How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 213

“To be honest, I’m not confident anymore. I don’t think I can handle being apart from you.”

 

“Lies, how could someone like that suddenly say he is going to the capital?”

 

“Exactly. I must have been out of my mind. I almost turned back less than a day after leaving the castle.”

 

He wasn’t joking—it truly seemed like he would have.

 

He had broken the only crystal ball they had, so he couldn’t even see her face. How was he supposed to live apart from her?

 

“I’m the one asking now. Will you come with me?”

 

Raenel hesitated and, trying to hide her embarrassment, answered with a slight pout.

 

“I’m only going because you asked.”

 

“I’m so lucky to have such a kind-hearted wife.”

 

At Leonhard’s playful comment, Raenel burst into laughter.

 

Her cheeks were still wet with tears, but seeing her finally smile melted all of Leonhard’s worry and anxiety like snow.

 

“This is really a big deal….”

 

“What is it?”

 

“I’m serious. I don’t think I can live without you anymore.”

 

“Don’t be dramatic.”

 

Thinking he was exaggerating, Raenel shot him a playful glare.

 

‘I’m serious.’

 

The question—could she live without him—rose to his throat.

 

If he were just a year younger, he might have actually asked that childish question out loud.

 

‘No, it doesn’t matter now.’

 

They had two wedding ceremonies, and their marriage certificates were stamped with the Emperor’s seal.

 

Her changed last name proved it: Raenel Ajas was his wife.

 

There was no turning back now. For her to request a divorce, there would need to be a valid reason—

 

Like him having a child with another woman.

 

But that would never happen, not even if the world ended.

 

So, until death—and even after—she would remain an Ajas.

 

“Then I guess I should pack my bags right away. I can make a gift for Becky in the carriage. I should also send letters to Lily and Alex in advance. They said they were really sad that they couldn’t come to the wedding.”

 

Seeing Raenel talk excitedly in his arms, a feeling of fullness welled up inside his chest.

 

That this woman was his wife.

 

Out of all the people at that crowded banquet, he was the only one who gave her a rose. He still couldn’t believe how blind everyone else must have been.

 

Well, it was a blessing in disguise. If they hadn’t been blind, she wouldn’t have become his wife.

 

‘They’d better stay blind.’

 

‘What if someone else fell for her now and tried something stupid?’

 

Leonhard buried his lips in his wife’s cheek, thinking that he probably needed to prepare a lot of gloves.

 

* * *

 

“Marquise Calvin, are you in a good mood today?”

 

She had been constantly irritated since the sudden arrival of the Third Prince at the palace.

 

Her subordinates were the ones who bore the brunt of her bad moods.

 

It has become routine to be prepared to receive a slap just for looking at her face from afar.

 

So today, seeing Marquise Calvin in such an unusually good mood, someone finally asked.

 

It was only when his eyes met with Marquise Calvin’s that the knight realized his mistake.

 

But fortunately, Marquise Calvin, who was in a really good mood, curled the corners of her mouth instead of raising her hand.

 

“Yes, I am.”

 

‘Today ended without me getting hit!’

 

The knight’s face lit up as he opened the carriage door and bowed deeply in congratulations, though he didn’t know what he was congratulating her for.

 

‘I hope she stays in a good mood tomorrow, too…’

 

The knight silently prayed he wouldn’t be hit tomorrow and climbed up to sit beside the coachman.

 

Of course, the Marquise Calvin had no way of knowing that the escort knight was thinking such things.

 

She hummed a tune without realizing it, mumbling over what the Emperor had just said.

 

“No matter if she’s an Ajas now, she can’t defy me. The Marquise will come to the capital—just like you wanted.”

 

It had been a long time since she’d laughed out loud, as she did with the Emperor then.

 

Ever since she had run into that damned Karl—the so-called Third Prince—no amount of expensive jewels had brought a smile to her face.

 

But today, the news the Emperor gave her was enough to make her forget that irritating face.

 

“But what on earth happened to the White Land?”

 

Right after they discovered that Marquise Ajas was of Sesto’s bloodline, communication had stopped.

 

The only way to contact the barbarians in the White Lands was through the crystal ball.

 

If it had just broken, they would have found another way to reach out.

 

‘If Marquise Ajas comes to the capital, it seems certain that they have failed.’

 

If they kidnapped her, they could have used imperial slaves to draw her blood.

