How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 177

“Huh?”

 

“W-What?!”

 

I wasn’t the only one shocked by what had just happened in the blink of an eye. Gasps and exclamations of surprise erupted all around me.

 

As if thoroughly enjoying the reaction, Rake placed her wings on her hips and lifted her beak proudly.

 

– Well? Impressive, right? For a dragon like me, this is nothing at all—

 

“Marquise!”

 

Rake’s boasting was mercilessly drowned out by Layla’s loud cry.

 

“Layla.”

 

“Oh my goodness, you’re safe!”

 

Layla ran through the gap between the knights and ran straight into my arms.

 

I could feel that she was very worried about me from the way her hands hugged my body to the point of making me feel suffocated.

 

I felt touched for a moment and hugged her back, but then, Layla suddenly lifted her head and stared up at me with a terrifyingly stern look.

 

“What in the world is going on?! An invitation from the Silver Frost Tower? How could you accept such a suspicious offer so recklessly? And of all people, you—who must take responsibility for Ajas, the Marquise yourself!”

 

“No, it’s not me who is responsible for Ajas, it’s my husband.….”

 

“She’s absolutely right. You are the pillar of Ajas.”

 

Instead of calming the situation, Leonhard added fuel to the fire, making Layla’s voice grow louder.

 

“It’s fortunate that you returned safely, but what if something had happened? From now on, you must never accept an unofficial visit or invitation without proper procedures. Promise me! Right now!”

 

“Okay, I got it. I’ll definitely do that next time. Sorry.”

 

“No, you don’t have to apologize. If anything, this is my fault as your only Maid. I should have been more vigilant…..From now on, please take me with you whenever you go out. Understood? No exceptions!”

 

Only after I made two firm promises was I finally freed from Layla’s grip.

 

In the meantime, it seemed that word of our return had reached the castle. Lucius appeared in the garden, leading a group of servants.

 

“Ma’am! Young Master! And my lord…! I’m so relieved that you’ve all returned safely.”

 

“Lucius, was everything okay at the castle while we were away?’

 

“Yes. Nothing happened.”

 

Lucius nodded, but I noticed that he looked thinner than when I had last seen him.

 

It wasn’t as if he had been on a sudden diet—he must have had a hard time managing things while I was gone.

 

Feeling guilty, I apologized.

 

“I acted too rashly, didn’t I? I’m sorry. At the very least, I should have informed you before leaving.”

 

“No, Ma’am. What matters is that you’ve returned safely. Young master, you are unharmed as well, right?’

 

“Yes. I’m fine.”

 

Only after seeing Noah nod did Lucius point to the castle with his hand.

 

“Then Please, come inside. I have prepared food and warm water for a bath.”

 

“Alright.”

 

Leonhard and Noah nodded and reached out their hands to me at the same time.

 

Then, realizing they had moved in unison, they glanced at each other and chuckled before looking back at me.

 

“Raenel.”

 

“Mother.”

 

Their outstretched hands wavered slightly, urging me to take them.

 

With an amused sigh, I grasped both—Noah’s hand in my left, Leonhard’s in my right.

 

“Alright, let’s go inside.”

 

Holding my son’s and husband’s hands, I walked forward.

 

It was the most secure way home I had ever had.

 

* * *

 

8. If you love me, please keep it a secret

 

Come back home!

 

They say that no matter how enjoyable a place is, home is the only place to rest, and that saying is absolutely true.

 

Sinking into my own bathtub, surrounded by warm water, I felt the tension I hadn’t even realized I’d been carrying melt away.

 

“Ahh… home really is the best.”

 

Unfortunately, my peace didn’t even last an hour. The sheer amount of overdue work was overwhelming.

 

“I have handled the things I could handle at my own discretion, but I have kept the things that you need to check yourself separately.”

 

Lucius had apparently taken care of half the workload, but since I still had to go through his reports and verify everything, the amount of work hadn’t actually lessened at all.

 

It was already over a week late, so I couldn’t put it off any longer.

 

So, the moment I returned home, I had to work a mountain of paperwork—working late into the night, barely having time to eat.

 

Of course, I wasn’t the only one busy.

 

Leonhard had taken a group of elite soldiers to Hiyela gate to reorganize the forces stationed there.

 

“I’ll be back tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow at the latest.”

 

“And after that, you’ll be staying at the castle for a while, right?”

 

“Of course. We’ve defeated a considerable number of barbarians while passing through the White Lands, so the Hiyela Gate should be free from threat for the time being.”

 

‘I really hope that happens.’

 

Late at night, as I gently patted Noah’s belly to help him sleep, I accidentally let out a small sigh.

 

“Mother…? Are you worried about something?”

 

Noah’s eyes, which had been half-closed, opened again with concern.

 

I clicked my tongue at myself.

