How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love – Chapter 216

Author: Chewyy

A week after leaving Ajas, we arrived at Cloud.

“Welcome to Cloud, Marquis, Marquise, and it is nice to meet you, Young Master. My name is Neil Cloud.”

“Nice to meet you.”

I smiled warmly as I watched Noah exchange polite greetings. Then Layla stepped forward, glancing around.

“Where’s Mother?”

“She went to inspect the dungeon under the Anild Grand Canyon. She should be back by dinner. Please, come inside. We’ve prepared your rooms.”

The room he gave me and Leon was the very same one we had stayed in previously.

I’ve been here for less than a week, but I feel a sense of familiarity with this room and throw myself onto the bed.

“Ahhh, so good… a bed…”

The carriage seats were certainly comfortable, but they couldn’t beat a bed.

I almost wished I could take the bed and carry it around with me. As I rolled around thinking that, a soft chuckle came from beside me. It was Leonhard.

“Is it that good?”

“Of course it is. Don’t you think so?”

At first, Noah, Leonhard, and I slept together in the carriage.

But Leonhardt’s tall, long body had looked too uncomfortable, so we eventually kicked him out of the carriage.

He’d said he was fine, but I was not comfortable watching him suffer.

“Of course I like it too. You have no idea how much I missed my bed.”

“Really? But you once said you could fall asleep even with just your head resting somewhere?”

Maybe I should’ve just let him stay in the carriage, even if it looked a bit tight…

Just when I was about to feel a little sorry, sitting on the bedside, Leonhard unbuttoned his sleeves and immediately laid his body on top of me.

“My head could rest even on dirt, but I couldn’t allow your knees to get scraped.”

“Why would my knees get—”

The moment I realized what he meant, my cheeks flushed red.

Leonhard, noticing my realization, gave a soft laugh and gently kissed my lips before pulling away.

“Wow… you’re so bad. So sly.”

“I accept the latter, but how am I bad? I didn’t force anything you didn’t want.”

“You’re teasing me right now!”

“Did it sound like teasing?”

He wasn’t joking. His whispered words were so serious that my face lit up again.

“Why are you suddenly being so cheeky…?”

“Me?”

“Yes, you. Don’t pretend like you’re hearing about someone else.”

“I’ll try not to.”

Leonhard replied half-heartedly and reached up to touch my flushed cheek.

I was about to snap, asking if it was his first time seeing someone blush—but my voice was stolen when he suddenly kissed me again.

The kiss that followed was so persistent, it left me breathless. At least he didn’t try to lay me down on the dirt floor—thank goodness for that.

If that had happened, my clothes and hair would have been covered in dirt.

* * *

That evening, a banquet was held at Cloud Castle to welcome us.

Perhaps it was because Layla was with us that the banquet seemed even more elaborate.

The Marquis of Cloud, who had returned to the castle late, also attended.

“You just came back from the dungeon under the Anild Grand Canyon, didn’t you? Was it cleaned up?”

“Yes. We captured all the presumed chimeras. With this momentum, we’re planning to seal off the dungeon entirely.”

“Really? Do you need help?”

“The Silver Leopards will be enough. Please look forward to the good news—I’ll send word on the way back from the capital.”

“That’s reassuring.”

Marquis Cloud then said that she would organize the information about the chimera she found in the dungeon and hand it over.

Leonhard nodded with a very satisfied expression.

“Marquise…. Well, there’s something I want to ask you.”

Taking advantage of a lull in conversation, the son of Marquis Cloud turned to me.

His gaze, hesitating to speak as if he was watching my reaction, glanced at Layla.

‘Aha.’

As soon as I realized what he was trying to ask, Layla’s mouth, not mine, opened.

“Count Howard and I decided to get to know each other better through letters.”

“Letters?”

“Yes. Count Howard has invited me to Howard Territory. I would like to stop by on my way back from the capital. Is that okay, Marquise?”

“I want to go too, Mother.”

