How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 293

“Master, when I noticed their intrusion and went to Kana’s room, they had already taken her out of the dungeon.”

 

“What?”

 

‘Papa! I’m here! I’m Kana!’

 

“They can only have taken her to one place. Master, let’s take care of those two first, then go bring Kana back.”

 

‘What’s wrong, Ran? You know I’m Kana!’

 

Although she screamed at the top of her lungs, Kana’s voice did not reach anyone.

 

‘Papa! It’s Kana! I’m here! Why don’t you recognize me?’

 

The Master, who always greeted Kana with a smiling face, was looking down with a frighteningly distorted face and shouting.

 

“You there! Don’t just sit and watch—cast your spells! If those two brats make it out alive, you’ll be the ones to die!”

 

That ominous voice was mixed with curses that Kana had never heard before.

 

Even without understanding the meaning, the old man’s harsh tone and the murderous atmosphere felt violent enough to frighten a child.

 

‘Stop it! I’m here, I’m here!’

 

The curses and shouts didn’t stop.

 

Spells filled with killing intent flew through the air, explosions erupted, and monsters crawled across the ground making grotesque noises and bellowing.

 

Kana was scared. She wanted to run away. She cried and cried until the thought finally crossed her mind.

 

‘Papa doesn’t recognize Kana because he’s not Kana’s real father.…?’

 

If he were her real father, would he have recognized her even when she was turned into a doll? Would he have refrained from showing such a terrifying side?

 

As if reading Kana’s mind, Ran’s voice came. It sounded strangely joyful.

 

“The Kana that those two stole must be at Duke Khalid’s residence by now, right?”

 

“I guess so. Huh, so now he wants to act like a biological father or something?”

 

Kana was so surprised by the words that came out of the old man’s mouth that she stopped crying.

 

‘Biological father…? Does that mean I actually have a biological father somewhere?’

 

“How did Duke Khalid know about Kana’s existence? We killed everyone involved.…”

 

As if telling her to listen carefully to what she was saying, Ran stroked the tip of the rabbit doll’s ear and added with a smile.

 

“Master even killed Kana’s biological mother.”

 

‘What…?”

 

“There must be a traitor inside the Tower. If I catch them, I’ll never forgive them.”

 

Ran gently stroked the rabbit doll’s head as if she knew Kana had frozen in shock. Her touch was gentle, but…

 

“What if Kana finds out the secret of her birth? What if she decides not to come back here and live with her real father?”

 

“Real father? I’ve raised her my whole life. Who else but me could be her father?”

 

“There’s such a thing as the pull of blood, you know. People say the bond from raising a child isn’t the same as the bond from giving birth.”

 

The old man, perhaps offended by those words, glared at Ran, his cheeks twitching.

 

“Stop talking nonsense! Are you trying to rile me up on purpose in a situation like this?”

 

“It’s precisely because of the situation that I’m saying this. Maybe it’s a good thing for Kana. She has the symbol, so proving her bloodline will be easy, and the Duke of Khalid will raise her like a treasure.”

 

If you really care about Kana, send her to the Duke’s house…

 

The old man shouted at Ran’s whispering.

 

“You think I raised her so I could hand her back to her father? Kana will be my daughter at least until the day I die!”

 

“Even if that’s not what Kana wants?”

 

“Not what she wants?”

 

His voice was full of disdain, as if to say, And what if she doesn’t?

 

Even Kana could sense the blatant implication.

 

“Then I’ll make her want it.”

 

A self-righteous voice declared clearly that Kana’s will and intentions would not be considered in the least during the process.

 

‘I wonder how much our little Kana understood the Master’s true nature.’

 

Ran giggled and lifted the rabbit doll she was holding in her arms, looking at its cute, round face.

 

“Did you hear that? That guy isn’t your real father….”

 

Turning her back to the Master, Ran whispered so quietly it was drowned out by the surrounding noise—her words reaching only the rabbit doll’s ears.

 

“He’s just been playing house with you, his doll. …So? Was living in a doll’s house fun?”

 

Looking at the rabbit doll’s face, which had not changed its expression at all, Ran felt a great sense of regret.

 

She would’ve liked to say these things to Kana in her real form, to make her cry.

 

She was sick of humoring the Master’s whims, playing pretend in a way she didn’t even like.

 

Now, she was simply delighted that this absurd “family game” was finally coming to an end.

 

“Haha. Since you’ve lived your whole life as someone’s doll, maybe it’s better to stay like this forever.”

 

‘What to do?’ Ran pondered until the Master snapped irritably,

 

“Ran! What on earth have you been doing, hugging that doll all this time? Come over here and help!”

 

“Oh, this? It’s the doll Kana had… It doesn’t really suit me, does it?”

