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The remaining four were thoroughly observing Nobel’s actions.
Wait a second, isn’t he going to kill someone like that?
Considering who the five targets were, this wasn’t an unfounded worry at all.
“This way! It’s the reception room!”
There was a commotion outside. It sounded like knights were running over. The Duke and Saren, who had been trembling with tension, suddenly brightened up.
“And where do you think you’re interrupting?”
Retilia didn’t even turn around; she just lightly waved her hand. Another sharp sonic boom was followed by screams. There was no doubt that the knights had been sent flying somewhere.
“So they did set up guards?”
“Whatever whim it was, they’ve made such a fuss over that lowborn thing—of course they’d prepare!”
“These bastards… who are you calling lowborn…?”
“Why, her, of course!”
The Duke pointed at me. More precisely—at my eyes.
Nobel ground his teeth, but the Duke seemed to misinterpret his reaction.
“I don’t know how you found her, but she’s not one of our family! Can’t you see those eyes? They’re proof of filthy blood!”
I’ve thought this before, but he’s really good at self-destruction.
I clicked my tongue. Half of that filthy blood is your genes, you empty-headed idiot.
“Ha, filthy blood…”
Ethan let out a short laugh. Even Hazen’s silvery-gray eyes, as he sat on the sofa, turned cold.
“Don’t tell me you mistook her for Saren. As her father, I find that extremely insulting.”
“I’d rather you not say that.”
“Shut your mouth!”
The Duke barked furiously.
I snorted and turned my head. Let’s see how far he goes with this.
Seeing my expression, Isaac pressed down on Nobel’s shoulder. The other three shut their mouths in irritation.
“No matter if you’re Hadenbergs, this has gone too far.”
The Duke, somewhat calmer now, said this with mock severity.
“We’ll overlook your ridiculous demands. But if you intended to blackmail us using that bastard’s illegitimate birth, forget it. It won’t work.”
He must’ve thought we were here to bow down and negotiate to take Saren with us. He clearly forgot who actually held the upper hand here.
Internally, I applauded. Like father, like daughter—what a perfect double misfire!
“Hey, Duke.”
“What is it?”
“We…”
Isaac pointed at Saren.
“When did we ever say we were taking her?”
Cracks formed on both the Duke’s and Saren’s faces.
The Duke shouted in disbelief.
“What… what nonsense is this! You clearly said you wanted to accept my daughter…!”
“We said ‘your daughter,’ but we never said it was her.”
Isaac’s tone was almost casual.
The Duke’s mouth dropped open. Saren looked between him and Isaac, stunned.
“Wasn’t it your mistake for assuming ‘that daughter’ meant her?”
“Th-that’s… she’s not my daughter!”
“She will be soon enough.”
Isaac turned to me.
“Starting today, Shunen will be a Hadenberg.”
…And with that, he dropped a massive bomb.
What?! Even I stared at him in shock—this was completely unexpected. But the other four around me nodded matter-of-factly, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
When did you guys get so united, protagonists?!
The Duke and Saren were just as dumbfounded.
“This is absurd!”
“She’s not even a gifted one! I’m the gifted one!”
“When did we ever say we needed someone gifted?”
Retilia leaned down to glare at Saren threateningly, her voice like a blade.
“Do we look so weak to you that we’d be desperate for some unawakened brat who doesn’t even know what powers are?”
“…!”
“Even if someone gave you to us, we wouldn’t take you. From the start, everything we did was for Shunen.”
The very one you all looked down on and ignored.
Her voice was like she was spitting out each word. Reality finally began to settle on the Duke and Saren’s faces.
“T-then the contract… from the start….”
“Be grateful. We were planning to annihilate your entire trade group, but we settled for killing just a few.”
At Ethan’s words, I glanced at him. Just how many did they kill…?
The Duke’s face flushed with humiliation as he realized this entire affair had gone on without him or Saren.
“Well, that was a nice load of crap, Duke. We probably won’t see you again.”
Isaac’s final words were so refreshing that I admired him quietly. Yeah, that’s the Isaac I know…
As the mood seemed to wrap up, the Duke and Saren shouted desperately.
“T-this is a serious crime! I’ll report this to the Imperial Court!”
“Wait! You have to look at me!”
“Oh, shut up, both of you.”
I snapped.
So damn noisy. They’re not even a real father and daughter, yet they bicker like blood relatives. Genetic mystery at work.
They both fell silent at my reaction.
“What did you just…”
“I said shut up. Close your mouths and open your ears, you damn idiots.”
“Ha! Have you lost your mind?!”
“That’s your self-introduction. Already forgot? I guess your intelligence has devolved from all that yelling.”
With no need to filter myself anymore, my mouth was free.
Anyway, let’s start with the Duke. Target switched.
“You bastard.”
“What?”
“If my birth is filthy, that’s a self-own. I wondered why she was such an idiot—guess it’s your genes. You wouldn’t even exist if it weren’t for me!”
“You crazy bitch… You’ve lost all fear, haven’t you?!”
