The Stepmother Loves Harems - Chapter 23

***

[Dear Eliana Rose –  Gillian Hutt.]

Eliana quickly calmed her anger and then gently touched the word “dear.” It was the jewelry from Gillian and the coin from Helen.

Heads up. This meant that they would cooperate with her plan.

“Oh my. This precious amazonite…!”

Amazonite was a green gemstone similar to the color of Eliana’s eyes. Benny sat Eliana in front of the mirror as soon as she saw the necklace. She then lifted her long hair so that her beautiful neck was well revealed. Benny put on gloves and carefully took the necklace and put it on her.

“Oh, my God, Ellie. It’s so pretty. It’s like stars falling from your eyes. It’s so beautiful.”

Eliana gave a small smile. It was the first jewelry necklace she had ever owned. At best, she tried to cover it up with pearls she had bought from a fake jeweler in a back alley, but Gillian might have realized that before then. Eliana stroked the green gem repeatedly.

“Amazonite should come in several colors, but how did they find such a perfect translucent green? Except for your husband, they all seem like good men.”

Eliana chuckled and said.

“Maybe it’s because my husband is so bad.”

“You’re right.”

“Benny, this necklace is a token. I cannot retreat again and will only move forward.”

“Of course. This is proof that everything is going well. You can be confident. Now, let’s get all the clothes fitted quickly. We must hurry if you are to be the most eye-catching baroness in the banquet hall.”

“Yes.”

Eliana got up from her seat. The gown she was wearing was peeled off and the dress, which was almost in the finished stage, began to tighten her body. Eliana took a deep breath and stared at herself in the mirror as she faced all the pressure that was tightening around her.

***

“She’s crazy as a mad wild ox. Already she has questioned my expertise that this barony is a field of rotten thorns! She even told me to get lost!”

Pepe the butler complained to Karman. The moment Gillian Hutt’s gift arrived, Pepe immediately came to Karman with it. If it was just Eliana, it didn’t matter, but if it was about Gillian, who would soon become a Viscount, it was a different story.

“Yesterday she even got into a fight with some drunken gamblers in the square. I heard that she even hit someone. All the while uttering the name of the Hunter family.”

“…….”

“In the end they say she disappeared with the young blonde duke. This is absolutely the reason for the divorce. She does not fit to be Baroness, Baron. This is a disgrace that will tarnish the great Hunter family!”

Pepe was terribly angry. He could not sit still and could not hold back his shame as he paced back and forth on both sides. Sitting still, Karman looked at Pepe. Pepe’s face was bright red and his hair was drenched with sweat.

“Was the house in such a mess?”

“What? Not at all! The Hunter family is well-known as a contributor to the founding of the country and has high credibility among the nobles. Finance has always been plentiful, and although divorce… It was a little bit much, but these days nobles would divorce and remarry on a daily basis. And even in the royal family, I believe, cases of divorce have arisen.”

“As for Pepe, you are saying that this family is nothing except for my father’s name.”

“Oh, no, sir! That’s not true!”

“Our financial situation is getting worse and worse. Sharchen’s extravagance is getting worse by the day, and the extra expenses are high, but places like the garden and study in the mansion are not being well managed.”

“That….that……….”

“You must feel like dying of embarrassment and smashing your face in because there is not one thing Eliana said that is wrong.”

“…….”

“Butler Pepe.”

Karman continued his words, never admitting that it was his fault. But Pepe was frustrated. It was Baron Karman who stood by and watched it all.

He had been like a tree that had lost its life force since his big fight with the headmaster over Sharchen’s future. He adopted her as his daughter and moved only to protect her. He had no interest in anything else.

The fact was that this made Pepe’s job easier. Pepe, who loved to eat, concentrated on bringing in greasy, good food and neglected everything else. He was especially pumped to keep Sharchen in a good mood, and was busy filling the expenses incurred through the Baron’s marriages and divorces.

Pepe knew that he was not a meticulous or clever butler. But loyalty was the only thing that gave him confidence. If the Baron had truly instructed him to do this or that, he would have followed his instructions.

