How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 344

“Your first kiss?”

 

“Yes. I’m a guest who was on my way to the capital to find a bride, but decided to stay a few days in the Howard County. And you were guiding me around……. That’s how we ended up in a *some* relationship.”

 

Hearing the word *some* coming out of my husband’s mouth was so strange that I burst into giggles.

 

“Tomorrow, I have to leave this place. But I don’t want to go. And you don’t want me to leave.”

 

“But I can’t tell you not to go, and you can’t ask me to take you with me?”

 

“Yes. And then, while taking one last walk together in the forest, we end up taking shelter from the rain like this.”

 

My husband… he’s better at roleplaying than I expected.

 

I tried imagining what it would’ve been like if we had really met that way.

 

“At the very least, I think I would’ve wished for the rain not to stop.”

 

“And at the same time, wished it would pour even harder?”

 

“Yes. If it rained more, it would feel like we were cut off from the rest of the world……”

 

“So we could forget everything else and focus only on each other.”

 

I guess we really do feel the same way, seeing how we think of the same things.

 

“But I guess we’re not allowed to. The rain has already stopped.”

 

“From what I can see, it’s still raining.”

 

“Huh?”

 

No, it definitely stopped.

 

Even when I stretched out my hand, I couldn’t feel any rain. Leonhardt, who should know better than me, looked up at the clear sky and said,

 

“It’s still raining quite a lot. I think we should stay here a bit longer.”

 

Ah.

 

Looks like I was the clueless one.

 

“You’re right. If we get soaked in all this rain, we might catch a cold. Let’s stay here a little longer.”

 

Under a sky that had already cleared into a bright blue.

 

We both started giggling, and before we knew it, we naturally closed the distance and kissed.

 

Between us, instead of the tension and nervousness I had imagined long ago, there was only laughter and excitement.

 

If I had to choose, this was definitely much better.

 

“Ah, this won’t do. It’s too late for us to redo our first kiss—we’ve had too many already.”

 

“Now that I think about it, the first kiss isn’t that important. What matters is the kiss we’re sharing now.”

 

“After all, my first kiss was with you anyway, right?”

 

“……Yes.”

 

After hesitating slightly, Leonhard nodded, then smiled shyly before leaning down to kiss me once more.

 

Each time our lips gently met and parted, my vision—blinking open and closed—was filled with his blue eyes.

 

Like a sea glowing with sunset light, his eyes overflowed with passion and affection for me.

 

I liked that, so I gently brushed around his eyes with my thumb, and as if asking for more, Leonhardt closed his eyes.

 

We were so close that all I could see were his closed eyes and part of his nose, but I could clearly tell he was smiling.

 

“Do you like me that much?”

 

“Yes. As much as the sky and the earth.”

 

Using words he must’ve learned from reading children’s storybooks to our son, at a time like this.

 

As I laughed and did nothing, Leonhardt held my face with both hands and kissed my forehead and the bridge of my nose.

 

Then he set the box on his knee aside and pulled me tightly into his arms.

 

“Really……. I like you so, so much. What should I do?”

 

“Just keep liking me.”

 

I wriggled my hands free from where they were trapped between us and wrapped them around his waist.

 

Then I whispered by his ear,

 

“We like each other, so it’s okay to keep liking me as much as you want.”

 

“So we like each other.”

 

Leonhardt smiled brightly.

 

Seeing how happy he looked made me smile too.

 

“That sounds much nicer than just saying ‘because we’re married,’ right?”

 

“Yes. I’m very happy that you and I like each other.”

 

“Me too.”

 

I giggled and hugged him tightly.

 

Just like always, the fast, pounding sound of his heartbeat made me smile.

 

“So, dear, shall we start heading back now? At this rate, someone might come looking for us.”

 

“Just one more time before we go.”

 

What he meant by “one more time,” he showed through his actions—he kissed me again.

