How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love – Chapter 332

Author: Chewyy

“This should be enough. Now… shall we try the most important thing?”

“Just leave it to me.”

Without even asking what it was, Noah nodded solemnly, his voice full of determination.

I diligently scooped up the mountain of fallen leaves with both hands and spread them across the ground.

Then, pointing to a pile of leaves taller than Noah’s ankles, I said,

“Noah, step on it!”

Startled, Noah’s eyes widened. But when I stepped onto the leaves first and made them crunch loudly, he immediately jumped in after me.

The dry fallen leaves crunched and broke as we ran around.

Completely thrilled, Noah’s laughter rang out, bright and clear.

As he ran—almost tumbling over himself—his steps grew faster and faster.

“Nell, Noah! It’s all done!”

– Chestnuts are good! Sweet potatoes are good too!

When Leonhard called us to say that the chestnuts, potatoes, and sweet potatoes were all roasted, Noah’s hair and clothes were covered in maple and ginkgo leaves.

“Noah, isn’t it fun?”

“Yes! It’s fun!”

Panting hard, his chest rising and falling, Noah nodded vigorously.

‘After all, there’s no activity more fun than stepping on fallen leaves in autumn.’

Giggling, I brushed the maple and ginkgo leaves clinging to Noah’s clothes and hair, already deciding that while we were here, I’d bring him out to the forest a few more times.

* * *

“Bori, is it delicious?”

“Woof, woof!”

The small, round puppy with fluffy fur was panting and wagging its tail vigorously.

The dog that Raenel brought home and raised when she was young passed away due to old age.

It gave birth to six puppies during its lifetime, the youngest of which was this one.

Bori had been born especially tiny, and even now at seven years old, it was still small.

Unlike Bori’s older siblings who had been sent to other households, Bori remained at this manor and grew up showered with affection from everyone there.

That was why, even when it saw Noah for the first time, instead of barking fiercely, it burrowed into his arms and busily licked his cheeks.

“Hehe, it tickles. Don’t do it.”

“Woof! Woof-woof!”

“Are you hungry? This is really the last one. They said I shouldn’t give you too much.”

Noah took out the sweet potato he had hidden in his bosom, cut it in half, and put it in Bori’s mouth.

As if Bori had been waiting for that moment, Bori practically buried its face in it and devoured the sweet potato in huge bites. Its tail wagged so fast it looked like it might fly off at any second.

‘Cute.’

The dogs raised in Ajas Castle were either large sled dogs or military dogs, so this was Noah’s first time seeing such a small and cute dog.

‘Would it be wrong to ask if we could take it with us?’

Noah shook his head at the thought that suddenly occurred to him.

For Bori, this was home, and the people who lived here were family.

He couldn’t force Bori to come with him.

Besides, the cold of Ajas seemed too harsh for this small and cute puppy to endure.

Carefully folding away his regret, Noah decided he would play with Bori as much as he could while he was here.

‘…I like it here.’

As he stroked Bori’s head, Noah reflected on the two days he had spent in the County of Howard.

The servants here were kind to Noah, but their kindness was somewhat different from that shown by the servants of Ajas Castle or Paul Herbina.

A representative example was how they would press snacks into his hands even when he hadn’t asked for any.

At first, Noah was a little confused, but when he realized why they were doing this, he accepted it obediently with a word of thanks.

‘They’re treating me the way they used to treat Mother.’

There had been a reason Oliver had warned the servants on their first day here to show proper respect to the Marquise.

‘Mother lived in a place like this…’

If someone asked Noah about his impressions of Howard County, he would probably say:

It’s a place just like his Mother.

Everywhere he looked, the scenery unfolded like a vast watercolor painting—clear and gentle.

The wind that rustled the fallen leaves on the ground was soft and warm, and the sounds of people, small animals, and insects blended together quietly, creating a peaceful commotion.

Harmonious and cozy. Warm and comfortable. It felt like the kind of village in a fairy tale where only gentle and kind people lived.

“You were here, Noah.”

“Father!”

“Woof, woof!”

Bori, who had been wagging its tail contentedly under Noah’s touch, barked happily and ran toward Leonhard.

Bori, who only knows how to bark happily at strangers rather than being wary, wagged its tail vigorously as it looked at Leonhard.

Recalling how Raenel had complained the night before that Bori barked happily at absolutely everyone, Leonhard gave the puppy’s head a light pat.

“Were you playing with Bori?”

“Yes. It’s the cutest puppy I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen a dog this small.”

“Even dogs raised by Ajas will be this small when they are puppies.”

Though that stage didn’t last very long.

“Woof, woof!”

“What is it? …Are you asking for snacks? I don’t have anything.”

“Woof, woof!”

Bori, who had been sniffing around in Leonhard’s arms, soon lost interest and moved away from him.

Then it started barking and running somewhere.

Watching her run off without a shred of lingering attachment, Leonhard found himself thinking of Rake.

‘It’s amazing how they resemble each other so much, even though they’re different species and have never met before.’

‘Could it be because of Raenel’s influence?’

As Leonhard pondered that, Noah’s serious voice reached his ears.

“Father, by the way, there’s something I’m a little worried about.”

“What are you worried about?”

“What if Mother says she likes this place and doesn’t want to go back to Ajas?”

Leonhard almost burst out laughing, but the child’s face was so serious that he held back his laughter with a firm grip on his lips.

“Then we should live here too.”

“Yes? Is that okay?”

“I can’t leave your mother here.”

Noah’s face brightened for a moment at Leonhard’s answer, then darkened again as if his small head was thinking about something.

“But, Father, you are the Marquis of Ajas, and I’m the young lord of Ajas.”

It meant that as the lord and his successor, he should not neglect his responsibilities.

In the past, Leonhard would have simply felt proud of such words from his child.

But now Leonhard knew that it was wrong for a child like Noah to prioritize and care about his surroundings over his own wishes.

If only he could go back to the day he first met Noah.

If he were given another chance, he was confident that this time he could raise Noah properly—not as his late sister’s son, but truly as his own son.

Burying that deep-rooted regret in his chest, Leonhard lifted Noah into his arms.

“Noah, if your mother says she won’t return to Ajas, then throw a tantrum and tell her to come with us.”

“Yes?”

“If you throw a tantrum, your mother will surely listen to you.”

“But I don’t want to put Mother in a difficult position.”

“Well… I think your mother would actually be happy if you did.”

“That’s…”

It was true.

What he wanted to do and what he didn’t. What he liked and what he disliked. What he hoped for and what he didn’t.

Raenel had always wanted Noah to be honest about his true feelings.

She had told him that it wasn’t a bad thing.

“If there’s something you want to do, you don’t have to hold it in. Tell me honestly about anything. If it’s something you’re allowed to do, I’ll let you do it. If it’s not, I’ll explain it to you until you understand. Stop giving up before you even try, okay?”

“Telling us what you want—that’s your part. Making it come true—that’s our part. So please… won’t you let me be your father?”

So that the child wouldn’t take his words too heavily, Leonhard leaned in and added in a playful whisper,

“I’m the one throwing a tantrum at you right now.”

Then Noah, who had been just blinking his big eyes, burst out laughing.

“Tantrums are for kids.”

“No. Adults can use it too. As long as the other person accepts it.”

Noah laughed again. Then, as if he were going to keep it a secret from everyone else, he whispered softly in Leonhard’s ear.

“Then I’ll accept Father’s tantrum.”

“Thank you. That’s my son.”

Leonhard ruffled Noah’s hair until it was as sticky as a bird’s nest. Noah simply chuckled, seemingly enjoying the touch.

“And this is something I’ve wanted to tell you for a long time.”

“What is it?”