How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 352

“Uh? Yeah… that’s right.”

 

“Who are you going to give it to?”

 

“Well… I still… don’t have anyone.”

 

“Really?”

 

It was a face that made it hard to tell whether she was disappointed or relieved.

 

Alexander couldn’t stop thinking about that expression. Even when he tried not to, it kept coming back to him.

 

‘Seriously… I hate having my head this complicated…!’

 

A long-awaited day off.

 

He liked being active, so he usually went out no matter what, but for the first time since joining the knights, he shut himself inside his room alone.

 

And he thought and thought until his head felt like it was burning.

 

‘Do other people feel like this too? When they get a confession, do they think this hard until their head feels like it’s going to explode before deciding?’

 

Later, it felt like his brain was about to go on strike.

 

In the end, he gave up and flopped onto the bed. He threw away all the complicated thoughts and decided to think about just one thing.

 

And the result—

 

“I’ve been thinking.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“This dagger… it’s the last thing my parents left me. So I thought maybe I should just keep it all to myself instead of sharing it with someone…”

 

“And?”

 

At that moment,

 

a hint of tension passed through Violet’s eyes.

 

It was an emotion he had never seen since she became a Swordmaster.

 

At that instant, Alexander felt something loosen inside him.

 

‘Ah… I just needed certainty.’

 

Certainty that she really liked him.

 

That’s why he had asked her if she might be mistaken. Because he was afraid—what if it really was just a misunderstanding?

 

The moment he realized it, all hesitation disappeared. Alexander placed one of the daggers into Violet’s hand.

 

“I don’t think it’s a waste to give this to you. No… not a waste at all.”

 

Even if it wasn’t love or marriage, even if it wasn’t that kind of feeling— he wanted to always be partners with Violet, standing back to back with their swords in hand.

 

Because there was no one else he trusted enough to leave his unguarded back to.

 

“So…”

 

He wanted to honestly confess those feelings. But his words didn’t continue.

 

His lips were suddenly covered by hers, and the force pushing him made his body fall backward.

 

His hand, which had instinctively grabbed Violet’s shoulder, lost its strength. Frozen and unsure what to do, Alexander tightly shut his eyes.

 

Violet kept the promise she once made.

 

About what kind of eyes she looked at him with, and what kind of feelings she held.

 

She said she would show him directly with her body.

 

* * *

 

“And that’s how it all happened, I guess.”

 

“Wow… seriously.”

 

They confessed, went all the way, and even had a result that very night.

 

Was it okay to move this fast? This was basically rollercoaster speed.

 

‘They say quiet cats climb onto the kitchen first…’

 

He acted like he had no interest in women, like he was married to his sword—so I never expected my first niece or nephew to be from my brother Alex.

 

If I had to guess who would stay single forever, I would’ve picked him.

 

“So when’s the wedding?”

 

“They already had it.”

 

“What?!”

 

In the letter I got, it definitely said “we’re getting married.”

 

When did it turn into “we got married”?

 

“Why did they rush it so much? Did you go to the wedding? What about Brother Liv?”

 

“Benny and I went, but our older brother couldn’t. They didn’t even invite him.”

 

“They had a wedding without inviting the head of the family…?”

 

It’s not like they were running away from family opposition. Why was the wedding done so quickly, like roasting beans in lightning?

 

“If you start considering everything, the wedding date just keeps getting delayed.”

 

That’s true. If you invite one person, you feel like inviting another, and then another.

 

So if the goal is a fast wedding, it might be better to just do a quick ceremony.

 

“What about Violet’s family? Were they okay with it?”

 

If their daughter, a Swordmaster, got pregnant before marriage and rushed a small wedding, they must’ve been upset.

 

“Uh… Violet’s family didn’t come.”

 

“What? Why? Because they didn’t like Alexander?”

 

“No, it’s not that. Violet cut ties with her family.”

 

“She cut ties?”

 

What does that even mean?

 

Seeing my shock, Benjamin shook his head and said he had once witnessed something himself.

 

“Honestly… if it were me, I would’ve cut them off too.”

 

“She should’ve done it earlier. People like that aren’t family.”

 

If even gentle and kind Benjamin says that, her family must’ve been really awful.

 

‘Now that I think about it, she did say she faced a lot of discrimination for being a woman… was that because of her family?’

 

Then she did the right thing. Definitely.

 

From now on, we can just become her new family.

 

‘Hehe, I’ve got a new sister-in-law.’

 

Since I couldn’t attend the wedding, I should at least send a really nice gift.

 

After finishing the story about my younger brother and Violet, I showed Lily and Benjamin around the castle.

