Stepmothers Are Not Always Evil

The Duchess of Eaton ran out of the pavilion and screamed.

“Duchess Anthemion, how the hell did you teach him?”

She was trying to shift the blame to Escal without even recognizing the cause.

I answered calmly.

“I think the children quarreled while playing and I’m asking what they fight about…”

“What are you going to ask him? Can’t you see my kid’s face? Why did the fight happen? He got hit!”

It wouldn’t be something to be proud of when a kid who was older and much bigger than Escal got hit by a little kid… The words rose to the top of my throat, but I barely managed to keep them there.

I ignored the Duchess of Eaton and asked Escal.

“Escal, what happened? tell me it’s okay, huh?”

“…….”

However, Escal only cried silently and did not answer.

“Look, he can’t talk. Would he do that if he hadn’t done anything wrong?”

As the Duchess of Eaton urgently pushed Escal, the wives gathered around them also babbled.

‘If that’s the case, it’s a disaster.’

I was sure Escal wouldn’t fight for no reason, but the visual effect of the nosebleed was too strong.

In addition, the Duchess of Eaton was educated, throwing everything and brute force, so it was not easy to deal with.

Thinking she had won, the Duchess of Eaton opened her mouth with her arms crossed.

“This has never happened to me before, and this is why I can’t deal with a child without a mother.”

What? A child without a mother?

Reason was cut off. Anger rose to the top of my head.

“What did you say now?”

As I glared at the Duchess of Eaton with deadly eyes, she flinched and stepped back.

“Th-that’s right, I want you to educate your child!”

Who is the right person to educate children?

I asked the boy who was covering his nostrils with a handkerchief.

“Your name is Gail, right?”

“… It is.”

“Why did you get hit by Escal?”

“Yes?”

“Did Escal suddenly hit you when nothing happened?”

Escal is a kind and gentle child.

He’s a kind kid who doesn’t let anything upset him, so there must be a reason he got into a fight in front of so many people.

For some reason that Escal himself could not say.

“What did you say to Escal?”

A child named Gail rolled his eyes and looked at his mother.

The Duchess of Eaton wrapped her son in his eyes as if begging for help.

“What do you mean? My child is a victim. Can’t you see the blood?”

“I see. That’s why I’m asking.”

I asked the boy with skeptical eyes.

“Can you tell me what happened with Escal?”

“That, just… I didn’t say anything! I said hello because he was alone, but he suddenly hit me!”

Gail pulled it off to the end, saying that nothing had happened.

It would be nice to have an eyewitness.

There were no children who came forward as no one had seen them.

I spoke to Escal, who had only his head bowed.

“Escal, is that right?”

“……”

“Nothing really happened and you just hit him?”

“…..”

“Look, he can’t talk! Because my kid is right!”

Escal’s silence lifted the Duchess of Eaton’s shoulders.

If only he could come up with an excuse.

As Escal kept his mouth shut, it was difficult for me to cover the child.

I couldn’t help but turn my back to him.

“Escal, it was your fault for hitting your friend for whatever reason. Say sorry.”

“…… ”

But Escal stubbornly kept his mouth shut.

He’s not that kind of kid.

Feeling frustrated and upset, I scolded the child a little more sternly.

“Aren’t you going to listen?”

“…….”

“Come on, apologize.”

Escal, who was looking at me with tears in his eyes, turned his head to a child named Gail.

A smile of victory appeared on the face of the child covering his nose with a handkerchief.

After hesitating for a while, Escal opened his mouth with difficulty.

“I, I, was….”

Through clenched teeth, Escal continued to apologize, but before he could finish, he suddenly turned and ran away.

“Escal?”

I grabbed the my dress and followed the child.

However, Escal quickly disappeared into the depths of the garden.

The Empress said, holding my arm lightly.

“Leave him. In that case, it’s better to just leave him alone.”

“However…”

“Let’s just pass today. I’ll ask Gail what happened later.”

“… Yes.”

I sighed as I looked at the place where Escal had disappeared with worried eyes.

****

Escal hid himself among the thick trees, wiping away his tears.

Sadness came rushing in like a flood.

‘Hey, orphan.’

‘Didn’t your grandfather abandon you too?’

