I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 166

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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 166

On the way back from the banquet, Mikhail delivered unexpected news.

“So… Raymond would have approached me with good intentions?”

“For now, that’s my assumption. I’m not certain.”

In the rattling carriage, I rested my chin on my hand and fell into thought.

Mikhail drew a line saying it wasn’t reliable information, but I was convinced as soon as I heard it.

‘The owner of Acorn Trading Company said he couldn’t sense hostility from Raymond. Black Hand also acted more passively compared to before, and the interrogation results of the assassins were the same.’

As the person involved, I was more inclined toward Mikhail’s deduction.

Rather, I wondered why I hadn’t thought that way until now.

Until then, I had been obsessed only with the idea that Raymond was trying to use me to take revenge on House Layton.

I never expected that he might have good intentions toward me.

“Then between goodwill and revenge, goodwill was more important to Raymond?”

“…Pardon?”

Seemingly flustered by the unexpected question, Mikhail’s eyes widened.

“If there are two purposes, wouldn’t there be priorities? Then I’m curious which was more important to Raymond – saving me or taking revenge on the Layton Family.”

To him, I might have been the top priority, or perhaps an opportunity to catch two birds with one stone.

“That’s… a deduction method I never imagined.”

“Is that so?”

Mikhail gaped in surprise, then soon exclaimed “As expected of Mother…” in admiration.

I thought Mikhail, who figured out Raymond’s purpose from small clues, was more impressive, but that wasn’t the important point, so I returned to the topic.

“Anyway, if he had been someone who prioritized revenge more, then as you said, a situation with casualties would have occurred.”

Of course, that doesn’t mean Raymond is a righteous person.

The problem starts with joining hands with an organization that commits murder for money.

Just because the purpose is right doesn’t mean the means can be justified.

“But since he failed to take me away, all that’s left is attacking the Layton Family. We need to find out what preparations he’s making, but…”

“I’ve already given word to the family. By now they should be investigating Raymond and strengthening security.”

“Honestly, I think it would be safest if you just went back, Mikhail.”

“That’s difficult.”

Mikhail smiled bitterly and declined my suggestion.

Mikhail is what you’d call an overpowered character.

Just being by his side gives me the feeling that most dangers could be overcome without problem.

He was so perfect that I could understand Helene’s infinite trust and the loyalty of Layton’s retainers.

The fact that such a Mikhail wasn’t in the territory was the most worrying point in this situation.

“Since I’ve already participated in the birthday celebration, there’s insufficient justification to suddenly return. It would show that something happened to the family.”

“So departing as soon as the celebration ends is the fastest option?”

“That’s right.”

“Then… we need to finish everything we can do while in the capital.”

I thought we had time to spare, but it seemed important to finish as quickly as possible.

I gestured to the coachman and corrected the direction of the carriage.

“Mother? Where are you planning to go?”

“Raymond seems like someone who has a connection with me, doesn’t he?”

“That’s right.”

“Then, let’s go to a place where I can investigate my past. My past memories are a bit hazy, so I think I need to go there directly to find out.”

Since I had already been to the Academy and Acorn Trading Company, there was only one place left.

That place probably wouldn’t have much connection to Raymond, but you never know. And I also needed to investigate the forgotten memories.

‘It’s too early to tell Mikhail that my memories have been erased. The culprit hasn’t been determined yet.’

Sure enough, Mikhail seemed worried about that point too, as he cautiously asked a question.

“Your memories are hazy… did something happen?”

“Well, I don’t really know either. It was a period when so many bad things happened, maybe I’m just shocked from all that.”

It was a hastily made-up excuse, but it was quite convincing.

After all, when a family falls to ruin and people get sold off, I wondered if anyone could maintain their sanity.

When Mikhail made a more serious expression than I expected, I waved my hands and changed the subject.

“Anyway, the place we’re going to now is my paternal family home.”

For Mikhail, it would be called his maternal family home.

I turned my head to the familiar scenery unfolding outside the carriage.

“The former Windsor Mansion.”

The mansion of the Windsor Family, Wilhelmina’s former surname, began to appear in the distance.

* * *

The Windsor Family was a representative family that fell to ruin due to lack of money.

While cases of being unable to handle debt and having to return noble titles were common, examples as spectacular as the Windsor Family were rare.

A family that returned their title and territory for failing to pay taxes, and even sold off family members as brides due to debts to banks and acquaintances – it wasn’t easy to fall this far even in an Empire where slavery had disappeared.

The mansion of the Windsor Family that had fallen so far was quite impressive despite its status.

A mansion built with wood transported from the Western Region, a surprisingly large garden fountain and small greenhouse, and so on… The decorations seemed to have been stripped away, so it looked desolate up close, but it was still a mansion with its own charm.

“It’s a mansion seized by the Empire. Entering would be a crime, but there’s no one watching… heave-ho.”

I opened the rusted main gate and guided Mikhail inside the mansion.

Mikhail looked uncertain about whether we should enter, but at my invitation, he slowly moved his steps.

I pulled open the half-open mansion door and muttered.

