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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Betrayal and Regression
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“The family head?”
“Yes, the family head.”
Her uncle nodded, his face full of conviction.
No one here thought Lumina would become the next Count of Lanshuss.
Not even Lumina herself.
“You’re the heir with the true legitimate claim. Not that little brat.”
“That little brat… you mean…”
“I'm talking about that Endymion fellow, or whatever his name is—the one who crawled out of who knows where.”
Her uncle disparaged her half-brother, Endymion, without a shred of mercy.
“What do you think will happen to you if you just hand over the title to that brat? He looked down on you the moment your mother died. He’ll surely jump at the chance to get rid of you first.”
Lumina couldn’t bring herself to speak. What he said was entirely plausible.
Her uncle seized the opportunity, grabbing her hand.
“You're skin and bones. What a sorry state. Your mother, Chloe, would be heartbroken to see you like this from heaven.”
His eyes welled with tears as he pitied Lumina’s plight.
“I don’t want to see my niece treated so unfairly. And I’m only stepping in because I want you to reclaim what is rightfully yours, so please, don’t feel burdened.”
“…I understand what you’re trying to say, Uncle. But this isn’t something I can decide on my own.”
A twelve-year-old girl couldn't possibly have the power to control a noble house.
Lumina gave what she thought was the best possible answer.
But it wasn’t the answer her uncle wanted to hear.
“All you have to do is trust me and follow my lead.”
*Trust someone I just met today?*
She knew it was absurd. But her uncle kept coaxing her with sweet words.
“This is something only you can do. Or would you rather just stand by and let them walk all over you?”
*Something only I can do.*
Until now, Lumina had been a failure, living in the shadow of her dead mother.
So, the idea that there was something only she could do was undeniably tempting.
“…What do I have to do?”
“Yes, a wise decision! Just do as I say, and don’t you worry about a thing.”
Her uncle, Joseph, put Lumina forward and colluded with some of the Lanshuss branch families.
Endymion was the Count's biological son, but his blood was half-commoner.
Those who found that fact distasteful, or who saw an opportunity to profit from Joseph’s plan, gathered to his side.
Regardless of their motives, Joseph, having smoothly swallowed up the Lanshuss estate, called Lumina his good luck charm.
But in the end, meeting her uncle was the greatest misfortune of Lumina’s life.
***
Lumina was showered with rewards.
A seemingly endless supply of money, a flood of attention, and the freedom to do whatever she pleased.
She was overwhelmed by the sudden deluge, as if a dam had broken.
Seizing the moment, her uncle, Joseph, took her to gambling dens to ensure she wouldn’t get any other ideas.
Just as Joseph intended, Lumina was soon lost in a world of luxury and pleasure.
It was from then on that Lumina began to suffer from auditory hallucinations, her nerves growing increasingly frayed.
She lived day by day, oblivious to her own self-destruction.
She had no energy to spare for what became of Endymion or how the family was faring.
Time flew by, and Lumina came of age.
And the Lanshuss family’s finances were in dire straits.
***
“You want me to get married?”
“Yes. The terms are not unfavorable for you.”
As soon as Lumina was of marriageable age, Joseph arranged a political marriage.
“As you know, things aren't great right now. Ah, but don't you worry too much. This marriage will solve everything.”
A business venture that Joseph and the Lanshuss branch families had jointly undertaken had failed.
With the family’s fortunes declining, Joseph’s first thought was to use Lumina.
As always, faced with her uncle’s attempt to gloss over the situation and steer things his way, Lumina answered without hesitation.
“No.”
Marry a man she’d never even seen? The proposal required no deep thought.
Lumina refused flatly.
“But, Lumina…”
“I am the head of this family now. You remember clearly, don't you? You promised to officially hand over the position to me when I came of age.”
The branch families’ involvement was only ever meant to be temporary.
She clearly remembered the promise that she would receive the title of family head upon becoming an adult.
“Of course, I remember. That’s why I’m telling you this,” Joseph said in a suggestive tone.
“Our financial situation is not good at the moment. You must know that the money you spend doesn't just grow on trees.”
While Lumina’s spending was a factor, the catastrophic failure of the business run by Joseph and the branch families had dealt the greatest financial blow.
