How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love Chapter 361

Spring returned after Hiyela’s sigh finally came to an end.

 

Compared to winter, the weather had grown warmer, but there was still plenty of snow and ice left. Taking advantage of that, I brought the children out to go sledding.

 

“Yay! Faster! Faster!”

 

“Faster! Kyahaha!”

 

Noah sat in the very back, Titiana in front of him, and Rake at the very front.

 

The children happily played on a custom-made three-person sled, specially built with a small seat so Rake could wear a safety belt.

 

“Mooom! Why aren’t you riding?”

 

“I’ve ridden enough already. I’m going to rest for a bit and make a snowman, so you can ride with your brother.”

 

“Snowman! Titi too!”

 

A fur coat, a fur hat, a fur scarf, fur boots, and even fur gloves. Worried she might catch a cold, I had wrapped her up from head to toe until she looked like a little ball of yarn. Even so, she ran around energetically, gathering snow.

 

But how well could a child who was about to turn three really pack snow? At best, Titiana could only make snowballs the size of her little fist, so Noah helped her.

 

“Titi, push it slowly with both hands like this.”

 

“Like this?”

 

After accidentally smashing several snowballs Noah had made for her, Titiana finally got the hang of it. She rolled a snowball bigger than her own head across the snowy field.

 

“Titi! Don’t run! Go slowly!”

 

“Titi not running!”

 

“Anyone can see you’re running!”

 

“No! Kyahaha!”

 

In the end, while chasing after the rolling snowball, Titiana tripped and tumbled onto the snow.

 

“Titi!”

 

Noah, who had been following her with a worried look, gasped and quickly knelt beside her.

 

Fortunately, she had fallen where the snow was deep. Her face was covered in snow, but she wasn’t hurt. She popped right back onto her feet.

 

“Titi snowman!”

 

“Are you okay? You’re not hurt?”

 

“Titi not hurt! But snowman!”

 

“Your snowball is over there, so be caref—”

 

“Titi’s!”

 

She dashed off like an arrow after the snowball that had rolled far away.

 

“Titi! I said don’t run!”

 

“I’ll go after her, Mother!”

 

Titiana raced after the rolling snowball into the woods, with Noah close behind.

 

The two of them were so fast that they disappeared from my sight in the blink of an eye.

 

Noah was impressive, but moments like this really reminded me that Titiana carried Ajas’s blood too.

 

‘I think they’re both faster than me…’

 

At least I could still catch Titiana for now, but once she was around ten years old, I doubted these legs of mine would ever catch her.

 

By then, I just hoped our little princess would have grown up enough not to make her mother chase after her anymore.

 

–What?! We were supposed to go sledding, but Noah and Titi both left!”

 

“Then just turn into a person and ride.”

 

–I like this form! It’s cuter!”

 

As if that were the only possible answer, Rake floated the sled Noah had left behind over to me with magic.

 

–Come on, Nell!”

 

“Where?”

 

–Where else? To the top!”

 

Before I even had the chance to refuse, Rake teleported us with a *pop* to the top of the hill.

 

“Hurry! Sit down! Hold the rope!”

 

What a strict drill instructor.

 

With no choice, I sat on the sled, buckled Rake’s safety belt, and pleaded.

 

“R-Rake… I already rode five times in a row. I’m completely out of energy. Just this once, okay? After this, go ride with Ethan or Cassie—”

 

—Go!

 

“Ahhh! Wait! That’s too fast!”

 

—Yahoo!

 

Whether I screamed or not, Rake simply enjoyed the speed as the sled shot downhill.

 

Every time we reached the bottom, we teleported back to the top.

 

Again.

 

And again.

 

And again.

 

“R-Rake… I’m really exhausted now… please stop…”

 

–Already? Nell, your stamina is way too weak! You need to exercise!

 

“You can’t compare a dragon like you to a human like me!”

 

‘Ah… I’m so tired.’

 

‘I’m dying.’

 

The moment I collapsed face-first into the snow, Rake finally released me from sled prison.

 

“Lady, are you all right?”

 

It seemed Ethan had been worried after hearing me scream the entire time I was sledding.

 

Catherine approached with him. I didn’t even have the strength to shake my head, so I answered weakly.

 

“I’m not…”

 

Just then, Rake, still flying through the air with the empty sled, floated over to Ethan.

 

–Nell’s done! Ethan, ride with me!

 

“That’s a wonderful idea. Please, Sir Ethan. I won’t forget your noble sacrifice.”

