Stepmothers Are Not Always Evil - Chapter 25

“You mean you’re going to use me to establish your position with the Duke of Anthemion?”

Grand Duchess Crawford asked with cold eyes.

I answered the question without hesitation.

“That’s right.”

“You’re ridiculously honest.”

The Grand Duchess said with a smirk.

“Then I can’t go any further.”

“Please think about it one more time.”

“It will be the same even if I think about it ten times. Why would I hold the Duke of Antemion’s hand? Stop talking nonsense and go back.”

The Grand Duchess rose to her feet as if it was not worth talking about.

I hurriedly got up from my seat and knelt.

“Your Majesty, Grand Duchess, please listen to me for a moment.”

“What are you doing? Come on, get out of here.”

At the same time as the Grand Duchess’ voice rose, a footsteps were heard outside the tea room.

If the commotion grows, the servants are sure to kick me out of the mansion.

Then you will never have a second chance to talk with the Grand Duchess.

I bit my lip and quickly got to the point.

“I think the Grand Duchess must have heard of the investigation of Baron Rockefeller.”

“Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?”

There was still anger in the Grand Duchess’s voice, but it was not as strong as it was a while ago.

I opened my mouth.

“I thought your wise Grand Duchess would ask Your Majesty to investigate the case of Baron Rockefeller thoroughly.”

“That’s for Your Majesty to figure out. I do not intervene in government affairs.”

“With all due respect, Your Majesty cannot handle this matter fairly.”

“What?”

She stamped her foot with a loud sound.

“Are you insulting your majesty in front of me?”

“I’m telling you what it is, not insulting.”

“You’re just talking about nonsense about Your Majesty’s! Get out of here before I pull you out!”

The Grand Duchess, known for his special affection for the emperor, was furious.

If it’s the second thing to be quiet and elegant, it means that if a sad person shows such words and actions in front of me, it means that I stabbed the pain properly.

I said what I had prepared without blinking.

“Your Majesty loves you very much. You cannot do anything that hurts the heart of Your Majesty.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“The Duke of Eaton is involved in this.”

“……!”

Grand Duchess Crawford’s eyes widened as if it was the first time she had heard it.

It was only natural that she did not know that the emperor had issued a decree, and in particular, instructed the Grand Duchess secretary not to disclose this fact at all.

I looked up at her and continued talking.

“Me and the Duke of Anthemion captured the scene, and found the hidden ledger. There is enough evidence and witnesses, but the investigation is not carried out.”

“Your Majesty is a thoughtful person, so it’s going to proceed the investigation carefully so that no one is dishonored.”

“No. Even at this moment of hesitation, Your Majesty, the evidence you have not secured will be disappearing without a trace.”

Grand Duchess Crawford furrowed her eyebrows at my words.

She is well aware of the Emperor’s indecisiveness, so she will have no choice but to admit it even if she is dissatisfied with my words.

“Your Majesty the Emperor will not be able to punish the Duke considering the position of the Empress. However, if the Grand Duchess asks for a thorough investigation into this matter, he will be able to handle the case fairly.”

“…….”

“If the Grand Duchess attends the banquet and gives strength to me and the Duke of Anthemion, the meaning will be conveyed more clearly.”

After I had finished speaking, I looked up at Prince Crawford.

The Grand Duchess hid her embarrassment and caught my gaze.

The Grand Duchess let out a small sigh and headed back to the sofa.

I followed her and sat down where I had been a little while ago.

After a long silence, the Grand Duchess opened her mouth.

“I heard a rumor that you were forced to send Charlet’s son to the Dillua Academy, which was the reason for revealing this, is that true?”

This is a question that has absolutely nothing to do with what I said.

Thinking if she was going to counterattack, I calmly answered.

“The circumstances are different, but it is true that we have learned about the admission process of Dillua Academy.”

“I mean, he wasn’t your real son, so you were trying to send the duke’s heir to a place where thousands of children disappeared.”

“I have done nothing to be ashamed of, neither Escal nor Grand Duchess. If I had a really bad heart, I wouldn’t have visited the Grand Duchess.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re not a stepmother. Who knows how people treat a child only when they see them, and how you treat him behind people?”