But Joseph conveniently omitted the facts that were unfavorable to him, framing it as if everything were Lumina’s fault.
“As you say, you are now the head of Lanshuss. And with that title comes responsibility.”
Joseph sighed as if he had no choice and tried to placate Lumina.
“You wouldn’t want to cut back on your spending even further, would you?”
Joseph would keep his promise to Lumina.
Even if she inherited a family that was nothing but an empty shell, the head was still the head, was she not?
Had she thought about it a little more deeply, Lumina would have realized this.
But the headache she was suffering from left her with no capacity for such thoughts.
Content with an immediate solution to her problems, Lumina nodded.
And so, the marriage to a man she didn't even know was arranged. She never saw her fiancé’s face.
Nor was she particularly curious.
Now a ticking time bomb, liable to explode at any moment, Lumina once again frequented the gambling dens.
Even on the day before her wedding.
“Did you hear the news?”
“Ah, that?”
All sorts of rumors circulated in the gambling dens.
That day was no different.
At a table near Lumina, people chattered about the various incidents, large and small, occurring throughout the empire.
“They say the Young Duke Heart went berserk and died.”
“The Legion?”
Legion.
It was the name given to beings who manifested powerful abilities that surpassed human limits.
Being a Legion was not hereditary. Nobles and commoners alike could become one.
It was a special power that only a select few could awaken.
Once an awakened Legion registered with the state, they served as a combat weapon.
This was what was known to the public.
And among the Legions, a few were particularly famous.
One of them was Duke Heart.
Today, the person being talked about like a bar snack at the gambling den was his son, the Young Duke.
“To be devoured by his own power. How pathetic.”
“They say the more they use their power, the less human they become. That’s why the stronger Legions often have physical or mental abnormalities.”
“Even so, it’s the first time I’ve heard of a rich kid being a Legion. I didn’t think he’d go berserk.”
“I know, right? If you’re born a Legion, you should at least use that power to properly protect common folk like us before you go. This makes him no different from an incompetent Legion.”
In daily life, Legions were no different from humans.
They could blend in seamlessly with ordinary people.
But when they used their abilities, their non-human traits were revealed.
These were physical changes, such as scales appearing on their skin, growing animal ears and a tail, or sprouting wings.
And these traits varied from person to person.
Just as the people were engrossed in their game of poker, tearing into famous figures…
*Crash—.*
There was the sound of someone sweeping everything off a table and collapsing.
*I thought it would be quiet today, but it looks like that crazy bitch from Lanshuss is causing a scene again.*
The people, turning their heads with that thought, immediately changed their expressions when they saw Lumina lying unconscious on the floor.
Surprise, bewilderment, and…
“A Legion.”
“She’s a Legion!”
Their eyes glinted with greed.
***
“A Legion?”
Joseph’s eyes lit up when he received the news.
Lumina had apparently collapsed while in the middle of a gambling spree. With butterfly-like wings sprouting from her back.
The wings had vanished soon after, but countless people in the gambling den had seen them.
It was a good thing he’d had a guard watch over her, just in case. If he hadn't, those damn gamblers might have snatched Lumina away.
“I’ve known the child for years, but she never showed any abilities.”
A Legion’s powers usually manifested before the age of five.
“In that case…”
An incompetent Legion.
There was no other explanation.
“Selling her off some other way will fetch a much higher price than marrying her into some pathetic family.”
The power of a Legion was so immense that ordinary people were afraid to even approach them.
But on rare occasions, an incompetent Legion would appear.
They lacked the characteristic destructive power of a Legion, but they retained the physical traits.
Unlike typical Legions, their lack of power meant their physical traits would pop out unexpectedly, like a sneeze, after they awakened.
Stories of a colleague, thought to be an ordinary human, turning out to be an incompetent Legion often spread like ghost stories.
And these incompetent Legions were secretly traded for high prices among wealthy collectors with a taste for the rare.
“She has no particular powers, and I’ve tamed her well over the years. This is like free money falling into my lap! Haha, God is truly on my side!”
Joseph smiled with satisfaction.
He truly had a very useful niece.
