C16
Erno Etham possesses a soft voice for everyone. Even when going against his heart, he merely laughs it off.
Laughter was his emblem.
He isn't kind to all, but if not hostile, he is a fair person who maintains the same distance from everyone with the same tone of voice.
This signifies that no one is special.
Much like a person who is kind to all, he doesn't particularly care about anyone.
However, Erno Etham also reveals his true colors in front of his two children.
He maintains an expressionless face towards his two children and doesn't smile much.
I've read the novel up to the point where I know it's real.
I peeked my head through the crack of the door.
"I knew it would end up like this, but..."
Naturally, the heroine and the strongest person in the world end up like this.
"I'll be able to watch the heroine's performance soon, won't I?"
Still, seeing the two of them together in real life makes me feel a bit strange.
I halted in front of the door, scratching my cheek, contemplating whether to enter or not.
"Mmm."
After thinking for a long while, I finally directed my steps slowly.
It's because I thought it wasn't a place where I fit in.
"Daughter, why don't you come in?"
If it weren't for the voice that found me, I would have returned to my room and packed my things.
"Oh, because Father... is busy."
"No, not very busy. Come here."
He still opened the door with a friendly voice and approached me.
The voice is obviously sweet, but not sincere. I know that too.
"Did Grandfather scold my father?"
"To me?"
He smiled faintly, as if he had heard something amusing.
"Well... I know that the Patriarch will come running towards me soon."
He grinned. With a mischievous villain's expression.
"What?"
"3, 2, 1, look behind you."
"Erno Etham! This damn bastard who's good for nothing... Do you have any idea what you've done? Others say your head is a garden of flowers, but your head is full of bugs...!"
As soon as his words ended, Duke Miriel appeared with his unsheathed sword.
The reddish-purple face truly made me feel as if I were watching a demon that had just emerged from hell.
The sword in his hand trembled with anger.
I could feel the heat of the sword emitting red flames.
That's the dragon's relic.
It's said that the sword was crafted by blending dragon bones and scales with mithril, a metal believed to exist only at the edge of the world, and it was heated in lava fire.
According to "Adopted," there were three dragon relics in the Etham family.
One of them was a sword called "Flame of Fire" that was born with flames and couldn't be melted or scratched by any blaze.
"Patriarch, understand the situation. Aren't you being rude in front of my daughter?"
"Your daughter..."
It was then that Duke Miriel's gaze reached me, cradled in the arms of Erno Etham.
And he also caught sight of the female protagonist beneath.
"He's quite old to act like this in front of young girls, isn't he? Or... should I get him a pair of glasses?"
"This wicked bastard who always causes accidents wherever he goes and smears crap on my face..."
"Oh, do you have any faces left to paint?"
Erno Etham responded with a bright smile.
"How dare you divert a family mine to your name? Do you have any idea what you've done?"
"I know his teeth have fallen out over time, but please speak clearly, Patriarch. I just took my share."
"What?"
"You didn't tell me you'd give it to me in the past? Don't you remember?"
"Don't spout nonsense when you're only lying! When did I decide to give you the family property?"
Erno Etham's face turned even brighter. He seems to be in a very bad mood right now.
"He did."
"When did I do that?"
A brief sigh escaped Erno Etham's lips.
"This is exactly what he said. 'If you're going to live such a pathetic and insignificant life in the future, know that the only legacy you'll receive after my death is that mountain over there.'"
The exact pronunciation of each word, which seemed not to have made a single mistake, turned the Duke of Miriel pale as if something had occurred to him.
"Didn't you refuse at that time...?"
"Now that I think about it, I'm going to live this kind of life from now on..., I decided to just take it."
He chuckled mischievously.
He was like a capricious king.
A joyful white smile spread across his lips.
"Do you have a hole in your head? Stop spouting nonsense and give it back immediately!"
In the face of Duke Miriel's anger, Erno Etham opened his mouth with a pretty smile.
"Tsk, tsk."
Duke Miriel, who looked like a mountain after seeing this, grabbed him by the nape.
"This bastard...!"
"Please, leave, Patriarch. I have something to tell my daughter."
As soon as he finished speaking, Erno Etham lightly snapped his fingers.
The space expanded.
As if the ground was elongating, the distance between us and Duke Miriel grew in an instant, and the Duke vanished before our eyes.
Bang!
There was a roar outside, but the door didn't move, and Erno Etham seemed at ease.
"Finally, the noise disappeared."
Erno Etham sat on the bed and sat me on his lap.
Everything around was wrapped in silence. As I pondered what to do, something appeared before my eyes.
"Hello?"
A girl with a bright smile pushed her face forward.
It was the female protagonist.
"Wow..."
