How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love

Author: Chewyy

“Watching from the side, it seems that she has truly been of great help to the Marquise. I think you can be even more proud.”

“Have you already met my daughter?”

Marquis Cloud looked at Oliver with strange eyes. He nodded without knowing her intentions.

“She’s a very kind and gentle young lady. I can see why you’d be concerned for her.”

“I see…. I know it may be presumptuous of me to ask, but do you happen to like my daughter?”

“Yes?”

Oliver, not grasping the Marquis’s meaning at first, was startled and quickly waved his hands in denial.

“Oh no! I don’t know for sure, but isn’t Young Lady Cloud not old enough to have even received the blessing? That’s an absurd story for an old bachelor like me.”

“Old bachelor? Aren’t you only twenty-seven this year?”

“Well… it’s not young. But—how did you know my age? I never said that before.”

Oliver asked, his eyes filled with confusion. Marquis Cloud rolled her eyes once in surprise.

“I heard that from Marquise Ajas.”

“My sister told you that?”

The Marquis shamelessly used the Lady of the Border’s name, and Oliver, not doubting his sister in the slightest, accepted it.

Then, someone nearby suddenly exclaimed in surprise.

“Sister?”

The fact that Raenel was his sister, carefully hidden behind the formal title “Marquise”, was accidentally revealed.

The older brother of Marquise Ajas, twenty-seven years old.

And unmarried, not widowed or divorced, but unmarried!

There must have been so many people eavesdropping on their conversation that information about Oliver spread like a wave and reached the ears of noblewomen with grown daughters.

Soon their eyes were drawn to Oliver, who was neatly dressed and had a good-looking appearance.

“No, he is a count, right? He is handsome and in good health, so why isn’t he married yet?”

In a matter of minutes, word of mouth spread that the reason he was still single was because of Lady Lamberton, who had recently caused quite a stir in northern society.

‘Howard? Where is that?’

‘Far from the capital, probably.’

‘Still, a Count with his own estate? That’s not common!’

‘And he’s Marquise’s brother! If he’s invited to the wedding, they must be close. That’s more than enough connection!’

The ladies, who had finished calculating in an instant, now looked at each other.

Who will start first?

—toot!

Fortunately for Oliver, the trumpet signaling the start of the ceremony sounded before the most impatient noblewoman could drag her daughter over.

The small talk was now over. Upon hearing the trumpet sound, the guests each found their assigned seats and sat down.

Oliver felt needle-like eyes dart to the name tag on the table that read “Oliver Howard.”

He hesitated to look back, not knowing what he might face. The thought alone made his shoulders tense. He consciously focused on the wedding aisle.

‘I never imagined that I would become the prey of noble ladies.’

‘I’m a Count. This isn’t my first banquet.’

But back then, he had a fiancée.

And after their engagement ended, though he was still of marriageable age, his family was deep in debt. No one came forward with proposals.

On top of that, he had a younger sister to support—for life, if it came to that.

But now, that same sister had become the Marquise of Ajas, and thanks to her, he had suddenly skyrocketed in the marriage market.

Oliver, who had never imagined that kind of situation, wondered how and when he would get out of that place.

‘If I leave too early, people might say that I don’t get along well with my family.…’

Dozens of military band members stood at equal intervals on either side of the aisle, trumpets raised.

—toot!

The trumpets blared in perfect harmony announced the start of the wedding ceremony.

The flower girls stood in front of the wedding arch decorated with white and pink roses and took a cautious step forward.

The flower girls, wearing tiaras and knee-length dresses, took handfuls of flower petals from small baskets they carried in their arms and scattered them along the wedding road.

The pure white wedding road quickly became a flower path.

After the flower girls left, the trumpet sounded once more and the main gate of the castle opened.

“Oh my god….”

“Wow….”

Gasps and murmurs of admiration erupted from the crowd.

The bride and groom, entering arm-in-arm, were radiant. They truly looked like the stars of the day.

‘Nell…’

‘Could there be a more emotional moment than giving your daughter away?’

He didn’t think so.

Oddly enough, he doubted he’d feel that overwhelmed on the day he sent Lily off to get married.

