How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 212

‘Anyway, I have to keep it a secret from my wife.…’

 

She has no reason to go to the capital, so she doesn’t need to know about the rumors.

 

What worried him, though, was that Brilliana and Alexander were in the capital.

 

‘They exchange letters often, so there won’t be any misunderstandings, right…?’

 

‘What if they hear the rumors, misunderstand, and come north to take Raenel?’

 

Given how much they cherished her, it wasn’t entirely impossible. The only comforting thing was that Oliver had already visited.

 

‘Usually, when someone gets married and changes their family name, they stop interacting with their old family. But far from that, now I’m even watching their reactions.’

 

He was also having a hard time with them in his imagination.

 

But it wasn’t a bad feeling.

 

Was it because he had never experienced that himself?

 

He felt proud that his wife had grown up receiving so much love from her family and was still loved dearly.

 

‘Yeah… Because she is such a lovely person.’

 

As he thought about her, he suddenly missed her.

 

Leonhard wiped his flushed face with his hand, cleaned up his crystal ball, and stood up from his seat.

 

‘She’s probably asleep by now.’

 

After dinner, Raenel had said she wanted to send a gift to Rebecca through Leonhard, who was heading to the capital, and had gone to her room with an embroidery frame.

 

“If I had more time, I’d like to knit baby socks or mittens. Baby hands and feet are so cute. You saw Noah when he was a baby too, right?”

 

Although it is just her friend’s child, it is clear from her affectionate way of speaking that Raenel really likes children.

 

That must be why she accepted Noah so easily.

 

‘A child…’

 

He and Raenel’s child.

 

Even just imagining it made Leonhard feel shy, as if he’d done something embarrassing.

 

The idea that a child who resembled both him and Raenel could exist in this world… why did that feel so awkward?

 

He didn’t understand, and rubbed the back of his neck so much it turned bright red—though it had been that red from the start.

 

—Tok Tok.

 

“Nell, it’s me.”

 

But there was no response from inside the bedroom.

 

When he glanced at Ethan standing guard, Ethan nodded to confirm Raenel was inside.

 

‘Is she already asleep?’

 

Leonhard gestured to Ethan that he could go, then carefully opened the door and stepped into the room.

 

“Raenel?”

 

The bedroom was so quiet that the sound of the door closing could be heard.

 

But the lamp beneath the bed was shining brightly.

 

‘Did she fall asleep and forget to turn it off?’

 

He approached the bed quietly.

 

Raenel, who had pulled the blanket over her head, did not move at all.

 

Leonhard glanced at her feet out of habit, then frowned.

 

Her feet were not sticking out of the blanket.

 

“Nell.”

 

At his soft but firm voice, Raenel’s body flinched slightly under the blanket.

 

Leonhard, who did not miss that reaction, sat down on the bedside and put his hand on the blanket.

 

“I know you’re not sleeping.”

 

“……”

 

But Raenel didn’t respond to those words.

 

Instead, the faint sound that could be heard was clearly the sound of sniffling.

 

Startled, Leonhard pulled back the blanket.

 

Raenel clutched the covers tightly, but she couldn’t resist Leonhard’s strength.

 

“Nell.”

 

“Please, just pretend you don’t know….”

 

Another sniffle followed her trembling voice.

 

Leonhard’s mind went blank and he was unable to say anything.

 

“Why… why are you crying…?”

 

The words stumbled out, pitiful and broken.

 

‘What had made her so sad?’

 

Raenel rubbed her already wet and swollen red eyelids with her hands.

 

“It’s nothing, so don’t worry about it.”

 

“You call that nothing? How can I not worry when you’re crying…!”

 

Leonhard, who had been overcome with emotion while speaking, took a deep breath for a moment.

 

Wiping his face roughly, he stared intently at her face, holding her shoulders to keep her from turning away.

 

“Nell, look at me.”

 

“My face looks so ugly right now.”

 

“It’s not ugly, okay?”

 

At his gentle, soothing voice, Raenel hesitated, then finally lifted her head.

 

“See? That’s ugly.”

 

“I told you it’s not ugly.”

 

Leonhard wiped away the tears that Raenel had not yet been able to wipe away with the back of his hand.

 

Then he kissed the corners of her eyes, wet with tears and puffed red.

 

Every time his lips touched her swollen eyelids, her body flinched.

