How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 211

“You don’t have to decide right away, so think about it slowly.”

 

“Yes, father.”

 

The moment his eyes met Noah’s, Leonhard felt awkward for no reason.

 

He coughed briefly and got up from his seat as if running away.

 

“Then…. I’m going now. Good night.”

 

Noah, who had pulled the blanket up to the tip of his nose as if it were a habit, nodded while looking up at him.

 

“Good night, Father.”

 

“Yes.”

 

Turning off the bedside lamp, Leonhard quietly left the bedroom.

 

He stood in the hallway and rubbed the back of his neck.

 

His skin felt ticklish, as if he was being rubbed with something soft like a feather.

 

As he was hurriedly walking, not knowing how to express that feeling, the ring on his right little finger began to shine.

 

Leonhard, who was checking the number of times the light flashed, took out a crystal ball from his magic bag.

 

Originally, it was supposed to be returned when Khalid’s messenger left the castle, but due to the circumstances, Leonhard decided to go to the capital and return it himself.

 

As he headed to his office to respond to Duke Khalid’s request, Leonhard was once again thankful that his messenger had brought him a crystal ball.

 

If not, Ajas’s messenger would have been riding his horse like crazy by now.

 

– Ah, Marquis, I thought you were sleeping since there was no response.

 

“I was just about to go to bed. I wish you had contacted me a little earlier.”

 

– I’m sorry. I just left the palace.

 

“Just now?”

 

Leonhard looked reflexively at the sky beyond the window.

 

The night sky, which had been dark since dusk, was pitch black.

 

Knowing that the Duke of Khalid must have had plenty to do, it made Leonhard feel sorry that he had been held up by the Emperor so late.

 

“Have you told His Majesty?”

 

– Yes. I told you everything. But he didn’t believe me easily.

 

“Of course, he would…”

 

It wasn’t just a problem involving the Third Prince alone—at least one of the other three royal family members was involved.

 

– Besides, there’s no evidence yet.

 

“If you want to talk about evidence, it’s His Majesty’s conviction, isn’t it?”

 

If the Third Prince truly wasn’t the Emperor’s son, the only way he could manifest Estroa’s symbol would be by forced awakening.

 

– Exactly. That’s why I told His Majesty: if you won’t give me an investigative authority, then acknowledge the Third Prince as your son.

 

“So?”

 

-In the end, he granted me the authority. And he approved your trip to the capital. But…

 

“But?”

 

It was a word that somehow made people feel uneasy.

 

And as expected.

 

– His Majesty has ordered you to keep the reason for your coming to the capital a secret until things are certain.

 

“Was he telling me to come up with a reasonable excuse?”

 

– Yes. He wants you to bring your wife with you as well.

 

“What?”

 

– Isn’t this a good thing? My wife also wants to see Marquise Ajas, and I also want to express my gratitude to her—

 

“You expect me to bring my wife to such a dangerous place?”

 

– Dangerous? The capital?

 

Leonhard couldn’t help but keep his mouth shut as he saw the look on Duke Khalid’s face that seemed to question how the capital could be more dangerous than Ajas.

 

He hadn’t mentioned anything about Raenel while discussing Onyx.

 

Naturally, the fact that she possessed the now-lost symbol of Sesto was a secret that could not be told to anyone.

 

“If both my wife and I leave the castle, my child will be left here alone.”

 

Even though he had traveled freely before, leaving Noah behind when he was even younger, he still said that.

 

Fortunately, the Duke of Khalid either didn’t catch that contradiction or didn’t care to comment on it, nodding instead.

 

– That’s troublesome… It seems His Majesty was planning a banquet to coincide with your arrival.

 

“A banquet?”

 

– The Second Prince’s wife is pregnant with the heir. The news has been announced, and everyone should be talking about it… but in the capital, all anyone discusses is the Third Prince.

 

Though the formal title ceremony hadn’t been held, people had already implicitly accepted him as the Third Prince since he bore the symbol of Estroa.

 

– With his lineage in question, this attention is unwelcome for His Majesty. That’s why he wants you and your wife to draw the attention of the social circles.

 

“What can I and my wife do?”

 

– Have you already forgotten what happened when you proposed to your wife?

 

“…..”

 

If he said that, Leonhard had nothing to say.

 

Although he was far from social circles, he knew how much the capital was buzzing with his name and Raenel’s name at that time.

