How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 199

“Like Noah?”

 

“Like Noah.”

 

Leonhard answered, then suddenly let out a sigh a moment later.

 

“It may be a little late to say this, but… I’m not sure I can be a good father.”

 

“Why? Are you thinking about that crazy man again?”

 

At my candid remark, Leonhard let out a short laugh. He replied with a voice that still carried a trace of amusement.

 

“Not exactly. It’s just….”

 

“Just?”

 

Leonhard hesitated for a moment and then spoke with an awkward expression.

 

“Noah seems to get along very well with your brother.”

 

“Hmm? Isn’t that a good thing? …Ah! I get it. You’re jealous because Noah seems closer to brother Liv, right?”

 

“Jeal—”

 

Leonhard clamped his mouth shut, apparently unable to find a rebuttal. He stayed silent for a while.

 

Well, now that I think about it, my older brother really did spend a lot of time playing with Noah while we were busy with the wedding preparations.

 

Every time I took the time to go see the two of them, I kept hearing the same thing:

 

“The young master went to the greenhouse with Count Howard.”

 

“Count Howard? He went out to the market with the young master before lunch.”

 

I had to go five times to finally meet them once.

 

There was even a time my older brother turned back late at night because he was reading Noah a bedtime story.

 

‘I just thought it was nice they got along, but I guess his father feels differently.’

 

Looking at Leonhard’s slightly sulky face, I started to understand.

 

‘Well, he must be anxious.’

 

This man was driven by a sense of responsibility to make up for the indifference he once showed Noah.

 

‘Still, seeing him feel that way shows that he has improved a lot.’

 

If it had been the old Leonhard, he would’ve just been glad they were getting along and left it at that.

 

“To be jealous of none other than brother Liv…. you’ve still got a long way to go. This is like a crow being envious of a stork.”

 

“A crow..…”

 

“My older brother raised three younger siblings like his own kids. It’s just a difference in experience, that’s all.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Leonhard nodded as if he understood.

 

“Besides, a kind relative visiting your house is always going to be popular. They don’t nag and just play with the kids.”

 

“Is that so? I don’t know because I don’t have any relatives.”

 

“Don’t worry. There are a lot of them now, so you’ll know soon enough.”

 

‘By the way, even if that’s the case for Sister Lily, what should we do about the grown men in our family?’

 

“While we’re on the subject, are there any nice girls among the northern girls that you could introduce to my brother?”

 

“Well, I don’t go to social gatherings, so I don’t know anyone. But if you’re an unmarried young lady of marriageable age, most of them will probably be attending the wedding tomorrow, so why don’t you keep an eye out for them then?”

 

“Hmm, I see.”

 

‘So he doesn’t know any ladies, huh.’

 

“Nell?”

 

“Nothing, I just thought that’s a great idea. Shall we sleep now? We can’t oversleep tomorrow.”

 

I nestled into Leonhard’s arms and hugged his waist tightly.

 

He looked puzzled, unsure why I suddenly seemed so cheerful, but regardless, he returned my embrace as if saying, ‘If you’re happy, that’s all that matters.’

 

* * *

 

On the wedding day.

 

The sky was so clear that it seemed pointless to have had the wizards on standby since dawn in case it rained.

 

Thanks to that, the gardens of Castle Ajas, decorated with thousands of flowers, colorful ribbons, and colorfully shining magic balls, could be opened to the public and left everyone in awe.

 

“It’s the first time I’ve seen the garden of Castle Ajas filled with flowers like this.”

 

“It’s truly a beautiful sight. Ah… This scent.”

 

“Now that we have a new Marquise, I hope the garden stays this full of flowers. It’s open to everyone, after all.”

 

“I heard that the greenhouse behind the castle is already full of flowers! The castle gardener boasts that there are many plants brought in from the jungle and desert.”

 

“Oh my, those flowers would be difficult to grow even in a greenhouse.”

 

“Well, there are many wizards in Castle Ajas.”

 

“I definitely want to visit the greenhouse. I bet the first social gathering will be held there, right?”

 

“No matter where it’s held, I just hope I get an invitation. Surely the northern social scene will revolve around the new Marquise now?”

 

While noblewomen chatted in groups, young ladies stood politely, quietly gauging each other.

 

Some of them cast glances toward the beautifully decorated desserts on the white tablecloths, but no one dared reach for it under the sharp gazes of their stern mothers.

 

Since the position of Marquise had remained vacant for so long, the northern nobility hadn’t held a proper grand banquet or social event in years—perhaps even in a decade.

 

Even during the lifetime of the previous Marquise, a banquet of this scale was rarely held.

