How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love – Chapter 218

Author: Chewyy

“Marquise, you look very tired. Are you okay?”

“Did you experience any inconvenience while resting in the castle?”

The Marquis and her son both looked at me at the same time.

I tried to suppress the urge to point at Leonhard and say that it was because of him, and instead forced a smile.

“No, not at all. Thanks to you, I rested comfortably. I guess my body is feeling tired because it’s been a long time since I’ve been on a long trip.”

“If you’re very tired, you’re welcome to stay longer at the castle.”

“Yes. The Cloud family always welcomes the Marquise.”

“No, really, I’m fine. I’ll trouble you again when I return to Ajas. If you could treat me just as warmly then, I’d be grateful.”

“Of course, it’s the least we can do.”

With a gentle smile, Marquis Cloud held my hand tightly—just like yesterday.

“I hope you have a safe trip.”

Am I mistaken in thinking that there’s something else she really wants to say?

I nodded at the Marquis of Cloud.

“Okay, let’s go!”

At Leonhard’s shout, the carriage and horses started off at the same time.

The clattering of the horse’s hooves and the rolling of the carriage wheels mixed together chaotically.

I stopped glaring at Leonhard out the window and put my head inside the carriage.

“Mother, are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. I’ll just rest in the carriage.”

It’s a good thing Marquise’s carriage didn’t shake. If it had rattled and shaken, I wouldn’t have been able to sit comfortably.

Knitting, embroidery, whatever. Today is a strike. I collapsed on my chair and closed my eyes.

Then, Marilyn, who was riding in the carriage with me, whispered nervously,

“Marquise, are you really okay? Shouldn’t we call a doctor?”

“No, I’m really fine. I’m just a little suffering.”

“Are you suffering? By whom?”

“The Marquis of Cloud has been bragging about his weapons for quite some time…..”

Sorry, Marquis Cloud.

I’ll make it up to you by helping Layla and my older Brother get together.

“Weapons bragging… Yeah, I think I get it. When I first learned magic, I went around bragging to everyone too.”

“Really? To whom?”

“To other wizards at the Tower. Hmm, but they were all nice people. They clapped and praised me, said I was amazing.”

Was it like clapping for a one-year-old taking their first steps?

“Well then, in that spirit, shall we get some practice in today? Young master, did you memorize the spell I taught you last time?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then don’t raise your magic power yet, just recite the spell.”

As Noah quietly chanted the spell, I repeated it silently in my head and started rummaging through my magic bag for the tool I used to practice magic control.

Finally, I’d managed to sow the seeds. But in the end, my territory was buried under the 142nd snowstorm.

Just as I was steeling myself to at least witness the flowers bloom this time—

– What…?

Rake, who had been sleeping soundly on my lap after eating madeleines, opened her eyes wide.

– Something strange is approaching.

“Something strange?”

“Could it be a messenger from Ajas?” Marilyn said.

Rake had said the exact same thing when we encountered a messenger before.

Remembering that incident, I nodded. But then Rake, flapping her small wings, flew up into the air and spoke in a firm voice.

– No! This one feels much worse than last time!

“What do you mean, worse?”

– It’s not human. But it’s not a monster either… Its energy is just… wrong.

“Mixed energy?”

– It’s circling nearby in a creepy way. How dare it invade my territory?

—Brrrr!

With a shrill cry, Rake suddenly vanished from midair.

Since she was such a free-spirited kid, I didn’t worry too much.

But “something weird is circling nearby” stuck in my mind, so I tapped on the wall near the driver’s seat.

The carriage I was riding in stopped first, and I heard Leonhard shout loudly, “Stop!”

After a while, the carriage door opened and Leonhard came inside.

“What’s the matter, Nell?”

“Rake said something strange is nearby…”

As soon as I got up from my seat to get off, Leonhard escorted me.

I got out of the carriage, holding his hand, looked around, and asked the guards approaching me.

“Do you see any monsters or people nearby?”

“Yes?”

“Monsters or people. Rake said something showed up and then disappeared…”

Just then, as I started worrying that Rake might be off causing trouble somewhere, the guards around me flinched and looked behind me.

