I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 160

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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 160

As I pondered seriously, Professor Fortran and Nata simultaneously let out sighs.

“Wilhelmina, your premise is wrong.”

“It won’t be, Grand Madam.”

Their gazes stung, so I cleared my throat and straightened my posture.

“Then what do you two think?”

Professor Fortran answered first.

“Probably an impulse born from intensified desire. Sexual impulses often awaken other impulses. Besides, if it was truly a relationship of resentment, he would have forced you rather than made a proposal.”

“Force, you mean…”

“Force to restore your memories. That’s the only way he could get revenge, right? So, did the Duke encourage you to recall your memories?”

“…No, it was the opposite.”

Rather, he had an expression of regret for asking such a question.

It was as if he hesitated for me to recall my memories again.

“Then reasoning logically, it wouldn’t be resentment.”

“Hmm, I see.”

This time I shifted my gaze to Nata.

At my look asking if he thought the same, he nodded.

“I don’t think it’s a negative emotion. …Yes, it can’t be.”

“You’re quite certain. Did you see something?”

“…No.”

“Hm…?”

Nata closed his mouth with a complicated expression.

As I looked at him puzzled as he retreated as if he couldn’t say more, Professor Fortran asked as if something had suddenly occurred to him.

“Don’t other people know anything? I stay in the research laboratory, but the employees outside might remember.”

“I was curious about that too, so I asked Miss Billia. I asked her to inquire about me to the professors.”

“The answer was…”

“They said they’d never seen me hanging around with male students. My major professor said the same.”

In the end, it meant no traces remained.

The black-haired man who was supposedly my lover was a figure that only remained in Professor Fortran’s mind.

Professor Fortran muttered as if disgusted.

“Don’t tell me they erased the memories of everyone at the Academy?”

Given the circumstances, that’s how it had to be seen.

I slowly organized the story.

‘Wilhelmina associated with Duke Venice in the past and had her memories deleted for some reason.’

It wasn’t just me who had memories deleted, but also all the people who were at the Academy at that time.

Professor Fortran’s intact memories were either by chance, or because the culprit failed to detect his existence.

‘And it’s certain the Emperor was involved in this. Whether the Emperor has the ability to delete memories or a third party possesses it, I don’t know.’

Even though the situation was complex, only 3 people were ultimately entangled.

Past Wilhelmina, Duke Venice, and the Emperor.

The emotion I harbored toward the Duke was close to love-hate.

I still couldn’t be certain whether we were truly lovers or parted as enemies.

‘This is difficult. There’s no way to break through either way.’

Confronting the Emperor or the Duke with my own power was completely out of the question.

And if I tried to gather clues at the Academy, there were no witnesses left.

Then there was only one thing left.

Finding the mastermind who supposedly controlled Black Hand.

I recalled what Shirou had said when I was kidnapped by teleportation magic.

‘Come with us, Wilhelmina. We will fill in your gaps.’

The one who controlled Black Hand – he knew the secret of my memories.

“…Anna, when is the next banquet?”

“The official Imperial banquet is tomorrow afternoon.”

“Then we have time. Prepare for an outing. Let’s go to the commercial district.”

Once I decided, I had to move quickly.

Since I could only stay in the capital until the celebration ended, I planned to finish everything I could before then.

“Professor, please stay here. You might be in danger if you go out unnecessarily.”

“Who are you going to meet?”

“My former boss.”

It was time to use Samuel, my second ally after Billia.

* * *

The Empire’s golden treasury where prestigious trading companies gathered – the commercial district.

Acorn Trading Company had its headquarters in a small building on the outskirts of that commercial district.

I went there without any prior notice.

And I stubbornly insisted on meeting the Trading Company Owner, dropping Samuel’s name.

When I even resorted to threatening to publicize Samuel’s rudeness toward me if they didn’t comply, the Trading Company Owner finally raised the white flag.

“Using my cherished subordinate like this – you show no consideration, Grand Duchess.”

“If I hadn’t done this, you would never have agreed to meet me.”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to get involved with such a gre- great noble like the Grand Duchess. We at Acorn prefer safety, you see.”

His distinctive way of speaking was still the same.

I shrugged my shoulders instead of answering.

