ATHO Chapter 3

Chapter 3 – Start Again

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Second 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*

֍֍֍

After I died—or at least thought I had—I couldn’t recall much of what happened.

Surrounded by a familiar scent and comforting warmth, I opened my eyes.

I was greeted by a ceiling I recognized.

Still groggy, I scanned my surroundings, finding myself amidst a nostalgic scene.

“Is this… my room…?”

Thinking it might be a dream, I groggily sat up and looked around. Toys and stuffed animals I had cherished as a child lined the shelves, and a portrait of my mother hung on the wall.

What… is going on here?

Could this be some sort of dream?

But everything felt too real—even the scent of the room.

As I stood, I noticed that my perspective was lower than expected.

“No way…”

I hurried to the full-length mirror in the room to check my reflection.

“This… can’t be real.”

In the mirror stood a ten-year-old version of myself.

I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Touching my face and pinching my cheek, I confirmed the reflection was truly me—and that it hurt.

“It’s not… a dream? Could this really not be a dream!?”

Panic set in as I paced around the room, unable to calm down.

What is happening?

I was supposed to have been sold as a slave and died, yet here I was, a child again. How could this be?

Unable to comprehend the situation, my eyes landed on the portrait of my mother on the wall, triggering a memory.

That portrait was hung the day before my father announced his plans to remarry.

If the portrait is still here, then my stepmother and stepbrothers must already be in the mansion.

—The first time I met them, I had shouted at them, “I’ll never become family with you!”—

Reflecting on my younger self’s actions filled me with overwhelming guilt.

Whether this is reality or a dream, perhaps God has given me one last chance. A chance to apologize to them…

I selfishly clung to the thought, knowing it was the only thing I could do now.

“The sooner I apologize… the better.”

I quickly got dressed and hurried out of the room.

“First, I need to apologize to my stepmother. Then to Jade and Lien.”

Standing before the room my father and stepmother had used, I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

“Yes?” My father’s voice called out, igniting a wave of nostalgia and joy within me.

“Father… it’s Charles.”

“Charles? Come in.”

Slowly opening the door, I saw my father’s figure.

The moment I saw him—the father I had longed for so much—I forgot all about the composure expected of a noble’s child and threw myself into his arms. My father looked surprised.

“Wha—? Charles, what’s wrong? What happened?”

“I’m sorry… Father.”

“Did you do something you need to apologize for? Calm down and tell me.”

He stroked my head, and the warmth of his touch made it clear I was truly alive.

Taking a few deep breaths, I began to speak.

“Um… where is Flor?” I asked, referring to my stepmother.

“Flor…? Why do you ask…?”

Hearing her name, my father’s expression turned uneasy, and he avoided my gaze.

“Could it be… she hasn’t arrived yet?”

“Ah, the three of them are expected to arrive tomorrow. I was planning to tell you today, but it seems you’ve found out ahead of time…”  

It appeared I had returned to the moment just before the three of them arrived.  

My father, just like that day, began explaining his remarriage to me.  

“To be honest, I wanted to tell you earlier, but I couldn’t bring myself to do it, seeing how much you care for Emmet. I’m sorry, Charles. I’ve decided to remarry a woman named Flor. I’ve been so busy with work that I couldn’t always be by your side. I thought that having a new family would make you feel less lonely… Of course, I do love her. And her sons, too—they’re such sweet and kind boys.”  

As he spoke, my father’s expressions shifted constantly, from guilt to embarrassment.  

The first time around, I had stormed out of the room after hearing this.  

But this time, my response would be different.  

“I… I understand. I support your decision, Father.”  

“You do? Thank you, Charles!”  

My father smiled warmly and pulled me into a tight hug. Wrapped in his arms, I gathered the courage to ask something that had always lingered in my mind.  

“Father… do you no longer love Mother?”  

At my words, my father smiled gently and shook his head.  

“I will always love Emmet.”  

“I see…”  

That one statement lifted the cloud of doubt that had weighed on my heart for so long.  

I hugged my father tightly in return, and he held me close with the same tenderness.  

***  

The next day.  

To avoid making the same mistake as the first time, I decided to wait with my father at the entrance for the arrival of the three of them by carriage.  

Father wore a more formal outfit than usual, and I also dressed neatly, hoping to make a good impression on them.

“You’re quite enthusiastic, Charles.”  

“You too, Father.”  

As we exchanged remarks about our attire, the carriage arrived.  

The door opened, and the three of them stepped out.  

A beautiful woman with lustrous brown hair and clear blue eyes—this was Flor, my soon-to-be stepmother.  

Beside her was a boy with the same brown hair tied back, looking slightly nervous—Jade.  

And finally, being led by Flor, a younger boy with softly curled silver hair—Lien—peeked out hesitantly. Upon seeing my father and me, he quickly hid behind Flor.  

“Flor, you must be tired from the long journey. Jade, Lien, thank you for coming all this way,” my father said, approaching them and patting Jade and Lien on the head.  

Not wanting to keep them standing there, my father invited them into the mansion.  

In the sitting room, we sat facing Flor and her sons, and my father began introducing them.  

“Charles, this is Flor, who will become your stepmother. And these are your stepbrothers, Jade and Lien.”  

As my father finished the introductions, their gazes turned to me, and I froze.  

Images of the cruel things I had done to them in my first life flashed through my mind.  

Back then, their eyes were always filled with anger and sorrow when they looked at me.  

But now, their gazes were different—filled with a mix of hope and uncertainty, just like the first time we had met.  

I remembered how I had rejected them in that life: “I refuse to become family with people who only care about the title of marquis! I will never accept you!”

The memory made my chest tighten.  

This time, I wouldn’t make the same mistake.  

“I am Charles. It’s a pleasure to meet you… Please take care of me,” I said nervously, bowing my head.  

Flor responded in a voice filled with joy unlike anything I had heard before. “Charles, it’s a pleasure to meet you too! Thank you for your kind words.”  

Her smile was radiant, like a blooming flower.  

In my first life, I had only seen her awkwardly trying to gauge my mood.  

But no—it was I who had made her behave that way.  

After Flor, Jade stepped forward and bowed politely.  

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Charles Nii-san. My name is Jade. Please take care of me.”  

Jade met my gaze with his amethyst-colored eyes, his manners impeccable. Then, he looked toward Lien, who was still hiding behind Flor.  

֍֍֍

*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: 2025.08.27

֍֍֍