I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 111

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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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I’m a Mother-in-Law, But I Don’t Want Family Conflicts Episode 111

 

All sorts of clues swirled through her mind.

 

The reason Kaine had been taking care of Chloe’s health.

 

The reason he had been waiting endlessly in front of the bedroom lately.

 

The reason he had suddenly forbidden her from leaving the mansion.

 

Chloe had never once thought of herself as smart, but this time was different.

 

Because she knew Kaine’s personality so well, the moment one clue unraveled, all her doubts were resolved.

 

‘He was waiting for me to get pregnant? He told me not to go out because it might be dangerous?’

 

In the flood of suspicion that rushed in, Chloe couldn’t come to her senses.

 

“Mother, is this what you wanted from me?”

 

“Yes, you know how much the retainers look down on Mother, don’t you? You should be happy.”

 

It was horrifying. Just being married to that man made every day feel like a nightmare, and now her own mother was thinking such things.

 

“You know that I hate Edwin, don’t you?”

 

Not knowing how to express the relationship between him and herself, Chloe spoke haltingly.

 

Then Kaine tilted her head as if she was saying something strange.

 

“So you can start liking him from now on, can’t you? People don’t marry for love. You grow to like each other while living together.”

 

“But… even as time passed, I couldn’t love Edwin. The way he treats me, treats us…”

 

“That’s why you need a child.”

 

Kaine smiled gently and clasped Chloe’s hands.

 

The wrinkled fingers that had always comforted Chloe’s heart now felt like those of a witch.

 

“When you have a child, your husband will also grow attached to the family. That’s how men mature.”

 

“Do you think… his behavior is because he’s immature?”

 

Unlike how he appeared in social circles, Edwin behind the scenes was hideous.

 

She couldn’t understand how he had maintained such a good reputation until now.

 

She couldn’t understand Kaine thinking that such an attitude could be easily corrected.

 

“Of course. Husbands change depending on what their wives do.”

 

The conversation wasn’t getting through. Only now did she realize that the concept of family in Kaine’s mind was different from the family Chloe thought of.

 

Normally, Chloe would have bowed her head to Kaine’s advice.

 

She would have accepted it, saying it was all for her sake, that it couldn’t be helped for the family’s sake.

 

She had lived her whole life that way.

 

Even when Kaine, fallen into despair after losing her husband, ignored her daughter.

 

Even when she brought Edwin and forced her into a wedding dress, saying he was her groom.

 

She had always endured, saying it was for the family.

 

The chain of Kaine’s teaching that everyone could be happy if she just endured a little bound Chloe’s ankles.

 

“So try a little harder, dear. Hmm? It’s for the family. We only have each other.”

 

Yes, that was the problem.

 

Kaine had always been servile. Because of her commoner origins, she always bowed her head before other nobles and spoke as if being called ‘mistress’ was her entire worth.

 

And she forced that on Chloe too.

 

Unable to deny that fact, Chloe also surrendered to Kaine’s words.

 

Stories of foolish children who left home only to suffer, or young ladies who eloped for love only to return in tears, were common even in Social Circles.

 

Since there was nowhere to run, she believed she had to find happiness here.

 

“But, Mother.”

 

But this time, she couldn’t accept it.

 

No matter how much she tried to hypnotize herself into thinking it would be okay, she couldn’t picture herself holding Edwin’s child in her arms.

 

“I don’t think I’ll be happy, even if I have a child, even if Edwin becomes kind…”

 

“What?”

 

“I’m sorry. But I still can’t do it. I can’t imagine it. I’ve always followed everything you said until now, but if this is my future… that’s just too.”

 

Isn’t that too cruel?

 

The reason she swallowed her remaining words was because Kaine’s expression had turned cold.

 

“Then what do you plan to do? Not having children, just hating your Husband like that, how do you plan to live from now on?”

 

“Mother.”

 

“Are you planning to divorce? Wake up from that dream. Then what happens to the Count title? Will you hand it over to the Retainers? Do you think they’ll leave us alone? What about your reputation?”

 

“…”

 

Kaine’s Chain was tightening around her ankle again. Under the suffocating pressure, Chloe unconsciously lowered her head.

 

“Chloe, my dear child. You’re a good girl, aren’t you? You’ll be filial and help Mother, right?”

 

“…If I have a child, will Mother be happy? And the Family House too?”

 

“Of course!”

 

“Then… what about my happiness?”

 

“Tsk-”

 

Kaine clicked her tongue with irritation.

