How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 229

“Did you do your own investigation too?”

 

“Of course. Plenty of people put in requests to meet, asking me to invest in their businesses. But I don’t want to associate with the wrong people.”

 

“Oh, speaking of which, are you really going to come to those meetings?”

 

‘Even if he’s supposed to be the center of public attention, was there really a need to meet those people?’

 

I looked at him, puzzled. Leonhard smiled gently.

 

“To show them just how angry I am. And the one thing that’ll make them regret it the most… is money, right?”

 

I had no idea what exactly he was planning, but Leonhardt took the list I wrote, kissed me on the cheek, and left the room.

 

‘It looks like Leon is also very angry.’

 

Since it’s come to this, I’d like to give them a good beating.

 

‘So no one will ever dare gossip about us again!’

 

“Mother!”

 

Just then, Noah entered my study with Logan.

 

The child’s arms were full of colorful wax crayons, and his face lit up with excitement.

 

“Look at this. There are a lot of pretty colors.”

 

“Yeah, they’re all pretty. Noah, which one do you like best?”

 

“This one! It’s the closest to your hair color, Mother.”

 

Noah dropped all the wax crayons onto the desk and held out a soft pink crayon to me.

 

“Good timing—I was just about to start writing replies to the invitations. Noah, do you want to help me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

I gently pinched his flushed cheek, and Logan, who was standing behind Noah, made his presence known with a cough.

 

“Ma’am, another invitation has arrived.”

 

“Another one?”

 

“Yes. But I think you should take a look at this one right away.”

 

Logan handed me an envelope made of a rather luxurious material.

 

If he says I should check it immediately, then the sender must be someone of high status. But who among them would send me an invitation?

 

“Uh… Whose family crest is this? I’ve never seen it before.”

 

“This is Marquise Calvin.”

 

“The Marquise of Calvin? Ah!”

 

The first prince’s biological mother!

 

It wasn’t easy to remember the name because it was unfamiliar to me.

 

I furrowed my brows as I imagined her face, which I had never seen before.

 

“Why did Marquise Calvin send me an invitation?”

 

“I’m not sure, ma’am. But reading it might give you a clue.”

 

“Hmm, you’re right.”

 

I took the paper-knife Logan handed me and carefully opened the envelope of the letter.

 

[Dear Marquise of Ajas]

 

“When have we ever met for her to call me like this….”

 

I muttered under my breath, and then I looked at Noah next to me and coughed in vain.

 

Then I straightened my back and read the contents of the letter.

 

Skipping all the pleasantries and suspiciously polite greetings, the bottom line was that the Marquise of Calvin wanted to invite me to her mansion for tea-just the two of us, whenever I wanted.

 

“Just the two of us…?”

 

“She wants a private meeting?”

 

“Yeah. If it were a social gathering, I’d assume she wanted to use my name to stir up some attention, but…”

 

It was really awkward for us to have tea time alone.

 

“She’s not just trying to be friendly.”

 

“There must be some purpose to it.”

 

“What is the purpose? It’s not like it has anything to do with my husband.”

 

There’s no way she wouldn’t know that Ajas does not get involved in the politics of the capital. But if it’s not about the First Prince, why would she want to see me?

 

‘Besides, the Marquise of Calvin… was the previous Marquis of Ajas’s mistress.’

 

‘Is she really trying to reveal that fact to ridicule me or my husband?’

 

‘Ugh, I don’t know.’

 

“Can I refuse this?”

 

“Of course. She’s not royalty, after all.”

 

That reassurance somehow made me feel more anxious.

 

What if she tries to wield the authority of being the First Prince’s mother?

 

‘Well, even if she does, so what? I can just return to the North.’

 

I declined all the invitations, including the one from the Marquis of Calvin.

 

“Mother, all the seals are done.”

 

“Really? That helped a lot—thank you.”

 

Noah chuckled as I patted his head.

 

It seemed like he still seemed to enjoy sealing letters with wax.

 

“Oh, right. Since we’re in the capital, should we go buy some toys?”

 

“Toys?”

 

“There’s a lot of fun stuff if you look around.”

 

Anyway, I had to go out to the downtown area to buy dessert for Rake.

 

I sent a servant to ask Leonhard if he wanted to come with us. By the time I was ready, he was already waiting outside.

 

“I’ve never been to a toy shop before. I’m curious to see what it’s like.”

 

“Really? Then should I buy you one too?”

 

“If you’d like to buy it, I’d be happy to.”

 

“Okay, I’ll buy you one too.”

 

-Creme brulee!

 

Thanks to Rake’s eager voice, we made a stop at the dessert shop first.

 

Maybe we’d boosted their sales too much—whenever Aias’s carriage entered Silver Line Street No. 16, it seemed like everyone was paying attention.

 

Today, the lucky crème brûlée shop owner greeted us with a bright smile and beamed when we asked for everything they had.

 

“Thank you. Come again next time!”

 

Most of it was for Rake, so we didn’t eat at the shop.

 

I unwrapped a few in the carriage and handed them to Rake, and Rake rolled around in midair with joy.

