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Chapter 24

Welcoming the family (2)

My biological father’s family, the Marquis of Abedes, was one of the most high-ranking nobles in the Empire.

To the extent that my mother, Caitlyn, begged to stay with him, and he casually tossed her a huge fortune and said, ‘take this and leave’.

Perhaps if I got a title and was recognized as a member of them, I would have the right to inherit and become really wealthy.

The problem was that even the Marquis of Abedes knew that well.

They were annoyed, rather than impressed, that I was trying so hard to win a swordsmanship contest.

“Can we talk for a moment?”

Richard, the eldest son of the Marquis Abedes, who was tall and wore round glasses, spoke kindly with his arms crossed.

“With family.”

Family…

I blinked my eyes involuntarily.

‘Is it true that you and I are tied together at once?’

‘Are you sane?’

“Right, I was going to visit you, but I didn’t know that we would meet like this today.”

Elburn, the second son of the Marquis Abedes, who was next to Richard, also smiled and held out his hand.

“Your father wants to see you too. Let’s go see him.”

Both Richard and Elburn were young men who were winning and growing in the Empire.

Their lavender hair, like mine, was well-groomed, and their blue eyes, which were a little paler than mine, elongated like almonds.

I knew that they were quite popular because of their good looks.

In particular, Richard Abedes was the second male lead of the original.

He was also the right arm of Prince Kalon, the final villain.

He was quite capable, for he was a person who was good at various schemes.

He was popular with a small number of readers who liked love-hate relationships but…

Since that person was my half-brother, the story would be different.

“Yes, I‘ll go.”

I smiled and got up quietly.

Even Robert, Ian, and Braden seemed to want to say something to me, but in the end they just let me go.

“Go.”

I had already spoken with the three rich men of the Marquis’s family.

It was said that I already knew enough about how they thought of me from a young age.

In other words, it was not enough to just send them away quietly.

~*~

When I was 14, it was the first day I participated in a swordsmanship competition.

The swordsmanship contest was a huge event for anyone.

It was played in a tournament format over several days, and I lightly beat my opponents in less than five minutes in every match until I reached the quarterfinals.

Reid and Caitlyn said excitedly at the draw.

“Who would have known that Aaron Rainfield would lose the first round? Even at the age of 12, I was a little worried about him using his small body with sly moves.”

Aaron Rainfield was one of the candidates we expected to be very difficult to beat.

I was worried that I might lose in a ridiculous way if I ran into him, but the match was like a fantasy.

Aaron’s first opponent was Ian Wade, and he was eliminated immediately.

“Besides, if this goes on, Ian Wade will meet you in the final.”

Reid said, pointing to the name Ian.

It was my first time participating in a swordsmanship competition, but his name was something many people were interested in as a ‘genius of swordsmanship’.

With that background, he deserved attention from the time he was born.

“Being the son of the Wade family, it won’t be easy, but…still, Annabelle, you should do your best. There is nothing that can defeat human desperation.”

“Yeah, Ian is the heir to the duke, so he doesn’t need to earn a title like that. So, won’t you win more easily than expected?”

Caitlyn ruffled my hair and smiled broadly.

“My pretty daughter, if you get the title like this and be recognized as a member of the Marquis of Abedes, your mother will be very happy.”

The fourteen-year-old me clenched my sword and nodded.

Caitlyn’s blatant discrimination against me and my brother, Reid, was something I continued to feel.

But she believed that if I won first place, everyone would treat me warmly.

The smile she made as she hugged me when I showed her talent in swordsmanship was brighter than ever.

“Then your mom and brother, our Annabelle… The three of us can live happily like this.”

She whispered to me warmer and sweeter than ever.

“Reid and I will do our best to support you, so do your best too.”

Every time I beat someone, they really rejoiced.

There was no room to doubt that the cheering was sincere, even if it was unclear whether it was for me or for the marquis’s property.

“If you inherit your share from your biological father in advance, I’ll take good care of us. Then you don’t have to live as hard as you do now.”

In fact, it felt like I was the only one who had a hard time, but I nodded at her words unconditionally anyway.

Somehow, I wanted Caitlyn to smile at me kindly as she did then.

I was sure Caitlyn would love me if I won first place. I was her daughter after all.

For a lonely child like how I was, I was even desperate to the point of rationalizing my mistakes to please people.

After some matches, I went to the bathroom alone and got lost and wandered around in the audience for a while.

Then, I ran into unexpected people.

Marquis Abedes and his two sons, Richard and Elburn.

Neither Richard nor Elburn participated in the swordsmanship competition because they were not swordsmans, but they came to see it because it was the best event in the Empire.

I was just on my way back from winning the semifinals, so only the final was left.

Therefore, everyone had no choice but to know that I existed.

Annabelle Nadit, the illegitimate daughter of Marquis Abedes, a 14-year-old commoner where no one expected to reach the final.

Versus.

The only son of Duke Wade, who was already well-known for his swordsmanship and was predicted to win.

The fact that two 14-year-olds would compete in the final competition, which allowed them to participate until the age of 24, was also a topic of conversation, but even that combination was interesting.

Marquis Abedes’ gaze briefly swept me from head to toe.

I had peered at him on the street, but I had never met him like that before.

“Hmph.”

Marquis Avedes slowly opened his mouth.

I couldn’t believe back then that he talked to me like that.

My heart pounded just in case he’d recognize me for making it to the finals.

“You don’t even look like me.”

That was it.

Marquis Abedes bluntly threw one sentence and walked past me.

But I couldn’t argue with that either.

In fact, the only thing I looked like to the rather sharp-looking Abedes people was my light purple hair.

My blue eyes could also be similar, but the color of the eyes of the Marquis was definitely lighter than mine.

My fingers twisted in embarrassment as Richard talked to me.

“You must be Annabelle Nadit.”

I swallowed my dry saliva while looking at Richard’s face.

A completely different upright posture and aristocratic clothing were noticed.

“I’ve only heard of you, and I can’t believe we’re facing each other like this.”

A soft smile caught my eye.

I, who had never been loved by anyone until now, got excited again and bit my lips below.

“Although our mother is different, you are still my sister because you’re mixed with the same blood. I hope you will win the final and be recognized as part of the family.”

My heart pounded at the sweet voice.

The brothers of Marquis Abedes, who stood in front of me in a suit, were ridiculously gorgeous.

I couldn’t believe such wonderful brothers recognized me as their sister back then.

It was when I was about to say thank you with a smile…

Richard confirmed my anticipated face and said with a cold look on his face.

“Seeing that your eyes are full of expectations, the shallowness resembles your mother.”

My body began to tremble.

It was a far more serious blow than when Marquis Abedes said we didn’t look alike at all.

“If I give you some pennies, you should go quietly, so why bother with the work? Thanks to this, no one in the aristocratic circle is unaware of your existence.”

Richard said with annoyance.

“This is the first time I feel lucky to have Ian Wade.”

With those last words, Richard passed by me.

Elburn also grinned and looked down at me.

“Don’t worry. You’ll end up in the finals anyway.”

Elburn even pushed my forehead with his finger.

“Giving the Abedes’ last name to you? There’s no way something terrible like that would happen thanks to Ian Wade.”

In that way, Elburn also followed Richard’s footsteps and walked away.

After they had left me alone, I gave myself strength in order not to shed tears.

So, in the end, I only had Caitlyn and Reid.

At least Caitlyn and Reid were cheering for me and hoping for my win.

So when I faced Ian in the final, I put a lot of strength in the hand holding the sword.