How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 156

“How dare that insolent little…!”

 

In the past, she would have been captured and severely punished immediately. But now, even that was no longer an option.

 

Rumors about the First Prince spread like wildfire—women who entered his palace on their own two feet were later carried out on stretchers.

 

‘It must be the Second Prince who spread those rumors.’

 

Before the second prince manifested the pattern, it didn’t matter how much the first prince lived like a scoundrel.

 

After all, only a prince or princess with the Estroa pattern can inherit the throne.

 

But of all things, The second prince also got the pattern and ruined everything.

 

To make matters worse, even the Second Princess had manifested her pattern and was now recognized as the First Princess.

 

While the Second Prince’s awakening was one thing, the fact that the Second Princess had also manifested her pattern was unnatural—something that infuriated Marquise Calvin even more.

 

Yet, she couldn’t voice her concerns publicly. If she did, her beloved son would be dragged down with them.

 

“Have you eaten?”

 

Regardless of her frustration, Kairos sat in a chair, dripping water onto the carpet, and asked indifferently.

 

“Is that really what you want to say right now?”

 

“I know you came.”

 

With a slight nod, Kairos gestured to his servants. As if they had been waiting, they quickly set the breakfast table.

 

Even though it was a simple meal served in the bedroom rather than in a dining room, there was a decent selection of food.

 

Among them, Marquise Calvin placed her hand on her forehead as she watched Kairos grab the bread and bring it to his mouth, as if the fork and knife were just decoration.

 

“What exactly are you thinking? What are you dissatisfied with, huh? Does hearing the news about the Second Prince and First Princess not make you feel any sense of crisis?”

 

“What’s the news?”

 

Kairos tilted his head as if he had not heard anything and took a bite of his bread.

 

Every time he tilted the bread in his hand, his servant, Taylor, carefully spread the fruit jam. The Marquise Calvin had to hold herself back from overturning the table.

 

“Do you know how much of the second prince’s personal wealth he donated to the slum relief project? Since the building collapsed due to the monster incident, he should have completely razed the entire area and re-registered the area to create a slum. But he declared that he would make it into a shopping district.

 

“is it so?”

 

“And despite all the insults, people are now praising him as if he’s some kind of god. Give them a little food, and they wag their tails, forgetting they were ever beaten—just like livestock!”

 

While Marquise Calvin gritted her teeth, the First Prince’s voice remained calm and unbothered.

 

“Aren’t they just like livestock, as you said, Mother? Do you need to be offended by their barking?”

 

“Do you think I’m angry because of them? I’m angry because of you!”

 

In the midst of all that, the Marquise Calvin, who was upset at Kairos who was naturally eating bread, ended up snatching the bread from his hands.

 

“Even the First Princess’s Spring Ball received nothing but praise!”

 

The Marquise Calvin gritted her teeth as he recalled the ball she had not been invited to.

 

“And that’s not all. She also attended the trade negotiations with the Kingdom of Carnel as the lead representative and secured significant gains. His Majesty was so pleased that he even rewarded her with his favorite horse!”

 

It was natural for the emperor to be delighted.

 

The Estroy Empire, located on the eastern side of the continent, had to cross the Grand Canal of the Kingdom of Carnel to trade with the various countries located on the western side of the continent.

 

Although there was an alternative route through the northern mountains, it was costly and time-consuming.

 

Each year, the fees alone amounted to nearly a month’s worth of the national budget. Yet, the First Princess managed to reduce those fees by 30%.

 

Naturally, this feat was due to the First Princess’s political acumen—though the real credit belonged to the First Princess’s older sister, who had married into Carnel.

 

Even so, she skillfully took the achievement as her own, which only made Marquise Calvin more frustrated

 

“At this point, the chances of the First Princess inheriting the throne are so low. She knows that. But even so, she’s desperately clinging to whatever she can. Doesn’t that make you feel anything?”

 

“Of course I do.”

 

Kairos, who had picked up sausage with his fingers instead of using a fork, smirked as if amused.

 

“I just think my dear sister is working very hard.”

 

“What?”

 

“Isn’t it not our concern? The throne succession ultimately depends on His Majesty’s will, and His Majesty’s will align with yours, Mother.”

 

“So, you’re acting like this because you’re relying on that?”

 

Kairos simply shrugged his shoulders without saying a word. However, the smirk on his lips made Marquise Calvin clutch her chest in frustration.

 

“You… Just… What am I supposed to do with you?”

 

‘He wasn’t always this rebellious.’

 

As a child, Kairos had been obedient and well-behaved, following orders without question

 

But as he grew older, he began to lose his way.

 

The rumors were so spectacular that if Marquise Calvin had not taken action to clean up the mess, Kairos would have already lost the Emperor’s favor.

 

If he had behaved a little better, he could secure the throne without any trouble. 

