Now This Family Belongs to My Mother Chapter 113

“He ran off to the countryside but, for some reason, came back to the capital. Now he’s completely ruined, addicted to gambling. What a pathetic guy!”

 

“…”

 

You’re not much better yourself. And the fact that you’re pathetic without even being addicted to gambling makes you a step above him. Once again, Kobel kept his true thoughts about his nephew to himself.

 

If only that Maddux guy had been better at sweet-talking Epirosa, things might have turned out differently. That way, it would have been easier to treat Epirosa like a sl*ve. Guess there’s no choice. Kobel’s eyes narrowed. I have no choice but to reel Epirosa in myself.

 

Fortunately, Epirosa had a fatal weakness. Her cursed mother, Leonoe. If I use Leonoe, Epirosa won’t have any other options.

 

* * *

Drip, drip… Rotten water, from who knows where, dripped down from the ceiling. The faint dawn light seeping through the small window illuminated Gale’s face, which had been hit by the filthy water.

 

“Goddamn it, what the hell is this now!”

 

Gale, who had barely fallen asleep after being tormented by bugs and rats, got up angrily. In just a few days, his face had become a mess. His cheeks were gaunt, his hair disheveled, and dirt was smeared all over him. His sleeves and pant legs were torn from his frantic struggles. He looked no different from a beggar on the streets.

 

Growl…! Even in the midst of everything, his stomach dutifully reminded him of his hunger. All Gale had eaten today was a piece of hard bread. Even so, he had refused at first, shouting, “How could someone like Gale Blanche eat something like this!” Only when he was on the verge of starving to death did he finally start eating it. Now, he desperately wanted even that hard piece of bread.

 

Bang! Bang! Unable to endure it any longer, Gale pounded on the wall. “Hey! Give me something to eat! I’m starving to death here! If Gale Blanche dies of hunger before receiving his judgment, you b*stards won’t get away with it either!”

 

At that moment, a piece of bread flew out from the darkness. The bread slipped through the bars and landed on the filthy floor.

 

“He, hehe! Bread!”

 

But Gale, oblivious to the filth, devoured the piece of bread in a frenzy. As he busily chewed, someone slowly approached him.

 

“…?”

 

Gale, belatedly sensing the presence, lifted his head. The silhouette was familiar. The corner of his mouth, unkempt with scruffy facial hair, twitched.

 

“S-Stella? You’ve finally come to rescue your father…”

 

“Are you feeling full now, Uncle?”

 

A clear, crisp voice echoed through the filthy prison. Gale’s face froze solid.

 

“Do you really think you can fill your stomach with bread like that?”

 

The person standing before him wasn’t his daughter.  Gale stammered, his voice trembling as he shouted.

 

Epirosa smiled with an air of elegance. Today, she seemed even more noble than usual. The thought of having scavenged scraps of bread like a dog in front of someone like her made his face burn with shame.

 

“Y-You… vile creature! Once I get out of here, I won’t let you off so easily!” Gale tried to mask his humiliation by lashing out in anger.

 

Epirosa looked down at her uncle with a gaze that seemed almost pitying. It was a humiliating look.  “This niece of yours paid the guards a hefty sum to sneak in here, worried you might be suffering from hunger. But you’re being so ungrateful.” Her voice was as clear as a pristine lake. But that lake was frozen solid, a winter lake so cold that not even a crack could form.

 

“Cut the disgusting act! After putting me in this state, you still want to pretend you’re some kind of saintess?”

 

“Then what should I do? Should I twist your limbs right here and now?” Epirosa retorted coldly. In that moment, an overwhelming bloodlust emanated from her. It felt as if a sharp blade was pressed against his throat, and Gale’s body trembled uncontrollably.

 

“Y-You… Why do you hate me so much!” Gale shouted as if he were being wronged.

 

Does he really not know?

 

It was absurd.

 

“You tried to kill me twice, uncle.”

 

“So you did all this because I tried to kill you?”

 

“No.” Epirosa stared directly into Gale’s sly eyes. “You put a curse on my mother.”

 

“…!” Gale flinched. But soon, he yelled furiously. “Don’t lie! You only found out about that at the Blanche Theater! But you were already trying to trap me before that!”

 

“…” Epirosa silently looked at Gale. For some reason, the fact that she wasn’t angry was terrifying.

