How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 178

“Father….?”

 

“Did I wake you? I’m sorry.”

 

“No… Did you have a good trip?”

 

Even in his drowsy state, Noah tried to raise his upper body.

 

Leonhard gently patted the child’s chest, signaling that it wasn’t necessary, and coaxed him back to sleep.

 

“Yes. From tomorrow, I’ll be staying at the castle continuously.”

 

“Then, my lessons…?”

 

“Let’s get started. Do you want to start receiving it tomorrow?”

 

“Father, if you are busy,…”

 

“Don’t worry. I’m not busy at all.”

 

In reality, he was.

 

The moment he heard that Raenel and Noah had been kidnapped, he had lost all composure, leading the knights in pursuit.

 

Now, there were countless matters to resolve, not to mention he also had to check on whether the wedding preparations were going well.

 

However, Leonhard, who had constantly used being busy as an excuse to neglect Noah, no longer wanted to say such things.

 

All he had to do was sleep a little less.

 

Leonhard looked down at Noah’s eyelids, which were now completely closed and carefully removed his hand from the child’s chest.

 

“Have sweet dreams…”

 

Leonhard, who had been quietly watching Noah sleeping, slowly got up and left the bedroom without making a sound.

 

As he climbed the stairs, he hesitated for a moment.

 

‘Where had Raenel fallen asleep?’

 

‘The fifth floor… probably not.’

 

Staying at the castle from tomorrow meant that he could finally use the fifth-floor bedroom.

 

‘Am I being too impatient….?’

 

Reaching the fourth floor, Leonhard unconsciously let out a small groan.

 

Running a hand through his hair in frustration, he glanced at Leona, who stood guard outside Raenel’s bedroom, giving her a brief nod before opening the door.

 

–Creak

 

He opened it quietly, but he must have put unnecessary force into his hand because the hinges made a noise.

 

Startled, he quickly looked toward the bed.

 

Fortunately, Raenel remained deeply asleep, showing no reaction to the sound.

 

“……”

 

Placing the lantern on the bedside table, Leonhard clicked his tongue as he noticed a white foot sticking out from under the blanket.

 

He lifted the blanket slightly and tucked it over her foot.

 

Raenel, in response, turned her head to the other side, letting out a small, sleepy grumble.

 

Even as she tossed and turned, she soon stretched her foot back out from under the blanket.

 

Watching that, Leonhard couldn’t help but chuckle.

 

“Is covering your feet with a blanket really that uncomfortable?”

 

“Mmm….”

 

It was surely just sleep-talking, but it almost sounded like an answer, making Leonhard laugh again.

 

Had he laughed too loudly?

 

Raenel, who had been tossing and turning under the blankets once more, blinked and looked at him.

 

“Leon…?”

 

“Yes, it’s me, my lady.”

 

She seemed to process his words for a moment, remaining silent.

 

Leonhard, who had been unnecessarily nervous, softened his gaze when he saw a small hand wriggling out from under the blanket and gently took her hand.

 

“When did you come? No, what time is it….?”

 

“I’m not sure exactly, but it’s quite late. Keep sleeping. I’ll go wash up and come back.”

 

“Hurry up… I’m sleepy…. I won’t sleep until you come back after washing up,”

 

Raenel said with a yawn.

 

Not wanting to be seen yawning, she pulled the blanket up to her forehead, but her feet still peeked out.

 

Seeing that, Leonhard pulled back the blanket to cover her legs properly.

 

When he returned after hastily washing up, Raenel had already fallen asleep again.

 

Fearing that he might wake her again, Leonhard cautiously climbed onto the bed and slipped under the blanket she was using.

 

“……”

 

“It’s me.”

 

Still with her eyes closed, Raenel reached out toward him, fumbling around his chest and shoulders.

 

Then she grabbed Leonhard’s arm and put it behind her head, using it as a pillow.

 

Snuggling close to him as if she had finally found her rightful place, she fell asleep again.

 

Leonhard felt a ticklish warmth in his chest.

 

“Sweet dreams, Nell.”

 

Her soft, steady breathing was the only response.

 

The warmth in his arms felt like a miracle, making him finally realize—he was home.

 

* * *

 

On a towering ice ridge, an improvised campsite is secured with a fence made of monster bones.

 

Because it was only temporary, there weren’t many tents. Since it was only a temporary base, there weren’t many tents. Even those that stood swayed dangerously in the fierce winds, making it look like they would collapse at any moment.

 

Naturally, the harsh conditions slowed the recovery of the wounded lying beneath them.

 

With medicine running out and their mental state in turmoil, how could their injuries possibly heal?

 

On top of that, food supplies were running low, and there were no guards left to defend the camp.

 

Their control over the monsters-once their greatest advantage-was now gone.

 

「Great Shaman. It’s time to accept it. We’ve lost. We need to retreat before it’s too late.」

 

「Retreat? Lost? How dare you utter such nonsense!」

 

With a thud, he slammed his wand against the ground, but the powerful blue stone that once radiated immense magical energy was gone.

