubert.

 

There’s no way he wouldn’t know me. He must have heard everything through Gale and Stella. But officially, this was our first meeting.

 

“She is Leonoe’s daughter.”

 

“Ah, Leonoe! Father, how is she doing?” Kobel asked with a face full of concern, as if he truly cared about the sister he had cursed.

 

“She’s doing well at the mansion.”

 

“You brought her to the mansion? That was a wise decision.” He spoke as if he were just now learning of this. His acting was quite convincing. Kobel then smiled and extended his hand to me. “Let’s get along, Epirosa.”

 

Hiding my hatred, I took Kobel’s hand with an innocent expression. His hand was cold and slippery. “I look forward to your guidance as well, Uncle.” Which made it feel like the tongue of a snake.

 

* * *

Kobel opened the door to his room. It had been so long that the room felt unfamiliar. Was my room always this luxurious? While traveling, even staying in a shabby inn felt like a luxury. There were many times he had to sleep in a rented stable or just camp out in the open. Still, it had been enjoyable. He had been able to study black magic to his heart’s content. He also discovered various materials he could test on divine beasts. The unfortunate part was that his test subject, Gale, was now locked up in prison.

 

I should have come back a bit earlier. Kobel regretted it. But what’s done is done. I need to find another way. Leaving his room, Kobel’s steps stopped in front of Epirosa’s room.

 

Hubert had spoken earlier.

 

“Both I and our Epirosa are very tired. Let’s save the long talk for another time. Epirosa, I’ll send the doctor to you, so take care of your body first.”

 

Our Epirosa…

 

Hubert’s eyes were filled with affection as he looked at Epirosa. It was the same gaze he used to have when he looked at Leonoe back when she was fine. Kobel’s lips drooped. I knew it. He had known that once Hubert realized Epirosa’s true worth, he would come to cherish her.

 

Who was Epirosa, after all? Her mother was Leonoe Blanche, who strongly resembled Hubert, the master of a divine beast. And her father was a descendant of the fallen magic dynasty.

 

That’s why we kept her under us, planning to use her. But to think even Gale and Stella had failed. The frustration was unbearable.

 

If it were Epirosa, she would have been able to steal plenty of ‘items’ for testing on divine beasts in my place. He wanted to see her ability to struggle and still accomplish things to the end. If she inherited her parents’ abilities, she could accomplish even the most difficult tasks. The fact that she survived so tenaciously, despite having only a deranged biological mother due to a curse, was proof of that. Kobel had planned to enjoy her abilities to the fullest and then use her as a test subject in the end.

 

It can’t be helped. I’ll have to revise the plan. Kobel simply couldn’t give up on this fascinating test subject. He consoled himself as he moved his steps. The place Kobel headed to was Stella’s room.

 

“Uncle, why have you only come now!”

 

Nicholas was also in the room.

 

“If you took my father’s money, you should’ve come sooner to help!” He whined and shouted at Kobel.

 

What an idiot. Annoying. Though Kobel thought like that, he smiled kindly on the outside. “Sorry for being late. I didn’t expect something like this to happen. Can you explain to me exactly what happened?” Instead of the agitated Nicholas, he turned his gaze to Stella.

 

Stella spoke with a displeased expression. “Father tried to kill Epirosa but failed and got caught. Ah, seriously, why did he even attempt something  he couldn’t succeed at?” Her voice was hysterical.

 

Kobel nodded as he sat across from her. “Yeah, if it’s our Stella, you wouldn’t have messed things up. You did well keeping yourself out of your father’s affairs too.”

 

At Kobel’s praise, Stella felt her irritation subside. Although she looked down on Kobel for being the second, obsessed only with magic, at the same time, there were a few who catered to her as much as he did.

 

“You’re saying she did well by not getting involved in Father’s affairs?!”

 

With Nicholas spouting nonsense like this beside her, the comparison became even starker.

 

“We need to protect Father! We have to get him out of prison as soon as possible!”

 

“Nicholas, I’ll handle that. You just focus on protecting your younger sister.”

 

“It’d be a miracle if my brother stopped doing weird things. I can take care of myself.” Stella spoke haughtily.

 

Seeing her brazen attitude, Kobel’s lips curled into a smile. It was time to bring up the main topic. “By the way, Stella, how did things go wrong with Epirosa?”

 

He had expected it, but Stella’s face twisted instantly.

 

“What do you mean by ‘go wrong’?! Who was the one who lashed out and tormented me when I was just trying to be nice!” She poured out her grievances as if she’d been waiting for this moment. “Uncle said Epirosa was a child starved for affection, and that if I treated her kindly, she’d come around to me! You said if I told her to crawl on the ground, she’d crawl, and if I told her to lick my feet, she’d do it!”

 

Stella couldn’t hold back her anger as she recalled everything that had happened. “So I did as Uncle said and treated Epirosa well, but what happened? She looked down on me, took my parents away, and that’s not all! She trampled on my honor, which was once the little flower of society!” She was trembling with rage, her shoulders shaking as she fumed.

 

Kobel furrowed his brows as if he felt sorry. “There must have been some misunderstanding in the process. If only you could understand Epirosa’s feelings a little more…”

 

“Understand? What is there to understand? Uncle, wake up! Epirosa is a demon, a demon!” Stella shouted at the top of her lungs.

 

There’s no convincing her. If only she had done a better job. Kobel silently criticized Stella in his mind. But that was all. With a gentle expression, he changed the subject. “By the way, what happened to that handsome young lord you briefly paired with Epirosa before?”

 

“Ah, you mean Maddux?” Nicholas snickered as he jumped into the conversation.