How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 197

“Oh, I get it now! The Marquise wanted to see me again!”

 

“Wake up.”

 

“Oh! Or maybe Young Master Noah wanted to see me. Maybe he wants to learn magic from this genius wizard!”

 

Felix didn’t even respond to the ridiculous remark and simply turned away, sitting down at his desk.

 

He spread out a parchment and began organizing the recipe for the potion, when Marilyn rushed over and shouted desperately,

 

“You’re taking me with you, right? Right?”

 

“Why are you so obsessed with the Marquise’s wedding? Are you a barbarian too? Drawn to her blood or something?”

 

“That’s not it! I just want to enjoy the outside world a little more. Ah, if I’d known this would happen, I would have enjoyed it more when I went out.”

 

Pouting and grumbling, Marilyn glanced at Felix to see if she had overstepped.

 

“Not that I regret coming to the tower or anything. It’s just… it’s been a really long time since I came here.”

 

“Don’t worry. We’ll be able to open the tower’s door soon.”

 

“Huh? You’re opening the door?”

 

Marilyn’s eyes widened at Felix’s unexpected remark.

 

“No way, really? Why all of a sudden? Don’t tell me it’s because I whined?”

 

“—Of course not.”

 

“Right, that can’t be true. Then why really?”

 

“Why else?”

 

Because that was the condition for inheriting the tower.

 

Just like Felix had taken in a starving and frail Marilyn as his disciple, he too had once been picked up by his own master and brought to this tower.

 

He had heard that his master had also been taken in by his own master and brought here.

 

“I’ll pass on everything I have to you. But there’s a condition. If I die without completing the task I’m working on, you must finish it in my place.”

 

“What task is it?”

 

“It’s the completion of a certain magic that my master’s master began.”

 

“If your master’s master started it, and you couldn’t finish it, that means I’ll have to do what even your master’s master couldn’t. What if I can’t finish it either?”

 

“Then you must raise a disciple to carry it on, just like I have with you.”

 

The completion of that magic was finally within reach.

 

Attempts to simplify the formula into a single spell had failed, as had attempts to create a magic artifact by layering magic circles.

 

Eventually, Felix’s generation had shifted to potion-making as the means of completing the purification magic.

 

Once this purification magic was completed, the sins of the master’s master, who had to shut the door of the Silver Frost Tower in secret, could finally be atoned for.

 

Then the tower, which had been closed for over a hundred years, could be opened again.

 

<Never open the door to the Silver Frost Tower until this magic is complete.>

 

That was the will left behind by the master’s master and by his master.

 

‘I don’t get why the later generations always have to clean up the mess of the earlier ones.’

 

‘Since I received something, I should do something in return.’

 

With only five days left until the wedding of the Marquis and Marquise of Ajas, he would complete the potion no matter what.

 

Felix gritted his teeth and focused on checking the recipe, determined to end his master’s cursed legacy with his own hands.

 

* * *

 

Time flew without notice, and suddenly it was the night before the wedding.

 

I couldn’t quite believe it, so I lay in bed staring blankly at the ceiling.

 

‘Maybe it’s because I’ve already had a wedding once…?’

 

I’m not particularly nervous or excited.

 

It just felt like I was having another wedding.

 

‘Anyone who hears this would think I’m getting remarried.’

 

At the silly thought, I chuckled softly. But the room was so quiet that even that small sound was heard.

 

“Can’t sleep, ma’am?”

 

“Hmm, maybe I can’t…”

 

I gave in to the force pulling me towards him and fell into Leonhard’s arms, and he patted my back as if telling me to go to sleep quickly.

 

“You have to get up early tomorrow. And you won’t have time to rest in the middle of the day, so you should sleep well now.”

 

Starting early in the morning with washing and dressing, the wedding would begin—and after that, the real event was the banquet.

 

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the banquet was the most important part.

 

There, I would be formally introduced to the vassals and nobles through Leonhard and exchange greetings, officially becoming the Marquise of Ajas.

 

Only then could I begin social activities in the North in earnest.

 

‘Actually, social activities don’t really matter,…’

 

What mattered most was establishing my position as the Marquise of Ajas.

 

That way, the vassals and nobles wouldn’t look down on me.

 

If I, like that, firmly establish Noah’s position, they will not be able to openly oppose Noah.

