How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 273

– What will today’s snack be? Strawberry cake, apple tart, ice cream, macaron pudding! The best one is strawberry cake, but if I get them all, I’ll eat them all.

 

Rake flew over Paul Herbina’s garden, singing along to a slightly modified version of the song that Raenel had been humming.

 

– Strange. I should be seeing at least one person by now.

 

The tiny bird adored by the mansion’s owner, his family, and close associates was also beloved among Paul Herbina’s servants.

 

It had a cute appearance and an abundance of charming behavior.

 

Dragons were supposed to be such grand beings that it was unthinkable for them to act cute in front of humans.

 

But for Rake, who considered humans her family, it wasn’t hard at all.

 

All it takes is one soft squeak, one flapping of wings, or one rolling around on the table, and a whole lot of delicious snacks will pour out.

 

Since all those snacks were specially prepared for her, there was no need to act cute.

 

– Apple pie, tiramisu, milk chocolate…. Sniff sniff, where does that delicious smell come from?

 

The sweet scent of freshly baked cookies lured Rake.

 

The place where Rake arrived, flapping her tiny wings, was a large window.

 

– Huh? Why is it closed…

 

The moment she was about to knock on the glass window with her wings to ask it to open, Rake noticed an unfamiliar face beyond the window and stopped moving.

 

It was because Rake remembered the advice she had heard from Raenel some time ago.

 

“Aside from people who already know you’re a dragon, you must never speak in front of others. They’ll be shocked for sure.”

 

‘So I just have to keep my mouth shut, right?’

 

Why not just pretend to be a normal bird, fly in, eat some cookies, and come back out?

 

While he was wandering around the windowsill with such worries, Rake heard an unbelievable story.

 

“Dragon? There was a dragon in that dungeon?”

 

“It’s not a real dragon. It’s just—”

 

“Wait a minute. I think there’s something outside the window.”

 

Rake, who had been startled by the word dragon and frozen for a moment, was startled by the unfamiliar voice that followed and quickly flew up from the windowsill.

 

After a while, the sound of a window opening was heard along with Leonhard’s voice.

 

“There’s nothing. Must’ve been a mistake.”

 

“Is that so? It seems I just became sensitive after losing my knights and wizards.…”

 

“No need to worry. There’s a barrier around this mansion.”

 

The window closed and the curtains were drawn. After that, Leonhard’s voice became faint and inaudible.

 

Rake spun around in the air, unable to control her pounding heart.

 

She couldn’t forget what she had just heard.

 

‘A dragon? There’s another dragon besides me?’

 

According to the memories inherited from Hiyela, there were no more dragons in this world. It would take thousands, even tens of thousands of years for another one to hatch.

 

But isn’t it possible that there are dragons like Hiyela who lay their own eggs?

 

‘If the egg was laid in a place unknown to my mother, it’s only natural that my mother wouldn’t know.’

 

No—if there had been another dragon laying an egg, Hiyela would definitely know.

 

Still, Rake didn’t want to accept that.

 

To be more precise, she was trying not to accept it.

 

She had Raenel as family now, but even that would only last maybe a hundred years.

 

Rake wanted someone of her own kind.

 

Someone who would live just as long as she did—who wouldn’t leave her alone after centuries passed.

 

‘Where’s the dragon? Where did they see it?’

 

Rake, who had settled down on the windowsill again, tried to eavesdrop on the conversation coming from inside the room.

 

* * *

 

“Anyway, it’s certain that Onyx’s hideout is inside that dungeon.”

 

“Yes. I witnessed someone who was presumed to be an Onyx wizard setting up a barrier at the entrance to the dungeon.”

 

“Unbelievable. I didn’t even know that such people were hiding in my territory….”

 

“Same here. But at least we know now.”

 

Despite Leonhard’s attempt to comfort him, Duke Khalid couldn’t smile.

 

Because he had one more special circumstance than Leonhard.

 

“So… my child is in there, right?”

 

Duke Khalid clenched his fist.

 

He hadn’t even known the child had been born. He didn’t know their gender, their face—nothing.

 

What bothered Duke Khalid more than anything was how his child was doing there.

 

“How could they possibly think of taking blood from a child who is only three years old?!”

 

Khalid’s bloodstone, originally held by Leonhard, is now held by Duke Khalid.

 

Every time he looked at that deep red stone, a clear sign it had been made from blood, his heart shattered.

 

“Calm down. We’ll rescue your child soon.”

 

Leonhard calmly summarized the current situation while comforting Duke Khalid.

 

“By now, the second prince should be before His Majesty, requesting a knight order be dispatched. And they’ll use that as justification to arrest Karl as the one behind the dungeon break.”

 

“What’s the evidence?”