 

‘Or—no, could it be…? Did the Marquis Ajas defeat them?’

 

‘Well, it wasn’t strange, since they were still stuck there, unable to pass that one gate.’

 

The White Lands were her homeland, but she had long given up on returning. She didn’t care what happened to the barbarians.

 

She just wanted to see the Onyx wizards fail to capture the Marquise.

 

It was a shame she couldn’t mock them for it.

 

‘It’s okay. There’s still a chance.’

 

But she wasn’t sure what to do with the Marquise of Ajas now.

 

If she handed her over to Onyx, she should get a worthy reward—but her back still ached from the last betrayal. No reward would feel satisfying.

 

‘Should I ask them to get rid of Karl…? No, no. That won’t solve it.’

 

Somehow, they had managed to manifest Estroa’s mark in Karl, who wasn’t even of royal blood.

 

Even if Karl were gone, a second or third Karl could appear and pretend to be royalty.

 

Then the Emperor might finally suspect something.

 

‘The crown prince position belongs to Kairos. He will be the next emperor.’

 

The ideal solution would be to tie Karl to the First Princess and get rid of them both.

 

Could the Marquise of Ajas be the bait for that plan?

 

‘I’ll just throw it away for now.’

 

She knew Karl had a high position in Onyx.

 

But no matter how high-ranking, could he be more valuable than the only surviving bloodline of Sesto?

 

Though the meeting place had been shut down, if she went there, she might still contact the Onyx wizards.

 

She could only hope they’d make the wise choice.

 

Marquise Calvin slowly closed her eyes in the rattling carriage.

 

* * *

 

‘M-Master… Marquise Calvin contact us.”

 

“Marquise Calvin?”

 

The old man, brushing a child’s long hair, looked momentarily puzzled—then his face lit up with recognition.

 

“Ah, the Emperor’s mistress.”

 

“Hurry up, hurry up!”

 

“Oh, oh. Are you bored from sitting too long?”

 

A soft smile appeared on the old man’s wrinkled lips.

 

Despite all the sins he had accumulated, the way he looked at the child was full of warmth.

 

Pan still found it strange that the Master could make such a face.

 

‘Who would’ve thought he’d show affection like this for Kana…’

 

The child’s name had originally been “Canary,” referring to a bird in a cage—symbolic of her being trapped in this tower.

 

She had been born prematurely and barely survived. Perhaps it was the constant care she’d needed, the Master—once thought to be incapable of affection, ended up becoming attached to the child.

 

So instead of being confined to a cell like Mel, “Canary” became “Kana” and was now the Master’s daughter.

 

She wasn’t even an adopted daughter. Kana believed the Master was her real father.

 

That was the Master’s will, so all the wizards here had to follow him.

 

Thus, Kana became the tower’s one and only lady.

 

“Okay, all done. Want to look in the mirror?”

 

“What is this! The ribbon is crooked!”

 

“Crooked? Where?”

 

“Here!”

 

Kana pointed at the left ribbon in her twin braids, puffing her cheeks angrily.

 

The Master was the one who would immediately punish anyone who showed even the slightest hint of dissatisfaction with his orders.

 

But there was no sign of anger on the old man’s face. Instead, his eyes softened as if he didn’t know what to do.

 

“Oh really? Father tied the ribbon wrong. Let me fix it. Sit here, sweetie.”

 

“No! I’ll have Ran tie it! Daddy’s a dummy!”

 

“Bleh!”

 

Kana mockingly stuck out her tongue, ran away, and disappeared through the white, shining door.

 

The old man would normally have quickly followed behind her, but he did not chase after the child and only looked at Kana’s back with a lonely face.

 

Instead, he sighed and turned his head to Pan, who was standing quietly next to him.

 

“So, for what reason did Marquise Calvin contact us?”

 

The sighing voice seemed to be tired of this time spent talking to the Pan.

 

No, it wasn’t just the conversation—he seemed disillusioned, perhaps even regretful, about the situation itself.

 

Pan fiddled with his mask absentmindedly and opened his mouth.

 

“S-She said she wanted to m-make a deal and asked to meet briefly…”

 

“A deal? What kind of deal? Now that Karl has gone to the Imperial Palace, what could we possibly gain?”

 

‘Did she expect this reaction just from mentioning a deal?’

 

The message from Marquise Calvin had included a phrase meant to pique their interest.

 

“S-She said she knows who has S-Sesto’s blood…”

 

* * *