Stepmothers Are Not Always Evil

Author: Byuon

Baron Hazel’s hut was nestled in the middle of the forest.

A dense oak tree surrounded the hut, making it so secluded that strangers could not find it.

According to Tiaris, it would take Baron Hazel another hour to get out of the forest.

‘If I stay here, Mom and Dad won’t find me.’

Escal looked around the hut and thought with a gloomy face.

It was a place where horses, let alone carriage, couldn’t move, so it seemed that even Helios would not be able to come this far.

‘Maybe they think I’m dead and didn’t look for me.’

I haven’t heard about them in over a week, so maybe that’s the case.

And maybe that could be better.

If Lenia really ordered him to kill Escal, it would only be a matter of time before she found out he was alive and it would all happen again.

‘Does Mom really want me to disappear?.’

He couldn’t believe that Lenia, who was always kind, had told him to kill him.

Escal barely held back his tears.

“Are you crying again?”

“I don’t cry. Who says I’m crying?”

“But why are your eyes red?”

“Ugh, I got something in my eyes”

“Hmm.”

As if in doubt, Tiaris pushed her face closer and looked at Escal.

In a sense of shame, Escal turned around.

“But why do you live in a place like this?”

“A place like this? What is it?

“There are no shops, no people, just wood and stones.”

“That’s because Tia is sick.”

“Sick? Where are you sick?”

“Uh… Because this is a secret….”

Tiara stuttered, looking embarrassed, and whispered in Escal’s ear.

“Only brother knows. Don’t tell anyone.”

“Okay. I won’t talk. promise.”

Tiaris rolled up her sleeve. The sleeve revealed a red, jagged scar on her arm that was hidden under her sleeve.

Escal looked at the scar with a surprised expression and asked.

“Why are your arms like this?”

“I got bitten by a monster.”

“A monster?”

“Uh. But the medicine is working so I’m here.”

“Are you okay here?”

“Yes!”

Tiaris smiled brightly, saying that if she’s in this forest, the scars will not grow because of the forest’s purifying power.

“Doesn’t it hurt?”

“Sometimes it hurts a little, but I’m used to it.”

It looks very painful.

She pretends it’s okay, but there’s no way the wounds from being bitten by monsters won’t hurt.

Escal looked at the scar with pitiful eyes and carefully blew a breath into the scar.

“What are you doing?”

“Healing it, Ho, I’m doing it for you..”

After carefully blowing it, Tiaris gently pulled out her arms and lowered her sleeves.

“It tickles.”

Escal smiled at the bright smile on her face.

Escal brushed a strand of hair from her cheek and asked.

“But where are your parents? Why are you living with your grandfather?”

“Mom and Dad are here in heaven.”

“Ah.”

“I’m with Mom, Dad, and a monster is attacking me. That’s why Grandpa saved Tia.”

A shadow fell on her bright face.

When he was about to regret asking a silly question, Tiaris asked Escal.

“What about Brother? Where is your mom and dad?”

“Huh? Uh, me too… I don’t have a mother or father.”

“Then what about grandpa? Do you have grandpa?”

“Yeah, I don’t have a family.”

The sullen answer made Tiaris sullen as well.

Tiaris hugged the depressed Escal tightly.

“Then Tia will be brother’s family! Let’s live together with brothers, Tia, and Grandpa!”

“… Okay.”

Escal rolled his eyes roundly.

“Tia, Escal?”

“Huh? Grandpa!”

Baron Hazel, who had gone out, entered the hut. Tiaris gladly ran to Baron Hazel.

Baron Hazel gently lifted his granddaughter.

“Are you doing well and didn’t cause trouble?”

“Yeah, I’m with brother!”

Baron Hazel smiled in response to Tiaris’ cheerful answer and put down the envelope he had been carrying.

The envelope contained several vials.

“What is this, grandpa?”

“It is a good medicine for broken bones. Come on and eat.”

Baron Hazel opened the vial and handed it to Escal.

The vial had a foul odor. A sullen Escal held his nose and forced himself to swallow.

‘Yuck.’

Frowning at the bitter and arid taste, Baron Hazel smiled and took the empty vial.

“Tia, go get a glass of water.”

“Yes.”

As Tiaris boldly went outside, Baron Hazel asked.

“Escal.”

“Yes?”

“Have you ever heard about the Duke of Anthemion?”

“…..!”

Escal looked at Baron Hazel with surprised eyes.

