How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 342

I circled around the old tree, looking up, thinking no way, no way.

 

Just as I thought—

 

“It’s here!”

 

There were two reasons my little brother and I had used this tree as our secret base.

 

One was that there was a small space between the thick roots where a child could fit.

 

And the other was that there was a long, narrow hole up in the trunk where we could hide things.

 

“So this tree was here…… I completely remembered it wrong.”

 

At the same time as I felt a bit sad that I hadn’t come here with Noah, I found myself staring up at the hole in the trunk with curiosity.

 

‘I’m sure we hid treasure in there when we were kids…… I wonder if it’s still there?’

 

To find out, I tightly tied up my skirt and began climbing the tree.

 

Even though I’ve tried to live with dignity after getting married, my childhood as a bit of a tomboy hasn’t gone anywhere—I quickly made it up to the thick branch near the hole.

 

‘Let’s see…….’

 

What had I thought of as treasure back then?

 

With the feeling of opening a time capsule I had long forgotten about, I peered into the hole.

 

And I couldn’t hide my surprise.

 

“……An envelope?”

 

The rectangular envelope had turned yellow, as if proving it had been left here for a very long time.

 

The person who could have left a letter here— No matter how I thought about it, there were only two possibilities. I hurriedly took it out and opened it.

 

**To our beloved child,**

 

“Ah……”

 

It was my mother’s handwriting.

 

The paper had wrinkled from moisture and the ink had faded in places, but I recognized it immediately.

 

Even though it had been such a long time since I had last seen her writing.

 

* * *

 

[Who is reading this letter right now—Alex, or Nell?

Or maybe the two of you are sitting side by side, heads together, reading it.

And the most important question.

How old are you now?

I hope you kept your promise not to come back to this secret base until you became adults, and that you’re reading this as grown-ups.

So if you broke that promise and came back to this tree early, come confess honestly to Mom. Then I’ll keep it a secret from Dad. Of course, you’ll still get a little scolding.

But Mom knows you wouldn’t break a promise without a good reason. So I’ll continue this letter assuming you’re adults now.

If you’re reading this, it means you didn’t forget this secret base and came back, right?

Actually, your dad and I thought a lot about this. We wondered if we should cut down this tree, since it might hurt you someday.

But we didn’t want to erase your precious memories just because we were afraid of something that hadn’t even happened yet.

Yes, your dad and I decided to trust you. So I hope you didn’t betray our expectations.

If you did…… well, you’ll still need to come confess, okay?

Our lovely little troublemakers.

You might have felt sad or upset, thinking Mom and Dad scold you too often, but I hope you understand it’s because we care about you.

You’re adults now, so of course you can understand, right?

If not, it’s because you haven’t raised a troublesome child yet.

Try having a child just like yourselves, and then think about it again.]

 

* * *

 

The tears welling in my eyes didn’t even have time to fall before I burst out laughing.

 

“Our Titi takes after me… I guess that’s because of Mom.”

 

There’s no one left in this world now to answer my murmuring.

 

But in my hands, there was still more of the story my mother wanted to tell me.

 

I continued reading.

 

* * *

 

[What kind of partner will you meet, and what kind of children will you have?

I know it’s too early to imagine that when you’re still young, but thinking about it like this makes me oddly happy.

The day you leave our arms and build your own families, I just hope that you’ll be happy with the person you chose. That’s all I wish for.

Is there someone like that by your side now?

If not, I hope you meet them. If there is, I hope you never regret your choice.

As I write this, I realize this is something I want Liv and Lily to hear too.

No matter who found this letter first, I hope all of you get to read it together.

But I’m a little embarrassed, so please don’t tell anyone you read this letter. Just introducing the person you chose proudly will be enough.

(Actually, I feel very sorry that we didn’t give our Liv the chance to choose someone himself. I hope Julie becomes a good match for you.)

Liv, Lily, Alex, Nell.

Mom always loves all of you.

No matter how old you are, who you’re with, or where you are.

Please never forget that.

I love you, my children.]