 

Of course, his kiss didn’t stop at just one. But I didn’t push him away or ask if he’d ever get tired of it.

 

Because I like him just as much as he likes me.

 

In the end, until Bori came running toward us barking after getting tired of playing alone, we stayed like that, smiling against each other’s lips.

 

* * *

 

—Knock, knock.

 

“Brother, are you busy?”

 

As I peeked my head through the half-open door, my eldest brother—sitting at his desk—smiled and gestured for me to come in.

 

“I was just thinking you might come soon.”

 

As if to prove it, on the table in the middle of the office sat a steaming teapot and a two-tier tray filled with lemon pie, muffins, cookies, and chocolates.

 

“Wow…… what were you going to do with all this if I didn’t come?”

 

“Then I’d give it as a gift to my little friend.”

 

“Little friend?”

 

At my question, my brother—pouring tea himself—smiled playfully.

 

“I made a new friend recently. Sometimes when I can’t sleep, I meet them and we chat about this and that.”

 

“……It’s not a woman, right?”

 

At my suspicious tone, my brother only smiled.

 

Judging by that reaction, it didn’t seem like he was secretly meeting some lady……

 

‘Could he mean Bori? Or maybe some other animal?’

 

“But you shouldn’t give desserts like that to a cat…….”

 

‘Huh?’

 

Just as a thought suddenly came to mind, my older brother slid a teacup toward me and asked,

 

“By the way, what’s that box? I’ve never seen it before.”

 

“Oh, this?”

 

The thought that had been forming in my head scattered like smoke and disappeared. I handed him the metal box I was holding and said,

 

“When we were kids—do you remember how Alec and I made a secret base in the forest?”

 

“A secret base? ……Ah, you mean that tree with the hole?”

 

“Yes. I found that tree today, and inside the hole, there was this box and a letter.”

 

“A letter?”

 

“It’s inside the box. Mother wrote it.”

 

My brother opened the lid and carefully looked through the contents before taking out the letter.

 

While he quietly read it, I drank my tea in silence.

 

After a while, he let out a long breath and gently placed the letter on the table.

 

“……I never thought I’d get to read a new letter from Mother after all this time.”

 

“Me neither.”

 

“Thank you, Nell. I could’ve gone my whole life without knowing a letter like this was right behind our home.”

 

At his words, I just smiled sheepishly.

 

“More importantly, hurry and open your gift. I’m curious what Mother left for you.”

 

“The way you say that, it sounds like you already opened yours.”

 

“Yes. A pair of matching earrings and cufflinks.”

 

“And the cufflinks are for your husband?”

 

“That’s what it seemed like, so I gave them to him.”

 

At that, my brother looked down at the bundle with a slightly thoughtful expression before slowly unwrapping it.

 

I had a feeling I knew why he looked like that, so instead of excitement, I watched with a bit of worry.

 

‘Back when Mother prepared this, Julia was still his fiancée…….’

 

What if Mother had left a gift meant for Julia?

 

It wouldn’t really cause a big problem, but it might feel a bit strange.

 

“Oh? Brother, yours is in a long box?”

 

“……I think I know what it is.”

 

Two long boxes.

 

Inside them were what seemed to be identical items—high-quality fountain pens.

 

“It’s a fountain pen with the same design Father used.”

 

“Really?”

 

My brother explained how he knew.

 

“I used to see Father’s and begged him to give it to me. He said he’d have one made for me when I got older, but so much time passed that I forgot about it.”

 

He took the pen out and held it a few times, then smiled. He seemed to really like it.

 

“Is the other box also a fountain pen?”

 

“Let’s see…… Yes, just a different color.”

 

The two pens were the same design—one black, one white.

 

They clearly formed a pair, but the colors didn’t reflect anything specific about my brother or Julia.

 

Whether he had the same thought as me or not, my brother smiled softly, looking relieved.

 

“This must be meant for the person who will become my partner.”

 

* * *