 

Since Leonhard had already named Noah as his successor, anyone wanting to replace him would need a solid justification.

 

The only one who can do that is the child I gave birth to.

 

‘But even if I have a child, there’s no guarantee they’ll awaken the Ajas symbol.’

 

Worse yet, I bore the Sesto symbol. There was a chance my child would manifest the Sesto symbol instead.

 

Thinking about it that way, maybe it was a blessing that Noah already existed.

 

If not, I would have had to keep having children until one of them manifested the symbol.

 

‘Ugh, no thanks. I’m not some baby-making machine.’

 

“What are you thinking that makes your face turn blue and then red?”

 

“Just some random thoughts.”

 

Oh, come to think of it, we’ve never had this kind of conversation before.

 

And with the wedding and the first night happening tomorrow… Maybe it was finally time to talk about it.

 

I opened my mouth as I looked at Leonhard, who had his eyes half-closed as if he was sleepy.

 

“Don’t you think we should have a serious talk about our plans for children?”

 

“Children….”

 

I couldn’t help but burst out laughing at Leonhard’s eyes, which opened wide as if he was suddenly enlightened.

 

Maybe he found himself funny too, because he cleared his throat and blushed slightly before putting on a serious face again.

 

“Now that you mention it, we really haven’t talked about that at all. What are your thoughts?”

 

“Hmm, I’m not really sure. I used to think I’d want at least three kids since there were four siblings in my family… but now that I’m actually thinking about having them, it’s a little scary.”

 

“It’s definitely something that requires risking your life. Even healing magic has its limits.”

 

Leonhard answered like that, hesitated for a moment, then spoke in a cautious voice.

 

“If you don’t want to have a child, that’s okay. We have Noah, after all.”

 

“I never said I didn’t want one. Aren’t you jumping to conclusions a bit?”

 

I teased him lightly, telling him to come back to his senses, but Leonhard’s tense expression didn’t ease.

 

“Didn’t you say you were scared? And me too… I’m a little scared just imagining it.”

 

“Scared of what? That something might happen to me while giving birth?”

 

“There’s a saying that words have power. Please don’t say such things, ma’am.”

 

He hugged me tightly as if he was afraid that I would leave him at any moment.

 

He seemed to be really scared because his hug was stronger than usual.

 

Regretting what I had said, I wrapped my arms around his back.

 

“It’s just something I said, so don’t take it too seriously. There are a few doctors and healing wizards living in this castle. Oh, and we have Rake too.”

 

‘Wouldn’t a dragon’s healing magic be enough to save someone even on the brink of death?’

 

Unlike me who had such optimistic thoughts, Leonhard seemed to still be unable to shake off his anxiety.

 

I stroked his back, whose expression looked even worse than before, and started talking in an excited voice.

 

“How many children would you like to have? Since we already have Noah, I’d like one son and two daughters.”

 

Like our Howard family with four siblings.

 

“Isn’t that a bit much?… If we were to have children, just one—boy or girl who resembles you would be enough.”

 

“No way, that won’t do. I want to have a child that looks like you.”

 

If the child had his face, they’d be stunning, whether boy or girl.

 

“But thinking about how I take after my grandfather, I guess they might end up looking like my mom…”

 

As I was muttering, something suddenly occurred to me.

 

I hesitated for a moment and then slowly spoke up.

 

“Come to think of it, what were your parents like? Do they have any portraits or anything left in the castle?”

 

“No, none. They were never painted.”

 

“Huh? Uh… why?”

 

“Because my family wasn’t close enough to have a portrait.”

 

Leonhard’s voice was completely flat, like he was explaining an object. Honestly, even a weather report would’ve had more warmth.

 

‘I shouldn’t have asked.’

 

I felt bad because it felt like I was needlessly stirring up this person’s old wounds.

 

“You don’t have to look at a portrait to know what my father looks like. I look exactly like him.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes. Everything—from this blond hair to the blue eyes and all my features. That’s why my mother hated me. Said I didn’t resemble her at all.”

 

‘Good grief. Every step was a landmine.’

 

“This conversation… actually, never mind. Since we’ve started, let’s just get it all out.”

 

I had to wake up at dawn, but now I was fully awake.

 

I couldn’t just let this slide and go to sleep, so I sat up in bed.

 

If not today, I might never get the chance to ask again.

 

* * *