 

“If Mother is happy, then you’re happy too.”

 

“Ah…”

 

Chloe looked at the fingers that were gripping her hand, no… pinching it.

 

‘I see. You’ve always, always loved only yourself.’

 

Tears peeled away the shell that had been covering her eyes. Only then could she realize how ugly and murky this Mansion was.

 

Kaine hadn’t loved her daughter as a Mother.

 

She had been loving her pitiful, poor self – the Mother who loved her daughter.

 

‘I was never in there.’

 

She believed that if she was happy, her daughter would naturally be happy too.

 

Because she didn’t see her daughter as a human being, she treated her like her own accessory.

 

The words ‘you can only be happy by following my words’ were actually the same as saying ‘it’s for my happiness.’

 

‘Mother… since when has she been like this?’

 

The Kaine before her eyes wasn’t the Mother in her memories.

 

‘Then where is my family? Who did I come from? This place, this family… whose family is this for?’

 

At that moment, unbearable nausea surged up.

 

The air in the Mansion was strangling Chloe.

 

“…No.”

 

Chloe pushed Kaine away and stepped back.

 

“This kind of thing… isn’t family.”

 

“Chloe?”

 

This time, she couldn’t endure it. Now that love had disappeared, even looking at Kaine felt burdensome.

 

She wanted to run away from this mansion, from Kaine, right now.

 

‘But where to?’

 

She had no family to welcome her, so where exactly could she run to?

 

At that moment, words left by a precious friend came to mind.

 

‘The Grand Duchess asked me to tell you! What you said last time is still valid! Don’t forget!’

 

Viscount Metokan’s presentation. When Edwin said he would go meet a Noble Lady from another family house, leaving her against the wall as he departed.

 

The words Wilhelmina had approached and given her.

 

‘You can come back whenever you want to return.’

 

The moment she recalled Wilhelmina’s image, Chloe had already started running.

 

“…Chloe, where are you going!”

 

She crossed the corridor and ran down the stairs.

 

Behind her, Kaine was desperately calling for Chloe, but she squeezed her eyes shut and ignored him.

 

Just hearing that voice made her chest feel suffocated.

 

‘I have to go back.’

 

This was her home, yet why did she have to go back? Even Chloe couldn’t understand.

 

She came down to the first floor and left the mansion as she was.

 

The fact that the shoes she was wearing were indoor shoes didn’t matter at all.

 

Right now, she just wanted to escape from this mansion.

 

She took out a horse from the stable and mounted it.

 

She never imagined that the experience of learning horseback riding with Ilina would be helpful at a time like this.

 

“Let’s go!”

 

The horse obediently followed her command and headed toward the main gate.

 

“Lady?”

 

At the mansion’s main gate, two guards were having a conversation.

 

One of them spotted Chloe and widened his eyes.

 

“Open it. I’m going out.”

 

“Ah, that won’t do. You know, right now the mansion gate is…”

 

“Please open it, I beg you.”

 

“Lady…”

 

Looking at Chloe getting rained on without an umbrella, the guard trailed off as if troubled.

 

However, the guard who couldn’t follow Chloe’s words tried to send her back.

 

“The weather isn’t good. It’s going to rain again, so please go inside first.”

 

Just then, one side of the iron gate opened wide.

 

The other guard had opened the gate.

 

“Go, my lady.”

 

“H-hey!”

 

Only then did Chloe realize who that guard was.

 

He was the man who had stood by her side when Ilina came to visit.

 

As if he had made some kind of resolution, he opened the door wide and looked at Chloe.

 

“Don’t think about the consequences, just go.”

 

“…Thank you.”

 

Another guard approached to close the door again, but was stopped by him.

 

Taking advantage of that opportunity, Chloe stepped outside and rode her horse straight toward House Layton.

 

“Hyah!”

 

As if it had been waiting, the rain began to pour down again.

 

Even though the heavy rain blurred her vision, she didn’t slow down.

 

She only thought about returning quickly, faster.

 

Eventually, she arrived in front of House Layton.

 

At the large castle gate, a soldier from the ducal house watched Chloe’s approach with a flustered expression.

 

After dismounting her horse, Chloe approached the soldier and said,

 

“I am Chloe Tilim. I’ve come to see Grand Duchess Wilhelmina Layton.”

 

Upon hearing her name, the soldier shook his head with a stern expression.

 

“I’m sorry, Countess. Currently, your entry is prohibited.”

