I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 158

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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 158

“…Damn it.”

Rohanos, who had muttered a low curse, sat up from the bed.

It had been a long time since he’d had a nightmare.

After reuniting with Wilhelmina, the past that he hadn’t faced for a while had come back to haunt him, and his mood plummeted to the floor.

The cause of the nightmare was obvious.

‘Yes, I still love him now.’

The shock that felt like his soul was crumbling still hadn’t disappeared.

In truth, this kind of ending was something he had prepared himself for the moment he erased her memories.

The connection between Rohanos and Wilhelmina had vanished.

The daily life they spent at the Academy, the conversations they shared, the budding feelings—everything had become a blank slate.

So he shouldn’t be disappointed by Wilhelmina’s words.

All of this was his own responsibility.

The resolution he had repeated countless times crumbled like a sandcastle in the face of her voice.

“Your Grace, are you awake?”

A subordinate’s voice came from outside.

Rohanos relaxed his stiff expression and told him to come in.

The subordinate entered the bedroom holding formal attire in one hand.

‘…Right, this is just the beginning.’

The busy period of fighting Black Hand was brief, and starting today, the birthday celebration banquet would begin.

That meant it was time for Rohanos to take off his mourning clothes as well.

He would also remove his mask and face Wilhelmina with his bare face.

Since Wilhelmina was so bad at distinguishing people’s faces, she wouldn’t think that ‘Rohan’ and ‘Rohanos’ were the same person. Their attire and atmosphere were completely different.

The problem was any memories from the Academy that might still remain.

If Wilhelmina were to see him and recall her memories…

“Your Grace? Should I visit again later?”

“…No, it’s fine.”

Rohanos shook his head and accepted the clothes.

‘Hoping she’d recognize me—how ridiculous.’

She must not recognize him.

The reason he was removing his mask to face her was to confirm whether her memories had been completely erased.

The reason he hadn’t immediately gone to see her when she went to the Western Region was also to wait until the memory erasure was completely finished.

Now that over a year had passed, theoretically her memories should be completely erased.

If so, this occasion would also be the first time he and Wilhelmina would face each other.

“…What is the Grand Duchess’s schedule?”

So this time, he resolved to forge a proper meeting and a relationship he wouldn’t regret.

Even if there was no emotion called love in that connection, it didn’t matter anymore.

* * *

The Emperor’s birthday celebration was packed with people.

It was said to be an event where more nobles gathered than could be counted on one hand in the Empire’s history, and as if that statement wasn’t an exaggeration, the Imperial Palace and Capital were filled with people.

Music echoed from every Banquet Hall in the Imperial Palace, and the city showed vitality with festivals being held.

“This is excessive.”

At the Main Palace’s Banquet Hall, Rohanos, who saw the dancing nobles and splendid orchestra, spoke to Theorne who was beside him.

“Too much money was spent on just a birthday. Even the founding day wasn’t this extravagant.”

“A lot of event budget was left over from mourning the Previous Emperor’s death all this time. It’s not excessive, so don’t worry.”

This place was the highest seat in the Banquet Hall, a small balcony for appreciating the orchestra.

After announcing the opening greeting for the birthday celebration, the two had come here and were spending time.

Below in the Banquet Hall, there were countless people expecting when Rohanos and Theorne would come down. Seeing them, Rohanos asked.

“Don’t we need to go down?”

“It’s fine, the celebration will continue anyway, so there’s no need to exhaust ourselves already.”

Theorne yawned and put the fruit juice he was holding to his mouth.

Then he swallowed the sweets on the table in one bite.

It was a habit he had whenever he was tired.

“I had a headache because of Black Hand until dawn today. Really, for being weak, they sure were good at running away. If Ring Finger hadn’t been there, I would have missed one or two of them.”

Ring Finger meant Shirou.

“…That guy seems cooperative.”

“Extremely cooperative. Honestly, I wondered if he was a spy on our side.”

Thanks to that, Black Hand was cleaned up quickly, Theorne muttered with an uncomfortable expression.

It seemed he didn’t quite like having received Shirou’s help.

“His abilities are good, so I’d like to use him a bit more if I could…”

“No. That guy is the most vicious among the executives. Your fingers could get hurt trying to handle him.”

“…If you think so too, then it can’t be helped.”

Even Theorne, who was obsessed with talent, wasn’t foolish enough to covet a poisoned chalice.

Theorne shrugged his shoulders and backed down.

“You think so ‘too’?”

“Wilhelmina said so too. That Shirou is something that will cause trouble if consumed. She said he would definitely become harmful if left alive.”

“…”

Wilhelmina’s eye for people was excellent.

No matter how capable Shirou was, if he fell out of her favor, it was right to eliminate him.

“Speaking of Wilhelmina… don’t you need to go see her?”

“…”

“You dressed up on purpose. Go and ask her for a dance or something.”

Theorne looked up and down at Rohanos’s outfit.

A dark red formal suit, a brooch elegantly engraved with the Venice Family crest, and upper garments that revealed his muscles… It was a splendid costume different from what Rohanos usually wore.

Rohanos frowned and said.

“I didn’t prepare this. This was your Palace Head Maid who…”

“I know, I know. But wearing it was your choice.”

