ATHO Chapter 1

Chapter 1 – The First Life (Part 1)

Prologue: The First Life, Part 1

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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A year had passed since my mother died.

One day, a beautiful woman and two young boys arrived, brought along by my father.

“Charles, this is Flor, who will be your mother from now on. And these two are your brothers, Jade and Lien,” my father said with a happy smile, introducing them. The stepmother and my new brothers standing beside him shared similar smiles.

Although my stepbrothers had expressions mixed with anxiety, their amethyst-colored eyes sparkled with the anticipation of a new life. 

Seeing their hopeful faces, I felt as though I had been cast aside, and my fists clenched tightly at my sides.

The idea of my father remarrying was something my 10-year-old self, still unable to accept my mother’s death, simply couldn’t comprehend.

―――Has Father already forgotten about Mother? Doesn’t he love her anymore?

―――I only need Father, but isn’t just me enough for him?

Looking at my father’s joyful expression, I felt betrayed. At the same time, I resented my stepmother and stepbrothers, who seemed so happy while taking Father away from me, with all my heart.

―――I won’t forgive them. Never.

―――I don’t need anyone who would steal Father from me!

From then on, I began to treat my stepmother and stepbrothers harshly.

I insulted them, calling them “greedy commoners aiming for the title of marquis,” despite their viscount family background. I ignored them, even when they tried to talk to me, and treated them coldly.

Jade and Lien desperately tried to talk to me and win my favor, but I discarded their cherished belongings, dirtied or tore their clothes, and spat cruel words like, “This suits you better.” Gradually, they stopped approaching me.

Even though my stepmother treated me kindly, I only rebelled. 

Jade and Lien avoided me, often retreating to their rooms. When our eyes met, their amethyst-colored eyes quivered with fear.

My father scolded me many times, but when I lashed out, saying, “You betrayed Mother by forgetting her!” he fell silent.

―――I’m not the one in the wrong. The ones to blame are Father, who betrayed Mother, and those who intruded into this house.

I convinced myself over and over, as if casting a curse, that I wasn’t at fault.

***

Five years passed like this. During this time, my stepmother’s chronic illness worsened. She could barely stay awake and spent most of her time bedridden.

Unable to stand by any longer, Father decided to take her to a doctor in the royal capital. The two of them set off for the city.

―――Why bother with someone like her…?

Thinking this, I watched them off, though my stepmother could hardly stand on her own. Jade and Lien were also there but stayed hidden behind me, seemingly reluctant to approach.

After placing my stepmother in the carriage, Father came over and patted my head.

“Charles, take care of your brothers while I’m gone.”

“…Understood,” I replied reluctantly.

Father smiled happily at my response and boarded the carriage.

―――When will Father return? I hope it’s soon.

I waited anxiously for his return. 

But our parting came suddenly.

On their way to the capital, Father and my stepmother were attacked by bandits and killed.

I was told that Father died shielding my stepmother in his embrace, while she clung to him until her final moments. My vision went dark.

I couldn’t accept my father’s death, and as I stood there in shock, Jade and Lien, who had been listening to the story beside me, were overcome with grief at the loss of their mother.

Jade bit his lip, holding back tears, while Lien cried uncontrollably.

Seeing their sorrowful forms, I could hardly suppress my anger.

Although it was the bandits who killed Father, none of this would have happened if he hadn’t gone to treat my stepmother. No, the real problem was that my stepmother and stepbrothers had come to our home in the first place. It was all their fault that Father had died.

―――Because of them.

Before I knew it, I was consumed by dark emotions.

The targets of my resentment became Jade and Lien.

On a snowy winter day, I drove the still-young boys out of the mansion.

“Charles, why…? We didn’t do anything wrong…” Jade pleaded.

“Shut up! Just shut up! Children of the woman who killed Father have no place here! If you hadn’t come, Father would still be alive! It’s all your fault!”

Even now, I can’t forget the terrified expressions on their faces.

Lien trembled from fear and cold, clinging to Jade, while Jade held him protectively. Their amethyst-colored eyes reflected fear and despair.

Feeling irritated by the way they looked at me, as if I were the villain, I slammed the mansion gates shut.

“Nii-san! Please, listen to us! Charles!” their cries for help echoed from the other side.

At the time, consumed by negative emotions, I couldn’t comprehend the gravity of my actions.

***

At fifteen, I succeeded Father as the lord of the estate.

With work piling up, I had no time to think about the brothers I had cast out, and a year passed in a blur.

When winter arrived and snow began to fall, the memory of Jade and Lien’s faces resurfaced in my mind.

Looking back, I wondered if I had gone too far, but I shook my head, trying to dispel the thought.

“I wasn’t wrong. I wasn’t wrong at all…”

Repeating this mantra to escape the guilt, I averted my gaze from the past.

As I continued the work of a lord, I grew to understand just how remarkable Father had been. He hadn’t taught me much about managing the estate, and I had no idea if what I was doing was correct.

During inspections, villagers would bring up concerns and ask for solutions, but all I could do was defer my answers with “I’ll consider countermeasures later.”

As dissatisfaction from the townsfolk grew, comparisons to my father increased, and I was labeled a ‘disappointment’.  

I knew that better than anyone. But this was the best I could manage with the skills I had at the time.  

