I Was Marked as the Grand Duke Male Lead’s Stepmother - Chapter 2

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 2

Marisselle turned toward the brothers who were still embracing each other.

“The place where you were hit, does it hurt a lot…?”

Her question was tinged with sympathy.

The boy, not knowing how to react to kindness from a stranger—no, help from a noble—for the first time, blinked his eyes wide before opening his mouth.

“I’m… fine. Thank you for helping us.”

The boy answered briefly while holding his younger brother.

“There’s no way it doesn’t hurt. You’re being brave. So, what’s your name?”

“Damon. I’m twelve years old. My younger brother is Finn. He just turned seven.”

The voice that answered while looking straight into Marisselle’s eyes carried a spirited energy that didn’t seem like that of a commoner.

While his older brother answered, younger brother Finn stared intently at Marisselle.

“I see, Damon. That’s a lovely name. Finn. You’re lucky to have such a reliable and wonderful older brother.”

Marisselle smiled warmly while stroking Finn’s head.

“Brother. Is she a goddess? Did a goddess save us?”

Finn asked his brother and then stared at Marisselle again with innocent eyes.

Marisselle chuckled at being called a goddess.

‘No. Even though Marisselle is pretty, it’s not to that extent…’

She scratched her cheek, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

“I’m not a goddess. Just a person. But it does seem like the goddess of fortune visited you today.”

To Damon’s eyes, Marisselle’s purple eyes visible between her gently curved eyelids looked mysterious.

He was reminded of a goddess with silver hair and white wings that he had once seen in a painting.

“Do you have parents?”

“Yes. We have our mother, but she’s sick and bedridden most days.”

“I see.”

Marisselle felt sorry for the shabbily dressed children and wanted to ask more, but she held back.

‘No more meddling! I’ve got my own problems to worry about!’

“Here, use this to treat your back. I’m deliberately giving you silver coins instead of gold ones since they could be stolen. And running suddenly into the carriage path is dangerous. Especially in busy places like this, you need to watch your surroundings carefully. In a case like today, both you and the carriage could have been in great danger. Do you understand?”

Marisselle pressed silver coins from her waist into Damon’s hand while not forgetting to give him a lecture.

“Thank you… I’ll definitely keep that in mind.”

Damon, who had grown up hearing only rough language in the back alleys of the slums, found Marisselle’s gentle way of speaking unfamiliar.

The content was clearly a scolding, but there were no sharp edges to it.

It wasn’t harsh or mixed with curses, yet it strangely penetrated his heart.

The boy embraced this unfamiliar feeling and engraved Marisselle’s words in his heart.

Then he placed his hand on his younger brother’s head and they both bowed simultaneously.

‘That kid is quite remarkable.’

If he hadn’t been born a commoner, he surely would have amounted to something.

Watching the two boys walking away, Marisselle swallowed the bitterness of class society.

“Oh. No, Miss.”

Emma, who had watched the entire situation without saying a word, slumped down in her seat.

“Sorry, Em—”

Just then, a dark shadow fell over Marisselle’s head.

Marisselle was startled and turned around.

Without her noticing when he had appeared, a man in black clothing with a black robe pulled low over his head sat on a gleaming large black horse.

And he was looking down at Marisselle eerily with flashing blue eyes.

Though his face wasn’t clearly visible, his firm yet sharp jawline seemed far from ordinary.

Marisselle instinctively stepped back to create distance.

“Who are you to suddenly block a lady’s path like this?”

“Why? You can block carriages but I cannot?”

The sarcasm that came from the man’s mouth spread low and chillingly.

Marisselle felt so chilled that she wanted to rub her arms.

Her instincts were signaling her to flee. But strangely, she didn’t want to back down.

“Strictly speaking, I didn’t stop the carriage—it was already stopped. It seems you didn’t see from the beginning.”

“What if I saw everything?”

Her instincts repeatedly sent signals to avoid him.

“If you’ve seen enough, I believe you can continue on your way. Well then, farewell.”

Marisselle hurriedly finished speaking and slightly lifted her skirt to bend her knees.

‘Please leave quickly.’

Marisselle inwardly prayed and prayed again for the man to disappear quickly.

But contrary to her wishes, the man chuckled and asked again.

“Do you know who I am to greet me so politely? Earlier you asked me who I was. Like that coachman, aren’t you actually pretending not to know while you do?”

An unexpected question flew at her. But she continued speaking, pretending not to be flustered.

“Well. I simply guessed you were a noble based on your attire and manner of speaking.”