***
The wedding day arrived.
But what Lumina was forced to wear was not a wedding dress.
“Let go! I said, let go of me!”
Two burly men grabbed Lumina by the arms and dragged her away.
Lumina struggled, but the men were twice her size.
There was no way she could overpower them.
But sensing danger, Lumina summoned every ounce of her strength and resisted in every way she could.
As a result, she was dragged down the stairs, fiercely biting one of the men’s hands.
And then she came face to face with Joseph.
“Goodness. She's the finest jewel of Lanshuss, you must handle her with care. What will you do if she gets scratched and her price drops!”
“Uncle.”
Lumina scowled, glaring at Joseph.
“What is the meaning of this.”
“Didn’t you say you would fulfill your duty as the family head? I’m just making sure you do.”
“I distinctly remember agreeing to a marriage. Isn’t this a kidnapping?”
“A kidnapping. Yes. I suppose you could see it that way. But you see, Lumina. It turns out you’re a Legion.”
“…!”
“So you knew.”
Reading the flicker in Lumina’s eyes, Joseph grinned.
“My dear sister should have told her little brother about such a crucial secret. To die without a word.”
“…”
“The biggest score of my life was right in front of me, and I was living like a blind fool.”
Joseph’s eyes gleamed with greed.
“So you’re going to sell me off now?”
Uncle or not.
Now that things had come to this, he wasn’t even worthy of her respect.
“Married life as a bride or a life as an incompetent Legion, it’s all the same. So you should be grateful to me for selling you for a higher price.”
“You think you can do this to me and get away with it?! I'm the family head! The head!”
“Yes. The family head. Though I wonder if a figurehead can truly be called a head.”
“…”
“All our relatives have agreed to this. Even if you disappear, no one will worry or care about you, so rest assured.”
*That can’t be true.*
Lumina’s eyes widened.
“Traitor! How could you do this to your own niece! We're blood!”
Joseph shrugged, as if he didn’t care what accusations were thrown at him.
“You’ve learned a very good lesson, thanks to me. Familial affection is all just a facade. To believe in such a thing. You really are just a child.”
*But it worked out well for me.*
Lumina realized everything had gone wrong.
And while she was talking to Joseph, she noticed the men holding her arms had let their guard down and shoved them away with all her might.
*I have to escape. If I can get outside and call for help…*
But her hope vanished quickly.
*Thud.*
She didn't get more than a few steps before her legs gave out and she collapsed.
Her body felt strangely weak.
Joseph watched the helplessly crumpled Lumina with a look of satisfaction.
“It’s a good thing I’ve been feeding you that drug. It’s quite amusing, watching you struggle when you can’t even control your own body.”
“…”
“Handle her properly so there are no complications.”
Lumina’s arms and legs were bound. The men dragged her away.
“Move her as quickly as possible. The client is not a very patient man.”
With those last words, her vision was covered.
There was only darkness.
***
“…Have mercy on this endlessly fragile life. We are gathered here today to conduct the funeral for the Count and Countess of Lanshuss, who have departed for the arms of the Lord.”
After she died, she opened her eyes to find herself back on that day, at twelve years old, when she first heard the tragic news of the Count and Countess.
She had returned to the past.
The decision to follow her uncle had been completely undone.
“Good riddance.”
The choice she had believed to be the best had been all wrong.
A life like that was better off not existing.
Lumina saw her aunt storming toward her, apparently having heard her mutterings.
When she first woke up, she had thought that perhaps she hadn't experienced a past life, but had simply woken up from a dream.
Everything was happening exactly as it had in her dream, but logically, it didn’t make sense.
But when her aunt slapped her, she became certain that this could not possibly be a dream.
*Originally, in this situation, I said my father and stepmother were better off dead and got slapped. A mere dream couldn't be this identical.*
Once she was sure that what she had experienced was a past life, Lumina slapped her aunt, who had just struck her, right back across the face.
“You crazy bitch!”
“Wow, how did you know? That ‘crazy bitch’ is my nickname.”
If that was the end for her naive self…
“If you knew I was a crazy bitch, you should have known to stay out of my way.”
She would never let them walk all over her again.