When I had no one close to consult and felt lost, someone extended a hand to me. It was my late mother’s younger brother, Uncle Lyle.  

Uncle Lyle often checked in, asking, “Charles, is there anything troubling you?” His kindness and guidance rescued me when I was struggling.  

He was a gentle, encouraging uncle who wore flamboyant attire and always lifted my spirits. Despite running his own business and being undoubtedly busy, he even took over the financial management of the territory for me, something I couldn’t be more grateful for.  

“Uncle, I’m sorry to burden you with everything.”  

“Don’t worry about it, Charles. We’re family, and family is there to support each other in times of need, right?”  

Uncle smiled broadly and patted my head.  

Whenever things got tough, I recalled his words and managed to press on with my duties as lord of the territory.  

Though natural disasters exacerbated the instability of the territory’s finances, I devoted my days to fulfilling my role as best I could.  

After three years, I became more adept at managing my responsibilities than at the start. But I was still far from reaching the level of my father.  

One day, an invitation to a ball arrived from the duke’s household.  

“A ball, huh…”  

With work consuming me, I had left social appearances to Uncle, but as a lord, I knew I needed to start participating in such gatherings. Uncle had once told me that connections made at such events were invaluable.  

Recalling his advice, I decided to attend.  

And that was where I met her—my fateful encounter.  

The dazzling ballroom was alive with music and chatter. Amidst the splendor, I noticed a lone young woman standing by the wall. When her light brown, delicate eyes met mine, she greeted me with a radiant smile that bloomed like a flower.  

I invited her to dance, and as she twirled in her light blue dress, her joyful demeanor captivated me. I fell in love at first sight.  

When the music ended, we exchanged polite bows, and I spoke to her.  

“Excuse me, my name is Charles Wahlman. May I ask your name?”  

“Oh! My apologies for not introducing myself sooner. I’m Marianne. Marianne Meidel.”  

Thus, we met.  

From then on, we deepened our bond through letters and eventually became lovers. Marianne was a wonderful, cheerful woman whose bright smile was infectious. She loved dancing, often making me her practice partner.  

At twenty, we pledged our eternal love and became husband and wife.  

As my wife, Marianne supported me tirelessly, offering encouragement and understanding of my struggles as a lord. Together, we worked hand in hand, building a happy life—or so I thought.  

As the territory’s finances worsened, cracks began to form in our relationship.  

Unfavorable weather patterns persisted, pushing the townsfolk to send daily petitions asking for lower taxes.  

I scrambled to gather funds, even pleading with Marianne’s family for aid. But despite my efforts, the situation showed no improvement. Overwhelmed by the mounting petitions and growing criticism from the townsfolk, I began to drown myself in alcohol.  

Marianne eventually lost patience with me, and our marriage came to an end after five years.  

***

From there, my life spiraled downhill.  

To revive the territory’s economy, I rashly entered a mining venture that ended in failure, leaving me burdened with insurmountable debt.  

Repayment was impossible. The mansion was seized, along with all the memories of my father and mother. My name as a lord was tarnished, and even the townsfolk turned their backs on me.  

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*Translator’s Note: 

This light novel consists of 12 chapters (373 pages). Hence, I have to cut them into several pieces to be posted here. So, the numbering for my chapter will be different from the original novel. I don’t wanna divide my chapters into parts as well so we’ll just go slowly as chapter 1, 2, 3 until we reach whichever number of chapters we’ll get to. I’ve divided it so that each chapter that I’m posting on the site will probably be around 1K to 1.2K words (except for Mature chapters which will be longer). However, I will mark at the beginning of each chapter with ‘Chapter 1, Part 1’ and so on so that if you get your hands on the novel, you can still find which is which. 

This novel will mostly be told from Charles’ perspectives except for chapters with the name of another character. That chapter will be told from that character’s point of view. 

However, do note that unlike my other light novel translations, this one doesn’t have illustrations in the pages. The illustrator only worked on the cover, introduction of characters page and the last page. I’ll put them in selected chapters.

With that being said, hop on and enjoy!

-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’.

The Characters:

1st Page- The Wahlman Brothers

Charles: The eldest son of the Marquis of the Wahlman family. Reflecting on the selfishness of his first life, he is devoted to cherishing his younger brothers in this second chance at life. Due to past failures, he lacks confidence in himself.  

Lien: Jade’s younger brother. Alongside his brother, he became Charles’ stepbrother. Though he has a spoiled side, he also shows a cunning nature.

Jade: After his mother’s remarriage, he became part of the Wahlman family as Charles’ stepbrother. He is deeply family-oriented and can sometimes resort to extreme measures to protect them.  

***  

2nd Page- Others

Lyle: Charles’ uncle. In the first life, did he really extend a hand to the lonely Charles…?  

Marianne: A woman from the Meidel Trading Company. In the first life, she was Charles’ wife.  

Matt: The son of the village chief of Einther, a village within the Wahlman Marquisate.  

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Next update: 2025.08.25

You may support the author by purchasing the book: https://amzn.asia/d/iw0rOVm [Amazon JP link]

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*Author’s Bio: (赤牙) AKAKIBA

Lives in Fukuoka Prefecture.

Began posting novels around 2020 and made a publishing debut in 2022 with ‘As the Hated One, I Flatter My Stepbrothers in a World Where I Get a Second Chance’.

Favorite music: Hardcore punk.