 

Why had every single tribe member—young and old, men and women alike—once followed him without question?

 

Because his wand, embedded with the blue stone, had given him overwhelming magical power, allowing him to command high-level monsters as if they were mere extensions of his own body.

 

Whenever someone disobeyed, the Great Shaman either used his own magic or ordered monsters to kill them.

 

Who had once said that even a monster mourning its lost offspring was more merciful than him?

 

His reign had been one of terror, based solely on the ruthless logic of survival of the fittest. But the moment he lost his power, he lost his authority as well.

 

The barbarian tribes who had secretly resented him wasted no time in either rising up against him or abandoning him altogether.

 

However, there were quite a few barbarians who remained by his side and still claimed to be his subordinates, but more than half of them died in clashes with the barbarians that had risen up against him.

 

His barely preserved forces were reduced by more than half while attacking the Silver Frost Tower to retrieve the Blue Stone, and even his subordinates who had been sent out to search for food and monsters to brainwash were killed after being caught by Marquis Ajas.

 

Now, fewer than fifty of his followers remained.

 

The number includes the wounded – those too weak to fight. If another battle takes place, they will Surely lose.

 

「Great Shaman. Make a wise decision while we are still willing to show you some respect.」

 

「A wise decision? Does that mean I’m making a stupid decision right now?」

 

「I guess you weren’t such a fool not to know that.」

 

「you!」

 

「Or do you intend to let us all die? No, we’re already as good as dead」

 

A man, wearing a wolf pelt over his head like a hood, let out a bitter laugh as he absentmindedly touched his left sleeve.

 

A white-haired woman beside him glared at the Great Shaman, gritting her teeth.

 

「Do you know how many women of childbearing age are left? Even warriors and shamans must now put down their swords and wands and have children. Before our bloodline dies out!」

 

She should have left with the Blue-Haired Clan when they departed for the north.

 

Their survival would be difficult, but at least they could bear and raise children to preserve their lineage.

 

「Run away before you die? And you call yourselves warriors?!」

 

「Warriors? You talk big. Even with the help of so many monsters, you could not pass the Hiyela Gate, you could not bring down the Silver Frost Tower, and now you’ve lost the blue stone that made you the Great Shaman in the first place. Where is the honor in any of that?」

 

「Which is why we must take revenge!」

 

「With what? You can’t get the blue stone—the tower has already disappeared.」

 

The silver tower, covered in a soft snow mist like a cloak, received sunlight and shed colorful lights like mother-of-pearl.

 

The tower that seemed to pierce the sky disappeared without a trace as if it were a mirage.

 

A scouting warrior had searched the area thoroughly but found no trace of it.

 

「Even without the blue stone, there’s still a way. We still have a chance.」

 

「What chance?」

 

「The Border Marquis’ wife!」

 

「The Border Marquis’ wife? Ha! Now that you bring it up, what exactly were you thinking when you demanded they hand her over?」

 

「Exactly! Did you expect them to simply say, ‘Here she is’ and deliver her to us?」

 

「And what were you planning to do with her if we had gotten her? Take a powerless woman hostage to threaten the Border Marquis? Is that what you call a warrior’s honor!」

 

The white-haired woman shouted in extreme anger, and the Great shaman let out a scoff.

 

「A powerless woman? You don’t know what you’re talking about.」

 

「What do you mean?」

 

「I admit I was hasty. But how could I not be? The Marquise is none other than the Sesto we’ve been searching for!」

 

「 What?」

 

「Sesto! The owner of the blood that can command monsters with just the tip of their toes! The wife of the Marquis Ajas was none other than Sesto!」

 

「The Marquise of Ajas is Sesto?」

 

An atmosphere of surprise spread through the atmosphere stained with resignation.

 

The mere mention of a single word was enough to turn the mood around—Sesto undoubtedly held such power.

 

「How did you know that?」

 

「Torah told me.」

 

「Torah? Who is that?」

 

The man with an eyepatch over his left eye asked, and another man, whose one sleeve hung loosely, responded.

 

「There was a clan that went south long ago in search of Sesto’s bloodline.」

 

「They went south? How? How did they cross the Hiyela Gate?」

 

「She has the power of charm. She seduced the guards and temporarily blinded them.」

 

「Moreover, she is of mixed blood, so her appearance doesn’t stand out. She was the perfect candidate to be sent down.」

 

「She was a truly cunning woman. Of all the people, she managed to seduce the Marquis.」

 

The Great shaman, who had been chuckling, suddenly hardened his expression.

 

「None of that matters. We just need to kidnap the Marquise of Ajas. Then we’ll be able to control the monsters again.」

 

「But how are you going to kidnap that woman? Marquis Ajas will not stand by and watch that happen」

 

「We’ll cross the mountains.」

 

「The mountains?」

 

If it were as easy as it sounds, why would they have gone to such trouble to break through the gate guarded by the Marquis?

 

Just as everyone’s faces twisted in disbelief—

 

– You all, you’re really having an interesting conversation.

 

* * *