Stepmothers Are Not Always Evil

As the carriage stopped in front of the Archduke’s house, the coachman announced my arrival to the gatekeeper.

After a while, a man who appeared to be the butler came running out.

“Excuse me, madam, have you made an appointment?”

“I sent a letter of visit through a servant yesterday morning.”

“Did you get the reply?”

You mean why did I come when she didn’t reply?

I answered with a smile.

“I came here thinking that she agreed to it because she didn’t say anything.”

“Unfortunately, the Grand Duchess is going out and it seems difficult to meet her, so it would be better to just go home today.”

I won’t meet her?

I wasn’t embarrassed because it was an expected reaction.

“Is she not going home by the end of the day?”

“Not really, but…”

“If she does, I will wait until she comes back.”

“Yes? That, it’s difficult because we’re not ready to serve guests….”

“Don’t worry, I’ll wait for her in the carriage. When the Grand Duchess returns, just tell me.”

“That… I will.”

The butler turned with a pale face.

Mary was weeping as she looked behind him as he entered the mansion.

“Are you really going to wait here? Do you know when she’ll be back?”

“She will be back today.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to make an appointment and come back tomorrow?”

“I don’t have time for that. We must meet today.”

One week until Helios’ birthday.

There was no time for leisure, as she had to hand the invitation to the Grand Duchess so that she could send invitations to other nobles as well.

“Let’s wait. The news will surely come.”

*****

“What did she say?”

“She’ll wait until you get home.”

“What?”

Grand Duchess Crawford, with the curtains pulled back, looked at the carriage standing in front of the porch.

Tsk, the Countess of Walford, who had been waiting for the click of the tongue, spoke.

“I guess I should have responded.”

The Grand Duchess, who came back after closing the curtains, picked up the letter that had been placed on the table.

[I want to meet you tomorrow at 2pm.]

“I thought she would give up if I ignored it. I’m sure it’s true that you said it wasn’t a big deal.”

“She’s not in a good position, so I think she’s going to ask the Grand Duchess for help.”

“If you thought I was going to help you, then you’re looking at me too lightly.”

Grand Duchess Crawford closed the curtains with a grim expression.

“Anyway, the Duke of Anthemion is not quite good at women. He let Charlett go so early, and his new wife is that kind of woman.”

“Isn’t she the woman who had trouble with Duke Anthemion before marriage?”

The Duchess shook her head at Madame Walford’s reply.

“Even considering my son, he should have made a careful decision to remarry. Didn’t the duke leave his child behind and run outside because of that woman?”

“All men are like that.”

“Our Grand Duke was not like that.”

Mrs. Walford smiled at the affectionate reply.

“Who dares to compare the Grand Duke? But I’ve heard that the Duke of Anthemion’s new wife is terrible.”

“That’s why you’re so arrogant, believing in your husband’s dignity.”

You’ll go back if I tell you to, and you’re gutting to wait until I get home?

The more I thought about it, the more I got angry at the cheeky words.

Mrs. Walford asked gently, filling the empty cup with water.

“What will the Duchess do?”

“Ignore it. She’ll come back when she get tired of waiting.”

*****

“Ugh-.”

“Did you feel tired?”

“Oh, no.”

Mary, who was yawning, shook her head, wiping the dew from the corners of her eyes.

It’s been three hours since I waited for the news to come.

The sky, which was clear and blue like a lake, gradually turned red.

Even the escort knights, who had to face punishment because of me, were gradually dissatisfied.

“If you are tired, lie down and sleep.”

“I’m fine. By the way, it’s dinner time soon, so will you wait a little longer?”

“Why, are you hungry?”

“It’s not that, it’s too much. How can she make people wait like this?”

“I said I’d wait, what?”

There have been times when I was kicked out in my underwear in a cold winter, and I fell all night long, but it was just sitting comfortably in the carriage and waiting.

I smiled and got off the carriage.

“Oh, my waist.”

Sitting for long periods of time is not normal.

My whole body was suffocating, and I stretched out wide.

The cold air made me feel like my mind had been shattered.

Well, I think this could last two more hours.

I looked up at the setting sun and raised the corners of my lips.

Whether we meet or not, it is the Grand Duchess that gets embarrassed when today’s events become known.

