I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 142

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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 142

“…Then where is Duke Venice?”

“Rohanos? Well, by now he’s probably combing through the Capital Vicinity like searching for lice.”

Theorne recalled the face of his friend, Rohanos.

“Will it be alright?”

“What will?”

“The Duke is also attending this celebration.”

“Of course, it’s my birthday.”

Publicly, Theorne and Rohanos were political partners.

For such a Rohanos to not attend this kind of event would be impossible.

“No, that’s not what I mean… If that happens, the Duke and Grand Duchess Wilhelmina will encounter each other, won’t they?”

“That’s right.”

“…The Duke must have been hiding his identity.”

When the Butler asked in a deflated voice, Theorne nodded his head vigorously.

“Right, so wouldn’t that be interesting? I’m already looking forward to seeing how Rohanos will deceive her.”

“….”

The Butler placed his fingers on his forehead and muttered quietly.

“That’s why… the Duke dislikes His Majesty.”

“No way, there’s no way he could dislike me.”

Theorne let out a laugh and leaned back against his Chair.

“He and I are a community of fate.”

And accomplices too.

Though he didn’t voice the latter words, the Butler could guess even without hearing them.

* * *

Rohanos received the news that Wilhelmina was heading to the Capital belatedly.

At the same time, a report from the Imperial Palace came that they had detected Black Hand’s movements.

‘If I had known this would happen, I should have stayed in Layton.’

At that time, he was handling official duties at the Venice Ducal House in the Eastern Region.

He used a special Treasure when traveling between the Western Region and Eastern Region.

It was a Treasure called the ‘Cloak of the Wind God’ that allowed long-distance Teleportation once a month, and he had used it once a week ago when returning to the Eastern Region.

Since it needed charging time before it could be used again, he couldn’t return to Wilhelmina’s side.

‘That guy, even though he knew the danger of Black Hand….’

Of course, if it was Theorne, he would have prepared some means to protect Wilhelmina, but he couldn’t help feeling uneasy.

Wilhelmina wasn’t a child, and she was certainly someone who could handle any problems that arose well, but if the opponent was an assassin, the story was different.

Neither dialogue nor logic worked on assassins.

The only way to protect oneself from their threats was through strength.

After finishing his official duties, he immediately headed for the Capital.

Riding horses day and night, they arrived at the border between the Western Region and the Capital.

It had been about a day since news came that Wilhelmina had departed.

‘It would take Wilhelmina roughly four days to reach this place. I need to investigate the surroundings during that time.’

Just like Wilhelmina, he too didn’t think anything would happen in the Western Region.

“Search the area thoroughly. If there’s anyone with suspicious identity, contact the Imperial Palace to cross-reference the registry.”

“Yes!”

The subordinates who came with him followed orders and scattered to each region.

Rohanos also moved personally to find clues about the Black Hand.

…Three days passed like that.

“There are traces, but you couldn’t find them?”

“Yes, we apologize.”

“…No. It’s not your fault.”

But after three days passed, all they had was vague information that traces of the Black Hand remained.

It was certain that the Black Hand had been active in the vicinity.

They found places that seemed to have been used as their hideouts, and even witnesses.

The problem was that they had vanished just before Wilhelmina’s departure, about a week ago.

‘Could it be that the Black Hand movements Theorne detected weren’t meant to target Wilhelmina, but activities to hide themselves?’

There was only one conclusion that could be drawn from the gathered information.

However, suspicious points still remained.

Particularly troubling was their swift retreat, as if they had anticipated this area would be searched.

Either their intelligence network was excellent, or…

‘There’s a spy in the Imperial Palace that was informed.’

Rohanos spoke to the subordinate beside him.

“We’ll have to continue the next search in the Capital.”

“Understood.”

Though it was unsatisfying to head to the Capital without proper results, there was no other choice.

Time was too pressing to continue searching based on mere suspicion.

Just as Rohanos thought it couldn’t be helped and was about to gather his companions to head to the Capital, a subordinate who had been investigating the road hurriedly approached.

“S-Sir. I have something to report.”

“Did you find the Black Hand?”

“No, not that, but… I found someone you must meet, Sir.”

Quite flustered, the subordinate’s eyes were shaking unusually.

When asked who exactly he had found to be acting like this, the subordinate looked around and carefully reported.

“…is here.”

“What?”

Though it was a small voice, he heard it clearly.

When the name of someone he thought he’d never hear about again came up, Rohanos also asked back with a stiffened expression.

“Is that true?”

“Of course he’s younger than that man, and his build is somewhat different, but his appearance is certain. I recommend you see for yourself.”

Perhaps this could be an even greater danger than the Black Hand.

Rohanos immediately followed his subordinate’s guidance and headed to the road where that man was said to be.

The target was a strategic point that anyone traveling from the Western Region to the Capital had to pass through.

Since it also served as a checkpoint, soldiers and knights were stationed everywhere.

In this place where there weren’t even any civilian houses, a man had pitched a tent by the roadside and was sitting there waiting for someone.

The moment he confirmed that man’s face, Rohanos unconsciously muttered the name that came to mind.

“…Marquis Valtanas.”

A political enemy who had opposed Theorne during the succession struggle.