I thought I had been unreasonable, but I didn’t regret it.

I knew the Trading Company Owner’s personality well.

If I hadn’t forced my way through like this, he would have run around avoiding me until the celebration ended.

‘He’s quick to catch on. He must have noticed that I’m entangled in complicated problems.’

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Samuel learned his intuition and perceptiveness from this man.

The Trading Company Owner of Acorn was a man who fit the nickname of miser perfectly.

It was thanks to his abilities that a small trading company like Acorn could establish a foothold in the capital.

I glanced at Samuel, who was breaking out in cold sweat in the corner of the room.

“But for someone you cherish as a subordinate, you were treating him pretty roughly.”

Especially when you used him to deliver overdue wages to the Grand Duchess.

The Trading Company Owner’s eyebrows twitched as he caught my underlying meaning.

“It’s because I cherish him that I give him trials. That aside, what brings you here?”

“I want to get information about the person who supposedly investigated my background.”

The Trading Company Owner, as if he had already anticipated my question, pulled out a document bundle from under his desk and handed it to me.

“This is…”

“A partnership agreement. These are the documents he presented when proposing a partnership with our Acorn Trading Company. For this business, he requested information about our employees.”

Skimming through it, it was a kind of consignment sales proposal.

A plan where Party A provides resources and Party B handles the sales instead – a proposal with low profits but safety that small and medium trading companies often receive.

The Trading Company Owner received this and handed over the employee list without suspicion.

It was customary for Party A to decide which employee to assign work to.

Moreover, in this world where commercial law isn’t systematic, exchanging personal information for contracts was natural.

The other party looked through the employee list and soon focused on my name as a former employee.

“Taking interest in a former employee – that’s when I finally realized he was suspicious.”

Having achieved his purpose, the other party left saying he would review it positively.

After that, the Trading Company Owner ordered all information related to me to be deleted.

Because he had the intuition that a problem they shouldn’t get involved in had erupted.

Of course, the moment I showed up, that attempt was as good as ruined.

“If you’re going to hold me accountable for handing over the Grand Duchess’s information, I’ll accept it willingly.”

I shook my head while looking at the Trading Company Owner who had raised both hands as if giving up completely.

“That’s not necessary. Watching you squirm is entertaining, but that’s not my purpose.”

Even after hearing the circumstances, my purpose hadn’t changed.

What had happened had happened – information about the man was more important than assigning blame.

“Still the same personality as always… Ahem, understood. Here, I’ve gathered information about that man.”

As if he had been waiting, he presented different documents.

“…You prepared this in advance?”

“An excellent merchant always digs two escape routes.”

This document had less content than the proposal.

Information about the trading company the man operated was written, but there was nothing about his personal information.

Instead, on the last page, a portrait was attached.

“This is…”

“I drew it myself. It’s the face of that man who handed over the proposal.”

“…You can draw paintings too?”

“I dreamed of being a painter in my youth. I gave up after being told it looked like architecture rather than art.”

It was also impressive that he had recorded the other party’s appearance to try to find weaknesses.

After briefly admiring the portrait that was as detailed as if taken with a camera, I fixed my gaze on the man’s face.

“…Huh?”

Dark eyebrows and piercing eyes, tightly pressed straight lips—the face of an old man who had easily passed sixty.

Looking at those stubborn eyes, I somehow felt a sense of déjà vu.

‘Have I seen him somewhere…?’

It could be my imagination. I’m not particularly good at remembering faces, and this type of impression isn’t uncommon either.

But the more I looked at the old man’s face, the more something deep in my heart rang an alarm bell.

“Grand Duchess?”

I ignored the Trading Company Owner’s call and traced back through my memories.

My circle of acquaintances is narrow.

For him to catch my attention this much, he couldn’t have been just a passing encounter.

‘Who is he? Where did I meet him?’

Only after staring at each other for a long while was I able to recall the man’s identity.

Shocked by this utterly unexpected encounter, I unconsciously held my breath.

“…Good heavens.”

Who this man was, how I had met him… it was rather strange that I had forgotten until now.

This person was the beginning of the entire story.

‘Not bad, I’ll buy this woman.’

He was the man who had bought me on behalf of House Layton.

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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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