Watching Raenel slowly walk down the wedding road arm in arm with Leonhard, Oliver recalled the day he first held Raenel wrapped in a veil.

He had been only seven years old then—but that didn’t matter.

What mattered was how clearly her newborn face remained in his memory.

“Starting today, I am your older brother.”

When Raenel grabbed his outstretched finger with her tiny hand and smiled, what did he vow?

“I will definitely make you smile like this in the future too.”

Seeing Raenel now, smiling even brighter than she had back then, brought tears to his eyes.

Oliver rose from his seat and gave the couple a round of applause, along with the other guests.

After passing the wedding road filled with flower petals, in front of the altar where the couple arrived, there was a Priest dedicated to the god of family and harmony.

Oliver was deeply pleased by that.

Weddings arranged purely for money or political gain often had priests of gold and balance—or war and conquest—officiate instead.

They say if you want to know the true nature of a marriage, look at who officiates. Clearly, this was a marriage of love.

‘I’m so glad she married a man who loves her.’

When asked if they would be together forever until death, the two people answered “yes” at the same time and smiled at each other.

Lifting the veil and sharing their vow–sealing kiss, they looked far more natural than during their previous wedding in the capital.

Though they claimed they hadn’t had much time together due to the Hiyela Gate incident, it was clear there had been deep emotional exchanges.

Oliver felt truly happy.

“Next, let’s exchange rings.”

At that moment, the band began playing a new march—a lighter, more cheerful tune than the one played earlier.

“Oh my god.”

“That must be the young master….”

This was the first time Noah had appeared in such an official and public setting.

Could that be why? Noah, carrying a ring pillow basket decorated with ribbons and lace, seemed to be walking stiffly, as if he was uncomfortable with the attention focused on him.

‘Is he nervous?’

Well, he’s only five years old, so it’s natural to be nervous.

Leonhard must have noticed, too. He knelt on one knee and gently patted Noah’s head.

Next was Raenel. She took out the ring after Leonhard and lightly kissed Noah on the cheek.

“As expected….”

Whispers could be heard from those nearby, saying that the Marquise must truly cherish the young master.

‘Would anyone really want to say something like that at a time like this?’

Oliver, who was feeling slightly uncomfortable, smiled reflexively the moment his eyes met with the ring bearer who had finished his mission.

‘Good job.’

He mouthed the words, and after a moment’s hesitation, Noah stepped off the wedding road and approached him.

Gasps of surprise echoed around them, and even Oliver was a little taken aback.

But without showing it, he gently wrapped his arm around Noah’s shoulder as the boy approached.

“Can I stay here?”

“Of course.”

The wedding was almost over anyway.

Oliver gave up his chair to Noah and called a servant to bring out some fruit juice for the child to drink.

“Now then, we congratulate the newlyweds on their future together.…”

Wine glasses were passed to the bride and groom, and Oliver, who had handed Noah some fruit juice, also picked up a wine glass.

As the bride and groom clinked their glasses, people clinked their glasses with people at the same table or the table next to them.

Oliver also clinked his glasses with Noah.

“I hope those two will always be as happy as they are today.”

“They definitely will be.”

The clear sound of glass blessing the future of the groom and bride rang out like celebratory fireworks everywhere.

They say the louder the sound, the brighter the future.

Just as Oliver raised the glass to his lips with a satisfied smile—

“Huh?”

The surroundings suddenly became dark as if dark clouds had gathered in the sky.

Reflexively, he looked up. The sky was pitch black, like night had fallen.

There was certainly not a single cloud in the high sky, but the sun was nowhere to be seen, and the only light around was the magic balls that decorated the garden.

However, the sight of the magic balls shining in various colors in the dark garden was so beautiful that it drew admiration from many people.

It was as if the Milky Way had come down to earth.

“Oh my…”

“How enchanting. Did they plan this in advance too?”

Surprise quickly turned into delight. People were very happy and even reached out to the magic balls hanging from trees and pillars.

And the next moment.

—Fwoosh… POP!

“Oh my!”

“Fireworks!”

Against the black sky, red fireworks exploded in a flower shape.

—Pop! Pop-pop!

“Oh my god, I’ve never seen such huge fireworks before!”