I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 125

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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 125

 

Edwin couldn’t believe it.

 

All of this felt like a dream.

 

Just half a day ago, he had been wetting his throat with wine, thinking about his victory in the divorce trial.

 

He had been excited at the prospect of throwing Chloe out of the mansion and bringing in a new woman.

 

Once business with the ducal house began, an enormous fortune would fall into his hands.

 

Using that, silencing the bad rumors in high society would only be a matter of time.

 

With money and status, any shameful secret could be covered up.

 

So he had never even imagined that he would lose to Chloe.

 

“No… that can’t be!”

 

Crunch, he bit down on Kenneth’s arm.

 

“Damn it…!”

 

Thanks to desperately squeezing out his strength, he barely managed to break free from the arm. But that was all.

 

He collapsed disgracefully onto the ground.

 

Edwin’s hate-filled eyes glared straight at Chloe.

 

Unlike the past, their positions were reversed. Now Chloe was looking down at Edwin.

 

‘Those eyes, th- those eyes!’

 

Anger surged at those eyes that looked at him as if viewing something filthy. In the past, he had treated her even more cruelly because of those eyes.

 

He had wanted to make her submit to his power like the other noble ladies from aristocratic families.

 

But now he couldn’t even do that. Edwin, who was so frustrated by this, wanted to erase at least those eyes.

 

“Do you, do you think you can lead the family?”

 

“…”

 

“Surely, you said Baroness Metokan was an inventor? You must have stolen her techniques. You’re a cowardly fool who’s too scared to even step forward! There’s no way you developed it! And-”

 

“Captain Kenneth. Right now…”

 

“Do you think you’ll be happy just because I disappear!”

 

Did his curse, squeezed out from his very soul, work?

 

Silence fell over the courtroom.

 

Even Count Bildson, who was on Edwin’s side, stepped back with a frightened expression.

 

“You’ll go back to how you were anyway. Without me, you’re just a frustrating woman who can’t say a word to others, who enjoys childish games like dyeing!”

 

Edwin spoke fiercely, even spitting as he talked.

 

“You raised your head thanks to the people behind you, right? Do you think they’ll always be by your side? In the end, you abandoned your family and betrayed your husband. No one will trust you anymore!”

 

“…”

 

“Yes, no man- will ever love you!”

 

Edwin’s eyes turned to the reading club members who were glaring at him.

 

Among them, Wilhelmina came into view, standing expressionlessly with her arms crossed.

 

“Haha! The Grand Duchess? Did you say meeting her was enjoyable? How ridiculous, she’s just using you for her own mother-in-law conflicts. Because with you around, she can screw over Helene Layton!”

 

Kenneth tried to approach Edwin with a murderous expression, as if he would cut his throat right then and there.

 

At that moment, Chloe silently raised her hand to stop him.

 

Instead, she approached Edwin herself.

 

“Or what, did you share some affection? Fellow outcasts abandoned by your families, licking each other’s wounds? How perfectly suited, noble ladies without husbands…!”

 

Crack-!

 

In that moment, Edwin’s head snapped to the opposite side.

 

“Huh?”

 

Edwin’s eyes widened in disbelief as he touched his own cheek.

 

The sudden pain made his mind go blank.

 

Blood was flowing from his deeply dented cheek.

 

Moreover, he could feel a broken molar stabbing his tongue.

 

It wasn’t wine but drops of blood that stained Edwin’s throat.

 

He slowly straightened his head and witnessed the culprit who had struck his cheek.

 

Chloe was holding a shoe.

 

Like swatting a cockroach, she had held the shoe upside down and struck Edwin with the heel.

 

“Yes, I’m a coward. Just as you said, as time passes, this resolve might fade, and I might hole up in the mansion again. …But!”

 

She dropped the shoe.

 

Having no intention of wearing the shoe stained with filthy blood again, she stood barefoot on the courtroom floor.

 

“I cannot forgive you for spouting such nonsense about my benefactor.”

 

Chloe’s face, having resolved never to cry because of Edwin again, was resolute unlike before.

 

Her benefactor who had embraced her as she fled rolling through mud on a day of pouring rain.

 

Wilhelmina, who had shown her kindness more motherly than Kaine.

 

She couldn’t stand to see her name rise from Edwin’s filthy mouth.

 

“Edwin. I don’t care one bit about what happens to you from now on. Whether you become a prisoner locked in jail, or get disowned by the viscount family, it doesn’t matter. It’s for His Imperial Majesty to decide. …But I can guarantee one thing.”

 

“Ugh, urgh…”

 

“If you insult the Grand Duchess, Ilina, my friend, if you try to retaliate… I will judge you in the name of the Count’s family.”

 

“…!”