 

They were amazed by its size, but even more surprised by the magic circles and magic stones installed all over it.

 

“There are so many magic stones. Managing them must be a lot of work.”

 

“There are over ten mages just to manage the magic circles and stones in the castle.”

 

“Most of them are fire stones. Oh, I see a wind stone over there too?”

 

“Yes. Around this time in the north, all the windows are kept shut. That one’s for ventilation.”

 

“Ah, so that’s why the airflow feels so steady…”

 

Is this what you call a work habit?

 

Even though there was so much to see in this huge Aias Castle, the two of them were completely focused on the magic circles and stones.

 

‘What’s so interesting about that?’

 

As I faintly thought that I might never become a proper mage even after giving birth to Ttiana, Noah came to find us after finishing his lesson.

 

“Aunt, Uncle!”

 

“Our smart nephew! Have you been well?”

 

“It’s been a while, Noah. Happy belated 6th birthday.”

 

“Thank you. I received your gift well.”

 

After exchanging warm greetings, Noah said he had something to show them and went to his room.

 

“This is a magic tool I made with the kit you gave me.”

 

“Really? You made this all by yourself?”

 

“Not completely by myself… I got advice whenever I got stuck…”

 

“If you only gave advice, then it’s basically the same as making it on your own. Can we take a closer look?”

 

Before Noah could even nod, Lily and Benjamin were already turning the flower-shaped lamp on and off as they examined it closely.

 

“There’s no magic leaking, and the flow is stable… the efficiency is insane. Noah, did you really make this by yourself?”

 

“Ah, well… it’s thanks to all the advice I got…”

 

“Being able to take advice that well is a talent too. As expected of Lily’s nephew. He’s definitely a genius.”

 

“Brother-in-law, my son. My son.”

 

“As expected of Lily’s nephew and Nell’s son. He’s definitely a genius.”

 

The order was a little unsatisfying, but should I just be happy with this?

 

“To make such a perfect magic tool at just six years old! Ah… Auntie’s heart is racing. Have you ever thought seriously about going down this path? I think you could even inherit the Clover Magic Tool Workshop.”

 

“Ahem, I understand how you feel, sis, but it’s too early to decide his future. Our Noah is good at too many things.”

 

“Besides magic, what else is he good at?”

 

“If we’re talking about our Noah, his artistic sense is incredibly outstanding. Want to see the portrait he drew of me? Just wait a second!”

 

After Hiyella started sighing, pregnant me and young Noah were basically stuck inside the castle. It was way too cold to go outside.

 

So Noah and I enjoyed lots of indoor hobbies, and one of them was drawing.

 

“Ta-da! Look at this. Pretty, right?”

 

“It is. It’s even prettier than real life.”

 

“No, it’s not. My skills are still lacking, so I couldn’t capture even half of Mother’s elegance and beauty.”

 

I was the only one getting embarrassed by Noah’s sincere humility. Meanwhile, Lily and Benjamin had already fallen into analysis again.

 

“Seeing how well he uses paint, he’d probably be good at drawing magic circles too…”

 

Oh dear, what am I going to do with these people who only think about magic?

 

“Noah, since we’re at it, would you draw a portrait of your aunt and uncle too?”

 

“Me? Is that really okay?”

 

“Of course it is!”

 

“If possible, could you draw it on a small canvas? So we can put it in a frame on the desk.”

 

“…Yes!”

 

Of course, Lily and Benjamin loved the portrait Noah drew. Even to me, it captured their confident and gentle atmosphere really well.

 

‘Noah really is talented in so many ways.’

 

Not just in art.

 

He’s good with his hands, studies well, has a great memory, and is good at anything physical, like swordsmanship or sports.

 

More than anything, Noah liked the things he was good at. Or maybe he was good at them because he liked them.

 

“Our Noah is also good at playing the piano. He can even sight-read pieces that aren’t too complicated.”

 

“Hm, now that I think about it, didn’t my younger sibling brag about mastering *Vertigo*? How’s that going?”

 

“Ah, that?”

 

*Vertigo.* A difficult piano piece said to require at least ten years of consistent practice to master.

 

It was a piece Julia taught Noah when she abused him.

 

“I tried playing it a few times, but the piece isn’t that great. It’s not my style.”

 

“You didn’t quit because you couldn’t do it?”

 

“Is *Vertigo* the only piece out there? There are way better ones. Noah got a collection of duet pieces for his birthday last year…”

 

Since it came up, we brought the sheet music and spent time playing the piano together, until Leonhardt returned.

 

And during the dinner prepared carefully by the castle’s head chef, I finally heard why Lily and Benjamin had come to the north.

 

* * *