 

A parent shouldn’t show worry so easily—it only makes the child anxious.

 

“It’s nothing. I was just thinking… what if the barbarians attack Hiyela gate again?”

 

“The Barbarians?”

 

“Yeah. Rake absorbed the dragon’s heart, right? They might come after it again.”

 

– What? Someone wants to steal my dragon heart?

 

Rake, who had been pecking at the strawberries from a tart, trembled and flew over to me.

 

I stroked the red-stained feathers on her head and explained.

 

“The barbarians. Their high shaman originally had used your dragon heart.”

 

– What?! They dared to use my dragon heart?!”

 

“Well, it’s a bit complicated actually..…”

 

Although Rake’s Dragon Heart was set aside by Hiyela for Rake, strictly speaking, it had no official owner.

 

If we really have to be specific, the magical power that circulates this world is the owner of that.

 

‘In that situation, wouldn’t the person who picked it up first be the owner?’

 

‘Hiyela said that the previous Marquis of Ajas gave the Dragon Heart to his mistress. But how did his mistress manage the Dragon Heart until it ended up in the hands of the barbarians?’

 

Surely his mistress couldn’t have been a barbarian.

 

– This dragon heart is mine! It’s already a part of my body!

 

“Hmm, then it would be best not to be noticed by the barbarians. What if they try to attack you to steal it?”

 

– Attack me? Ha!

 

A sound that was almost laughter but tinged with something else escaped from Rake’s small beak.

 

I quickly realized from the fury in Rake’s following words that it wasn’t amusement at all.

 

– They should stay out of my sight! Because I’ll make sure to condemn them!

 

‘Condemn?’

 

‘Did my baby, not even a year old, just say such a difficult word…?’

 

– Ha! They dared to take what was mine and use it without permission, and now they want to attack me to get it back?!

 

Rake, whose fur stood on end in anger, looked twice as big as usual.

 

I thought something was going to happen, so I quickly calmed Rake down.

 

“No, I’m not saying the barbarians are going to attack you right now—

 

– I’ll make sure they never even think about doing it again!

 

With that fierce declaration, Rake flapped her wings lightly, lifted off the ground—

 

And then, poof—

 

Rake disappeared.

 

“Rake? Where did you go? Rake!”

 

“Mother… you don’t think Rake went to the White Land, Right?”

 

“No way. How would Rake know who the barbarians are or where to find them—”

 

For a moment, I remembered how Rake had bragged about how she had inherited all of her mother’s knowledge and experience along with the dragon heart, and that she could use any magic.

 

‘Isn’t that knowledge also about barbarians?’

 

Whatever the case, I just hoped Rake wouldn’t cause any trouble and would return safely.

 

I sighed again as I looked at the tart, which now contained no strawberries at all.

 

* * *

 

Leonhard, leading the knights and Wizards, arrived at Hiyela Gate, lifted the emergency alert status, and restored the personnel placements to their original positions.

 

After confirming that nothing had happened at Hiyela Gate in his absence, he swiftly handled the documents that required his final approval. Then, entrusting the rest to Iron, he returned to Ajas Castle.

 

Even though he hurried, by the time he arrived, night was already merging into dawn.

 

“Where is my wife?”

 

“She went to bed.”

 

Lucius, who had come to greet him, looked utterly exhausted, though he was still awake.

 

Leonhard, who was habitually handing him the cloak, paused for a moment and advised him to go to bed quickly.

 

“There are still some documents that haven’t been processed.…”

 

The voice sounded almost weak, beyond tired.

 

Feeling a bit guilty, Leonhard reassured him.

 

“I’m going to stay at the castle starting tomorrow. Put any urgent matters on my desk and go rest now.”

 

“Are you serious?”

 

Lucius seemed more pleased that Leonhard was handling the documents than the fact that he would be staying at the castle.

 

It made sense—while Leonhard had entrusted the Marquis’s seal to Raenel, it was merely symbolic; he hadn’t meant for her to take over his duties.

 

Therefore, documents that absolutely required his signature had to be carried by horseback messengers between the Castle of Ajas and the Gate of Hiyela.

 

If that process were eliminated, work would be done more than twice as fast as it is now.

 

Hugging Leonhard’s cloak, Lucius stepped back with an emotional expression.

 

“Then I will take my leave now. Oh, I told the servant to prepare water for you to wash—would you like a meal as well?”

 

“No need.”

 

Shaking his head, Leonhard quickly went up to the third floor.

 

He opened the door slightly and looked inside the room, and Noah was already deeply asleep.

 

He checked if the window was locked, if the water bottle beside the bed was filled, and if Noah was properly covered with the blanket.

 

Noticing the blanket had slipped down and Noah had turned to the side, Leonhard carefully adjusted everything back into place.

 

Despite his careful movements, Noah still woke up.

 

* * *