 

“Even if it means offering all my wealth, I will retaliate against you. I’ll hire assassination organizations, mercenaries, whatever it takes.”

 

The words contained a murderous intent unimaginable coming from Chloe.

 

Edwin unconsciously gasped and swallowed his breath.

 

“Until you die in regret, I will use every means and method I know.”

 

Only then did he realize that their positions had been reversed.

 

No matter what Edwin did, there was no way for him to touch the Count.

 

Rather, he should hope that Chloe wouldn’t harm him.

 

Edwin knew better than anyone how powerful the wealth and authority the Count possessed were.

 

“Answer me. Say you will never insult my friend again.”

 

For her, making one nameless commoner disappear into darkness would be easier than flipping her palm.

 

“Answer me.”

 

“…I, I understand. I’m sorry.”

 

Edwin answered with his head buried against the floor.

 

His words didn’t come out well due to his torn cheek and broken teeth.

 

But he apologized repeatedly.

 

Edwin, who was quick-witted, realized that an apology was the only solution to save his life.

 

Rather than the humiliation of apologizing to the woman who had been his wife, the will to survive held him captive.

 

“I’m sorry, please, just let me live….”

 

Edwin’s tearful apologies continued in the courtroom.

 

Clap- Clap-

 

Applause flowed from the gallery at that sight.

 

It was applause filled with praise that my student had done very well.

 

There was no need to explain who was clapping.

 

* * *

 

I left the courtroom with Chloe.

 

Edwin was taken away by Kenneth at this opportunity, and the judge remained, saying he needed to organize the trial proceedings.

 

Count Bildson had already fled long ago.

 

I had the Baroness, Baroness Metokan, and Ilina return ahead of us. Because Chloe wanted to be alone with just me.

 

“I’m sorry, I still… can’t stop trembling.”

 

“It’s okay.”

 

I put the staff shoes that were provided in the courtroom on her feet.

 

She said she would put them on herself, but since her hands had been trembling severely from earlier, I did it instead.

 

Chloe kept bowing her head as if she felt sorry.

 

‘It must have been difficult since it was unfamiliar acting.’

 

Her earlier behavior was acting to make Edwin give up.

 

The emotions contained within might have been real, but Chloe was a child who didn’t know how to get angry like that.

 

In reality, Edwin seemed to have surrendered to Chloe deep in his heart.

 

“Grand Duchess, will I be able to do well?”

 

“That’s what you wanted to ask?”

 

“Yes, I think others would answer with comforting words mixed in.”

 

‘I’m not that rational either.’

 

I was newly curious about what kind of image of me existed within Chloe.

 

After finishing putting on her shoes, I reached out my hand and helped her up.

 

Though she swayed a little, she straightened her back and corrected her posture.

 

Seeing that, I let out a laugh.

 

“Chloe always has good posture.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Do you remember the presentation? You were standing against the wall, quietly keeping your head down.”

 

“Ah!”

 

As if that time suddenly came to mind, Chloe’s face turned red.

 

She seemed to think of it as an embarrassing past, but it wasn’t for me.

 

When I saw her at that time, the first thing I thought was….

 

“Even during such difficult times, Chloe stood with her back straight.”

 

It was admiration.

 

If it were me, I would have looked for somewhere to lean rather than standing.

 

I would have leaned my back against a wall or hidden myself in the rest room.

 

Compared to someone like me, Chloe was more admirable for not abandoning her sense of responsibility to maintain her noble posture.

 

“Difficult times may come as that fraud said. But each time, Chloe will be able to stand up again. Once you’ve experienced it once, the second and third times are nothing.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Of course.”

 

Those who overcome trials become stronger. That was an unchanging law that applied to any world.

 

“Still, if things get really hard and you want to run away… come to me like last time. I may not be much help, but I can at least offer you a bed.”

 

I tidied her disheveled hair that had become messy from sweating.

 

She closed her eyes at my touch and smiled faintly.

 

“Not much help? Grand Duchess, you’ve always been helpful to me.”

 

“That’s a relief then.”

 

“Hehe, I think I finally understand how Ilina and Jane feel. So this is what the Grand Duchess’s kindness is like.”

 

“Don’t change like those kids.”

 

“I wonder about that.”

 

Her smiling gaze felt burdensome, so I moved away from Chloe.

 

As we were about to leave the courtroom, I discovered a woman waiting for us in front of the door.

 

“…My child.”

 

It was Kaine.

 

She clasped her hands tightly and sent us a pitiful look while bowing her waist humbly at an angle.

 

“Well, it ended well, didn’t it?”

 

“…Yes, Mother.”

 

When Chloe called her Mother, Kaine’s face lit up.

 

She probably heard the trial results and thought she would be disowned.