 

“We’ll find it. That hideout must contain bloodstones and documents related to chimera experiments.

Maybe even records about the Estroa symbol.”

 

“Once we secure those, we can prove Karl’s guilt.”

 

“Yeah. And maybe even….”

 

The crimes of the first prince and first princess may also be revealed.

 

Leonhard thought so, but it wasn’t important in the current situation, so he buried it for now.

 

“If His Majesty the Emperor approves the dispatch of the Knights, I plan to send some of the knights and wizards of Ajas together.”

 

With the help of knights and wizards of Ajas, who have a lot of experience in subduing monsters, subduing the monsters in Gordon County is literally a matter of time.

 

There is only one problem left.

 

“Where did that wizard take the ‘dragon’?”

 

“He said he sent other monsters and chimeras to the capital. If they aim to attack the capital, wouldn’t the dragon be taken there too?”

 

“That’s what’s bothering me.”

 

Leonhard frowned and tapped the armrest of the chair with his index finger.

 

‘Nell is in the capital now.’

 

Third Eye Crow, who was caught on the way to the capital. That monster was also a chimera that had been touched by human hands.

 

From the way that monster had closed its third eye before Raenel, it was clear that even as a chimera, it still instinctively avoided harming someone of Sesto blood.

 

Of course, the wizards of Onyx would know that too.

 

Of course, the power of the pattern cannot be used infinitely.

 

But being able to control monsters—and not be attacked by them—made Raenel an unpredictable variable.

 

‘If Pan’s goal is to crown Karl by attacking the capital… then why didn’t he kidnap Nell?’

 

“If he’d tried to hurt me, the bracelet would’ve stopped him from approaching.”

 

“That man didn’t lie to my mother. He seemed to care a lot about my mother’s biological mother.”

 

No matter how much he thought about it, Leonhard couldn’t figure out Pan’s true intentions.

 

Felix spoke in a dry voice as if to wake up Leonhard, who was struggling with a question he had no answer to.

 

“Since we can’t locate them for now, we should start by searching Onyx’s hideout in the dungeon. That dragon was likely created there.”

 

“Okay “

 

Leonhard nodded.

 

“Tomorrow, you and I will sneak into the hideout.”

 

At the word “you and I,” Felix nodded in understanding.

 

‘So he plans to use that magic stone.’

 

It was only the two of them, but still a solid team.

 

Marquis of Ajas, who possesses the power of steel, and the sage of water and ice. You won’t find a better combination in the entire empire.

 

“You’re going to sneak into the dungeon with just the two of you? Marquis, are you sure that’s okay?”

 

“Our goal is infiltration, so having fewer people is advantageous. Also, if the Knights miss the timing or accidentally miss a monster, it could invade the capital.”

 

So they needed to leave enough people behind to defend the capital—specifically, this mansion.

 

“Just in case, Paul Herbina will be closed starting tomorrow. Don’t come here until I contact you. It will be a waste of time.”

 

“Understood. I’ll use a vision crystal ball for anything urgent.”

 

Until that point, Leonhard thought that if everything went according to plan, there wouldn’t be any major problems.

 

But at this time, a variable he had not anticipated occurred in the palace.

 

That variable was the presence of Marquise Calvin in the audience room when the Emperor summoned the Second Prince.

 

* * *

 

‘Why did the Second Prince suddenly request an audience with the Emperor?’

 

Perhaps some unexpected evidence had been found related to the attempted poisoning incident.

 

Just in case, Marquise Calvin requested to be present during the audience—either to lend weight to the Second Prince’s words or to discredit them entirely, depending on the situation.

 

But what came out of the Second Prince’s mouth had nothing to do with the poisoning attempt.

 

“Thus, Karl’s subordinates have gathered monsters in the dungeon of Count Gordon’s territory using bloodstones. Your Majesty, we must eliminate them quickly before they march toward the capital. Please, grant permission to dispatch the knight order.”

 

The power of Sesto, which is now said to have disappeared. A group of wizards called Onyx, using bloodstones made from the blood of Sesto’s descendants to command monsters.

 

Karl, who had entered the palace claiming to have awakened the Estroa symbol, was now revealed to be part of that group.

 

And that his subordinates were planning to attack the capital and gather monsters in the dungeon of Count Gordon.

 

All of this flowed unhesitatingly from the Second Prince’s lips—things even she had known nothing about.

 

Marquis Calvin shivered, not having guessed that Karl would plan that far.

 

‘This crazy guy planned to kill the Emperor and the entire imperial family, so he could sit on the throne!’

 

‘This must be stopped immediately.’

 

Marquise Calvin turned to look at the Emperor with urgent eyes.

 

But what came from the Emperor’s mouth, as he looked at Julius, was something she hadn’t expected at all.

 

* * *