How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love

“Isn’t she the second princess?”

“Oh, didn’t you see it at the New Year’s celebration ball? The dress codes of the two of them didn’t match at all from head to toe. If he made a mistake, we would find out who it was.”

“If she is a second princess, it’s worth it to do that. Especially if he has an illegitimate child, he’s a terrible person.”

“What does an illegitimate child have to do with Marquis Ajas? Could it be that the rumor that he had an illegitimate child was true?”

“We know that he has an adopted child. Besides, I heard that he has already become a successor.”

“Successor? Why?”

“Why? It must be because that child is his bloodline or a person who hasn’t even married yet would have an adopted child as his successor because he’s in a hurry.”

“Oh, my goodness…! I heard somewhere that he denied that the child was an illegitimate child.”

“Was there any man in this estroa who gently recognized an illegitimate child as his own child?”

“That’s why he is working so hard on the proposal. Well, he has to show that much sincerity to get the lady into the position of his wife who can’t even give birth to a successor.”

All the ladies acted as if they wouldn’t take it even if they were given the position to be the Marquess of Ajas, like bitter persimmons or sour grapes, but inside they all imagined it.

‘Could it be me? It’s not like there’s no possibility.’

‘If it’s a marriage proposal gift, not a marriage ceremony, I can have it all, right?’

‘To give birth to the successor to take care of my future self…but with that much of a marriage proposal gift, it doesn’t matter if I can’t give birth to a successor.’

Besides, Marquis Ajas wasn’t just such a title. The owner of one of only five powers on this continent. A High Lord who controlled most of the Northern Empire, including the Hiella Mountains,  which are called natural treasures.

The lord who is said to have never been defeated in any battle and the valiant knight of Heilang and the wizard of the white Hawk devote their allegiance with all their hearts.

His high reputation wasn’t a name that could be damaged by an illegitimate child.

Moreover, it was an expensive jewel that the Marquis of Ajas had bought, and people drooled their mouths every time he bought these types of luxury items.

Finally, while staying at the hotel, all the nobles’ jaws dropped when he purchased the largest Paul Herbina mansion on the Platinum Line, the site of the aristocracy’s townhouse.

A symmetrical, U-shaped main house, with an L-shaped east and west wing surrounding it, two annexes for employees to stay, and barns for animals of various kinds.

The maintenance cost of the mansion, which had a garden with a large lake for boating and a hunting ground where wild animals could be released and held hunting parties, was beyond imagination, so it was impossible to live there for even a few months with most of their money.

Being such a money-grubbing monster, Count Todd, the previous owner of Paul Herbina mansion, gave up managing the gardens and backyard, not cleaning the vacant building from time to time and barely keeping the name of the mansion.

Will Count Todd sell it at a cheap price, or will he deliver that abandoned mansion with a good reputation because he can’t do anything about it?

Those who predicted that it would be the reason were surprised to see the Marquis Ajas, not only did he purchase the mansion, he hired dozens of gardeners and repairmen to refine the garden and backyard and repair the mansion.

Unbelievable rumors spread in the process of installing new furniture, planting flowers in the garden, and hiring servants such as butlers and maids to work for a long time at the mansion.

The Paul Herbina mansion, as well as all the new furniture and decorations in it, would belong to her fiancée!

“No, this… Isn’t that enough to show sincerity?”

“The Marquis Ajas must be crazy. How much money does that man have that he spends on a marriage proposal? and how is he going to pay for the wedding?”

“Actually, maybe they’re already engaged, and he’s preparing for the wedding?”

“Even if it was for a wedding, it’s an unbelievable scale. I don’t think a wedding hosted by the imperial family would be this large.”

From butlers to footmen, maids, gardeners, kitchen maids, and cleaners. Almost 100 people were employed at the Paul Herbina mansion. Among them were designers and pastry chefs working in the famous dress shop and dessert shop.

Even the capital’s famous jeweler, who was said to have sold his soul to art, said he was making jewelry sets for Marquis of Ajas’s fiancee for money he couldn’t refuse.

The dozens of flower carriages pulling up to the mansion, despite the cold winter, left people speechless.

“Actually, I don’t think anyone would turn down a marriage proposal if he had been properly sincere…How much he didn’t want to be rejected, so he is preparing to propose so hard.”

“Well, we don’t know, but how can the lady accept a marriage proposal if it’s a burden to her, so I think she will accept it as long as she doesn’t spend too much money.”