‘But the Baron who had been silent all this time, blamed me!’

Pepe was even more angry than when Eliana attacked him with venomous language. He really wanted to hit my nose in the dishwater and die.

Karman looked tastelessly at Pepe, whose face was turning red and blue, and asked.

“Did she like it?”

“…….”

“The necklace.”

“…. yes. Well, there’s no woman that doesn’t like jewelry. But she was angry at the fact that I checked the gift. No ex- baronesses had ever done that!”

Pepe did not stop attacking Eliana even as he resented Karman inwardly. But Karman’s ears heard no such thing. He could only picture Eliana’s smiling face holding that necklace.

The necklace resembled Eliana’s green eyes. Karman never thought of presenting such a thing. Even though he knew Eliana had no good accessories.

It was not because he did not want to buy it for her. It was something he really hadn’t thought of. Sharchen was very vocal when it came to what she wanted. Every time she said, “Please buy me this,” or “I want this,” Karman would buy her what she wanted.

He always bought her plenty, so there was no end to the gifts. She had just gotten all new hairpins and bracelets, even a necklace and earrings to wear to this coming up party.

She wanted too much jewelry because Karman didn’t pick out a dress with her. When Karman pointed it out for the first time, Sharchen cried woefully on the spot. He ended up buying her everything she wanted, but their relationship had just gotten a little more awkward.

Sharchen tried to please Karman with belated remorse, but Karman was unimpressed and just calm.

It all started when he told Eliana, who was at the front door that day, that he could not go with her to the party as a member of the family. Sharchen immediately insisted.

-Prove in front of everyone that I am your woman. That this Sharchen is the real Baroness.

-Sharchen. Why are you worried? I always entered the party with you anyway. I said it would be the same this time.

-She is no ordinary woman! She will use any trick she can to get to go to the party. Then I will really be alone.

-No, I promise you.

-Promises are not enough. Declare it in front of everyone. It’s not difficult, Karman. I’m your love.

Lately, the conversation he had with Sharchen has been getting more and more tiring. So when he saw Eliana who just came back from the outing that day, and told her the same fact again.

He didn’t expect Eliana to even shed tears, as that was what they had originally decided.

And that the relationship would go completely crazy from then on. Just when he thought they couldn’t get any worse, Gillian’s arrival was a major inflection point.

That unsociable Gillian Hutt presented her with a necklace along with a card. She would enter wearing it around her neck. If Karman’s prediction was correct, Eliana would enter the banquet with Gillian.

Bang! Karman slammed hard on the desk. Pepe was so startled that he bit his tongue.

“Look for a nice necklace.”

“A necklace?”

“I hope it’s nice.”

“Baron, you are not going to give it to Eliana Rose, are you?”

Pepe bit his tongue and jumped up and down with a shortened pronunciation. Karman continued to speak, trying hard to focus on the documents in front of him. The way he spoke was no different than usual.

“Do I have to watch her appear with a jewel from another man around her neck? I don’t want to be such a pathetic husband.”

“Oh, of course not. I’ll see if I can find a white crystal necklace that is inexpensive.”

“No.”

“What?!”

“Find the most beautiful one. I don’t care what the price is.”

Karman squeezed the pen in his hand tighter.

“Go now.”

“Yes? Yes!”

“And I hope to see early documentation of how to resolve this barony’s problem that Eliana mentioned. Before I step up.”

“Yes, yes!”

Pepe replied nervously and rushed out of the room. As the door closed, Karman let out a long sigh. His head seemed to ache just thinking about the green necklace sitting on Eliana’s white neck. Such a thing should not have happened.

This time it didn’t matter if Sharchen objected. Karman seemed absolutely unable to stand it. If possible, he wanted to change his position to one that would be with her. If only that would unravel the tangled threads of this relationship. But for some reason, he had an uneasy feeling that he could not do so.

Karman finally broke the pen he was holding. He didn’t know what to do with his wavering heart.