 

Growing anxious, Gale reached his hand through the bars. “What do you want? The family? I’ll hand it over as much as you like! So ask Father to save me!”

 

“…”

 

“If you do… I’ll tell you how to cure your mother!” It was his desperate trump card. He knew Epirosa cherished her mother deeply.

 

As expected, Epirosa took a step closer to Gale. The corners of Gale’s lips curled upward.

 

“So, have you finally decided to make a deal with me?”

 

Pfft. But what Gale received in return was a cold sneer.

 

“It seems you’re misunderstanding something.” Epirosa’s blue eyes flickered like the highest temperature of a flame. “What you should be doing isn’t making a deal, but begging.”

 

“!”

 

“Seeing as you still don’t know your place, it seems there’s nothing more to discuss.” Epirosa scoffed and turned away.

 

“W-Wait…!” Gale desperately stretched out his hand. But his wicked grasp couldn’t reach Epirosa, who had already left.

 

* * *

A cold wind blew through. Winter was coming. The girl with green eyes brushed her fluttering golden hair back and clasped her cold hands together. Even in the freezing weather, she didn’t seem to have any intention of going inside. Her gaze was fixed on Epirosa, who was taking a walk with Leonoe. At Epirosa’s side was her personal maid, Britlyn, and the head maid, Mizulin.

 

An hour ago, she was having tea with Sir Benjamin, the chief aide. It was remarkable. Epirosa had promoted Mizulin, who was once a nobody, to the position of head maid. And she had managed to win over Benjamin, the notoriously difficult chief aide. She had made both the one responsible for the household affairs and the one who closely assisted the head of the family her confidants. And all of this within less than a year after joining the family.  To achieve such feats with a face that still carried the innocence of youth… It wasn’t just impressive, but terrifying.

 

If it’s Epirosa, maybe she could help me too. The girl bit her lip.

 

At that moment, someone approached Epirosa.

 

“!”

 

It was Kobel Blanche. With his characteristic eerie smile, he spoke to Epirosa. He acted gently in his own way, but he was utterly revolting. However, Epirosa listened to him with a bright smile on her face.

 

She really shouldn’t be doing that… Epirosa still didn’t know what a horrifying monster that man was.

 

“We can continue this conversation later. I should go first.”

 

Thankfully, Epirosa ended the conversation early. Watching Epirosa walk away, she lowered her head and let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness…”

 

“Juliet, what are you doing here?”

 

Thud! Juliet froze in place, still bent over. When did he notice her presence?

 

“My dear daughter, your father has missed you so much. I couldn’t see you yesterday because you said you were unwell.” Kobel’s eerie laughter poured down over Juliet’s head.

 

When she finally managed to lift her head, her face was filled with disgust. It was a vivid expression rarely seen on her usually stoic face.

 

“Why that face?”

 

“Do you really have to ask?”

 

Hearing her words, Kobel let out a sinister laugh, as if something had just occurred to him. “Don’t worry. I won’t lay a hand on you.”

 

“…”

 

“I do possess something called fatherly love, after all.”

 

“You expect me to believe that? The feelings of a father who even used his own wife?”

 

Juliet remembered it as clearly as if it were yesterday. The day her mother disappeared. That day, her parents were fighting in their room. Young Juliet crouched outside the door, straining her ears to listen.

 

“Not Juliet, my daughter cannot be involved!”

 

Her mother’s shouting voice echoed from inside the room.

 

What can’t I be involved in?

 

“Then you do it instead!”

 

“Kyaaak!”

 

Her mother’s scream, sharp enough to tear apart the air, echoed from inside the room. Startled, Juliet flung open the door and entered. All that remained was the wrecked room, her father, and a red magic circle smeared with ashes.

 

After that day, this monster gained the ability to use black magic. There was no doubt he had sacrificed her mother to obtain the power of black magic.

 

“I told you that was a misunderstanding.” However, Kobel was shameless. “You didn’t see anything, did you?” He even smiled as he spoke. “Your mother left because she couldn’t control her anger after fighting with me. She abandoned you, you know.”

 

Kobel looked his daughter up and down, as if he were evaluating her. “You’ve grown a lot. You even look healthy. If you’ve grown this much, then now you can—”

 

“Uncle Kobel!”

 

It was then. A clear voice belonging to Epirosa came from behind Kobel.