How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 192

“Oh my god, Rake?!”

 

When I returned to my room after dinner, I checked inside the cage out of habit and saw Rake calmly drinking water inside, so I was startled and shouted.

 

“When did you get back? And where have you been all this time? You should’ve said something if you were leaving—or at least told me you were coming back!”

 

– I already told you.

 

“What? When did you—?!”

 

– I said I was going to punish the bad guys who dared to aim for your heart. Hmm, or did I forget to mention that?

 

Rake tilted her head, bringing her fluffy wings under her beak.

 

She looked so nonchalant I almost clutched the back of my neck and fell over.

 

“You… Ugh, never mind. As long as you’re back safe. But next time, promise me you’ll tell me before you go anywhere, okay?”

 

– Why? I used to go out alone all the time before.

 

“Is wandering around the castle for a bit the same as going outside the castle for a few days?”

 

Apparently, I needed to teach this baby dragon every little thing.

 

I bent down in front of the birdcage and sternly warned Rake.

 

“It’s okay if you’re back before bedtime. But if you don’t think you’ll be able to come back even late at night,… No, wait. You can teleport back to the castle anytime, can’t you?”

 

– That’s right. Since I’m a great dragon, I can teleport back to this castle anytime, anywhere!

 

“Then you must always come back by night.”

 

– Here?

 

“Yes, here… to my side.”

 

– To your side?

 

“Yes. I’m your guardian now. It’s my responsibility to make sure you’re eating well, sleeping well, and not hurt anywhere. By the way, have you eaten?”

 

– No, not yet.

 

The way she shook her round head was so natural. It was enough to fool me for a moment.

 

“Then where did all those almond shells on the cage floor come from? Where did the almonds go?”

 

The evidence of feasting wasn’t just in the shells—it was in Rake’s round, swollen belly.

 

– I ate it.

 

“And you say that so proudly?”

 

– But I didn’t get to eat any strawberry tart. I want strawberry tart! Straaaaaw-berry taaaaart!

 

“Okay, okay! There were some leftovers from dessert. I’ll get you a slice right now.”

 

– Two slices. No, three slices!

 

“Yeah, three slices.”

 

I let out a small sigh as I pulled the rope.

 

‘Can I just accept all the tantrums this kid throws?’

 

I figured I should be stricter before he becomes a troublemaker…. but since it had been a while, just for today.

 

Only today—I’d let it slide just today.

 

“Here you go, strawberry tart.”

 

As soon as the maid handed over the strawberry tart on a plate, Rake, who had escaped from the cage, excitedly began to peck at the strawberries in the tart.

 

She liked strawberries in general, but she especially loved the ones on tarts.

 

Is it because Rake likes the way the syrup makes them sparkle, or is there something else that makes the strawberries in this tart special?

 

I was even thinking about trying to make something like tanghulu when Rake suddenly said:

 

– I met your family earlier.

 

“My family? Who?”

 

– Your brother. There was a lot of noise around him.

 

“Brother Liv? When and where?”

 

– In the garden. I recognized him right away. But he didn’t have any snacks.

 

“Of course, he didn’t….”

 

‘You don’t think everyone has their own snack bag, do you?’

 

I was about to tell Rake to wake up from her dream, but then I suddenly got curious and asked.

 

“How did you recognize my brother so easily? We don’t even look alike.”

 

– No, you do. Your souls.

 

“What… do you mean? Our souls?”

 

Can dragons even see souls? Or was this just some kind of weird cult talk?

 

‘Well, still…!’

 

It felt nice to hear that I had something in common with my brother—especially since we didn’t resemble each other at all on the outside.

 

“But I’m curious, are you going to stay in bird form like this forever?”

 

– Why not?

 

“Dragons can transform into humans, right? I think it would be very uncomfortable to be in that form.”

 

– Not really. I’ve been like this from the beginning. I like it.

 

“But you can’t talk to other people like this.”

 

I had strongly warned Rake not to speak in front of other people.

 

I thought that if people found out that Rake was a dragon, it would only scare them more.

 

If fearless people come to the castle to become dragon slayers, that would be problematic in its own way.

 

– I don’t need to talk to humans. I just want to eat strawberries.

 

“You liked strawberries that much?”

 

– It’s delicious! It’s the best! The sparkly strawberries are the best!