 

Besides, didn’t he deliberately encourage people to bring up that story at that time, in order to get rid of the scandal that had been attached to Raenel?

 

‘Come to think of it, that scandal was because of this man, wasn’t it?’

 

Of course, he knew the Duke of Khalid wasn’t at fault. But the fact that his wife had been entangled in a scandal with him still left a sour taste.

 

Perhaps that’s why Leonhard’s gaze suddenly turned cold as he looked at the Duke.

 

Duke Khalid continued speaking without even realizing it.

 

– They wonder if the wife of the Marquis Ajas who married so loudly and went to Ajas is still living well and loved by her husband? There’s quite a commotion.

 

“You want me to throw my wife to those people as bait?”

 

His discomfort was clear in his voice. Sensing it, the duke tried to calm him.

 

– I’m telling you to show those who like to gossip. Do you really think they’re talking about her out of curiosity? They want to see her unhappy.

 

Leonhard knew well that many people took pleasure in others’ misfortunes to feed their petty insecurities.

 

It was just bad luck that Raenel became the target, and there was no good reason for them to do so.

 

“Do you think they’ll shut up if I show them my wife is happy? You’re more naive than I thought.”

 

– Well….

 

Duke Khalid opened his mouth to say something, then closed it.

 

Leonhard’s eyebrows twitch at his suspicious reaction.

 

“Well?”

 

– It’s nothing.

 

It was clearly not nothing.

 

Leonhard pressured the duke to spill the rest, threatening not to go to the capital if he didn’t.

 

Looking distressed, the duke tried to change the subject, but ultimately gave in.

 

– It seems that rumors have spread through the capital’s social circles that the Marquise of Ajas has not been able to adapt to Ajas and cries every night.

 

“What?”

 

– Recently, my wife invited a few noblewomen for tea, and they subtly asked her about it.

 

Everyone knows the Duchess’s close relationship with Raenel.

 

The duke went on to explain that the rumors were surprisingly detailed.

 

It is said that Marquis Ajas lured the innocent young lady with enormous wealth, took her to the harsh north, and left the castle on the first day he arrived in the territory.

 

The marquis’s vassals did not recognize the lady from a rural estate as their marquise.

 

The child that the Marquis has chosen as his successor is not on good terms with the Marquise.

 

The Marquise, isolated in the castle, does not accept visitation requests, ignores northern society, and spends all day crying in her bedroom.

 

It was really different from the truth, but detailed in many ways.

 

He doesn’t know who spread the rumor, but it wasn’t something someone said without knowing anything about the situation in the North.

 

Leonhard scoffed in disbelief.

 

“That kind of talk is spreading in the capital? How on earth?”

 

– My wife is looking into it now. She’ll probably be able to find the source of the rumor within a week at the most.

 

Suddenly Leonhard realized why the Emperor had asked him to bring his wife.

 

In this situation, if his wife goes to the capital, she will immediately become the center of attention.

 

And whether she got hurt in the process or not, all the emperor wanted was for the talk of the third prince to die down.

 

‘That fox…!’

 

If the opponent wasn’t the emperor, Leonhard would’ve rushed over and grabbed him by the collar.

 

Leonhard took a deep breath to control his boiling anger.

 

“Hearing you say that makes me more certain. I will never take my wife.”

 

– But then—

 

“Convince His Majesty again. If you can’t, then I won’t go to the capital either.”

 

– What?

 

It was no wonder that Duke Khalid was terrified.

 

Perhaps the fate of the empire depends on it.

 

But what did it matter to him if Estroa’s bloodline became tainted or not?

 

To Leonhard, his wife was far more important.

 

“My decision is firm. So speak with His Majesty again.”

 

– Hey, Marquis! Leonhard!

 

Pretending not to hear Duke Khalid’s desperate voice, Leonhard shut off the communication crystal.

 

As the duke’s voice cut off, a chilling silence filled his office.

 

Leonhard slumped into his chair with a heavy sigh.

 

‘A rumor… Who the hell is that?’

 

In the first place, Ajas people rarely go down to the capital.

 

‘But why would someone spread rumors in the capital and ruin my wife’s reputation?’

 

‘Because they can’t spread rumors in the North? Or maybe because her family is in the capital?’

 

Whatever the reason, he could feel the hatred directed towards Raenel.

 

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