How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 242

4 days ago

 

“Y-yah!”

 

“Ngiiikk!”

 

With the startled shouts of the coachman and Robert, and the whinnying of the frightened horses, the carriage suddenly stopped.

 

Leonhard reflexively put his hand on the carriage wall to keep his balance and clicked his tongue briefly.

 

“What is this…”

 

He was riding in a carriage because he had some documents to look at.

 

He always rides a horse by himself, but it was the first time in a long time that he rode in a carriage, and only for this to happen.

 

Thinking it was a relief that Raenel and Noah weren’t with him, Leonhard set the papers aside and stepped out.

 

“What’s going on?”

 

“That, that, Your Highness the Marquis!”

 

The coachman, clearly flustered by his mistake, stammered, unable to get his words out.

 

The one who answered Leonhard’s question was Robert, who was calming the startled horse.

 

“A person suddenly jumped onto the carriage road.”

 

“Someone jumped in?”

 

Leonhard frowned and leaned his upper body toward the carriage.

 

He checked the front. Robert added an explanation to him.

 

“It looks like this person was pushed by the passing crowd.”

 

Just like Robert said, the road was bustling with people, and a few of them were now murmuring among themselves as they glanced over.

 

‘Don’t they have anything better to do?’

 

Leonhard looked at the unlucky one who had been struck by misfortune.

 

The person was still crouched on the ground, face completely hidden under a pulled-down hood. Not even a strand of hair was visible.

 

Curled up like a ball and trembling, they looked utterly pitiful.

 

‘Are you scared by the pattern carved on the carriage?’

 

In that case, it would be best for him not to come forward.

 

Leonhard let out a small sigh and nodded to Robert to go and resolve the matter.

 

‘I should’ve ridden a horse. Then this whole mess might’ve been avoided.’

 

Leonhard rubbed the back of his neck and climbed back into the carriage.

 

About ten minutes passed.

 

His nerves were unsettled, he couldn’t bring himself to pick the documents back up. When Robert came to report that the situation was resolved, Leonhard asked,

 

“How did you solve it?”

 

“Fortunately, that person wasn’t injured. I offered to call a doctor just in case, but they refused, saying they had somewhere to be. Instead, they asked for directions to the Imperial Palace, so I simply pointed the way.”

 

“The Imperial Palace?”

 

“Yes. The person said they knew someone who worked there or something. They were stumbling over their words, and even though I didn’t ask much, they explained everything nervously. I’d guess they had a rough time getting past the city gate.”

 

“A rough time? Wouldn’t that only happen if you didn’t have proper identification?”

 

“Well, about that…”

 

Since it involved someone else’s personal matters, Robert lowered his voice to a whisper.

 

“I caught a glimpse of the face beneath the hood… It was mottled with burn scars.”

 

“Burn scars?”

 

“That person probably wore the hood to hide it, but to the gate guards, that would’ve seemed very suspicious.”

 

People passing through the city gates are required to show their faces.

 

But if someone insisted on keeping a hood up due to burns, they likely would’ve drawn a lot of suspicion from the guards.

 

Thinking it was just as well he hadn’t come face-to-face with the person, Leonhard gestured for the carriage to resume moving.

 

“Yes, sir!” Robert saluted and returned to the driver’s seat, and the carriage started moving again.

 

‘Someone working at the Imperial Palace, huh.’

 

For a moment, the face of Karl, who had just entered the palace, appeared in Leonhard’s mind.

 

‘Should I have stopped that person and asked more…?’

 

‘No, I’m probably just being paranoid.’

 

Surely, out of all the people working at the palace, that person couldn’t be connected to Karl.

 

Shaking off the thought, Leonhard picked up the documents again.

 

Once he arrived at the Duke of Khalid’s estate, they would be having a long conversation, so now was the time to finish reviewing everything.

 

* * *

 

But then…

 

“…..I don’t think I’ve heard of any other guests besides me, Duke Khalid.”

 

Duke Khalid’s study. Only those who are personally invited by him can enter, as it was VIP, there was a guest who arrived before Leonhard in a room.

 

And not just anyone. This guest had boldly taken the Duke’s own seat, accompanied by a guard and an aide standing behind him.

 

Leonhardt, caught off guard by the completely unexpected face, even forgot to offer a formal greeting.

 

The only comfort was that Duke Khalid seemed just as taken aback.

 

While the Duke opened his mouth to say something but stopped short, it was the guest—who seemed more like the host than the actual host—who responded with a hearty laugh.

 

“Marquis, don’t be too hard on Duke Khalid. It was I who boldly stepped in without an invitation.”

 

“Your Highness, please pay proper respects to His Highness the Prince.”

 

The cold, emotionless voice came from the guard standing behind the guest or the second prince.

 

That guard was none other than Eric

Daphnen.