‘You have no mother, and you have been abandoned by your grandfather. What should I do, I’m sorry.’

I should have been patient, but the sarcastic remark left my hand out of its own accord.

How disappointed my mother must have been when I beat my friend in front of people and ran away without even an apology.

I felt sorry for my father who wanted to see my younger brother, my grandfather who had visited a few days ago, and my mother who was in trouble because of me.

‘You’re really useless to anyone.’

My mother’s old words pierced my heart.

I tried so hard to be a good child, but there was no face to see my mother’s face.

Escal crouched down, contemplating how to ask for forgiveness.

“—There you are.”

Big feet approached in front of me. I looked up and saw a familiar man.

“Uncle…”

It was the man who spoke to Escal at the last meeting.

“I told you not to trouble your mother, but you caused trouble again.”

The tears that had barely stopped burst out again.

“How upset madam must be because you, she have been humiliated in front of so many people.”

“I didn’t do that on purpose. He’s the first…”

Escal answered in a weeping voice.

“It doesn’t matter. The important thing is that the young master caused madam to be humiliated.”

“……”

The man looked down at Escal and raised the corners of his mouth. Yellow eyes gleamed ominously.

“Since you touched the Duke of Eaton and no one else, the Duke of Anthemion must be in trouble.”

Escal’s shoulders twitched. if it was Lenia, she would forgive him but if it was Helios, he would not forgive him.

“The young master Gail is the Emperor’s nephew, and his Majesty must be offended. Isn’t it?”

Escal’s face turned white when he heard the news for the first time.

“… Th-then what should I do?”

Escal asked desperately.

The man who knelt on one knee at eye level whispered quietly.

“Right now, madam is very angry, so it would be better to stay with me for a while and then go back when she’s calmed down.”

“With… Uncle?”

“Yes, my house is not far away. If you stay there for a while, I will find the Duchess and speak to her.”

“But, my mother told me not to follow people I don’t know…”

As Escal became wary, the man pointed to his clothes.

“I am a servant of the Imperial Palace. Do you want me to do harm to the young master?”

“…….”

“Or would it be better to go back and get scolded by His Majesty the Emperor and the Duke?”

‘Send that child to the Marquis of Melks.’

‘Lena, do you want to have a child?’

There was no choice.

The thought crossed his mind that he might actually be kicked out if things got out of hand.

“Then you’ll have to talk to her.”

“Of course.”

The man smiled coldly.

****

The carriage carrying Escal headed into a remote forest. The sun had set early and the forest was dark.

As I was about to ask how much further I had to go because I couldn’t see the houses for a long time, a man stopped the carriage.

“We almost there, get off.”

The man opened the carriage door and pulled Escal down.

Escal looked around with a puzzled face.

“Where is your house?”

“This will be your home.”

The man drew his sword without saying a word.

“It’s too bad, kid.”

The man holding the sword with a smirk.

“Un-uncle?”

Escal instinctively took a step back.

As if chasing a cornered prey, the man slowly narrowed the distance.

I knew what he was going to do without even asking.

“Uncle, why, why are you doing this?”

“Your mother made me do it, so blame your mother.”

“… Uh, my mom?”

Escal’s eyes filled with shock.

No way, Mom can’t do that.

“Think about it. How bothersome she must have been because you weren’t even her own son.”

How could a mother who treated me so warmly…

I couldn’t quite believe it. But I couldn’t help but believe it.

Escal stopped walking and looked at the approaching man.

“I’ll finish it soon, so stay there.”

A gloomy voice was carried by the wind and spread widely.

Escal looked at the man with a confused gaze and started running as hard as he could.

“Stop!”

I have to run away.

The sound of the man’s footsteps caught up with Escal as if it were going to pierce the nape of his neck at any moment.

Escal did all he could to get through the thick trees.

The dense foliage blocked out the moonlight, making it difficult to see his small body.

“Hah, hah.”

However, the man has been steadily narrowing the siege by cutting down the leaves blocking the way.

“Don’t struggle, kid, come here”

The voices from the darkness were very close.

No. If get caught, I will die.

Escal, who came out of the forest, closed his eyes tightly and stepped forward.

That moment.

“……!”

Escal’s foot stomped into thin air.