ATHO Chapter 24

Chapter 24 – Marriage Proposal

Chapter 3: People Who Wish for Happiness, Part 4

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 freenovels.net, the original site of translation. TQ*

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“Then you need to study hard. Jade said what you learn at the academy will help with the work of a lord.”

“Ugh… fine, I get it.”

Still pouting, Lien picked up his bag and held out his tie for me.

“If I’m going to work hard, tie my tie for me, Charles Nii-sama. It’s been a while.”

“Sure, I’ll do it.”

Lien had grown taller, but his heart was still as childlike as ever.

As I tied his tie, he smiled contentedly.

Even so, as he left for the academy, he looked a bit lonely.

Today, I’ll finish work early and spend time with Lien. 

With that thought, I set about my work alongside Jade.

When work ended earlier than usual and I returned to the estate, it seemed Lien was already home.

Knocking on his door, I heard Lien’s cheerful voice.

“Charles Nii-sama! Are you done with work already?”

“Yeah, I finished early today so I could spend time with you.”

Lien happily ran over, took my hand, and invited me into his room. However, his desk was covered with unfinished homework.

“Sorry, you were in the middle of something.”

“Don’t worry about it, Nii-sama. I’m almost done.”

“Then finish your homework first. I’ll read a book while I wait.”

“Okay, I’ll do that!”

As Lien focused on his remaining homework, I looked through the books in his room and noticed one titled The Basics of Estate Management.

―――Lien’s been thinking about this stuff too, huh?

I picked up the book and moved to the sofa. Flipping through its pages, I found it filled with histories of past lords and economic theories, but it was boring and quickly made me sleepy.

On top of that, the exhaustion from work and sleep deprivation caught up with me. I ended up dozing off on the sofa.

A soft chuckle woke me. As I opened my eyes, I saw Lien sitting beside me, watching me with a smile.

“Ah, sorry. Did I fall asleep?”

Apologizing groggily, I smiled back at him, his expression infectious. Then, Lien gently stroked my cheek and leaned in, pressing his lips to mine.

“Charles Nii-sama. Thank you for your hard work as always.”

“Ah… uh, yeah. Thanks, Lien.”

Lien kissed me and offered his words of gratitude, leaving me utterly confused. All I could do was respond with a simple “thank you.” But for some reason, Lien looked delighted and showered me with more kisses.

As he kissed me repeatedly, like a bird pecking, my face grew hot with embarrassment. Even if it was to cheer me up, this was overdoing it…

“L-Lien, I’m already feeling better, so…”

“Feeling better? …Hey, Brother, I’m feeling a little down. Can I kiss you some more?”

Lien tilted his head, asking adorably. I couldn’t refuse the one who always cheered me up, so I nodded.

After exchanging kisses countless times, Lien smiled contentedly.

“Thank you, Charles Nii-sama. I feel like I can work really hard now!”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

“Hehe~. I love you, Charles Nii-sama!”

Lien hugged me innocently, and I gently stroked his head.

***

Three years have passed since I began assisting Father with his work, and I recently turned twenty.

Though my responsibilities have increased, thanks to Jade’s support, things have been going smoothly without any major issues.

One day, as I was helping sort through petitions from the townsfolk with Father and Jade, Father spoke up.

“Charles, now that you’ve grown accustomed to your work, don’t you think it’s time to start thinking about marriage?”

The sudden topic left me at a loss for words.

“Marriage…?”

“Yes. Lately, I’ve been receiving more proposals from noble families suggesting their daughters for you. The young ladies I’ve met have all been wonderful.”

As Father spoke, Jade, who was listening with us, seemed to scowl for some reason.

“Father, shouldn’t we first confirm how Charles Nii-san, feels about this?”

“Ah, you’re right. What do you think, Charles?”

With both of them looking at me, I decided to share that matter.

“Um… Actually, I’ve been exchanging letters with a woman. We’ve arranged to meet soon.”

Hearing this, Father beamed with joy, while Jade looked stunned.

The woman I’ve been corresponding with is Marianne.

A few days after the ball, I received a letter from Marianne. Since then, we’ve exchanged monthly letters, sharing updates about our lives and everyday musings. I’d wanted to meet her once work settled down, so we’d arranged to meet three days from now.

“I see, I see! I had no idea, Charles! I was starting to worry since you were always with Jade and Lien. I hope things go well with her.”

Father chuckled, giving my shoulder a light pat.

“Nii-san, what’s your relationship with this woman?”

“Relationship…? Well, we’re… friends, I suppose?”

“I see…”

Jade’s expression darkened. He remained unusually quiet for the rest of the conversation.

***

Three days later, I went into town to meet Marianne. At the agreed spot, she arrived in a hurry.

“S-sorry! I’m late!”

“It’s fine. I just got here myself.”

When I said that with a smile, Marianne let out a sigh of relief. We then strolled around town, chatting about trivial matters. Marianne always seemed to enjoy herself, and I couldn’t help but smile along with her.

Being with Marianne warmed my heart.

It was the same the first time. When I was overwhelmed by the duties of being a lord, she stayed by my side, supporting me.

But I’d treated her poorly, snapping at her and saying awful things until her smile eventually disappeared.

It was only after Marianne left that I realized how much her presence had supported me.

“Charles, are your younger brothers doing well?”

“Yes, they’re doing wonderfully. Jade is far more capable at work than I am, and I’ve come to rely on him a lot. My youngest, Lien, also scored excellent marks on his latest mock exams. I’m very excited about his future.”

“Goodness, you three truly are close. Your letters are always full of stories about your brothers—it makes me a bit jealous.”

“They’re irreplaceable to me.”

“Oh my…”

Marianne listened with amusement to my stories about my brothers. After visiting various places, we eventually arrived at a church a bit outside the town.

This was where I had proposed to Marianne.

Nervously, I’d declared my love for her there, and we’d both blushed as we shared our first kiss. It was a place full of memories for us.

As the day turned to evening and the sky turned crimson, we reflected on our time together.

“Thank you for inviting me today. I had such a wonderful time.”

“I enjoyed it too.”

I’d wanted to confirm my feelings by meeting Marianne today. In my first life, I had promised her eternal love, but I failed to make her happy. If things were to end the same way this time, I’d only hurt her again.

My feelings for her were tangled with guilt.

Marianne was a strong, kind, and lovely woman. She deserved someone far better than me. In this second life, I had no right to stand by her side.

“Marianne, may I ask you… to remain a dear friend to me?”

“…Of course, Charles.”

When I said this, Marianne smiled. After escorting her to her carriage, she hesitated briefly before speaking.

“U-uh, Lord Charles. I have one thing I’d like to ask you…”

“What is it?”

“On the day of the ball when we first met, after our dance ended, were you on the balcony with someone?”

“Uh, um…”

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*Translator’s Note: Sorry, your brothers won’t let any woman be with you, Charles. -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: 2025.09.17

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