I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 132

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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 132

 

The camp proceeded without any major incidents.

 

Surprisingly, there were no children who rebelled or cried about it being difficult.

 

Rather, several children even expressed excessive gratitude to me, saying it had been such a meaningful time.

 

‘…This isn’t right.’

 

I had expected at least one or two children to complain about reading so many books or ask why they had to do such things, but I was flustered by the atmosphere of finding it rewarding.

 

The lines I had prepared to act as a teaching assistant also became useless.

 

‘Do the kids here have strong patience? That can’t be right, if it were Jace, he would have broken at least one flower pot.’

 

I’m not sure if I should be happy about this.

 

After guiding the children to their separately prepared bedrooms, late in the evening.

 

I confided my feelings to Jane, who had come to purchase supplementary books instead.

 

“Ah- I kind of expected that would happen.”

 

“Why?”

 

“For a camp, the plan was flawless. It would be enjoyable.”

 

“What’s so enjoyable about reading books?”

 

“That’s not something the reading club organizer should say…”

 

“Well, whatever.”

 

When Jane made a disapproving expression, I felt awkward and cleared my throat while trailing off.

 

“It wasn’t anything spectacular as education goes. There weren’t many prepared materials, and I didn’t use any special tools either.”

 

It was ordinary education with just words and books, without any audio-visual materials or hands-on experiences.

 

I was even worried that we weren’t spending enough money for an event prepared by the ducal house, but she says this is flawless?

 

At my words, Jane looked at the pile of books with a complex expression.

 

“Do you really think so?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Um… it was the Grand Duchess who helped with topic selection, right? For Ilina and Count Tilim.”

 

“That’s right. I decided Ilina’s topic, and helped Chloe a little.”

 

“It was also the Grand Duchess who introduced methods for developing the children’s observation skills.”

 

“Baroness Metokan is a genius, so she was struggling with level-appropriate education.”

 

“…And you freely shared the precious study in the annex building.”

 

“Even if they’re expensive books, they were just gathering dust. Though it was surprising that there were so many valuable original texts.”

 

Jane let out a sigh mixed with laughter.

 

“And yet you say it’s not spectacular education?”

 

“Anyone can do this much.”

 

From an academy teacher’s perspective, the teaching materials were still woefully insufficient.

 

Just as I was about to ask why she was staring like that, Jane shook her head as if giving up.

 

“By any chance, is the Capital Academy this serious about lessons?”

 

“I don’t really know either. I never properly attended classes at the academy.”

 

“Weren’t there any impressive lessons?”

 

“I did have some, but they were all liberal arts courses. During major classes, I went out to have fun.”

 

“So the Academy has entertainment too.”

 

“Of course it does, like strolling through the flower garden…”

 

In the middle of speaking, the past suddenly felt hazy.

 

‘Is it because I’m getting older?’

 

Putting aside the vague memories, I brought up the main reason I had called Jane.

 

I had asked her to bring me books, but that was actually just a pretext.

 

“How’s the atmosphere at the main castle?”

 

At my question, Jane straightened her posture. Then she opened her mouth with a serious expression.

 

“First, the Finance Department is incredibly busy. Large funds are circulating for the first time in a while, and they’re focused on developing export routes.”

 

“The finance officer must be busy.”

 

“Actually, Officer Licht came looking for the Grand Duchess. He asked if you could lend a hand since you’re already involved in the business…”

 

“Refuse.”

 

“…Ahem, anyway, the Finance Department is too busy for rumors, but other departments are different.”

 

It seemed Helene’s image had taken quite a hit, as various murmurs were coming from the main castle.

 

Among them were people saying that the Grand Duchess shouldn’t be confined to the annex building, but should be brought to the main castle.

 

‘It’s not like they’re gossiping behind Helene’s back. Rather than reduced loyalty… it’s realistic.’

 

It was an extremely practical opinion that it would be better to stay together to appear as a family even now.

 

The more my presence grew, the harsher the outsiders’ scrutiny became, so they probably wanted to smooth things over somehow.

