A Stepmother's Marchen

Chapter 32

“… I’m so glad he’s well recovered. You must have had a hard time.”

“Thank you for your concern. I used the product you sent me very well.”

On the refreshing early winter morning, after the damn sickness that plagued my eldest son finally withdrew, I visited Duke Nurembert’s house.

I sat in another antique, stylish room unlike our mansion, facing the Duchess.

The Duchess invited me to drink tea first when I visited her to thank her.

…..To be honest, I must say that I was a little surprised.

The symbol of the Bismarck family is a white eagle holding the snout of a beast. The best of the six beasts that support the eagle is by far the wolf in the wall, a lone family with the most blood of the royal family.

If the Neuwanstein family has been responsible for the material support of the imperial family, the Nurembert family has been responsible for the stability of the imperial authority and political strife.

Eventually, the predominance of the social world, where the ranks are divided by the dominance of the family, deserved to be the Duchess of Heide Von Nurembert, but she wasn’t much of a socialite, as I remember her.

She was infirm and somewhat reserved, she wasn’t a part of any faction and always adhered to a thorough neutrality.

I still don’t know why she’s so sad every time I see her, but anyway, why did such a duchess invite me at this point today and sit with an impatient expression as if hesitating to say something?

Heide, who has thin, weak light blue hair and a white and delicate body, looked like a fragile wax doll.

I am sympathetic to the idea that she has been having a hard time with the two wolves of the family.

Finally, her hesitant voice was quiet enough to fit her appearance, “Well, Lady Neuwanstein … actually, there’s something I’d like to ask of you.”

“I’ll do whatever I can.”

Whatever it was, it would have been advantageous for me to hold her hand first. I didn’t expect an opportunity to bring in a neutral duchess who rarely makes sides.

“That’s… it’s a problem with my son.”

I opened my eyes wide at the Duchess’s words, who was constantly wiggling her hands.

It’s about her son…?

“…As you may have already noticed, Nora is a lonely child. I don’t have any brothers. I’m not even close to my cousins. I don’t know what’s going on with the kid, but at this rate, he’s going to get worse.”

The wistful Duchess stared at me with deep sorrowful, watery eyes. I was just listening in bewilderment.

“So I wonder if my son will get better when he hangs out with madam’s kids. I’m simply amazed how well you treat your children despite your young age. I’m sure you’re born with it. It’s been a long time since I’ve been a mother, but I thought maybe I’d open up a little bit about the issue.”

It was a completely unexpected thing to hear.

Did I look like I was good with kids?

Of course I’m way better than before, but I’m still trying.

“Uh, well, so what exactly do you want me to do? I don’t think I can make them get close to each other, they need to do that on their own…”

“So I’d like to say… if it’s not too much to ask, could you talk to Nora?”

“What?”

“I know it’s an annoying request. I don’t blame you for refusing. My husband told me not to do something useless… but a mother’s heart is different from the father’s.”

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand how the Duchess felt about telling me this much. Nevertheless, it was a questionable thing.

I’ve only met him twice, but I didn’t think he was that impossible.

And what did she think I can do about a young man (at least in the eyes of others) who doesn’t listen to his parents?

No matter how hard I think about it, I feel like there’s some serious reason for that belief.

Nevertheless, is it due to the feeling of homogeneity toward the duchess, or is it due to compassion toward the boy who will become Jermey’s rival that I who thought it was right to refuse, hesitated?

It was then that the butler’s voice resonated with the loud footsteps.

Both I and Heide turned our heads at the same time.

“Young master, where did you go again without a word?”

“Never mind!”

……That was very subtle. When I first met him, his image was different. He was a bit rough at that time, but he seemed to be a nice guy.

“Nora, where are you going? You have to greet the guest.”

When his mother called him, Nora, who was stomping up the stairs without turning his head, suddenly stopped walking, and then he looked back at us.

Well, that’s awkward.

Don’t look so weird as if you’ve seen something you are not supposed to see.

I didn’t know you were the very apostle of justice. You bastard!

“Ha… it’s getting more spectacular.”

Look at the way he talks. What is so spectacular about it?

It was sad to see the duchess’ face turning pale like a corpse.

While I held her hand quickly and smiled that it was okay, the young Nurembert stormed up the stairs. It’s like seeing Elias when he was 15.

It was quite pitiful to see the duchess taking out a handkerchief and wiping away her tears without saying a word.

In the end, I became the person who sold her soul to the devil.

“I’ll give it a try.”

Sure enough, the tearful Duchess’ eyes immediately filled with brightness.

I can’t help it now. I guess I’m destined to be in charge of taking care of other people’s children.

As I happened to comply with the Duchess’ request, I promised to deal with the rebellious wolf cub for an hour a day.

The Duchess insisted that her son should be sent to our mansion, but who knows what would happen if he blindly confronted his fateful rival, who hadn’t been on good terms since the first meeting?

“Thank you for doing me a favor, but I think it’s troublesome…”

“I think I’d better come here for now, then we’ll see.”

“But then I’ll have Nora come to you on the first day to pick you up.”

I think that she is worried that I might say so and then get away with it with an appropriate excuse.

Yeah, I shouldn’t even dream about it.