“Want me to show you crazy, you moron?!”
We yelled at each other, but it was the Duke who shut up first—because Retilia slammed him into the ground with gravity, giving him a nice, deep “kiss” with the floor.
With a single scream, the Duke fainted. A bit anticlimactic, but whatever.
Now for the main course.
Listen up, whoever hijacked my angelic character, it’s payback time.
“Father!”
“You’re next, by the way.”
“What did I even do to you?! Why are you the chosen one?! Why are you different?!”
“Before you talk, let’s reflect on yourself. Ever heard of Socrates?”
“S-Socrates? Don’t tell me….”
“Starting to get it?”
Saren’s face turned pale.
As she covered her mouth in shock, I mentally pulled out the list titled “Things I Want to Say to Saren Someday.”
“There’s something I’ve always wanted to say.”
“W-what…?”
“I didn’t raise you like this—!!”
“What are you talking about?!”
Her anger melted into tears, violet eyes glistening. I felt not even a gram of sympathy as I leaned toward her ear and whispered my last line.
“You asked why I’m different, right?”
“…You… you’re the same! You’re just like me—!”
“Sorry, but I’m not your average reader.”
“What?”
I straightened my back and took Isaac’s hand. At some point, the other four had also joined hands.
The time had come to deliver the line I’d waited for.
You have no idea how long I’ve been waiting for this.
The words I’d savored since the moment I realized Saren was a possessor bubbled up again.
Blue light erupted—Isaac’s power.
I inhaled and shouted all my pent-up frustration.
“I’m the AUTHOR, you lunatic!!”
Seeing Saren’s shocked face, I grinned with satisfaction. Isaac burst into laughter beside me.
Ah, that felt so good. I mentally struck out another line on my “Things to Say to Saren” list.
And just like that, I came out as the author—and escaped that damn household.
Débutante
I returned to the Hadenberg mansion in just one day. The difference was, now this place was my home.
I thought this meant I’d finally achieved near-perfect peace, but that was my mistake.
“We need to buy clothes immediately. How could they dress Shunen in this?”
“Retilia, go with her. I’ll call the doctor.”
“This is the first time I’m disappointed Nobel didn’t blow something up. Isaac, how about a quick trip back with him?”
“Are you in pain, Shunen…? Should I kill them or just drag them here obediently?”
“Hazen, don’t you have anywhere else to be? Get lost!”
…Yeah, how did I not see this coming?
All five of them, paragons of “My Way or the Highway,” made me break into a cold sweat.
The only difference was whether their anger was directed at my physical condition, the Duke’s house, or Hazen’s presence next to me.
“W-wait a moment!”
I couldn’t take it anymore and raised my voice carefully. Instantly, everyone went silent, as if they’d never been noisy. It was terrifyingly fast.
“Um… sorry, but could you please introduce yourselves?”
“Ah.”
“It’s just… I don’t know much about you all.”
Of course, that was a lie.
Playing the role of “Shunenia,” I brought up the most natural topic for the situation. The five finally calmed down a little and sat around me in a circle.
Retilia cleared her throat lightly.
“Come to think of it, you must still be confused. Sorry, we got too excited.”
“You don’t have to apologize.”
“Thanks for understanding. As you said, we should introduce three of us first.”
She gestured at the three seated in order.
“In order: Ethan, Hazen, and Nobel.”
“Nice to meet you, Shunen.”
“Me too~ Looking forward to working with you, Shunen….”
“…We searched for you for a long time.”
Ethan greeted me with a soft smile. Hazen followed with a mischievous grin, and Nobel, surprisingly, answered in a subdued, restrained tone.
“Hello.”
I bowed my head slightly.
It still felt strange to see them in front of me. I’d never imagined this scene.
The five in the original story weren’t kind-hearted protagonists. Nor were they the obsessive yandere types who were gentle only to their lovers.
They were textbook examples of people who walked their own paths ruthlessly—basically villains in personality.
“Move if you don’t want to die.”
“Say one more word and I’ll turn your brain into a rag. I can revert you to infancy right now.”
“Seems like you want to go down with this entire continent. Fine by me.”
“If you all die first, that’d help… I’ll let you fight afterward as much as you want.”
“Did it not occur to you that your limbs might end up scattered across the continent, Hazen?”
They didn’t team up in groups—they all hated each other equally.
It was the strange chemistry that came from that dynamic that drove the readers crazy.
Well, I was one of them too… but reality’s different.
Liking fictional characters is one thing; dealing with them in real life is something else entirely.
Especially when those explosive personalities were now supposedly on my side. Honestly, I’d be grateful if they didn’t show up in my nightmares.
“So, from now on, I’ll be living here?”
Awkwardly meeting all their stares, I asked my next question.
“However you want. If the mansion feels too small, we can depose the Emperor and seize the Imperial Palace.”
“This place is perfectly fine.”
He said that like it was the most natural thing in the world—with a bright smile, no less.
I replied firmly, and Hazen chuckled softly.