My reputation is at a low level anyway, so there is no harm in adding bad news, but as an emperor who has to keep Helios’ mouth shut, if the Grand Duchess beats me down and touches Helios’ heart, it will be difficult.

By now, the Grand Duchess’s cost should have been calculated that much.

The Grand Duchess would want me to just go back, but she didn’t even think of doing that.

“Mary, tell the knights to come and have dinner.”

“Yes?”

“I think I will have to wait two or three more hours, but I need to fill my stomach.”

The faces of the gatekeepers who were guarding the front door turned hazy as if they had listened to me.

One of them hurriedly entered the mansion, and not long afterward, the butler who greeted me ran out.

“Are you still here?”

Those eyes that look like leeches.

I answered with a broad smile.

“It seems that the Grand Duchess is coming home late. How much longer do you think we will have to wait?”

“I will take you inside. Come in, madam.”

****

The mansion that followed the butler was more modest than expected.

Looking at the exterior, I thought it would be as glamorous as the duke’s house, but looking at the frugal interior and cute ornaments, it was worth knowing the character of the grand duke.

The butler guided me through the hallway to a corner room.

Seeing that the furniture is only one tea table, it doesn’t look like a drawing room… It looks like a room they don’t normally use.

It’s an unwelcome guest, so it’s a good idea to notice it in moderation and go back.

“Wait here.”

The butler left me alone in the tea room.

Waiting for a long time, counting the patterns drawn on the wallpaper.

Just as I was starting to feel bored, I heard footsteps outside the door.

A middle-aged woman with a cold impression entered the tea room.

I quickly got up and bent my knees.

“Did you say you want to see me?”

“It is an honor to meet you, Grand Duchess. I’m Lenia Anthemion.”

***

Grand Duchess Crawford, who was in her mid-40s, had an extraordinary dignity.

Although she was dressed as humble as the interior of the mansion, she was not shabby, and although she was small, she was full of dignity.

Even if it was a small country, she was the one who led the country, so it won’t be easy.

The Grand Duchess just glanced at me up and down without telling me to stand up, as if trying to suppress the air.

My legs were numb because I was bending my knees halfway, but I did not show any signs of it and persevered.

“Sit down.”

“I’m shocked.”

I smiled relaxedly so as not to notice my shaky legs and pulled out my chair.

If I had stayed another minute, I would have collapsed.

“It’s the first time I’ve had a reckless visitor without an appointment.”

She’s speaking informally at the first meeting.

It is against the etiquette to treat the Duchess with respect, no matter how high the Grand Duchess position is.

So this was her intention to ignore me outright. But I didn’t feel too bad.

What can I do when an adult who is 20 years older than me is talking nonsense?

I answered calmly.

“I sent a letter about my visit yesterday morning, but there was no reply, so I came here myself because I thought a foolish servant had omitted a reply.”

“It seems that the butler was busy and didn’t pay attention to the smallest details.”

‘smallest details’. I raised my lips and answered.

“It won’t be easy to manage this big mansion. Isn’t it a big deal if a person who is in charge of completing the Grand Duke works makes a mistake and causes trouble to the Grand Duchess? How about I recommend the right person?”

“… There’s no need for that, since he has been paying attention.”

The Grand Duchess, who had unintentionally insulted the butler, answered humbly.

The Grand Duchess, who had lost the initiative, attempted to change the atmosphere again.

“I’m very busy, so I’d like to keep things simple.”

“I will.”

I pushed the box I was carrying in front of the Grand Duchess.

“What is this?”

“It is the birthday of my husband, Duke Anthemion, in a week, so I prepared a small banquet, and I brought it here in hopes that the Grand Duchess would brighten up the occasion.”

The Grand Duchess, who saw the invitation in the box, quickly closed the box.

She didn’t say anything, but it was a clear refusal.

“I have a prior appointment, so it will be difficult to attend.”

“Then we will adjust the banquet time.”

“It takes all day.”

“If so, please let me know your available date. I’ll match it.”

“Tsk.”

The Grand Duchess clicked her tongue with an annoyed expression.

“I have no acquaintance with the current Duke of Anthemion, and besides, I have a first meeting with you today, so why do I have to attend the Duke’s birthday banquet?”

“That….”

I calmly opened my mouth, reminding myself that I could fall off a cliff if I made a mistake.

“Because we desperately need the help of Your Majesty the Grand Duchess.”