“Oh, so if the Marquis of Ajas asks you to marry him, you’ll refuse?”

“Before he changes his mind, I’d have to say yes! That’s for sure.”

So, who is the lady that the Marquis Ajas is proposing to? What kind of lady makes the Marquis of Ajas so impatient?

The truth is, he already proposed to her, but she rejected him, so he’s spending all that money to change her mind.

The fact that he spent this large amount of money to propose to her is also spreading rumors on purpose. If the lady accepts another man’s marriage proposal, he is even preparing for a bloody fight with him!

“I’m really, really curious, so I can’t stand it. So, which is the young lady who blinded Marquis Ajas?”

“Who is the Young lady who hasn’t decided on her marriage yet? Lady Norman said that she would soon marry the Duke of Khalid.”

“Oh, isn’t it actually Lady Norman? That would explain the extravagant proposal! No amount of riches would affect a Norman”

“Nonsense. The Norman young lady is to be married to Duke Khalid in less than a month!”

“But how many knights in this capital dare fight him? It takes at least the Duke of Khalid to be his opponent!”

“I heard…”

“Oh my God, was Lady Norman such a charming young lady?”

“But I am a little curious. If Marquis Ajas and Duke Khalid fight bloody battles, who will win?”

Of course, Marquis Ajas wins. No, Duke Khalid is also the master of swords and the owner of one of the five powers.

The controversy, which went in a little strange direction, ended on the 10th day after Marquis Ajas bought the mansion.

A total of nine carriages were filled with marriage proposal gifts, and Marquis Ajas, who climbed a huge white horse, proudly visited the mansion of Count Howard, which no one expected from his marriage.

* * *

“I’m bored.”

“….”

“Ah, I’m bored!”

“….”

“I’m bored, can’t you hear me, brother?”

“Did you mean to hear me? I thought, again, I was writing a new song.”

“Oh, Should I bring a violin and compose? The title is Raenel is Bored, and the lyrics of the song are ‘Sisters and brothers who are busy doing their own things won’t play with their poor younger sister and won’t let her go outside. How is it? Do you think I can sell it to an opera performance?”

“Of course. It’s a song my younger sister made.”

“Oh, Don’t answer so half-heartedly”

Eventually, I dropped the needle in my hand as if tossing it into a basket and scrambled out of my seat.

However, even though he heard my angry voice half-heartedly, my eldest brother sitting in front of the desk was only concentrating on the book.

Ugh, not even working! How could he ignore me when I was so bored?

“If you don’t want to play with me, please call Sir Philip. I’ll go get some fresh air.”

“And I will be responsible for all of Alex’s anger?”

“You’re his older brother! If Alex gets angry, you just have to put strength between your eyebrows!”

“You can’t leave the matter between you and Alex to me, Nell.”

Finally, my older brother closed the book he was reading and set it down on the desk.

Then he leaned back in a chair with his arms folded and looked at me.

“Once again, it is you who said no when I asked if you intend to marry him. But you suddenly changed your mind and didn’t tell me the reason properly. How can we possibly support your opinion?”

“But…”

“If we allow you to go to the harsh North, are you sure you can live well without regrets there and you will not change your mind on a whim and say that you don’t want to go through with this marriage before you get there?”

“Of course! In the first place, I’m…”

“I am, and then what?”

“And then….”

“As long as you can’t tell me the story, I can’t side with you. I think you will understand me too.”

bit my lip in silence at my big brother’s rare assertiveness. I couldn’t argue with him because he was right on all counts, which made me feel even more resentful.

‘I can’t say that I was leaving this house because I thought I would get in the way of my brothers!’

If I say that, of course, they will try to stop me from getting married.

Maybe I am wrong, and you’ll get a suitable woman from somewhere and marry her.

The older brother and the younger brother.

I’m getting married because I don’t want to bother my brothers, and of course, my brothers could decide to get married for me too.

‘I hate that. I want my family to be happy.’

“Count! Count!”

At that moment, John ran into the room with a loud bang. He slammed the door open without knocking, and he had a confused face with his bangs scattered as if he had run all the way here at full speed.

Three years ago, he looked exactly like that when he told me that my parents’ ship had been hijacked by pirates.

Apparently, I wasn’t the only one freaking out for a moment, because my older brother jumped out of his seat and asked in a serious voice,

“What is going on?”

“That, that…Marquis Ajas has come to visit.”