 

– It’s delicious. It’s delicious. I’m so glad I came to the capital!

 

“We’re going to the toy shop now. Do you want to stay in the carriage and eat more, or come with us?”

 

– What’s a toy?

 

“It’s something you play with… Hmm, hard to explain. Just come with us—you can eat more later.”

 

– Okay! I was going to eat it all anyway!

 

Rake quickly devoured three crème brûlées, then perched on my shoulder as we got out of the carriage.

 

“Welcome! It is an honor to have you visit our shop, Your Highness, Marquise, and Young Master.”

 

As if he had heard in advance that we were coming, the owner of the toy shop and his staff welcomed us.

 

Because the store was so large and had such a fancy exterior, most of the other customers who visited the toy shop also looked like nobles.

 

Ignoring their sidelong glances, I held Noah’s hand and asked the shop owner:

 

“I came here to buy a toy for my son. Is there anything you’d like to recommend?”

 

“Well, noble children usually go for toy swords. But surely the heir of Marquis Ajas wouldn’t be satisfied with just a toy sword….”

 

The shop owner gave us a cautious look, but Noah shook his head.

 

“No, I’m curious what they look like. Can I see them?”

 

“Of course! Right this way.”

 

The toys on display included dolls made of various materials such as cloth, wood, and ceramics, as well as miniature castles and mansions, carriage and soldier dolls, and even a toy rod that looked like a magical girl’s wand.

 

I barely managed to keep my gaze from turning in that direction and walked over to where the toy swords were displayed.

 

“They’re made with rounded tips and safe materials, so kids won’t get hurt even if they poke themselves. But they still have a realistic weight to feel like a real sword.”

 

The display case contained longswords, daggers, and even what looked like bows and arrows with balls at the ends.

 

“What is this made of?”

 

“It’s hardened slime fluid. Fully purified, so it’s totally safe for kids!”

 

As I was looking around, I found that there were indeed a lot of toys made from monster materials.

 

‘No wonder they’re so expensive…’

 

Meanwhile, Leonhard had picked out a sword and handed it to Noah.

 

“What do you think of this one?”

 

“I’d like a slightly longer sword, Father.”

 

“Right now, this much is just right for your body….”

 

Leonhard hesitated a little before nodding.

 

“It’s just a toy, so it’s fine. If you see something you like, go ahead and choose.”

 

He lifted Noah in his arms so the child could see the toys displayed higher up.

 

“Peep, Peep!”

 

“Huh? Why?”

 

Then, Rake suddenly started flying away somewhere on her own.

 

I told Leonhard and Noah to stay and look at the toys, then followed after Rake.

 

“Rake, why all of a sudden—huh?”

 

“Peep, Peep, Peep!”

 

The place where Rake landed was a display case of stuffed animals.

 

Specifically, on a chubby, cute-looking dragon doll.

 

“Oh my, looks like the Marquise’s pet bird wants that toy.”

 

“Peep!”

 

Rake started chirping happily, as if to say the staff had guessed correctly.

 

The staff member who just laughs at the sight as if it’s cute probably doesn’t know that this cute is actually a dragon, not a bird.

 

“Do you really want this?”

 

Rake chirped and nodded her round little head.

 

“Oh, it seems it truly does want it. Why not get one for it?”

 

“Hmm… Alright, please wrap that one up for us.”

 

“Yes, just wait a moment!”

 

When the staff tried to carry the doll to wrap it, Rake raised her tail feathers and tried to peck the staff’s hand.

 

“Peep!”

 

“Oh my god!”

 

“Oh, sorry. I think Rake already thinks the doll is hers. I’ll just carry it myself—please just add it to the bill.”

 

“Yes, I will do that!”

 

The staff laughed heartily, forgetting that she had almost been hurt a moment ago.

 

With the dragon doll in my arms, I scolded Rake quietly so the staff wouldn’t hear.

 

“You can’t do that, that person almost got hurt.”

 

– She touched my stuff.

 

“It’s not yours yet… And even if someone does touch your things, you can’t just attack people like that.”

 

This was a really important lesson for Rake, as she was a dragon and not a human.

 

Even though he kept trying to argue, I sternly laid down the rules.

 

“A child who goes around attacking anyone is a bad child. A bad child like that can’t eat strawberries.”

 

– That’s not fair!

 

“It’s a rule made by humans. Even though you’re a dragon, you’re living with us like family. So, for our sake, can you follow the rules?”

 

– For your sake?

 

Rake pouted her beak a few times but eventually gave a small nod.

 

– But if any human tries to hurt us, I won’t hold back.

 

“Yeah, yeah. That’s okay. Oh my, our Rake is good.”

 

– Then I want strawberry tart.

 

“Okay. I’ll ask for one when we get home.”

 

Cheered up by the mention of strawberry tart, Rake chirped joyfully, still perched atop the doll.

 

The snowy-white dragon doll Rake picked really was adorable—its head, wings, and feet were all chubby and round.

 

Of course, it wasn’t cuter than our Rake.

 

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