Stepmothers Are Not Always Evil

“Who’s coming?”

“Viscount, it was your father, madam!”

In the middle of the night, when I heard the news like a lightning bolt, I dashed out of the terrace and ran out to the front door.

As Mary said, Viscount Evelyn, my father, was really coming into the mansion.

“Get out of my way! I came to see my daughter, but how dare you block my way?”

My father swung his wand and yelled at the embarrassed servants.

“Madam—.”

At Mary’s glance, asking me to do something, I ran to my father.

“Oh, father. What are you doing here without a word, what’s going on here….”

“How could you do this to us!”

My father snorted in vain.

“How can you ignore your parents! How come you haven’t contacted me in months!”

“Well, for some reason… Get in there for now.”

I grabbed my father’s arm while watching the servants.

“what! Let go of this!”

But my father swung my hand away with a ferocious force.

“Where is your husband? I’m here, but I can’t see him?”

“He’s going out now. You know, he’s busy.”

“What do you mean busy?”

My father mumbled in a blunt tone.

It looks like he came here on purpose, but it’s a big deal.

“Go to the drawing room, Dad. You’re not going to be standing here all the time.”

“Huh!”

As I guided my father, who was moving in a whimper, to the drawing room, I quickly glanced at Mary.

“I’ll bring you tea.”

Mary ran back to the kitchen.

Father, who had been quiet as he looked around the mansion on the way to the drawing room, raised his voice again as soon as he sat down.

“I’m disappointed with you, Lenia.”

“I’m sorry, Dad. I was trying to contact you….”

“What are you trying to do? Do you think I don’t have ears?”

“……”

“How can we, as parents, not attend your husband’s birthday?”

… I’ve been worried since Mary delivered Greta’s words.

As expected, not inviting him to Helios birthday party seemed to be the cause of his discomfort.

Whatever the reason, there was nothing to say because it was true that the parents would be sad.

I carefully made excuses.

“I thought it would be difficult to come because the banquet was decided in a hurry, so the two of us planned to have a separate date…”

“Then?”

“The fact that His Majesty suddenly entrusted him with an important task, so I will contact you when it’s over….”

My father coughed as if he had no face.

“Then you should have sent at least one letter.”

“I’m really sorry. I was short on time.”

I bowed my head obediently.

“But why did you come without contact?”

“For some reason, does the father have to send a letter to come to see his daughter?”

“If you had told me in advance, I would have gone out to meet you, but it was so sudden….”

“If I had called in advance, wouldn’t you have told me not to come?”

He knew it.

After a small grumbling inside, Mary came in with refreshments.

“Speak while drinking tea. Viscount.”

“Alright.”

Father picked up the teacup with a faint expression of relief.

Mary looked at my father like that and gave a small hint to me.

“Madam, the young master is standing at the door to say hello to the Viscount…”

“No need to do that.”

The father overheard Mary’s whisper and cut the word with a single knife.

“I don’t want to be greeted, so tell him to go.”

“Why are you doing this to that child?”

“Hah, that’s it.”

Father refused to greet Escal.

I shook my head relentlessly because I thought the noise would leak out of the drawing room if the quarrel continued.

“Tell him to stay in his room because we’re talking right now.”

“Yes.”

Mary left the drawing room with a bad look on her face.

Soon, the sound of weak footsteps was heard outside the door.

Charlet Melks almost ruined her son’s life, so it’s natural that she doesn’t like Escal, but he’s still a child, so I hope you’ll be more generous.

As I sighed in frustration, my father opened his mouth.

“Did you get attached to that girl’s son?”

“He’s a good kid. He’s smart, and he follows me well.”

“It’s no good because you’re so weak-hearted.”

My father chuckled and continued talking.

“I came here because I thought strange words were circulating inside.”

“What strange words do you mean?”

“Is it true that you talk in front of people that that child is the heir to Duke Anthemion?”

Rumors are also fast.

“Yes. Escal is the son of Helios, so it’s only natural…”

“You are crazy!”

Once again the lightning struck.

Only then did I find out the real reason my father had visited.

It seemed that someone had spread that Escal would inherit the Duke of Anthemion.

‘Who is it?’

When Escal got a little older and got acquainted with my parents, I was going to talk about it then.

The fact that we had made such a decision without telling him made him annoyed, my father said with a wretched face.

“Send that child to the Marquis of Melks immediately.”

“Yes?”

“I mean, send him to his mother’s house. The Marquis Melks is also a prestigious family, so he can go there and take over that family.”

“What nonsense are you talking about now?”

“Why not? You are young and your husband is in the middle of his life, but you have to raise someone else’s child. No need to do good things.”

“Father!”

“Don’t scream, I’m not deaf.”

My father responded to all my arguments without blinking as if he knew how I was going to turn out.

So I had to insist on repeating the same thing over and over again.

“The heir of the Duke Anthemion is Escal.”

“Do you think he will appreciate you for doing that?”

“I’m not trying to get praised. My father didn’t raise me to hear people say thank you.”

“Are you and that guy the same? When are you going to have your own children?”

“Father, really—.”

Knock, the sound was interrupted by the knock.

Before I could ask who it was, the door opened first.

“Long time no see, Viscount.”

It was Helios.

****

As far as I remember, my father was a bit annoyed with Helios.

It was because Helios was so blunt and difficult to shout loudly because of the intimidation of the name ‘Duke Anthemion’.

But today was a little different.

“Yeah.”

My father glared at Helios, showing his displeasure with his whole body.

“Duke of Anthemion.”

“Yes.”

“Do you know how many times my daughter has crossed the threshold of death because of the previous Duke?”

Helios bit his dry lips and answered.

“I’m deeply ashamed.”

“Are you saying you’re ashamed of yourself?”

“……”

“The Duke knows better what my daughter has been through, and you know how surprised I was to hear that she was about to die again!”

“… I’m sorry. It is all my fault.”

Helios bowed his head deeply.

It seemed like he was saying this after hearing the news that I was about to get into trouble after infiltrating the Dillua Academy.

“Father, it wasn’t this person’s fault—”

“You stay still!”

I shrank my neck at the loud words.

I guess you still have the energy to be angry after scolding me.

“How much more do you intend to torment my daughter? Have you forgotten all the promises you made with me? Didn’t you say you’d never put my daughter in danger again?”

“… I have nothing to say.”

Helios opened his mouth heavily.

I looked at my father and Helios alternately at the incomprehensible story.

Has Helios ever put me in danger?

I know that Lenia disappeared after the marriage of Helios and Charlet Melks…. What happened in between?

It was not written in the novel, so I don’t know for sure, but looking at the atmosphere, it was clear that something unusual had happened.

Father constantly pushed Helios away.

“It’s the same with that kid. How could you tell my daughter to raise the son she gave birth to?”

“That’s what I insisted on, don’t blame this on him.”

“No matter how stubborn she was, you should have stopped her!”

He can’t stop me.

I felt sorry when I saw Helios being cursed.

I answered, looking sideways at Helios, who bowed his head like a sinner.

“I decided to marry this person because I was ready to accept everything about this person. The same goes for Escal.”

“It’s because you’re blinded by love. Even if the bean roots are removed, will that child not be the same?”

“No it’s not.”

“You will find out when you see it. Am I right, am I right?”

“There is nothing left to see. Because I am right.”

“Anyway, you don’t lose a single word because you resemble someone.”

Father clicked his tongue and looked at Helios again.

I felt sorry for Helios, who endured my father’s nagging with a stiff face, so I thought it would be better to let him know the answer he wanted and send him quickly.

My father, who was staring at him with an unpleasant look, spoke.

“I won’t say much. Send that child to the Marquis Melks.”