ATHO Chapter 4

Chapter 4 – New Family

Chapter 1: The Beginning of the Second Life, Part 2

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*

֍֍֍

“M-My name is Lien. It’s… nice to meet you,” Lien mumbled softly, his face partially hidden.  

I recalled how shy and timid Lien had been when we first met, always trailing behind Jade in the mansion.  

Remembering these details from my first life, I bowed my head to the three of them again.  

“It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”  

The three of them, unaware of my past, visibly relaxed, their tension easing.  

Father, beaming beside me, said, “Charles, you can call Flor ‘Mother’ from now on.”  

His words left me at a loss for how to respond. In my first life, I had detested Flor and never even addressed her by name. And now, to call her ‘Mother’ so suddenly…  

As I hesitated and lowered my gaze, Flor spoke gently.  

“Charles, there’s no need to force yourself to call me ‘Mother.’”  

“Huh…?”  

When I looked up, Flor was smiling softly.  

“Your late mother must have been a very precious person to you. The word ‘Mother’ carries a lot of weight. Please, call me whatever you feel comfortable with.”  

She wasn’t angry; she simply smiled at me. Her words, showing such respect for my late mother and putting herself second, made my chest ache.  

―――What a horrible thing I did to someone so kind…

Regret burned in my chest, and the more I told myself I couldn’t cry, the more tears welled up.  

“Sn-… sniff…”  

“Charles!?”  

“Charles?”  

Noticing my distress, both Flor and my father looked at me in alarm. Guilt, regret, and unease—emotions I couldn’t even name—spilled out as tears.  

―――At such an important moment in my second chance at life, what am I even doing…?

I tried to wipe the unrelenting tears away with my sleeve, and suddenly, a small hand rested atop my trembling one.  

“Charles Nii-san, are you okay?”  

Through the tear-blurred view, I saw deep, mesmerizing amethyst eyes. Jade looked up at me with worry as he held my hand.  

“…Charles…Nii-sama.”  

Though he was hiding behind Jade, even Lien looked concerned. To think, these two who had only just met me were worried about me—it was so surprising that my tears stopped.  

“Charles, are you alright?”  

“It’s because I brought up your mother… I’m so sorry, Charles,” Flor said, apologizing even though she had done nothing wrong.  

My father patted my head gently, and Jade’s small hand never left mine. That warmth spread through my chest, soothing me.  

―――I need to apologize to everyone as soon as I can…

“I’m… so sorry…”  

At long last, I managed to say the words of apology that I hadn’t been able to utter in my first life. This release made me relax, and tears spilled out again. But everyone stayed by my side until I stopped crying.  

After I calmed down, we sat together for the grand dinner prepared to welcome the three of them—our ‘new family’. Having made such a shameful first impression by crying, I was determined to liven things up as best as I could.  

When I floundered, Flor chimed in with kind, encouraging words to keep the conversation flowing, and the first meal we shared together was filled with smiles.  

When dinner was over, the tension of the long day finally melted away.  

I returned to my room, let out a huge sigh, and collapsed onto my bed.  

“This is such a mess from the very start…”  

I buried my face in the pillow as I recalled my outburst. I had thought simply apologizing would suffice, but I was far more shaken than I’d expected.  

The kindness the three of them had shown me only made my regret grow. If, in my first life, I’d been even a little more accepting of them, things wouldn’t have ended the way they did…  

―――I can’t afford to waste the second chance God has given me.  

To make this work, I need to learn about all three of them. And I need to do everything in my power to ensure they can live happily without discomfort.  

―――That will be the way I atone for my mistakes in my first life…  

“Tomorrow, I’ll do better.”  

And so, I began walking a completely different path in this second life.  

***

To build a good relationship with the three of them, I started with something as simple as daily greetings.  

Even though it was nothing special, it felt oddly embarrassing to do it intentionally.  

It was especially nerve-wracking with Flor, my new stepmother.  

In the morning, when I entered the dining room, Flor was helping the servants prepare the table.  

When our eyes met, she smiled softly.  

“Good morning, Flor.”  

“Good morning, Charles.”  

Calling her name for the first time made me feel so awkward that I immediately looked away. But Flor seemed happy, so I suppose it was the right thing to do.  

Later, when Jade and Lien arrived at the dining room, I nervously greeted them with a “Good morning.”  

Jade responded politely, as always, but Lien quickly looked away and ran toward Flor.  

“Hey, Lien! You need to greet Charles properly!” Jade scolded him.  

“It’s fine, Jade. Lien’s not used to me yet,” I said, looking at Lien. He clung to Flor and peeked at me nervously.  

Still, it hurt to not receive a response to my greeting.  

But considering all the cruel things I’d done to them in my first life, they must have felt far more hurt than this.  

―――This must’ve been how they felt all the time in my first life…

I muttered to myself. But I couldn’t dwell on this sadness over a lack of response.  

I shook off the thought and shared breakfast with everyone.  

Each morning, I continued greeting Lien, but he still wouldn’t respond. Instead, he hid behind Flor or Jade. However, I felt like the time he spent looking at me had grown ever so slightly longer.  

Would he respond if I changed the way I greeted him?  

With that thought, I decided to kneel to his eye level one morning and greet him.  

“Lien. Good morning.”  

“G-good… morning…”  

He looked startled but managed to respond to me for the first time.  

It made me so happy that I couldn’t help but smile.  

“Oh my, Lien finally greeted Charles, didn’t he?”  

“…Yeah.”  

Lien smiles happily at Flor’s words.

Seeing Lien, who used to cry all the time in the first timeline, now smiling brings me a sense of relief.

I feel reassured that today, I’ve taken another step different from back then, but there’s still so much to do, and I can’t let my guard down. Especially since Lien is still so young, I have to keep a close eye on him; otherwise, I never know when he might start crying.

I’ll stay by his side as much as possible, talk to him often… But what else can I do to make sure Lien doesn’t come to hate me?

Since my stepbrothers arrived, I’ve constantly found myself overthinking, always watching for their reactions. Knowing the future after being hated by them, even young Lien is terrifying to me.

The last expressions I saw on Jade and Lien’s faces in my first life send chills down my spine just thinking about them.

Hiding the fear I still feel toward the two deep in my heart, I force myself to smile as best I can.

֍֍֍

*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: 2025.08.28

֍֍֍