 

“S-Sacrifice? What do you mea—”

 

Before he could finish, he disappeared with Rake in another *pop*.

 

I could see them high up on the hill.

 

Pretending not to hear the distant “Aaaagh!” echoing through the air, I reached out toward Catherine.

 

“Cassie, carry me. I seriously can’t walk.”

 

“If it’s a request from Marquise, I have to say yes.”

 

Chuckling, Catherine effortlessly carried me toward the tent.

 

“This reminds me of when we first met.”

 

“The day you proposed to the captain?”

 

“Yeah. That day.”

 

‘Because of that proposal, I am here now.’

 

In a way, it really had been a historic day.

 

“Cassie, can I ask you something? Just as a friend.”

 

“What is it?”

 

“How are things with Ethan these days?”

 

After Leona had been assigned as Titiana’s guard, Catherine, whose position had been floating somewhere between being my guard and not, officially became my personal escort.

 

Because of that, she spent much more time with Ethan.

 

Even though he tried to hide it, it was painfully obvious to me how much Ethan was aware of Catherine.

 

On the other hand, Catherine treated Ethan as nothing more and nothing less than a fellow comrade.

 

Even though she knew how he felt.

 

“The same as always. Nothing’s really different.”

 

“Cassie… don’t you see Ethan as a man at all? Not even a little? Is he really just a coworker to you?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Why? Is he just not your type? Then what kind of guy is your ideal?”

 

“Uh… I don’t know. I’ve never really thought about that sort of thing.”

 

Walking while absentmindedly pressing down into the snow with each step, Catherine stayed quiet for a while before speaking again.

 

“I’m not going to get married here.”

 

“Here?”

 

“I’m one of the barbarians. I don’t want a relationship where I might accidentally end up having a child.”

 

Her voice was firm, as if there were no chance she would ever change her mind.

 

It made me a little sad that she could so confidently say that if she ever had a child, it would only be because of a mistake.

 

But all that came to mind were clumsy words of comfort and baseless optimism, so I stayed silent.

 

Perhaps sensing my thoughts, Catherine quietly added,

 

“There was a reason that woman wandered the White Wastes while pregnant.”

 

“Hm? That woman?”

 

“Did I ever tell you? Back when my own tribe betrayed me and framed me as a traitor, I met someone in the White Wastes.”

 

“She wasn’t a barbarian?”

 

“No. She was from the Empire. She always said she hated barbarians, but when I was badly injured, she still helped me. She was a good person. When I told her I’d been betrayed by my own people, she suggested I try crossing the Hiyella Mountains.”

 

“…Do you remember what she looked like?”

 

“No. The White Wastes are even colder than here. She was bundled up so tightly I couldn’t see her face. The only reason I knew she was pregnant was because her belly was showing.”

 

“I see…”

 

‘If we’re talking about a pregnant Imperial woman who was in the White Wastes around that time… there’s only one person it could be, isn’t there?’

 

“She told me something back then. She said that even crossing the Hiyella Mountains didn’t stop people from chasing me because I was a barbarian… there would surely be at least one softhearted person who would pity someone in my situation.”

 

“That sounds an awful lot like…”

 

Leonhard.

 

“Have you ever met her again?”

 

“No. We never saw each other after parting in the White Wastes. I hope we meet again someday. I’d like to thank her and tell her I’ve been doing well.”

 

For a moment, I considered telling Catherine who I thought that woman was.

 

But I held my tongue.

 

“I’m sure she’s doing well somewhere.”

 

“You think so? I hope she gave birth safely too.”

 

With Catherine’s soft laughter, our conversation came to an end.

 

Thanks to her, I made it comfortably back to the tent, where Sage handed me a cup of warm tea. I wrapped my frozen hands around it and let the warmth spread through me.

 

About ten minutes later, the sound of someone crying, “Waaahhh…” drifted toward us from far away.

 

* * *

 

“Titi’s gonna make… boom boom boom… a super big… boom boom boom… snowmaaan…”

 

Having picked up the habit from her mother of happily banging away at piano keys, Titiana had also developed a habit of randomly singing her words whenever she talked to herself.

 

“As biiig… as Daddy! Snow… ma… huh?”

 

While chasing after her snowball, something beyond a bush covered in fresh snow caught Titiana’s eye.

 

“Hmmm?”

 

Something was there.

 

Curious, Titiana stepped closer and pushed the branches apart with both hands.

 

“Kyuuung…”

 

Hidden inside was a tiny fox.

 

Just like the illustration she had once seen in the monster encyclopedia— a baby fox with sky-blue fur.

 

* * *