 

‘I don’t know when another grand banquet like this will be held.’

 

‘Even if there is, I don’t know if I’ll be invited.’

 

‘So, definitely at this place.…’

 

‘I have to find a fiancé for my child!’

 

Since the vassals each lived in their own fiefs, it was difficult for them to see each other unless they traveled on horseback for several days.

 

Therefore, even when marriage proposals were made, they could only see each other’s faces through portraits before deciding to meet.

 

And those portraits were usually beautified. So people often regretted trusting them.

 

That’s why parents, especially those who are confident in their children’s faces, hope to see the other person’s face before the marriage proposal becomes concrete.

 

Where better to do that than an event like this? A grand banquet where all the northern nobles gathered.

 

You didn’t need to propose marriage right away.

 

You didn’t even need to talk about it.

 

Simply introducing your daughter or son to a wide audience was a win in itself.

 

Because someone who liked what they saw would come forward with a proposal on their own.

 

‘Who is the best groom among the men invited here?’

 

‘Who is the best bride?’

 

Parents with grown children observed each other with sharp eyes.

 

Apart from them, people who feel that finding a topic of conversation is the greatest pleasure in life, chat happily without paying attention to what others think.

 

“But do you think that rumor is true? You know, the one where His Highness the Marquis fell in love with the lady at first sight and offered an enormous fortune to propose!”

 

“Oh, I’ve heard that too. They say he emptied out all the auction houses in the capital?”

 

It was already a topic of conversation that had been chewed and torn to pieces at various social gatherings.

 

But this was their castle, and it was also the place where they were getting married in Ajas. Even though it was a topic of the past, it still had a fresh flavor.

 

“I heard from a relative who lives in the capital that the rumors are a bit downplayed than the truth.”

 

“Oh my, downplayed?”

 

“They say the number of carriages His Highness sent to the Howard estate was… a full fifteen!”

 

“oh my god, fifteen?”

 

‘Now that’s the exaggerated rumor,’ Oliver thought.

 

But he knew exactly what would happen if he tried to correct them.

 

Oliver pretended not to hear them and took a glass of wine from a passing servant and sipped it.

 

Since it was a place with no connections, of course, he didn’t know anyone.

 

With no one to talk to—and no one talking to him—Oliver was free to observe the wedding.

 

‘It’s exactly Nell’s taste.’

 

The flowers were small and dainty, and the ribbons were not flashy but delicate.

 

The breeze carried a sweet scent, a blend of flowers and sugar that was both fresh and pleasant.

 

Overall, it was splendid, but it didn’t feel extravagant, and you could feel the sincerity in every nook and cranny, as if there was no place left untouched by human hands.

 

And above all, the wedding cake, tall enough to give everyone a slice and still have leftovers, stood seven layers high.

 

Oliver couldn’t help but worry about Raenel, who would soon have to cut it.

 

‘Since there are a lot of people, the cake has to be that big.’

 

In the bustling crowd, Oliver finally realized that his sister had become the wife of Marquis Ajas.

 

It was a different feeling from the emptiness he felt at her capital wedding… more like a sense of loss.

 

‘I’m sure I would have been quite shocked to hear Count Howard’s name from Nell.’

 

And now he really couldn’t argue when Raenel had said, “If I acted all gracefully, wouldn’t that just be cold?”

 

Still, so what? Whether her last name was Howard or Ajas, the fact that she was his sister hadn’t changed.

 

“Count Howard.”

 

“Ah, Marquis Cloud.”

 

Just as he was lost in thought, watching flower petals flutter along the wedding aisle, Oliver greeted the familiar face of Marquis Cloud with a light handshake.

 

“I was actually just about to find you and offer my thanks. Thanks to your consideration, I arrived at the castle safely. I truly appreciate it.”

 

“No problem. I am very happy to see that the Count is safe and that my efforts were worth it. Thanks to you, I will be able to stand before the Marquise.”

 

With Marquis Cloud’s hearty laughter, Oliver could feel the surrounding eyes turning toward them.

 

He casually ignored the whispers speculating about his identity and offered the marquis some wine.

 

“Isn’t your daughter already helping the Marquise? Just having such a bright daughter is enough to bring you pride.”

 

“Well, just looking at the letters she sends, I can’t really tell if it’s really helpful or not.…”

 

Marquis Cloud’s face was filled with worry as she sighed.

 

How could Oliver not know what kind of worry that was?

 

Having one of Howard’s greatest tomboys as his youngest sister, he fully understood Marquis Cloud’s feelings and laughed out loud.

 

* * *