Escal swallowed dry saliva and shook his head at the questioning gaze.

“Oh, no. I-I don’t know…”

“You really don’t know?”

“Yeah, but why are you asking that?”

“The Duke of Anthemion’s son has disappeared and the capital has been turned upside down.”

“Is he looking for his son?”

“Yes. He even put a bounty on him, saying he would give 10,000 gold to anyone who knew his whereabouts.”

“……”

Escal’s gaze fell to the floor. Baron Hazel stared at Escal like that.

‘Escalium Anthemion.’

From the moment he discovered Escal, he knew that the child wasn’t normal.

Just by looking at his pale face, His clothes were made of the finest fabrics, and he was clearly a member of a noble family.

He could confirm the identity of the child just by going to the dressing room written on the clothes, but the Baron tolerated Escal’s lies.

It was because the heir of Duke Anthemion had been found unconscious in the middle of a remote forest, and it was unusual for the child to hide his identity.

‘The Duchess of Anthemion is said to be his stepmother…’

I thought she might not have liked a child who was not my own.

And if that’s why Escal was out of the house, he decided it would be better not to tell him that he had his child.

“You really don’t know?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, then.”

****

I must have fainted for a moment.

When I woke up, I was on the bed, and Helios was looking down at me with a sad face.

“Helios, Escal… What about our Escal?”

“Ha…”

Helios buried his face in my hands with an anguished expression.

I hugged Escal’s shoes on the bedside table and sobbed.

When Escal’s shoes were discovered, the case took a new turn.

If before, it was about finding the whereabouts of the child, now it was about the fact that something could be wrong with him.

They didn’t say it out loud, but it had been over a week since he disappeared and even his shoes were found, they seemed to think that the chance of him being alive was little.

But neither I nor Helios could give up yet.

I shook my head, struggling to shake off the negative thoughts.

‘There is no way that Escal was dead.’

Either way, it’s absurd.

If this world is a novel, Escal is the protagonist of this world.

And there are no novels in which the main character dies.

If you think about it carefully, Escal’s disappearance didn’t happen in the novel either.

‘In the original story, when was Lenia trying to kill Escal?’

Escal met Tiaris around the age of seven.

If you are following the flow of the original, the time is almost the same as now.

If so, things may be proceeding according to the flow of the original.

‘Tiaris may have saved Escal.’

If so, maybe Escal was in Tiaris’ hut, where he stayed until he went on to slay monsters in the original story.

‘But where was it?’

It’s been so long since I read it, my memory is hazy.

I grabbed my head and tried to recall the content of the original.

Where is he? Helios said he had searched all the places where Escal’s shoes were found…

Ah, Baron Hazel! If you know where Baron Hazel is, we might be able to find Escal…

“—You can’t do this, Marquis!”

“Get out of the way, how dare you lowlifes stand in my way!”

My thoughts stopped at the noise outside the door.

After Escal disappeared, it was unusual to hear a loud noise in the mansion.

“There you are, you witchy woman, tell me straight, this is all your plan!”

An old man rudely entered the room and pointed at me.

Merlin, who followed, stumbled and grabbed the man’s arm.

“Don’t do this, Marquis. Madam is not feeling well, so make an official visit next time…”

“Let this go! I know everything you did, so tell me the truth! you killed my grandson!”

… I know who he is.

He was the Marquis of Melks, Charlet Melks father and Escal maternal grandfather.

“What are you doing here, Marquis?”

“What your business! Stop playing games and bring my grandson! You don’t think I don’t know that you took custody of him with this plan!””

“Are you saying that I stole Escal?”

“Yes! You must have done it!”

“Stop talking nonsense and leave. What rudeness is this?”

“Is that rude? The child disappeared as soon as I gave up custody. Are you telling me to be polite? Be honest. You took custody because you were afraid that if I had custody, I would intervene when the kid was gone!”

“Watch your mouth!”

“What? Watch my mouth?”

Marquis Melks yelled in a harsh tone that was hard to hear in his right mind.

“You killed my daughter and now you’ve done this to Escal, and I’m going to tell Your Majesty that you’re talking out loud, and I’m going to have you thrown in jail!”

It was an atrocity that was not even worth dealing with.

As I stared at the Marquis in absurdity, he spat out a harsh word again.

“No matter what happens, I will never forgive you, so prepare yourself…”

“If you don’t shut that mouth of yours, you won’t be walking out of here.”

A cold voice came from behind the Marquis’s back.