 

“Just for a moment. Just a moment.”

 

“I’m sorry. Unless we receive word from the Count first…”

 

Even the castle gate, which she had passed through weekly for the reading club, was now rejecting her.

 

Just as Chloe was about to say something with a tearful expression, the castle gate suddenly opened.

 

“…Miss Chloe, I see.”

 

“Sir Nata?”

 

Nata, wearing a raincoat, walked out through the opened gate.

 

“I happened to be passing by when I heard Miss Chloe’s voice. Please come in.”

 

“Sir! We have orders…”

 

“Come, quickly.”

 

Ignoring the soldier’s words, he pulled Chloe inside the castle. Then he draped the raincoat he was wearing over her shoulders.

 

Once inside the castle gate, the soldier in charge of opening and closing the gate glared at Nata with troubled eyes.

 

It seemed that Nata had forced the castle gate open.

 

The soldier rang the bell at the guard post to announce the visit of an uninvited guest.

 

Knights who detected the disturbance from the castle began approaching in their direction.

 

“Go, I’ll handle things here.”

 

“B-but…”

 

“It’s fine. This is a knight’s duty, after all.”

 

The mansion’s guard, and now even Knight Nata, were making sacrifices to help her.

 

She realized how much trouble her impulsive actions were causing.

 

Perhaps reading the hesitation on Chloe’s face, Nata smiled brightly and said,

 

“Don’t worry. Grand Madam has been eagerly waiting for Miss Chloe to come.”

 

“Ah….”

 

Chloe bowed her head deeply, then ran toward the annex building.

 

The sound of Nata and the knights clashing could be heard, but it soon disappeared, drowned out by the sound of rain.

 

Even wearing a raincoat, she couldn’t block the rain pouring down on her face.

 

As she tried to wipe away the rain hitting her eyes with her hand, she misstepped.

 

“Ugh-”

 

Chloe’s body rolled across the muddy ground.

 

Her knees scraped against the gravel, and as she clumsily stretched out her arms, her wrist twisted.

 

Her ankle throbbed, but she gritted her teeth and got up from where she fell. Perhaps because her body was cold, the pain quickly faded.

 

Now her destination was right in front of her.

 

“Huff, gasp-”

 

Despite her breath rising to her chin and her body becoming heavy like wet cotton, she didn’t stop walking.

 

Finally, she arrived at the annex building and… slowly opened the door.

 

“Ah-”

 

The bright lighting hurt her eyes.

 

Splash, splash, she entered the lobby with wet footsteps.

 

“Kyaah!”

 

A maid who happened to be passing by spotted Chloe and screamed.

 

Her rain-soaked hair covered half her face, and her dress and raincoat, a mess of mud, looked as fierce as a witch’s overcoat.

 

As she blankly looked up at the second floor, Wilhelmina came down the stairs as if she had been waiting.

 

“Chloe?”

 

Despite her disheveled appearance, Wilhelmina recognized Chloe. Baroness Rollan and Baroness Metokan followed behind her.

 

‘Ah, that’s right. Today was the reading club.’

 

Embarrassed at showing such an appearance to the other members, Chloe unconsciously wrapped her arms around herself.

 

She remembered her own wretched appearance, which she had forgotten while running frantically.

 

“I’m, I’m sorry. Grand Duchess. For suddenly visiting….”

 

She certainly had many things she wanted to say to Wilhelmina, but the first thing that came to mind was an apology.

 

She couldn’t lift her head because of all the trouble she had caused.

 

“Sir Nata opened the gate for me. Even though I know I shouldn’t have, I just, I- well….”

 

Tears poured down. She hated herself for not being able to say even such simple words properly.

 

Even though she knew she shouldn’t show such an immature side, she couldn’t stop.

 

“I’m sorry, actually, I suddenly wanted to see you, Grand Duchess-”

 

Then.

 

Wilhelmina came running down the stairs.

 

With movements even rougher and more unladylike than Chloe’s sprint, she leaped down and.

 

“Ah…!”

 

Embraced Chloe.

 

Not caring about the mud and rainwater, as if she wouldn’t let Chloe slip away as she tried to step back, she hugged her with all her strength.

 

“I told you, didn’t I, to come back anytime.”

 

“…Hic.”

 

“You’re not late. You don’t need to apologize. I know this was your best effort.”

 

As if she would embrace all of Chloe’s bursting tears in her arms, Wilhelmina spoke softly.

 

“Come here.”

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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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