How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 231

But I’ve endured too much gossip to be hurt by just a few words now.

 

Instead, I thanked Leona for giving me accurate information.

 

“If you’re not getting divorced, then why did you come to the capital…? Is it really that strange that I came to the capital?”

 

“As far as I know, the previous Marquise of Ajas never came to the capital. Though she was a Northerner, of course.”

 

“First of all, Ajas is not a family that is active in the capital.”

 

“Hmm, true.”

 

In the first place, if Leonhard could have found someone to marry in the North, he wouldn’t have come down to the capital to look for a bride.

 

‘Since he came down to the capital because of marriage, the reason he came back down to the capital must be because of divorce… Is this what they think?’

 

‘Is that how they’re connecting the dots?’

 

‘No, come on, isn’t that a bit extreme?’

 

Even if the Ajas family rarely has anything to do with the capital—do they really think we’re not allowed here unless it’s for marriage or divorce?

 

“But I heard something strange.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“I didn’t hear it directly, so I’m not sure…”

 

Marilyn folded her arms and hummed thoughtfully.

 

“Something like… if you badmouth the Marquis of Ajas, his wife, or his heir, you might lose your livelihood?”

 

“What?” I asked sharply.

 

Marilyn shook her head, saying it wasn’t certain.

 

“I just overheard someone warning others like that. It was in passing, so I’m not sure.”

 

“Oh, I can explain that to you.”

 

It was Layla who said that.

 

“Explain what?”

 

“The day after we arrived in the capital, His Highness the Marquis started accepting audiences, right? Saying he was looking for good investment opportunities.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

Along with that, he subtly hinted at the amount of investment he was considering—enough to cause a stir not just among nobles but among merchant guilds as well.

 

As a result, Paul Herbina’s front door was full of people wishing to see him, and dozens of names were added to the visitation request list each day.

 

However, when they heard that Leonhard had come to the capital, even those who wanted Nolan’s medal flocked to Paul Herbina.

 

The challenge of Nolan’s Medal is unavoidable. Since he must prioritize it, Leonhard announced he would only meet with a select few from the audience list.

 

“I know that much… but what does that have to do with the rumors?”

 

“I did some digging with Robert and Logan.”

 

‘…Wait, you did what?’

 

“All the people who got filtered out of the audience list were ones who had publicly gossiped or spoken ill of the Ajas family—whether at social events or formal gatherings.”

 

“Ah!”

 

‘That list Leonhard had taken from me!’

 

“Everyone associated with those people, including their family, relatives, or in-laws, as well as their friends, schoolmates, and coworkers, was filtered out.”

 

“T-That much…? Is it okay to do that?”

 

Layla shrugged.

 

“In the first place, His Highness the Marquis has no obligation to meet all of them. It is up to him to decide who to meet and who not to meet.”

 

“Yeah…”

 

Leonhard had said he would accept requests for an audience, but he did not promise to meet everyone who requested.

 

Besides, he wasn’t avoiding the meeting on purpose. It was an inevitable consequence of the influx of Nolan’s challengers.

 

‘Though… I doubt Leonhard didn’t anticipate all this.’

 

“Once the Marquis decides on where to invest, the ones who were cut from the list will realize why. But… where did the leak come from?”

 

Layla put her index finger to her chin.

 

“If people are already gossiping about it, maybe people with good connections have figured it out.”

 

Which basically meant—she might’ve been the one spreading it.

 

* * *

 

—Bang!

 

“Kyaa!”

 

The door slammed open without a knock.

 

The Viscountess, who was humming and embroidering, was so startled that she pricked her finger with the needle.

 

“Who dares—? Darling?”

 

“You! What kind of nonsense have you been spouting around town?!”

 

Viscount Gale, who had burst in with a red face, suddenly started shouting at his wife.

 

Although his attitude was quite threatening, the Viscountess stood up from her seat and responded without giving in.

 

“Why are you suddenly picking a fight again? Are you taking your frustration out on me again over your business falling through?”

 

The servants sighed heavily, clearly used to that.

 

Viscount Gale shouted at the top of his lungs.

 

“Do you know what I just heard? That the Marquis of Ajas is looking for people in the capital who badmouthed him, his wife, or his son!”

 

“W-what are you talking about…?”

 

‘The Marquis of Ajas is looking for people in the capital who badmouthed him?’