 

‘Of course, even if the main castle calls, I have no intention of going out. Why would I leave the comfortable annex building?’

 

Anyway, whether I should say the main castle’s atmosphere was free enough to voice such opinions, or that it was too realistic and created a sense of disconnect.

 

“What does Mikhail say about this?”

 

At times like this, it was the head of the family who should manage the situation.

 

No matter how busy he was, if it concerned Helene, he wouldn’t just sit still.

 

“That’s… he hasn’t shown himself.”

 

“What?”

 

“I thought it was because official duties were busy, but recently the Duke has no schedule at all.”

 

“Wait, so he’s been staying in his room the whole time? You haven’t seen him at all?”

 

“Yes, he didn’t even attend the scheduled quarterly meeting when summer began.”

 

He apparently didn’t show up to the meeting that all retainers and executives in the castle participate in.

 

What was even more surprising was that everyone except Jane didn’t question this at all.

 

“It was as if they knew this would happen. That the head of the family doesn’t attend in summer…”

 

“What does summer have to do with it?”

 

“This is something I heard through the grapevine.”

 

Jane lowered her voice as if she didn’t trust what she was about to say herself.

 

“I heard rumors that the curse has gotten stronger.”

 

“…Curse?”

 

“Yes. Whether he was cursed by a sorcerer, or if it’s a disease name with similar pronunciation that I don’t know… Grand Duchess?”

 

Curse, that word the Fairy King Orb had mentioned.

 

Without realizing it, I held my breath.

 

‘I had completely forgotten about it.’

 

I had been so busy lately, and I hadn’t sensed any signs of the curse from Mikhail recently, so I had forgotten about it.

 

‘It’s almost the first anniversary of the Late Duke’s death. If the curse is passed down through generations as Orb said, it wouldn’t be strange for it to grow stronger.’

 

I had thought it was odd that Mikhail hadn’t shown his face at all while things were progressing like this, but there must have been such circumstances.

 

Since the number of social gatherings had decreased with the start of summer, people hadn’t noticed his absence either.

 

“Grand Duchess? By any chance, was the curse real?”

 

Seeing my expression, Jane asked with a serious look that matched mine.

 

I didn’t answer.

 

‘In the end, couldn’t Mikhail overcome the curse either? Then the remaining method is…’

 

[Whether you acknowledge it or not, this is the answer. It’s your choice whether to tell them or not.]

 

I recalled Orb’s words that she had mischievously added after telling me the method of curse breaking.

 

It was spiteful advice to tell the truth directly if Mikhail’s curse worsened.

 

‘No. I can’t leave it like that.’

 

I had no intention of telling my family about such a terrible method. It was enough to bury that conclusion in my heart.

 

“Jane.”

 

“Ah, yes!”

 

“Among the books you’re bringing, are there any magic books about curse breaking?”

 

She gulped, having realized that the curse was no joke.

 

“I’ll look into it. I know a merchant who deals in magic books.”

 

“Please do. Oh, and also about the history of Layton and fairies…”

 

This might be a more urgent matter than I thought.

 

Just as I was about to request not only about curses but also about fairies and the Layton Family, someone suddenly knocked on the door.

 

Knock knock-

 

“Who is it?”

 

“It’s me, Grand Duchess.”

 

“Mabel?”

 

When I opened the door, Mabel was blinking with disheveled hair.

 

“Haven’t you gone to your bedroom yet?”

 

“I’m checking the courage test tools.”

 

I was about to scold her for playing too late, but seeing her round eyes full of passion and joy, I secretly let out a sigh.

 

‘The camp must be fun for her.’

 

Mabel enjoyed the missions while mingling with the children.

 

Under the rule that all students were equal, Mabel also participated while hiding that she was a reading club member.

 

Since she was such a smart child, I had warned her not to break through the missions alone, but she seemed to enjoy mingling with the children and didn’t care about grades.