Following their gaze, I turned my head.

A child, about the same height as Noah, was slamming a black lump to the ground like a game of slapjack.

“What is this unlucky thing?!”

The black lump rolled hard enough to kick up dust — it was a crow.

Judging from the fact that it couldn’t even spread its wings properly, it looked like it was already dead or about to die.

A young child who appears out of nowhere and abuses animals.

It was such an unrealistic sight that everyone had no idea how to react.

I was the same — blinking blankly.

‘But wait… That hair, white at the top but tinged sky blue at the ends… So familiar…’

“Rake?”

“I caught the weird thing! You owe me double snacks!”

The chubby-cheeked little girl shouted at me, then — pop! — vanished.

No, not vanished — she had turned back into her bird form and flew over to me.

“W-What?! That kid just turned into a bird?”

“That’s the Marquise’s pet bird, isn’t it? So… it wasn’t just an ordinary bird?”

Murmurs of surprise spread among the knights who didn’t know Rake was a dragon.

It was Leonhard who silenced them.

“Silence! Back to your positions! Move!”

“Yes sir!”

I couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration as I watched the knights return to the formation escorting the carriage.

So well-trained. No wonder the Black Wolves knights were famous.

“Marquise, what’s all this commotion?”

It was Layla, who had gotten down from the carriage behind us, looking puzzled.

I pointed to the crow lying on the dirt floor with my index finger to explain to her why I had suddenly stopped the carriage.

“That crow was apparently hovering around our group— huh?”

At that moment, I locked eyes with the crow.

It had a third eye on its forehead — something no normal crow would have.

“Aaah!”

“Ma’am!”

Startled, I turned away — and Leonhard grabbed me tightly.

Then a loud bang and the terrible howl of a beast struck my eardrums painfully.

“W-What?! That crow… it was a monster?”

“Nell… Please, stay calm. Open your eyes and look at me.”

Leonhard’s voice was trembling slightly as he spoke like that, as if he was frightened.

I was so scared that I couldn’t open my eyes as he told me to.

“Is something wrong? No, right? Everything’s fine… right?”

“Of course. Everything’s fine….”

If everything’s fine, why do you sound like you’re about to cry?

I lifted my head and opened my eyes, looking at Leonhard.

His eyes, which had been drifting aimlessly like a boat without an oar, now scanned me carefully.

“Are you okay? Nell, can you see me?”

“O-Of course I can… wha—?”

“Haah…”

Leonhard collapsed to the ground as if his legs had given out.

I had no idea why he reacted that way, so I crouched down beside him and looked around.

“What’s wrong? What’s going on?”

“That crow is the Third Eye Crow.”

Noah got out of the carriage and answered me.

“Third Eye Crow…?”

The name sounded familiar, like something I’d seen in a monster encyclopedia, but I couldn’t quite recall.

Noah, seeing my furrowed brow, explained calmly.

“They say if you look into the eye on its forehead, you go blind.”

“Really? Our Noah is so smart, how do you remember all that—”

Wait—go blind if you look into its forehead eye? But I definitely made eye contact with it earlier!

“A-Am I going blind? I won’t be able to see anymore?”

I was so scared that I covered my eyes with both hands, when I heard a cold voice coming from my shoulder.

– Don’t worry. That thing’s eye was plucked out a long time ago. There’s something strange embedded there now, though.

“Something strange?”

– What you really need to be careful of is its claws, not its eyes.

“Claws?”

“I haven’t heard that Third Eye Crow’s claws are dangerous.…”

As Noah tilted his head with a puzzled expression, Catherine, who was tapping the crow with the tip of her sword, called out to Leonhard in a firm voice.

“Captain, this crow has a crystal ball in its eye.”

“A crystal ball?”

I saw Catherine crouching with her back to me, moving her hands as if she were trying to fumble for something.

A moment later, she held up a crystal ball that was broken in two.

“It seems like someone was watching us through this crow.”

“Who…?”

“No idea…”

Catherine shrugged, and her eyes briefly passed over me. At the same time, Leonhard and I looked at each other.

There was no doubt.

Someone had been watching us through that crow.

‘It was them.’

The ones who crave my blood.