 

But as if it were a coincidence, Kairos’s actions diverged, and Marquise Calvin even got a headache she never had before.

 

‘If only I had one more child…!’

 

However, being able to get pregnant and give birth to Kairos was a miracle. She had no other choice. She had to put everything into Kairos.

 

Trying to console herself with that thought, Marquise Calvin placed the bread she had been holding back onto the table and spoke in a calm voice.

 

“Yes, you have me, so there’s no need for you to struggle like the Second Prince or the First Princess. Just trust me. However, you must promise me one thing—stop fooling around with women.”

 

“Why should I do that, Mother?”

 

“Why? Because your engagements keep breaking off!”

 

The Second Prince had been engaged at the age of two and formally married his fiancée when he came of age.

 

Rumors of their harmonious relationship spread frequently, and it was only a matter of time before the Second Prince’s fiancée became pregnant.

 

If a child born that way has the symbol of Estroa, even the nobles who have maintained neutrality until now, there was a high probability that they would turn to the second prince’s side.

 

Because producing a legitimate successor was the most important duty of an emperor.

 

That was why she had planned to have Kairos married the moment he reached adulthood, ensuring his child would manifest the pattern upon birth—fooling everyone into believing his child had been born with it.

 

But Kairos had refused to cooperate.

 

Even if she tried to introduce him to a girl from a suitable family who would be helpful to him, he would make sure rumors of his affairs with other women spread as if he had been waiting for that. 

 

Which noble lady would tolerate such behavior?

 

Some ambitious women had indeed set their sights on the future empress’s position. However, Kairos’s moves were so outrageous that they all ended up giving up.

 

It would have been better if he had played around like that and gotten someone pregnant, but it was even more shocking that no child was born.

 

“Well, all the women my mother introduces me to are not my type….”

 

“Then what is your type? Tell me, do you even have a woman you like?”

 

“Hmm… My type, huh…? I’ve never really thought about it.”

 

Kairos tilted his head and picked up his glass with oily hands. His servant, as if accustomed to that routine, poured alcohol instead of water into the glass.

 

The thought of drinking so much last night and then drinking again rose to the top of her lungs, but Marquise Calvin kept her mouth shut.

 

It was because Kairos had an expression on his face as if he had remembered something.

 

“Now that I think about it…”

 

“What? Is there someone you’re interested in?”

 

“Interested might be too strong a word, but she is… intriguing?”

 

“Intriguing?”

 

Marquise Alvin urged Kairos, who was not able to continue his words, as if asking a question. At that moment, she caught the faint smirk playing on his lips.

 

“Shall I say it’s cute?”

 

“Cute?”

 

“It was obvious that she was lying, but it didn’t bother me that much. She’s not unattractive, at least.”

 

Marquise Calvin had never once heard her son compliment a woman’s looks.

 

So for him to say someone was “not unattractive” was probably the highest praise he was capable of giving.

 

“If there was someone like that, you should have told me a long time ago! Who is she? A noble lady? Where did you meet?”

 

Kairos deliberately took his time, so that his mother could indulge in her vain fantasies for a little longer.

 

“She’s a noble lady. We met at… the New Year’s ball.”

 

“There was a woman like that, so why didn’t you tell me? Let’s see. The New Year’s ball… Yes, that’s when I couldn’t attend.”

 

At the same time, a certain fact flashed through Marquise Calvin’s mind.

 

“Now that I recall, someone mentioned you dancing with a lady that night… Is it her?”

 

Kairos nodded without further hesitation.

 

“As expected! You weren’t dancing with just anyone. That means—”

 

The face of the Marquise Calvin, who had been chattering happily, suddenly hardened.

 

She suddenly remembered who Kairos had danced with that night.

 

“No way…The youngest daughter of the Howard family? The one who married Leonhard?”

 

“Yes. The woman who is now called the Marquise of the Northern Frontier.”

 

Kairos smirked as he looked at Marquise Calvin, who had finally realized the truth.

 

Marquise Calvin had no time to get angry at Kairos, who was sipping his wine and watching her face as if appreciating it.

 

It felt as if she had been given a grand gift, only to have it snatched away immediately.

 

“No… Out of all people… Are you absolutely certain you’re not mistaken?”

 

“Mother, please. No matter how crazy you think I am, do you really think that I would make such a mistake?”

 

Kairos smiled as he looked at his mother who had given birth to him.

 

“It’s impossible to make a mistake. It was a sensation I had never experienced before. Up until that moment, my mind was solely focused on hunting monsters.”

 

“Monster?”

 

“Yes. It was a wing cat with shiny fur… What luck, it happened to crawl under that woman’s skirt.”

 

“The Wingcat went under her skirt?”

 

The voice of the Marquise Calvin that followed was slightly tense.

 

“And… she wasn’t hurt, was she?”

 

As if expecting something.

 

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