The purist Marquis Valtanas.

A man who looked exactly like him was there.

However, aside from appearance, this man differed from Marquis Valtanas in many ways.

The hair that had been salt-and-pepper was now dull blonde, and the face that had been full of wrinkles looked young enough to be mistaken for a man in his twenties.

“Did the Marquis… have a son?”

At Rohanos’s muttering, the subordinate who was assisting him shook his head and answered.

“No. He did have a legitimate son, but he died over ten years ago. However…”

The subordinate continued with a voice mixed with suspicion and hesitation.

“We once obtained information that there might be an illegitimate child.”

“…Judging by the resemblance, that information must be correct.”

With such a strong resemblance, it couldn’t be dismissed as mere coincidence.

Rohanos gestured to his subordinates who were waiting for orders.

There wasn’t much time left before Wilhelmina would pass through this place.

There wasn’t enough time to thoroughly investigate that man’s identity step by step.

So, he had no choice but to resort to forceful measures.

“Bring him here.”

If he was someone connected to Marquis Valtanas’s ambitions, this incident wouldn’t end with just one assassination organization.

Rohanos clicked his tongue briefly and muttered.

“Things are getting complicated.”

* * *

When Samuel, the illegitimate son of Marquis Valtanas, opened his eyes, what greeted him was a dark room and an unidentified man wearing a mask.

“…Is this a dream?”

He had definitely been lying in his tent.

His last memory was deciding to take a peaceful nap while admiring the surrounding scenery, thinking it would be a while before the person he was waiting for arrived.

But as soon as he opened his eyes, he was faced with a person and room he had never seen before.

He tried to pinch his cheek, thinking it might be a dream, but soon realized his hands were tied to a chair.

The pain he should have felt in his cheek began to be felt in his wrists, chafed by the rope.

‘Surely… no way?’

He was a clever man.

As soon as he confirmed this wasn’t a dream, he quickly grasped what kind of situation this was.

He was just a lowly employee working for a small trading company.

If he had been kidnapped, then the reason was…

“No.”

He rattled off the excuse he had rehearsed countless times in his head to the masked man who was staring at him intently.

These were words he had prepared, anticipating such a situation might arise.

“I have no connection whatsoever to Marquis Valtanas. Though I am his child, I’m illegitimate, so I received no inheritance. I was kicked out as soon as I could speak and have lived alone ever since, and naturally I have no title. I just happen to look exactly like him!”

In the past, people who knew Marquis Valtanas had come looking for him.

They had left disappointed by Samuel’s lack of ambition and his claim that he had received no inheritance.

Samuel desperately continued speaking, thinking this excuse would work again this time.

“If you have business with the Baltanas Family, it would be better to visit the former Marquis House territory rather than me…”

“Then.”

At that moment, the man cut off Samuel’s words.

His serious, rigid voice contained clear hostility.

‘Ah, but he has a nice voice.’

Perhaps because he only dealt with angry complainants and merchants, his tension unconsciously eased at the pleasant voice.

“Why are you waiting there?”

“What? Waiting?”

“Don’t play dumb. I already know you’re targeting the Grand Duchess of Layton.”

“How did you…”

Samuel’s voice trembled.

It wasn’t from shock at having some great secret discovered.

It was because it was strange that the kidnapper would mention such a trivial matter.

“Tell me your motive and who’s behind you. Otherwise…”

The man slowly approached.

Samuel held his breath with a gasp at the intimidating aura emanating from him.

‘He’s scarier than the Knights I met at the Marquis House!’

It was a vicious killing intent that didn’t match his pleasant voice.

Just as the man reached out to grab Samuel, he hurriedly blurted out words.

“I’m sorry! Our Trading Company has caused trouble!”

“…What?”

“The unpaid wages weren’t my fault but the Trading Company Owner’s! If you’re going to punish someone, shouldn’t it be him first! Of course, I did put off work for Wilhel… I mean, the Grand Duchess, but this level is common sense in the industry!”

“…Unpaid wages?”

“Yes, yes! We’re showing our sincerity by promising to pay it back… huh?”

At that moment, the man’s intimidating aura dissipated.

Samuel looked up at the man with a dumbfounded expression.

“The Grand Duchess worked with you?”

“Well, yes? She was an employee of our Acorn Trading Company.”

Before Wilhelmina got married, the place where she had found employment was the Acorn Trading Company.

And Samuel had been her direct supervisor.

“Then the reason you’re here is…”

“Tax audit season is coming up. We got caught falsifying wage statements, so we had to quickly pay her back.”

The small-scale Acorn Trading Company was constantly behind on wage payments.

Wilhelmina hadn’t received three months’ worth of wages either, but since she got married in the meantime, they couldn’t pay her.

To pay those wages, Samuel was waiting here.

“So right now… are you telling me you’ve been withholding wages from the Grand Duchess?”

“…We have committed a mortal sin.”

Saying it like that made it sound like they had committed a grave crime.

Samuel, who had no loyalty whatsoever to his workplace, hung his head low.

‘Damn black company. Damn small trading company.’

And he cursed without restraint the workplace that had made him like this.

It was a truly employee-like mindset.

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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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