 

Feeling a prick of guilt, the Viscountess was left speechless.

 

Seeing her reaction, Viscount Gale grew more confident, wagging his finger in front of her face.

 

“Do you know why? It’s revenge! Revenge for ruining Ajas’s honor!”

 

“R-revenge? What could a Marquis possibly do? What, is he going to throw down a glove and demand a duel or something?”

 

“If only it were that simple! Don’t you know he’s the head of Hermen!?”

 

“Hermen…”

 

The Marquis of Ajas being the head of Hermen was something people in the capital often forgot—because he rarely appeared outside the North.

 

Like the three dukes, Marquis Ajas was not a man to be easily insulted in public.

 

And yet capital noblewomen had giggled and whispered behind his back, for two reasons:

 

First, they didn’t think he would ever return to the capital.

 

Secondly, they never dreamed he’d retaliate over mere social gossip.

 

“But wait—even if he is the head of Hermen… it has nothing to do with you, does it? You’re not even part of the merchant guild.”

 

“Are you trying to get on my nerves!? Hermen’s real power lies in its distribution network!”

 

Even if someone wasn’t a guild member, they could pay Hermen a fee to use their distribution network.

 

While guild members could use it for free, non-members had to pay 30% of their total revenue. In other words, for every 100 gold earned, 30 went to Hermen.

 

Still, for smaller merchant groups, it was worth it.

 

Because it completely eliminated the dangers of bandits, monsters, or natural disasters—things that could strike anytime, anywhere.

 

“Right now, it’s just being left off the audience list! But if he decides to retaliate seriously, our trading company will suffer massive losses. What are we going to do about that?”

 

The losses he suffered were devastating considering the profits he made if he received investment from Marquis Ajas.

 

“Do you know how much the Marquis was thinking of investing? At least ten million gold, at least ten million gold!”

 

“T-Ten million… as investment money?”

 

“Yes! And now it’s ruined—all because of you!”

 

Looking flustered, Viscount Gale shouted to his wife, who could only clutch her dress helplessly.

 

The blood from the finger pricked by the needle had stained her dress, but she didn’t even notice.

 

“I-I… I didn’t say anything harsh. I just casually repeated something I heard from someone else…”

 

“Then why don’t you say the same thing in front of the Marquis? No—actually, that might be better. Go and apologize to him. Right now.”

 

“What…?”

 

“Remember this well! If our family falls, it’s all your fault!”

 

Viscount Gale glared at his wife with bloodshot eyes and then turned away.

 

The door slammed shut with another bang, but this time the viscountess didn’t even flinch.

 

“What… what is all this…?”

 

“Madam! Are you okay?”

 

The maid’s cautious voice was not even heard.

 

The viscountess just stood there blankly, thinking:

 

‘This is so unfair… I swear I only said one thing.’

 

She knew for a fact she wasn’t the only one.

 

There were plenty of people who had spread rumors on purpose—so why was she the one being punished like this?

 

‘This is unfair. So unfair!’

 

The Viscountess didn’t know.

 

People all over the capital are thinking exactly like her right now.

 

* * *

 

His heart felt like it might burst. Sweat poured down his forehead like rain.

 

Baron Sorbet took out a handkerchief with trembling hands and wiped the sweat from his face. He then looked through the documents he had brought once more.

 

‘A magical tool that alerts you when a specific monster is nearby, using materials from that monster… Would Ajas really need something like this?’

 

A magical tool that can signal the approach of a monster has already been developed. What Baron Sorbet wanted to create was a magical tool that added the specificity of the monster.

 

‘No—Ajas is active in monster material collection. If they had this kind of magical tool, gathering targeted materials would be much easier. The Marquis will definitely recognize its value.’

 

But one thought that had been tormenting Baron Sorbet since the day the meeting was decided still fueled his anxiety.

 

‘What if something like this already exists in Ajas?’

 

It’s hard to believe he was the only one to think of it.

 

“Baron Sorbet.”

 

“Y-Yes?”

 

“Thank you for waiting for a long time. I will guide you to His Highness the Marquis immediately.”

 

A servant greeted him politely and guided Baron Sorbet into the audience room.

 

Baron Sorbet, who was very nervous, entered the room, only concerned about his clothes, not even noticing that his hair was disheveled from wiping off the sweat.

 

* * *