 

Leonhard hugged Raenel’s waist and kissed her wet cheek, afraid that she might run away.

 

“Stop it now.”

 

“What are you talking about?”

 

“This….”

 

Raenel covered Leonhard’s lips with her hand and turned her head to the side.

 

Her cheeks were slightly flushed now.

 

The faint blush on her cheeks showed her embarrassment, but Leonhard didn’t stop. Instead, he gently bit her palm.

 

“Le–Leon!”

 

“Please tell me why you were crying.”

 

He bit the same spot again, as if warning he wouldn’t stop until she spoke.

 

The blanket in her hand crumpled helplessly.

 

Leonhard, who saw that, took the blanket from Raenel and put his hand on hers instead.

 

“Nell.”

 

At his urging, Raenel’s mouth finally gave in.

 

“It’s all your fault…”

 

“My fault?”

 

“You said you wouldn’t leave the castle for a while….”

 

As she spoke, Raenel’s eyes, which had been drying up, became wet again as if sorrow was welling up in them.

 

“When you go to the capital, I don’t know when you’ll be back. You don’t even know. Brother Liv left today, too. You left me alone right after we arrived at the castle. You never said I’d be left here all alone… You’re so mean…”

 

She broke down and sobbed mid-sentence.

 

Leonhard’s mind went completely blank.

 

‘She cried… because of me?!’

 

Leonhard, who had been reflexively hugging and comforting the crying Raenel, ended up panicking.

 

Then, Duke Khalid’s words came to his mind.

 

“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.”

 

‘Was today really the first time she burst into tears like this?’

 

‘Perhaps there had been many nights when she cried herself to sleep.’

 

The thought tightened a corner of his chest.

 

A sense of guilt climbed up his spine as if he had committed an unforgivable sin.

 

“I won’t go.”

 

“Hic… what did you say?”

 

“I won’t go to the capital. I’ll stay by your side…”

 

“Who said you should do that? Haa, don’t make me into a wife who holds her husband back. Hic… it’s not like you’re going there for fun…”

 

What was meant to comfort her seemed to make Raenel even sadder.

 

Leonhard had no idea what to do anymore, so he simply accepted her small fists pounding on his chest.

 

“Or, how about we go together?”

 

“What?”

 

The words left his mouth instinctively, without thought.

 

But when he saw Raenel looking up at him with wide eyes, he knew—it was the right answer.

 

Leonhard, completely forgetting his vow not to go to the capital until Duke Khalid convinced the emperor, said to her:

 

“I was planning to take Rake anyway. He can serve as your escort too. Your sister and brother are in the capital, so it would be nice for you to see them.”

 

“But… won’t I get in the way of your work?”

 

“Why would you? Even if you do, I don’t care. The reason I’m going to the capital is for your sake. If that means neglecting you, then that would defeat the purpose.”

 

“Still….”

 

Raenel, whose tears had stopped, just sniffled.

 

Her face was filled with hesitation—not because she didn’t want to go, but rather closer to a question of whether it was okay.

 

“Lucius was so happy the wedding was finally over…”

 

“It’s his job to take charge of this castle while you and I are away. And even if it’s not him, there are still plenty of people here, aren’t there?”

 

“Then what about Noah?”

 

‘Noah….’

 

As soon as he rolled that name on his tongue, Leonhard’s mouth opened, as if he had already thought it through.

 

“We can bring Noah with us.”

 

“But isn’t he too young to make such a long journey to the capital?”

 

“Noah is of Ajas’s blood. Although he is still young, he is not as weak as you think.”

 

Leonhard held Raenel in his arms and consoled her, secretly thinking that perhaps Noah’s physical strength was better than his wife’s.

 

“It would take at most two or three months. Usually, when inspecting a territory, it takes at least half a year. There were times I was gone for over a year, but nothing ever happened to Castle Ajas.”

 

Those words seemed to finally put an end to Raenel’s hesitation.

 

“Really…, can I go with you?”

 

Leonhard nodded immediately, relieved.

 

“If you want to, why not?”

 

“You’re not just saying that because I cried, right?”

 

Raenel looked up at him, blinking, a hint of guilt in her expression—ashamed for crying and making a fuss.

 

It wasn’t like she was asking for anything that big. The only thing she wanted was to be with him.

 

That simple wish made Leonhard feel both sorry and incredibly in love.

 

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