“You judged from appearances that I’m a higher-ranking noble than you?”

‘No. Why does he keep nitpicking like this? Can’t he just go on his way? What’s so important about that?’

“If one could immediately know a person’s inner thoughts, that wouldn’t be human but perhaps divine.”

Marisselle didn’t back down either.

‘This man very likely has a higher status than me. Looking at the arrogance he naturally exudes, it wasn’t built in a day or two. And this man has no intention of revealing his identity. If he had wanted to reveal it, he would have done so early on.’

The man had been on his way back after finishing a secret patrol of his territory all night.

Carriage road disputes were common occurrences, nothing special, so he had intended to just pass by.

But when a noble house’s young lady got involved, his interest was piqued.

However, the woman’s behavior was different from other young ladies. She was entertaining to watch.

After the confrontation concluded, he had only intended to throw a word at the woman who had acted recklessly and leave.

This too was uncharacteristic behavior for him.

But contrary to his expectation that she would lower her eyes and tremble, the woman who fought back without conceding a single point was strangely irritating.

“Seeing your family crest, you thought you could compete, so you played hero, didn’t you?”

“Pardon?”

The moment Marisselle heard the words “played hero,” her anger button was pressed.

“I was in a hurry and didn’t see the carriage crest. And it wasn’t playing hero, I simply helped because I could. This much can be done even without being a hero.”

Smirk. Only one corner of the man’s mouth rose again.

“Seeing how you fearlessly call this ‘this much,’ you were definitely playing hero. You don’t actually believe you can save all the children in the world that way, do you?”

At this point, Marisselle’s entire body sent signals that any further war of nerves would be dangerous.

“Hearing your words, I’m starting to think I did something remarkable. Thank you for your high praise.”

The man found the woman who turned mockery into praise to be impudent.

“Your hearing must be divine. You should know it wasn’t praise.”

Marisselle caught the moment when the man’s lips twisted nastily in a sneer.

‘Wow. Your skill at saying things that get under people’s skin is what’s truly divine.’

Marisselle mentally retorted at the man while pursing her lips.

“Thank you for even showing concern. I know my place well. So I only do what I can. Please don’t worry and be on your way.”

She elegantly lifted the hem of her skirt slightly with both hands to show courtesy. It was an action conveying that she didn’t want to talk anymore and for him to leave quickly.

Beside her, Emma had turned pale and bowed following Marisselle.

‘Has she really changed after nearly dying?’

Emma’s legs felt weak just standing before the man, but seeing Marisselle not conceding a single point made her wonder if this was really the person she served.

“Hmm, fortunate that you know your place. That place. It would be good for your well-being to maintain it to the end. And whether I go carefully or just go, that’s not for you to concern yourself with. Let’s go! Hyah!”

The man gripped the reins and spurred his horse.

“Yes, sir! Hyah!”

The man riding the brown horse who had been silently guarding his master’s side was inwardly surprised.

‘My lord said such childish words?’

‘Whether I go carefully or just go, that’s not for you to concern yourself with.’

It was the first time he’d heard such words from the master he served.

When he who she thought would nitpick more quickly disappeared, Marisselle let out a sigh of relief.

“Oh my. Miss. What are we to do? I thought my liver, no, my heart would fall out. At this rate, I feel like I’ll die before living out my natural lifespan.”

Emma groaned with a trembling voice.

“Emma. I felt the same way. What kind of person is so scary? And so nitpicky? Did you see those eyes?”

“Oh my. Miss! How could I dare look at him? I thought the grim reaper had appeared in broad daylight!”

Emma replied as if she found it frustrating.

That was true. With a sturdy man sitting on top of a large black horse, he really did look enormous.

The large man was covered entirely in black with black hair, making his blue eyes appear particularly piercing.

He really looked like a grim reaper out on patrol in broad daylight.

It felt like standing before a lone black panther encountered in a snowy field. It was truly chilling.

‘This damn recklessness of mine. Why did I have to show off there?’

Marisselle scolded her own personality again and dusted off her hands with sharp pats.

“But it went well! Hehe. Right, Emma?”

At Marisselle’s frivolous laughter, Emma seemed to be losing her mind like someone who had gone back and forth between hot and cold baths countless times.

“Miss, you’re laughing right now. What will you do if something terrible happens?”

“I’ll think about that when the time comes. Anyway. That apple we were going to buy earlier, let’s go buy it again! The scent was so sweet that the apple would be disappointed if we don’t buy it.”

Emma, drained of energy, was obediently dragged along wherever Marisselle led her.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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