 

“I was wrong all this time. You see, I thought Count… ah, no! I thought Edwin would treat you well. So I was always supporting…”

 

‘Making excuses even after coming this far.’

 

Edwin’s way of apologizing was better. I felt sorry for Kaine rationalizing her mistakes.

 

Chloe was no longer someone who could be swayed by such words.

 

Chloe slowly walked toward the exit with me.

 

“Mother.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Do you prefer the lake or the mountain?”

 

“…What?”

 

“There are definitely two unused villas. The lake in the north and the mountain in the territory… Which would be better for your ‘recuperation’?”

 

It essentially meant she would send her into exile.

 

Kaine’s complexion turned deathly pale.

 

Regardless, Chloe’s steps didn’t stop.

 

Though Kaine hesitated, we passed by her.

 

“M-Mother prefers the mansion. Do you perhaps need my room? Then, even a guest room would be fine…”

 

“That won’t do. Nanny is using that room.”

 

Come to think of it, didn’t Nanny say she was feeling unwell?

 

When Chloe hears the news that she became a Count, she might recover her health even a little.

 

“No, I don’t want to! Mother can’t go anywhere else. You know, don’t you? How much the servants look down on me! The retainers too, and I can’t survive without you…”

 

“No, they don’t care about Mother that much. They’re just doing their jobs.”

 

“They look down on me! During meals, during walks too!”

 

“You always mix in plausible lies. I don’t believe you anymore. I know how kind our servants are.”

 

“That’s not true! Listen to Mother for once…”

 

Before we knew it, we had arrived in front of the carriage.

 

Chloe stopped walking and asked back.

 

“So. What’s your answer?”

 

“…”

 

Kaine, who had been following as if she would grab Chloe’s hem of pants at any moment, gritted her teeth.

 

Tears welled up in her eyes that were the same color as Chloe’s.

 

“What’s your answer, Mother? The lake or the mountain villa, which one?”

 

“…I’m your mother.”

 

“And I’m the family head.”

 

“Do you know how much I sacrificed for you? So you wouldn’t be looked down upon among the nobles, I devoted my life to raising you!”

 

If Edwin’s ending was like a scene from a play, Kaine’s appearance seemed like watching a common aspect of any ordinary family.

 

That’s why it was even more heartbreaking.

 

For a mother to let go of her obsession was harder than Edwin apologizing.

 

“You can’t betray me!”

 

Despite leading her to bear unwanted children, cutting off contact with the outside world, and neglecting the abuse from the son-in-law she brought in… she was still obsessed with the term “good mother.”

 

Chloe raised her hand toward the coachman.

 

Having heard the news, the Tilim Family’s coachman approached with the respectful posture of serving the family head.

 

“Put Mother in the carriage.”

 

“Yes!”

 

“Take her to the mansion, and tell the butler to pack Mother’s luggage. Say it’s the Count’s order.”

 

“Understood.”

 

“Chloe!”

 

Kaine urgently tried to grab Chloe’s arm, but the coachman was faster.

 

He blocked Kaine’s path.

 

“Grand Madam, if you continue to be rude to the master any further, I’ll have no choice but to force you into the carriage.”

 

“Argh-! Get out of the way! You too, you’re looking down on me too! After how I’ve lived, what kind of disrespect I’ve endured while living! How dare you not even listen to your mother’s words…!”

 

“…The lake would be nice.”

 

“What, what?”

 

“The lake suits Mother.”

 

And we got into the carriage I had prepared.

 

Hanging onto the coachman’s shoulder, Kaine looked at Chloe with empty eyes.

 

Chloe leaned back against the chair in the carriage and closed her eyes.

 

“I’ll provide support so Mother can recuperate peacefully. There won’t be any shortcomings. Though the obedient daughter Mother wished for won’t be there.”

 

It was a merciful decision. It was fortunate for Kaine that this was an Empire where unfilial conduct toward parents was strictly forbidden.

 

From now until his death, Kaine would be able to enjoy a peaceful life befitting a noble.

 

“Chloe!”

 

“Well then, farewell.”

 

Click.

 

Chloe closed the door. From outside came the sounds of Kaine and the coachman arguing.

 

A voice mixed with screams and curses echoed inside the carriage.

 

“…Chloe.”

 

At my call, Chloe, who had been keeping her eyes closed, covered her face with both hands.

 

She who hadn’t cried even when venting her anger at Edwin, began to sob silently.

 

Tears flowing down her palms soaked her sleeves.

 

I gestured to the coachman who was waiting for orders.

 

“Let’s go back.”

 

“…Yes.”

 

It went without saying that the place we were returning to was not Tilrim County, but the Duke’s Annex.

 

Everyone was waiting there.

 

Though not family, but friends who could comfort this sadness precisely because of that—we returned to them.

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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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