—Mom

P.S. So you won’t be disappointed after coming to find the treasure, I’ve put in a new treasure as well. Make sure to check inside the hole.

 

* * *

 

I held back my tears so they wouldn’t damage the fragile paper.

 

Worried that a tear might still fall, I quickly folded the letter, put it back into the envelope, and tucked it carefully into the hidden pocket in my skirt after untying the hem I had tied up.

 

Then, to dry my wet eyes, I looked up at the sky and took a deep breath—when I heard Bori barking from somewhere a little distance away.

 

Wondering what was going on, I looked down and saw Leonhard picking Bori up.

 

‘How did he find this place……? Ah, my footprints must have given it away.’

 

Since Bori’s footprints were left behind, mine must have been too, so it wouldn’t have been hard for Leonhardt to find us.

‘My eyes are probably still red.’

 

I hoped Leonhardt wouldn’t notice me, but as he hugged Bori—who was wagging his whole body—he immediately looked up at me.

 

Startled, I stayed still, and as he quickly approached, I saw his brows furrow.

 

“My lady…….”

 

It felt like he was about to ask why I had been crying, so I spoke first in a playful tone.

 

“You seem like a gentleman I’ve never met before. Where have you come from?”

 

“Uh…….”

 

Leonhardt couldn’t even get a proper word out and let out a short laugh—more like a dry chuckle.

 

Soon, as if deciding to play along, he looked up at me and answered.

 

“I’ve come from the north.”

 

“The north? From the Ayas March? What brings you all the way here?”

 

“I’m on my way to the capital. To find a bride.”

 

So because I said I didn’t know him, he’s pretending to be unmarried.

 

I giggled, then steadied my voice and asked again.

 

“What kind of bride are you looking for that you’d go all the way to the capital?”

 

“I’m looking for a lady so lovely that I’ll fall for her at first sight.”

 

“Oh my, with standards like that, it’ll be hard to find one. You’ll have quite a tough time.”

 

“Not at all. I’ve already found her.”

 

After setting down the panting Bori, Leonhardt stepped closer to the tree.

 

Then he placed his left hand on the trunk and looked up at me.

 

“My lovely lady, may I come up there?”

 

“Up here? To this height?”

 

I barely had time to blink a few times before Leonhardt climbed the tree at a speed I couldn’t even begin to follow and came right up in front of me.

 

Then, as his strong arm wrapped tightly around my waist, his low voice whispered by my ear.

 

“Hold on tight.”

 

Guessing what would happen next, I instinctively wrapped my arms tightly around his neck and shut my eyes.

 

A few seconds later.

 

All I felt was a very light jolt.

 

At the same time, my feet touched the ground. Realizing that, I opened my eyes and found myself still clinging to his neck, facing him.

 

“You’re not alone anymore, so how did you climb all the way up there, my lady?”

 

“Well, you see. Your wife used to be quite the tree-climbing expert back in the day.”

 

The tree had plenty of footholds, so going up and down wasn’t hard at all. I used to climb it easily even when I was as small as Noah.

 

But my defense didn’t last long.

 

“Titi will learn from you, my lady.”

 

“Ah…… that’s not good.”

 

I quickly closed my mouth, rolled my eyes around, then placed a hand on my belly and whispered while bowing my head.

 

“Titi, you were asleep today, so you didn’t see anything Mommy did, right? ……I guess so. Since there’s no answer, you must still be asleep, right?”

 

At my shameless voice, a laugh escaped from Leonhard.

 

As if admitting defeat, he let out a small sigh and brushed the leaves off my sleeve as he spoke.

 

“I think I can now somewhat agree with what you said before.”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“That it might not be a good idea for Titi to take after you.”

 

“……Because if she takes after me, she’ll grow up too mischievous?”

 

Does he not like a wife who used to be a tree-climbing expert?

 

As I quietly rolled my eyes, Leonhardt gently cupped my cheek with his right hand.

 

“If she takes after you and becomes too lovely, I don’t think I’d be able to be a strict father.”

 

* * *