“Escal will answer what kind of mother I am.”

I was a little saddened by the suspicion of the Grand Duchess, but I also know that the preconceived notions of being a ‘stepmother’ are not just prejudice.

Even before I became Lenia, hearing the word “stepmother” made my teeth tremble.

And when the Grand Duchess fell over the fact that I was Escal’s stepmother, it meant that there was no way to refute what she said.

Thinking that this would be enough, I got up without delay.

“I don’t know what Escal thinks, but I love Escal. Your Majesty the Grand Duchess.”

“…….”

“Thank you for your precious time.”

****

Instead of seeing Lenia off, Grand Duchess Crawford sat on the sofa and looked at her place.

How long has it been since she sweated while having a conversation with someone?

Even though it was a short meeting, the aftereffects were quite as if a storm had passed.

“She’s a brave woman.”

The Countess Walford, who had been hiding behind the curtains, appeared and said:

She had been hiding behind a curtain and overhearing their conversation before Lenia entered the tea room.

“Did you hear all of it?”

“Yes.”

“What do you think?”

“It seems to be true that people need to meet to know each other.”

Countess Walford answered, sitting across from the Grand Duchess. Judging from the look on her face, she seemed to have a crush on Lenia.

The Grand Duchess said with a sullen expression.

“Isn’t that too bold?”

“She didn’t look scared at all. Even in front of Your Majesty the Grand Duchess, she answered everything without showing any signs of nervousness.”

Countess Walford added with a laugh.

“That’s why you jumped into that dangerous place and did it.”

“Tsk, are you blaming me too?”

“How dare I do that.”

Countess Walford’s gaze rested on the table.

“But it was bad that you didn’t serve me a cup of tea.”

“… This.”

Then the Grand Duchess realized that Lenia had gone back without enjoying the tea and she let out a sigh.

It wasn’t enough to make her wait for over three hours, and I didn’t even serve refreshments, so if other people find out about it, they’re going to be terrified and point their finger at me.

“She didn’t say it on purpose.”

To put a debt on me.

What a smart person. Grand Duke Crawford smiled bitterly.

“What are you going to do?”

“What do you mean, what?”

“Aren’t you going?”

Countess Walford asked.

The Grand Duchess silently looked down at the invitation.

If she attends the Duke of Anthemion’s birthday banquet, the talkative aristocrats will surely talk about it.

But, as Lenia said, if the Emperor was trying to cover up Baron Rockefeller’s case by observing the empress’s eyes, she knew it was the right thing to do to put pressure on the emperor by empowering the Duke of Anthemion.

‘It would be nice if Your Majesty had a strong will.’

No matter how much she nagged the Emperor not to play with the Duke of Eaton, a few words from the Empress would overturn his decision.

“…I don’t know.”

“Don’t worry too much and make your own decisions.”

“I mean I don’t know my heart.”

Countess Walford smiled softly at the complaint of the Grand Duchess, and opened the box that Lenia had brought.

Another box appeared inside the luxurious box.

“Can I open it?”

“Yeah.”

With permission, Countess Walford carefully lifted the lid of the box.

Inside the box was a flower-shaped brooch studded with diamonds.

“The Duchess took great care of it.”

“She has a lot of money.”

“I think it was specially made to give to Your Majesty the Grand Duchess.”

Countess Walford held out her brooch. The name of Grand Duchess Crawford was engraved on the back of the brooch.

“I can’t even give it to anyone else because my name is written on it.”

Grand Duchess Crawford, who saw Lenia’s brooch, frowned.

Since you can’t give or sell it to others, it’s a silent pressure to wash your mouth after receiving only gifts, or to attend a banquet.

“But I don’t know what the meaning of this flower is.”

Countess Walford, who was looking closely at the brooch, tilted her head.

The Grand Duchess, who recognized the shape of the petals, said indifferently.

“It’s mallow flowers.”

“Mallow?”

“It was the first flower that the Archduke gave me.”

And the language of flowers is a symbol consumed by love, persuasion, and weakness.

“What a clever woman.”

Grand Duchess Crawford laughed bitterly once more.