 

And for the courage test to be held tomorrow evening, Mabel and Baroness Metokan were setting up traps in every corner of the annex building.

 

I had said there was no need to go as far as making traps, but Mabel’s passion was already ignited.

 

‘Normally I would have checked together to see what tools they prepared.’

 

I glanced at Jane, who was standing awkwardly in the room.

 

“Sorry, I’m a bit busy right now. Let’s talk about the courage test tomorrow.”

 

“That’s not it. What I want to talk about isn’t the courage test, but about this mansion.”

 

“Huh?”

 

“This mansion has a secret space.”

 

At this sudden revelation, I was left speechless.

 

Before I could even ask what she meant, Mabel grabbed my collar. Then she spoke in her usual blunt voice.

 

“Come with me. I found another Grand Duchess there.”

 

“…What?”

 

“Hurry up.”

 

And so Jane and I followed Mabel out into the corridor.

 

Our footsteps echoed through the dimly lit corridor.

 

“Wait, Mabel. A secret space? Are you talking about the storage room?”

 

“No.”

 

Mabel, who had been walking quickly ahead, pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket and handed it to me.

 

‘This is… a blueprint?’

 

It was a blueprint of the annex building that Mabel had drawn herself.

 

Everything from the underground storage to the first floor lobby, the study, and my bedroom was meticulously drawn.

 

Judging by the notes like ‘let’s hide dolls here,’ it seemed to be a blueprint made on the spot for the courage test.

 

“Please look behind the stairs on the second floor.”

 

“There’s an empty room. …But there’s no door.”

 

It was a peculiar room. A rectangular empty space, but with no door or window.

 

It looked as if a hole had been punched in the middle of the second floor.

 

“At first glance it looks like a pillar, but it’s not. Structurally, no pillar is needed in that area.”

 

“…Mabel, have you been studying architecture lately?”

 

“I read about it with Mirinai before.”

 

Setting aside Mabel’s genius, which was nothing new, I looked at the blueprint again.

 

Having discovered there was a space behind the stairs, Mabel said she stopped what she was doing and observed the surroundings.

 

Eventually, she found a candlestick.

 

Unlike the other candlesticks arranged in a straight line, this one was positioned slightly lower.

 

“This is it.”

 

Mabel led us in front of it.

 

Then she stood on her tiptoes and reached for the candlestick. When she turned the candlestick like a door handle…

 

The space I thought was a chimney was actually a narrow staircase connecting the first and second floors.

 

Perhaps it was my imagination, but I could smell charcoal from the walls.

 

I continued down the stairs that were barely wide enough for one person to pass through.

 

When I felt like I had reached about the second basement level, a door emitting faint light appeared before Mabel.

 

Looking closer, the light was flowing out from between the door cracks.

 

‘It’s magic.’

 

I could sense faint magic power from behind the door.

 

“Hi, hii-”

 

Jane was startled by the glowing door and hid behind me, while Mabel still maintained her composed demeanor as she grasped the door handle.

 

“I’ll open it.”

 

When I nodded, Mabel pulled the door open forcefully.

 

A room filled with bright yellow light, unlike candlelight, was revealed.

 

Luxurious decorations rivaling those of the reception room, stone lamps glowing with magic power, large paintings scattered in the corner… but what caught my eye more than anything else.

 

“…What is this.”

 

It was a painting of a woman hanging on the opposite wall.

 

The painting, whose colors had faded due to being unmanaged for a long time, depicted a woman looking down at an angle.

 

The subject of this old painting, which seemed to have been painted decades ago, was…

 

“Grand Duchess?”

 

It was me.

 

Leaving the surprised Jane behind, I read the title written below the painting with trembling eyes.

 

The middle part was messily scratched by something and couldn’t be seen, but I could read the sentences at the beginning and end.

 

[To my beloved wife, XXXX – Nikolai Philip.]

 

The front had the woman’s name.

 

The back had the name of the artist who painted this picture.

 

That name was…

 

“Nikolai Philip… Layton.”

 

It belonged to the Late Duke.

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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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