How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love

“But your majesty…”

 

One of the three women hesitated and carefully made a coquettish voice. As if he knew what she was asking for, Kairos waved his hand indifferently without even giving her a look.

 

“Take the necklace you wanted with my name.” 

 

“Oh! Thank you, Your Majesty!”

 

“Call me whenever you need it!”

 

He has a very dirty temper and is very fickle, making him very difficult to serve, but the reward is certain.

 

‘There are a few nobles who kick me out after spending the night saying they don’t know me.’

 

After the women, who were excited at the thought of buying expensive jewelry, laughed and walked away, Taylor ordered his servants to serve drinks as if it had been promised. 

 

When he poured alcohol into a glass full of ice, Kairos drank it like water.

 

After drinking a considerable amount of alcohol in one go, he swiped the alcohol that was flowing down his chin with the back of his hand and smiled.

 

“My sister seems to have a sweet body too. Seeing that she’s hanging out with them.” 

 

“Does the crown princess know their identities?”

 

“Who cares who they are, as long as they can give her what she wants.”

 

For some reason, the guys who had been clinging to him asking for blood disappeared as if they had disappeared.

 

‘I am grateful.’

 

Kairos nibbled at the ice in his glass and roughly threw the papers he was holding onto the bed.

 

“I was thinking of calling her when she becomes a noble lady and seeing how she shows respect to me.…That’s a bit of a shame.”

 

“Your Highness, are you going to leave this alone?”

 

“Of course not. My sister’s dishonesty is dishonorable to me too. and if she messes with it, we’ll both go down with it.”

 

Mariette, who borrowed their power to manifest the pattern, would probably have noticed how his own pattern was manifested.

 

‘No, even if it wasn’t actually like that, she would still drive it that way. She is a person who hates me more than a bottom-crawling worm.’

 

“You’d better start collecting evidence of those bastards who come and go as doctors. I also have to make something to distract my sister in case of an emergency.”

 

“Yes, Your Highness.”

 

Kairos returned the empty glass to Taylor, stretched his arms upward and opened his mouth to yawn.

 

He rubbed the corner of his eyes with his hand, threw off the gown he was wearing, and lay down on the bed.

 

“I’ll sleep well then.…Wake me up later in the evening.” 

 

“Yes, Your Highness. Get some rest.”

 

Taylor didn’t say much as she watched his master lying down to sleep again in bright daylight, not long after waking up.

 

‘What’s the point of arguing, right or wrong?’

 

After wrapping a thick blackout curtain around Kairos’s bed so he could get a good sleep, Taylor quietly left the bedroom.

 

‘No matter how much he is my master, if a guy like that becomes emperor,…’ 

 

It’s only a matter of time before the sun goes down in Estroa.

 

Taylor shook his head and hurriedly walked away to do what his master had told him to do.

 

* * * 

 

“Ruby, you….”

 

“Nyaang?”

 

Ruby was sitting with his back straight, showing off his slim body, as if he had no idea that he had been caught.

 

His fur was shiny and he seemed to have gained some weight, probably because he was loved so much by people who saw him.

 

I can see it now. He doesn’t seem to be paying attention to me, but rather his eyes are sparkling.

 

It seemed convinced that I had called it to play. I stiffened my face and crossed my arms, intimidated by this valiant cat.

 

However, as if he could not sense the serious atmosphere floating around me, Ruby just tilted his round head and gently wagged his tail. 

 

Then he jumps off the cushions on the bed and nuzzles his head against my leg, and curls her tail around my ankle.

 

Really, expressing affection without understanding the situation hasn’t changed much from when we first met to now.

 

“You’re so relaxed, huh?”

 

He’s a monster, not a dog, not a cat, but a monster.

 

I quickly lifted Ruby, who was trying to dig her claws into the hem of my skirt, with both hands.

 

“I scolded you so much not to ruin my clothes, but you couldn’t stand it anymore and went to Noah’s room and ruined his shawl? Do you know how much pain Noah suffered because of you?”

 

“Mom, I’m okay.”

 

“No. There’s no end to it if you let it go. He really needs to change his habits right now.” 

 

However, I had no idea how to educate a pet, no, a pet monster.

 

There’s no such thing as a monster taming expert.

 

After much deliberation, I decided to punish Ruby.

 

“Entry to the main castle is prohibited for the time being. I won’t let you into this castle until you reflect on yourself. Do you understand?”

 

“Nyaang, nyaaang?”

 

“Uh, Mom, then I can’t play with Ruby anymore?” 

 

What is prohibited, what is the reflection?

 

Ruby, who doesn’t know what people are talking about, just cried with an innocent expression on his face, but Noah, who was holding a pencil and drawing ruby on drawing paper, looked at me with a face as if the world had collapsed.

 

Last night, Noah, who shed tears as if a dam had burst, was able to show his emotions honestly, little by little, on his face, as if he had actually torn down a wall.

 

I was very happy about that, but I didn’t want to see my child’s disappointed face.

 

Noah’s eyes were red and puffy and his cheeks were puffy, and I quickly soothed him in case he started crying again.

 

“I’m sorry you can’t play, but you can go to Ruby’s room and play, okay?” 

 

Ruby’s room is located in the wizard’s quarters.