 

When Rake says sparkly strawberries, she means strawberries covered in syrup, right?

 

‘Ah.’

 

Suddenly, I had a great idea.

 

“Rake. The sparkly strawberries are delicious, aren’t they?”

 

– Yeah, it’s delicious.

 

“If you do me one favor, I’ll pile up enough shiny strawberries to burst your belly.”

 

As expected, Rake flapped her wings and flew towards me.

 

– Enough to burst my belly?

 

“Yup. I’ll even bake a whole cake for you.”

 

– What is it? What do you want?

 

“You remember Felix, right? The master of the Silver Frost Tower.”

 

– Yeah. What about him? Should I kill him?

 

“Oh my, look at you. What kind of scary things are you saying? You shouldn’t be saying things like that!”

 

I warned Rake that if she said something like that again, she wouldn’t get another strawberry—not even one.

 

Rake flapped his wings in protest, saying that wasn’t fair.

 

But this time, I absolutely would not back down.

 

After some back-and-forth, I finally made her promise not to say violent things like that again.

 

Only then did I tell her what I wanted.

 

“I’ll write a letter. Just deliver it to him. If you can get a reply, great. If not, just delivering it is enough.”

 

– That’s it? Easy.

 

Rake nodded as if it was nothing, so I quickly took out a piece of paper and a quill and wrote a letter to Felix.

 

Or more accurately, a wedding invitation.

 

* * *

 

“You must be tired from such a long journey.”

 

Oliver picked up the glass Leonhard had poured for him and lightly clinked his glasses with Leonhard’s.

 

“Tired? Not at all. Thanks to Marquis Cloud’s consideration, the trip wasn’t difficult.”

 

At those words, Leonhard, feeling slightly embarrassed, merely wet his lips with the drink and set the glass down on the table.

 

“It was something I should have taken care of, but I didn’t. I’m sorry.”

 

‘It was especially true considering the incident involving Sophia that had nearly turned into a disaster. If Marquis Cloud hadn’t assigned knights to escort him…’

 

Just imagining it made Leonhard shudder slightly.

 

Not noticing his reaction, Oliver shook his head, signaling it was nothing to worry about

 

“Marquis Cloud is a vassal of the Border, after all. So it’s really no different than the Marquis Ajas himself showing concern.”

 

“You can speak comfortably.”

 

“Ah, right.”

 

Now that he thought about it, they used to call each other by name in the capital. It had only been a few months, but it still felt a little awkward to speak informally again.

 

Oliver let out an awkward chuckle, took a sip of his drink, and smoothly changed the subject.

 

“I had already guessed it from the letter Nell sent me. When I saw it in person, it seemed like she had adapted well to the place. I was relieved to see that she was doing well.”

 

“To be honest, I feel quite sorry toward my wife. I left for the Hiyela Gate right after arriving at the castle…”

 

Even though he should have paid more attention to her, the circumstances made it physically impossible.

 

When he thought about how the incident with Noah happened just days later, he came to painfully realize just how neglectful he had been of his household, using his duties as the Border Marquis as an excuse.

 

“I should be thanking her for adapting so well despite everything.”

 

“So, was everything resolved at the gate?”

 

“Yes. At least for the next few years, I won’t need to leave the castle because of the Hiyela Gate.”

 

“That’s great. I think things will get better in the future.”

 

Oliver’s gentle smile somehow felt like a subtle reproach—likely because of Leonhard’s lingering guilt.

 

Leonhard nodded without saying a word.

 

“But…”

 

“Yes?”

 

Leonhard hesitated for a moment, not knowing where or how to begin that story.

 

“There’s actually something I need to tell you regarding my wife.”

 

“About Nell? What is it?”

 

Oliver picked up the glass, but put it back on the table without bringing it to his lips.

 

“Don’t tell me something’s happened to her—”

 

“‘Happened’ might not be the right word. Rather… do you know anything about her bloodline?”

 

“Her bloodline? No. I know a little about her biological mother, but… Are you saying Nell is from some great noble family?”

 

“It would be more accurate to say it’s dangerous rather than great.”

 

What he was about to say would be quite long.

 

Leonhard, who had previously moistened his lips with lukewarm alcohol, then began with a brief question:

 

“Have you ever heard of the sixth power?”

 

* * *