 

“Of course it doesn’t!”

 

“Anyway, the Master only likes Kana.….”

 

Ran shook her head and smiled brightly as she looked at the rabbit doll.

 

“You could just throw it away, you know.”

 

And Ran really relaxed the grip on the doll.

 

—Thud, thud.

 

The rabbit doll fell to the ground helplessly, rolled down the slightly inclined ridge, and fell down the cliff.

 

But as if that wasn’t enough, Ran waved the hand holding the bloodstone.

 

She didn’t take her eyes off it, as though promising to personally witness its end.

 

“Goodbye.”

 

A thunderbird with blue feathers swooped swiftly down the gorge at Ran’s command.

 

—Screeeech!

 

It was only a moment before the light rabbit doll, which was falling slowly, was caught in Thunderbird’s claws.

 

If Thunderbird had just applied force to its feet, the rabbit doll would have been torn to shreds.

 

“Hiyela!”

 

If not for the shout that rang out from below, freezing the thunderbird’s body white…

 

* * *

 

‘If the opponent was a monster, couldn’t I use the power of my symbol to drive it away?’

 

With that thought, I was about to step forward, but Leonhardt gently stopped me. He told me confidently,

 

“Leave it to me, my lady. If there are no allies to get caught in the crossfire, I can unleash the true strength of my authority.”

 

That was true. The steel spears Leonhard summoned rained down like a torrential downpour, instantly slaughtering the spider swarm.

 

“Keeeek!”

 

Thanks to Leonhard stepping in front of me, blocking my view with his back, all I could see were dozens of sharp steel spears stuck into the ground.

 

It was truly an overwhelming force.

 

It was truly overwhelming power. But before I could even feel relieved, more and more spiders surged in relentlessly from the far end of the canyon.

 

Fortunately, the ground was densely packed with steel spears, like a hedgehog’s back, blocking the spiders’ advance.

 

Perhaps Leonhard had been aiming for that from the start when he planted the spears in the ground?

 

He pierced the spiders with his newly summoned steel spear and fought the bird monsters that were targeting us from the sky.

 

“Master! Monsters alone won’t be enough to defeat him. If we keep this up, all the monsters we’ve captured will be wiped out!”

 

“Magic! Hit them with more attack magic!”

 

At that shout, massive icicles, sharp stalactites, fireballs, and even bolts of lightning rained down endlessly above our heads.

 

Fortunately, those magics could be destroyed with Leonhard’s gauntlets.

 

“Nell, please stay well hidden behind my back. The monsters won’t target you, so just avoid their magic.”

 

“But that monster is after you!”

 

“That’s why I have the power.”

 

Leonhard spoke confidently, but the power wasn’t omnipotent. If the wielder’s stamina or mental strength ran out, the power could no longer be used.

 

No matter how physically and mentally strong he was, Leonhard was still human. He would eventually reach his limits.

 

All I could do for him was shout this.

 

“Go back! Go and attack the wizard who is controlling you!”

 

If I had known this would happen, I would have learned how to use the power of the symbol a long time ago.

 

The bird monsters flew through the sky so fast that I couldn’t tell if my voice reached their ears.

 

I wasn’t sure if I was really wielding the symbol’s power, or if I was nullifying the effect of the bloodstone forged from my real father’s blood—but I kept shouting anyway.

 

“Don’t you dare hurt my husband, you bastards!”

 

At that moment, a rabbit doll appeared rolling down the ridge and falling towards me.

 

“Huh…”

 

‘That doll—wasn’t that Kana?’

 

As soon as I realized that, a large Thunderbird descended at high speed, aiming for the rabbit doll.

 

It was no coincidence. Thunderbird’s eyes were fixed on the rabbit doll, and its claws gleamed sharply.

 

My shoulders trembled as I watched Thunderbird finally snatch the doll rabbit with its right paw and clutch it.

 

‘No. If I let it go, she will die.’

 

I have to save Kana.

 

But how?

 

“One day, a moment will come when you must put yourself first, rather than others. In that moment, call my name with all your heart’s desire.”

 

A voice I had once heard brushed past my ears. Without a moment’s hesitation, I drew in a deep breath and shouted,

 

“Hiyela!”

 

As if answering my call, a silver wind rose from beneath my feet and swirled around my body like a whirlwind, blowing my hair in the wind.

 

– Didn’t I tell you? This is a power for you.

 

Though the wind was silver with flecks of snow and frost, it felt as warm as spring sunlight.

 

The voice was so gentle that I found myself murmuring without thinking,

 

“It’s…. for me.”

 

So please… save that child.

 

In answer to my wish, the silver wind took shape—like the shadow I had seen in my dream, though far smaller—and soared high into the sky.

 

* * *