 

Leonhard had met Eric back when he was still in the capital before inheriting the Marquis title.

 

Since they were both practicing swordsmanship, they practiced every day and built a strong friendship.

 

But after Eric became the personal guard of the Second Prince, and Leonhard inherited the Margrave title, their relationship came to a natural end.

 

It was inevitable. Someone so close to the Second Prince couldn’t afford to be friendly with a Marquis of Ajas.

 

“I greet His Highness, the Second Prince.”

 

“That’s enough. Let’s skip the unnecessary formalities; time is too precious. Why don’t you come and have a seat instead?”

 

Julius, who acted like the host, even rang the silver bell himself to call a maid.

 

“A guest has arrived, so bring out more tea. Or would you prefer alcohol?”

 

“I don’t have a habit of drinking in the middle of the day. Moreover, I don’t think this is the place for me, so I’ll take my leave now.”

 

But before Leonhard could turn around, Julius stopped him.

 

“This isn’t an official event, so no need to be so stiff. Now that I think about it—Eric, didn’t you say you were friends with Marquis Ajas? There’s no one else around, so go ahead and greet each other comfortably.”

 

If the lord he served told him to die, he should really behead him and die, not just pretend to die.

 

But this kind of order now was extremely difficult.

 

Rosaline, who was the first to see the agitation cross his blunt face, burst into laughter.

 

At that, Eric’s expression twisted noticeably.

 

Leonhard looked at them, who seemed to be getting along well, and said indifferently.

 

“If this is a private gathering, then I have all the more reason to excuse myself. Duke Khalid, let’s save our official discussion for another time.”

 

The emphasized pronunciation of official made Duke Khalid glance at Leonhard with a troubled face.

 

“That’s… precisely the reason His Highness came to see you.”

 

‘What?’

 

Leonhard looked at Julius with surprised eyes, then turned his gaze back to Duke Khalid.

 

Their investigation target, when seen narrowly, was a single sword—but in a broader view, it was the entire imperial family.

 

They didn’t even know exactly how many royals had shed blood for that cause.

 

And the entire investigation was being conducted in secret.

 

But Julius came all the way here personally to talk about it? Did that make any sense?

 

“Duke Khalid, don’t tell me—”

 

“I know what you’re trying to say, but that’s not true at all,” said Duke Khalid, insisting on his innocence.

 

“I swear by His Majesty the Emperor and by the name of my family that I will not raise my hand for anyone in this struggle for the throne.”

 

It seemed like he was saying this to Leonhard, but in fact, he was saying it to Julius.

 

And Julius, as if he hadn’t expected support in the first place, simply smiled while sipping the steaming tea.

 

“If I keep quiet like this, I get the feeling you’ll really leave, so let me reveal my cards first.”

 

‘Reveal his cards?’

 

Leonhard raised an eyebrow as Julius reached behind him.

 

“Rosaline.”

 

His quick-witted aide wasted no time placing a hand mirror in his palm.

 

An oval-shaped mirror with a thick gold frame and an elongated handle extending below it.

 

“Marquis, do you know what this is?”

 

“Isn’t that a mirror?”

 

“Yes, it is a mirror. But this is not an ordinary mirror.”

 

Leonhard’s expression stiffened slightly—he didn’t like long-winded explanations.

 

“If it’s not an ordinary mirror, it was a mirror made by a craftsman?”

 

The reason Leonhard said that was because the thick gold frame surrounding the mirror was densely engraved with two rows of engraved patterns.

 

From a distance, it looked like mere lines, but up close the detail was astonishing.

 

He didn’t know exactly what the pattern looked like, but it was clear that whoever made the mirror was very skilled.

 

“As expected, you wouldn’t know just by looking at it. This is a magical tool. It’s a pair item—you can communicate with the person who holds the other mirror.”

 

“That…..”

 

He nearly blurted out ‘Can I buy it?’

 

While Leonhard, who had barely managed to close his gaping mouth, looked at the mirror with longing eyes, Julius continued to speak.

 

“Do you know where I found this?”

 

“Where did you find it?”

 

If it was in a dungeon, Leonhard was already thinking he’d have to go check it out himself.

 

“I found it in the Palace of the man who shamelessly claims to be the Third Prince.”

 

Julius’ voice sounded cold as he gently brushed the edge of the mirror with his finger.

 

Leonhard tried for a moment to guess at the reason behind that emotion before asking outright,

 

“Shamelessly claims? His Majesty himself confirmed the Third Prince’s crest as authentic. The ceremony is already scheduled—what makes Your Highness say that?”

 

“Because you are investigating him.”

 

Julius’s response hit right at the core, but Leonhard merely blinked innocently.

 

“Investigating? Us?”

 

“There’s no need to pretend not to know. Duke Khalid has already admitted it.”

 

* * *