“Playing with words…”

“So are you not going to see her?”

“…I’ll go.”

Since it was obvious he would ask persistently if he didn’t answer, Rohanos sighed and continued speaking.

“It’s just, it’s not the right time yet.”

Wilhelmina was surrounded by many people.

Even though she looked clearly tired, she exchanged greetings with all the nobles connected to the Western Region.

She seemed to think that while she greatly disliked such occasions, she still had to fulfill her duties as Grand Duchess.

Even if she just showed her face briefly and returned to her lodging, no one would criticize her.

“You’re going to meet her once all those people leave? That’ll be difficult. You know there’s more than one or two people targeting her right now.”

Even though the Imperial Palace tried to cover up the Academy incident, rumors had already spread among the nobles.

She had already become famous due to the marriage annulment lawsuit, but thanks to the news that she survived unharmed even after being attacked by assassins, her popularity soared even higher.

A noble with increased attention naturally gains value beyond their status.

Those who were quick-witted seemed to predict that Wilhelmina would become an important figure in the Western Region, and gathered around her one by one.

“As long as she doesn’t leave the banquet hall, they’ll keep flocking to her. Right now there are even people who want to enter my villa immediately. Well, some of them are just guys interested in a widow…”

“I’m going down now.”

“…Oh, okay.”

As soon as Theorne spoke, a man with persistent eyes was approaching Wilhelmina.

Spotting this, Rohanos quickly left the balcony and headed downstairs.

Receiving Theorne’s halfhearted farewell, he approached Wilhelmina.

“Oh my, Duke Venice!”

“We greet the Duke! To meet you like this…”

Casually accepting the nobles’ greetings, he pushed through the crowd and stood before Wilhelmina.

The man who had been about to approach Wilhelmina spotted Rohanos and stepped back.

Rohanos looked at him briefly, then took Wilhelmina’s hand. And he kissed the back of her hand.

“…Good morning, Grand Duchess. I’ve come to meet you as promised.”

It meant he had come to keep his promise to meet her without his mask.

But it seemed to sound different to those around them, as meaningful exclamations flowed out.

“Could it be, you two?”

“Oh my, now that I think about it…”

Their gossip couldn’t be heard anyway.

All of Rohanos’s attention was focused on Wilhelmina.

What expression she made the moment she saw his face, whether she recalled the past, or perhaps…

Eyes still mixed with fatigue, a faint smile no different from how she treated other nobles.

Seeing that expression, he realized she had forgotten him.

Wilhelmina had completely forgotten Rohanos’s existence.

Him, who had once been her lover.

“…The music playing is an Eastern Region dance song. Would you like to dance one song together?”

There was no need to be disappointed. This meant the plan had succeeded.

Rather, it was a good thing. They could build a deeper connection from now on.

Rohanos repeated this to himself countless times.

“An invitation from Duke Venice, what an honor.”

Wilhelmina took Rohanos’s hand.

Slender and warm hands, the lovely hands he had held dozens, hundreds of times at the Academy.

Rohanos clenched his teeth to avoid being noticed and escorted her to the dance hall.

Just then, the lighting dimmed.

This waltz was set against winter and evening, and the lighting seemed to have been dimmed to match the content.

Thanks to this, a romantic situation was created where only the partner in front could be seen.

Rohanos didn’t want Wilhelmina to notice his nervousness, so he subtly pulled his head back.

But for some reason, Wilhelmina grabbed his body and drew herself closer.

“Grand Duchess?”

“Just a moment.”

The dance began.

People moving in circles, when their gazes were scattered as they became absorbed in each other, Wilhelmina brought her lips to Rohanos’s ear.

As her fragrant scent tickled his nose, Rohanos’s muscles stiffened like rock.

“Duke.”

“…Yes.”

“Who are you?”

At that moment, Wilhelmina’s voice completely changed.

“What was our relationship…?”

A sharp voice filled with complex emotions of tension, wariness, and subtly contained anger.

Wilhelmina gripped Rohanos’s hand and shoulder tightly as if she wouldn’t let him escape.

“Answer me. Why do I feel this way when I look at you?”

Only then could Rohanos face Wilhelmina directly.

The mask of composure she always wore was blurred.

Just like that day when her memories were being erased.

“Who exactly are you?”

Trembling lips and eyes, a voice desperately demanding answers, slender arms that seemed like they would break if pressure was applied, pitiful fingers gripping him—everything was lovely.

So much so that he wanted to devour her right here, right now.

He wanted to claim her lips, embrace her crushingly, hold her captive so she couldn’t escape, so she could only look at him.

He wanted to bind her who had seduced him in dreams and make her his own, just like he had done in those dreams.

“…Grand Duchess.”

Rohanos slowly embraced Wilhelmina.

His embrace was radiating heat as hot as lava.

The sounds around them were no longer reaching his ears.

“Do you want to know?”

The moment he gave an affirmative answer, Rohanos’s reason would surely snap.

Even though it was a question he shouldn’t ask, Rohanos had spoken it aloud.

“What you’re feeling… I can tell you what it is.”

Wilhelmina’s breath touched his chest.

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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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