I held my breath in tension. She was so cute and pretty that anyone would think she was adorable.
Her skin was pale, her cheeks chubby as if well nurtured, and there wasn't a shadow on her blushing face.
"Hmm, hello."
"My name is Sharnae. I'm eight years old!"
Will the heroine be happy here, I wonder? Like in the novel.
I envy you.
As soon as I thought that, I shook my head.
"No, I just need to eat and live my way."
The bank account was ample, so there was no need to hesitate.
All that remains now is for Erno Etham to allow it.
I looked at Erno Etham, and he smiled and nodded. He allowed it, so we have to go along with it.
"I'm Eirin. I'm five years old."
"Five? Then, am I your older sister?"
"Hmm..."
In terms of age, of course, but...
My mental age is a bit...
"Sister!"
"......"
The female protagonist looked at me with shining eyes.
"Am I your sister?"
"......"
I think I know what you want.
"Yes?"
"......"
No matter how much I avert my gaze, the sparkling eyes don't go away.
"Sister...?"
My lips didn't part easily, but I managed to open my mouth.
That was the moment.
"Kyaaaaa!"
The female protagonist tightly embraced me.
"...Oh?"
Sitting on Erno Etham's lap, I didn't wobble too much, but I was a little surprised.
"I've longed for a little sister forever...!"
"Yes...?"
The female protagonist with shining eyes hugged me tightly.
"What?"
Wasn't the heroine in this time of year a little melancholic?
I remember the description that she was depressed for a while because it was just after her mother's passing.
"Wow, it's soft."
Seeing the heroine smiling brightly and touching my cheek, my mouth finally relaxed.
It's better than being sad.
I liked the female protagonist.
Even though it was just a novel, I liked the heroine who lived in a completely different world, experienced a completely different sadness from mine, and lived brightly, confidently, and loved by everyone.
At first, I started reading after seeing the title, "I Thought I Was Adopted, But I Was Wrong!"
I thought it might be similar to my life as an ugly duckling, being unfairly treated just because I was born a woman.
Most romantic fantasy novels end with a happy ending, so I began this novel with the desire to console myself.
"A sister is the best... Why didn't Grandfather tell me I had a younger sister? I wouldn't have been annoyed if he had said you were there. You're very cute."
I was left speechless seeing the female protagonist spewing compliments as if she wasn't embarrassed at all.
I truly couldn't see a single dark spot.
The heroine of "Adopted" has always been someone who seeks a ray of light in the darkness.
Even amid numerous shortcomings, she always finds strengths.
"As expected, the female protagonist doesn't change."
I was left speechless for a moment seeing the heroine, who was always the active type and the object of my yearning, moving in front of my eyes.
"Is this an opportunity to witness the original story?"
I'll leave anyway when Erno Etham gets tired of me, but until then, isn't this a chance to see the original story?
Erno Etham, who used to be grumpy and cold and only used the heroine when he needed to, gradually started eating with the heroine and bringing her gifts!
"Of course, there's no end to a father's love for his daughter as in other novels..."
To be honest, it was a bit disappointing for me, even though I expected something like this.
As the story of "Adopted" unfolds, many of the main and supporting characters sing different meanings of love to the female protagonist.
However, Erno Etham didn't say he loved the heroine until the end.
"You're the daughter of my uncle, aren't you?"
"Yes."
As I answered, I looked at Erno Etham.
Thankfully, Erno Etham sat silently and gave me a pat on the cheek as always.
Once upon a time, I wanted to be like the heroine. There were times when I tried to act like the heroine.
I thought that if I did that, my family would love me.
But all I dreamed was an illusion; I wasn't a heroine.
Suddenly, I wanted to bring the relationship between the female protagonist and Erno Etham a bit closer.
I want to surpass the original novel.
So that the female protagonist can be much happier than in the original work.
"Father, I'm going!"
When I jumped off his lap at the sudden idea of a plan, Erno Etham's forehead cracked slightly.
"Where to?"
"To my room."
"Already?"
"Yes!"
He fell silent for a moment.
He nodded and I hurried to the door.
"Daughter."
"Yes?"
"Yesterday, I asked to eat together and couldn't make it. Did you have a good meal?"
As I was about to reach the door, my steps came to a sudden halt. I immediately turned my head and looked at him with a smile on my face.
"Yes! I had a good meal!"
Now that I have a goal, I have a reason to cling to this house a little longer.
"It's still a maximum of six months, but..."
But until then, I should be a child who doesn't cause trouble.
"...Is that so?"
"Yes!"
Unfortunately, I didn't realize at that moment that the corners of Erno Etham's mouth, which usually had a picturesque smile, lowered slightly.
