ATHO Chapter 51

Chapter 51 – Charles’ Death in the First Life

Chapter 5: A Happy Ending, Part 7

Novel Title: 嫌われ者の俺はやり直しの世界で義弟達にごまをする (As the Hated One, I Flatter My Stepbrothers in a World Where I Get a Second Chance)

Author：赤牙 (Akakiba)

Art：古澤エノ (Furusawa Eno)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: シャルル (Charles -MC), リエン (Lien -ML1) & ジェイド (Jade -ML2)

*Please read at novels.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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Their eyes sparkled as they listened intently.  

“And our father? What was he like?”  

“Well… Your father was a very kind person. He stayed by my side during tough times, supporting and encouraging me. He was gentle yet dependable. He loved you both very much too.”  

Whether that was a lie or my true feelings, I couldn’t say. In my first life, my uncle had indeed helped me. Even after learning he’d betrayed me, I couldn’t forget the joy I felt when he extended a hand to me. Only now have I come to accept that.  

My uncle’s whereabouts remain unknown. He hasn’t resurfaced since then, and I haven’t heard any rumors. I told the two of them their father had passed away, but sometimes I wonder if that was the right thing to do.  

“Hey, are you two happy being with us?”  

I found myself murmuring a question that might be too difficult for such young children.  

They looked at me curiously.  

“Oh… s-sorry. That was a weird thing to ask…”  

“No, we’re very happy, Charles Nii-sama! Right, Sophia?”  

“Yes!”  

Seeing me flustered, Armand and Sophia answered with bright smiles.  

“We’re sorry, Nii-sama. We made you worry because we cried, didn’t we? Even if someone says we’re not a real family, we’ll tell them we truly are!”  

“We won’t cry anymore! Next time we see those kids, I’ll talk back to them too! So don’t worry about us, Charles Nii-sama.”  

Their words of encouragement made me reflect on myself. I pulled my beloved siblings into a tight embrace, and they wrapped their small hands around my back.  

“To me, you two will always be my important family members. I love you both, Armand, Sophia.”  

“I love you too, Charles Nii-sama!”  

“I love you too, Nii-sama!”  

Wrapped in their warmth, I resolved to protect them and make them happy from now on.  

***

Lately, reports about the year’s harvests and tax payments from various regions have started coming in, keeping me busy with inspections and organizing documents.  

As I worked in the study, Jade came in carrying tea.  

“Charles Nii-san, it’s time for a break.”  

“Ah, Jade. Thanks as always.”  

“No need to thank me. But, Charles Nii-san, you’ve got a furrowed brow again.”  

He gently tapped my forehead, noticing my tense expression from staring at documents too long.  

As I sipped tea during the break, Lien came in, arms full of reports.  

“I’m back~! Charles Nii-sama, I brought souvenirs~!”  

“Ugh… Not exactly the kind of souvenirs I wanted.”  

As I grimaced at the mountain of reports, Jade and Lien burst into laughter. I couldn’t help but join in.  

Even amidst the busyness, spending time with my family and loved ones brought me happiness.  

I had spent so many days like this that the memories of my ‘first life’ had faded, and I had overlooked something crucial…  

“By the way, it seems the king has finally been blessed with a child. It’s a boy, and the whole town is in an uproar!”  

“I heard the due date was still a bit ahead, but it’s good the baby was born safely. The queen must feel relieved of a heavy burden now.”  

“The king… has a child…”  

While the two of them grew excited, the words ‘the king’s child’ stuck in my mind.  

At that moment, memories from my first life, which I had unconsciously buried, resurfaced.  

***

It had been a year since I was reduced to a slave.  

Unable to endure the harsh life, I had fallen ill. On top of that, a contagious disease was spreading, and my body weakened to the point where I could barely stand. I was lying on the ground in a dim, unsanitary room, with nothing but a thin cloth as bedding. I was already being treated as if I were dead.  

The guards would kick me to check if I was alive. If I responded, they would give me a soup that was like muddy water. No one cared for me despite my illness.  

I couldn’t even get up and spent my days simply waiting for death.  

Then one day, the guard who always had a furrowed brow appeared to be in an unusually good mood.  

In his hand was the usual soup.  

“Hey, you good-for-nothing. Today’s meal is fancy. Wait… are you dead?”  

As usual, he kicked me, and I groaned in response. Surprisingly, the guard lifted me up. My head spun from sitting up after so long, but I managed to steady myself as he brought the soup to my mouth.  

“Today’s a celebration because the king has finally had a son. So, today’s meal is a bit better. The higher-ups told us not to let anyone die on such a joyous day. It’s annoying, but I’ll feed you for now.”  

The lukewarm soup brought to my lips tasted better than usual, even if it was made from scraps of vegetables.  

As I swallowed it down, he quickly brought the next spoonful to my mouth. I desperately gulped it down to avoid spilling, and before I knew it, the soup was gone.  

“Good, you finished it all.”  

The guard laid me back down and, as if his task was over, began to leave the room.  

“Th-thank… you…”  

I mustered all my strength to thank him before he left. Hearing my faint voice, the guard turned around.  

“Oh, if you’ve still got the energy to talk, it looks like you won’t die today. My night shift is in three days, so if you’re planning to die, don’t do it by then. Dealing with dead bodies is a hassle.”  

With that, he left the room, leaving me alone in the damp darkness.  

After that, my condition rapidly worsened. High fever rendered me unable to move, and as my consciousness faded, I muttered regrets and apologies to Jade and Lien. The guard’s annoyed voice reached me as he tried to rouse me for a meal.  

When I struggled to open my heavy eyelids, I saw his scornful expression as he hurled insults at me… and my memories ended there.  

If my fate in this life were to follow the same path as the first, would I… die in three days?  

Lost in thought, I was jolted back to reality by Jade’s worried voice.  

“Nii-san…? What’s wrong?”  

“Oh… sorry. I just remembered something…”  

“Remembered? Was it… about your first life?”  

“…Yeah.”  

“What did you remember?”  

Hearing it was about my first life, Jade and Lien both turned serious. Normally, recalling one’s own death would be terrifying, but perhaps because I had lived such a different life this time, it felt almost like it had happened to someone else.  

My current body wasn’t ill, and I was healthy enough that the idea of dying in three days seemed impossible.  

Fate could change. My parents’ case had already proven that. Still…  

If I told them about this, they’d surely worry.  

But if I didn’t and something happened, they might regret it even more.  

―――We promised that there will be no secrets between us.  

Resolving myself, I turned to face them.  

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*Translator’s Note: Won’t Jade and Lien be jealous of Armand and Sophia??? I mean, I can’t take the word ‘love’ between the Wahlman siblings lightly anymore. 😅 -K

*GLOSSARY: 

• Nii-san/Nii-sama/Onii-san = (Big/Elder) Brother

☝🏻I’ll be using these throughout my translation. Jade would call Charles ‘Nii-san’ while Lien would call him ‘Nii-sama’.

Next update: 2025.10.14

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