Before I could answer Layla’s question, Noah looked up at me with shining eyes.

The two people who realized that they had the same goal began talking to each other as if they had planned it in advance.

“Young master, did you know that you must visit Howard territory in autumn? The vineyards turn a deep purple and the scent of ripe grapes fills the whole region.”

“And after the harvest, there’s a fishing contest in the river behind the mansion. I’ve never been fishing, but my uncle promised to teach me.”

“Really? I’ve never tried fishing either—maybe I can learn with you?”

“You’ve never—Ugh!”

Her brother suddenly slumped over the table. Judging by his grimace and the way his hand went under the table, I suspected Layla had kicked him in the shin.

“Is there any prize for that fishing contest? I’d like to win something like a day-long date with the Count.”

“The first prize is a gold badge about the size of a thumb. In the shape of a rainbow trout.”

“Really? That’s too bad.”

“Well, once I came in first place but gave the prize to the runner-up and chose something else…”

“Really? What did you get?”

Exemption from nagging.

As the wife of a nobleman, I was very concerned about my reputation to answer honestly.

I laughed and said, “I’ll tell you later,” and changed the subject.

* * *

After finishing the meal in such a friendly atmosphere and I was about to return to my room, the Marquis of Cloud gently called me over.

“Would you like to have a drink with me?”

I unconsciously glanced at Leonhard.

“I drank three glasses of wine while eating earlier… I’d rather have tea than alcohol.”

“Haha, you’re quite disciplined. I’ve been trying to do it for decades and I still can’t do it, but Marquise, you’re truly amazing.”

I swallowed my reply that anyone could do it if they had someone beside them to nag them.

I followed the Marquis into her study.

Perhaps because she was a warrior, her study looked more like an armory.

However, since it was called a study, there were books on the bookshelf along one wall, but most of them were about weapons or military strategies, and even those did not fill the entire bookshelf.

In contrast, the opposite wall and the cases in front of it were overflowing with weapons—swords, spears, bows, axes, you name it.

There was even a cabinet filled with oil bottles, cloth, leather, and whetstones, suggesting she spent more time maintaining weapons than reading.

“Ahem, I had momentarily forgotten that my study was too bleak to show this to you.”

“Not at all. I am a Marquise. It’s not like I have no interest in weapons.”

“Is that so? Then would you allow me to explain some of these?”

The Marquise looked like someone bursting to show off a hundred pictures of their pet—or a fan dying to show off their full idol photo card collection.

I nodded willingly, thinking she would be disappointed if I refused.

“Among these, this jet-black blade stands out the most. I once gifted a dagger like this to the Marquis long ago. What is it made of?”

“That blade is forged from black steel. It’s difficult to refine, but it has the advantage of being highly durable and resistant to dulling…”

As I listened to the materials and crafting methods of each weapon, their pros and cons, where they were obtained, and when they were most commonly used, all the ice in the ice bucket melted.

Only then did Marquis Cloud seem to realize just how long she had been talking.

Looking slightly embarrassed, she called for a servant to bring fresh ice and boil some more tea.

“I apologize. I must’ve been overly chatty. My children and subordinates all ran off long ago, so I suppose I got a little too excited having someone to talk to again.”

“It’s all right. I enjoyed it too.”

“Are you sure?”

I really had, but if I nodded here, I felt like round two of the conversation would begin.

While I was awkwardly laughing and delaying the answer, luckily a maid came in and poured me some new tea.

“Ah… This is delicious. Everything made with honey in Cloud is always so good.”

“Haha, the best of them all is definitely our honey wine. Would you care for a glass…?”

I wanted so badly to give in to that sweet temptation, but I had to sleep with Leonhard tonight.

If I drink even one glass, I’ll definitely get caught.

“It’s okay. The tea is delicious too.”

“How unfortunate.”

Looking at Marquis Cloud clicking her tongue, memories of the last time I drank here came flooding back.

At that time, I was drinking with Marquis Cloud and I got really drunk.… I was probably right to turn her down today.