 

This was done for convenience as Ruby was especially popular among wizards and he had to periodically absorb the magical power of magic stones. 

 

“Besides, there is a separate ruby playground. Just tell me and I’ll take Ruby there.”

 

“Is there a separate playground?”

 

“Well, I didn’t mean to make it separate. Everyone was making this and that to win Ruby’s favor, and there was nowhere to put it…”

 

The toy that was made small got bigger and bigger, and they even added a cat tower.

 

Then, because Ruby’s room seemed like it was going to explode, they turned the desolate backyard into a playground just for Ruby.

 

“For your information, Ruby’s favorite thing is the feather I made, right, Ruby?”

 

Sage spoke in a very proud voice, but Ruby just licked his front paw with his tongue as if he was not interested.

 

Then, as if the hair had gotten into his nose, he suddenly sneezed and a small flame came out.

 

“Mother!”

 

“Marquise!”

 

The flame caught my dress that was close to Ruby.

 

Unlike me, who froze in shock, Sage immediately recited a water spell and extinguished the fire. As a result, the embers quickly disappeared, leaving only a circular burn mark.

 

I blinked rapidly, unable to control the pounding in my chest, and Noah, who was sitting in front of the desk, came running towards me.

 

“Mother! Are you okay?”

 

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m fine…I’m surprised.”

 

I barely managed to lean my weak body against the chair. Noah held my hand tightly. His warmth really helped me calm down.

 

Meanwhile, Ruby was still sneezing.

 

Sage quickly picked up Ruby before the sparks could reach the carpet on the floor.

 

Next, Sage touched the magic stone embedded in Ruby’s forehead and sighed softly.

 

“He has quite a bit of magic power. I’ll take Ruby and absorb his magical power before he causes another accident.”

 

“Yes, please.”

 

“Yes. Then I’ll be right back!”

 

Sage, who took a saluting stance, bowed to Noah and walked out, with Ruby in her arms.

 

“Mom, you need to change your clothes. You might catch a cold.” 

 

“It’s okay because only the bottom is wet.…No, it would be better to change.” 

 

I called the maids and asked them to replace the wet carpet with another one, then went to the dressing room and changed clothes. The carpet had recently been replaced.

 

“Anyway, the model disappeared before the painting was completed. What do we do?” 

 

“It’s okay. I can draw even without Ruby.”

 

As if what he said wasn’t a lie, Noah moved his pencil without hesitation and drew the lines of Ruby’s body.

 

In no time, a sleek cat with black fur was created on the drawing paper.

 

The strong, straight lines express the head and body similar to Ruby’s actual proportions, and even the shading is appropriately included.

 

I clapped my hands in sincere admiration for the beautifully completed painting. 

 

“Wow! Noah, you have a talent for drawing!”

 

No, it wasn’t just that he was talented, he seemed like a genius. 

 

‘Wouldn’t the position of heir to the Marquis actually be an obstacle for this child to develop his talents?’

 

I was thinking that, but Noah shook his head saying no. It’s like what I’m saying is nonsense.

 

“I just drew what I saw. They said I lack sense and creativity.”

 

“who? The art teacher?”

 

Noah nodded once to my question. I was so shocked that I almost grabbed him in disbelief.

 

‘How dare you ask a child who has only learned sketching and croquis to show sense and creativity?’

 

‘No matter how much I thought about it, I realized that his teacher was just nitpicking because Noah was so good at drawing.’

 

‘They told me that Lady Lemberton not only teaches music, but also art.’ 

 

Suddenly, the voice I heard the last time I visited Noah lingered in my ears.

 

“andante!”

 

Rather than teaching something he doesn’t know, it’s a voice that’s closer to being irritated by something he doesn’t know.

 

It’s been less than a year since Noah learned piano and she’s teaching Vertigo.…No matter how much I thought about it, I felt uncomfortable.

 

“Noah, I want to ask you something.”

 

“yes. Please speak.”

 

Noah gave me a look as if he would answer any question. I patted Noah’s head and asked him carefully. 

 

“Can you tell me about the teachers who taught you, what they were like?”

 

* * * 

 

“Marquise, I got a letter from you.”

 

“Letter? From who?”

 

“It’s a letter from the capital.”

 

The letter Sally brought me on a silver platter was from my older brother.

 

‘Is this a reply to the letter I sent?’

 

I put aside the documents I was looking at and opened the letter my older brother had written.

 

After reading a bit, it seemed like a letter sent a few days after I left the capital. 

 

[To Howard the Best Tomboy.

 

After thinking about it, I wonder if I can call you this.

 

However, the thought of hearing about Count Howard from you made me feel very uncomfortable, so I decided not to be polite in a private letter. If you don’t want it, please tell me separately.]

 

“Of course. If you call me the Marquise, I would have chased you to the capital right away.”

 

As I mumbled that, I suddenly became curious. Is my older brother still in the capital? 

 

I thought he must have returned to Howard Territory by now, so he sent the letter there.

 

‘And then what happened to the meeting?…Ah, now the second princess has become the crown princess, there’s no need for a confrontation, right?’ 

 

With that in mind, I looked at the letter again, and indeed, there was something about that written in the letter.

 * * *