“Come to think of it, it still hasn’t been sold. The building is nice, so I thought it would sell quickly.”

Since the nobles care about superstitions, maybe they don’t want to buy the mansion of a family that completely fell to ruin.

Although we who lived here were poor, once it fell into the Imperial Family’s hands, it wouldn’t be a cheap mansion either.

“…For that being the case, it’s quite well-maintained.”

“That’s true, does the Imperial Family send cleaners periodically or something?”

“I’ve never heard of such cases…”

Mikhail, with a suspicious expression, began to look around the first floor.

He seemed to have something he wanted to investigate on his own.

“Tell me if there’s anything that concerns you. I’ll search the upper floor.”

The first floor had the lobby, dining hall, kitchen and such, while the upper floor had the bedrooms, office, and study.

If there were any records, they would likely be there, so I headed there first.

‘It’s been a while.’

Walking through the corridor that had no furniture but was well-cleaned, creating an oddly eerie atmosphere, I became lost in memories.

Even though it was a narrow corridor compared to the Duke’s Annex, for young me it was a playground where I could sprint at full speed until I was breathless.

When I would run around here, Father or Nanny would come out and warn me.

‘Let’s see, the bedrooms and office are completely empty, and the study is also… nothing here.’

Since there was no furniture, naturally the rooms were also empty. There were cleaning tools scattered about, but I couldn’t find any meaningful clues.

At least I found one book in the study.

It was hidden under the broken window, and its cover color was similar to the wallpaper, so it seemed they failed to confiscate it.

I dusted off the book and examined the title.

“…Forms Collection? Shouldn’t this be in the office?”

The book’s content was a collection of forms for Empire administrative work.

It was a book that recorded all kinds of forms from the Empire’s early days to the present, so it wasn’t something you’d read for entertainment.

It meant this was a book that belonged in an office rather than a study.

The well-worn book had various notes written in it… the problem was, that handwriting was mine.

‘I never studied anything like this.’

Even when I tried to concentrate and recall, I had no memory of this book’s contents.

It meant this was part of my erased memories. I quickly skimmed through the book, wondering if there might be any clues.

I didn’t see any special notes, but instead I confirmed that one part of the book was torn out.

‘Let me compare the pages with the table of contents. What’s missing is… suggestions for improvement and revision of the Noble Registry?’

The name alone didn’t give me any idea what it meant. As I was pondering what this could signify.

“Mother.”

“Ah!”

Mikhail’s voice suddenly came from behind me, causing me to drop the book on the floor.

When I turned around in surprise, Mikhail was standing in front of the study looking at me, his expression somehow coldly hardened.

“You startled me. What is it? Did you find something?”

“No, there was nothing unusual on the first floor. It’s just… there’s something I want to ask you.”

“What is it?”

Thinking I should take it just in case, I picked up the book again.

Mikhail didn’t seem particularly interested in the book and asked in a somewhat stiff tone.

“Mother, you said your past memories are hazy, right?”

“…That’s right.”

Wondering if he had noticed that I had no memories, I answered cautiously.

But as if that wasn’t his purpose in finding out, Mikhail continued to ask about a different topic.

“Then, what is your last memory in this mansion?”

“The memory of parting with Father. So… the memory right before I was sold off because of debt.”

“When was that approximately?”

“Since it was before going to the Western Region, roughly 2 years ago.”

Two years. Mikhail rested his chin on his hand and fell into thought.

“…Yes, with that amount of time, the option of completely clearing out the mansion wouldn’t have existed. There wasn’t enough time.”

“Mikhail?”

“And if there really was a shock, the exact timing would be….”

Mikhail began deducing something on his own.

He was muttering quietly, so I couldn’t even hear the rest of his words.

His expression was so serious that I couldn’t interrupt him, but after some time passed, he spoke again.

“Mother, I think I need to go meet His Majesty for a moment. I have something to ask him.”

“Then let’s go together, I’ve finished investigating everything too.”

“No, I want to go discreetly, so please return to the villa, Mother. I think I need to move alone, without a carriage.”

A noble of duke status moving alone – I frowned at such a dangerous request.

No matter how skilled Mikhail was, this was something I couldn’t allow.

“It’s almost nighttime. It’s too dangerous.”

“Hmm, alright, then I’ll move with Sir Nata. That should be fine, right?”

“So you’re saying you’ll go no matter what.”

“Yes, it’s an urgent matter.”

When he put it like that, I had no justification to stop him.

I sighed and nodded my head.

“Fine, go ahead. But when you return, you have to tell me what conclusion you’ve reached.”

Mikhail had clearly realized something I didn’t know.

The fact that he suddenly wanted to meet the Emperor meant he couldn’t tell me right now.

Mikhail answered with a bitter smile.

“…Yes, I will.”

And having made up his mind, he immediately turned around.

Then, as if something occurred to him, he grabbed the study door and spoke in a bright voice.

“Mother.”

“Yes?”

“The Layton Family is always on your side.”

I blinked, wondering why he would suddenly say such a thing.

Mikhail smiled lightly as if it was nothing.

“So don’t worry about anything.”

With those words, he headed outside.

…That aside, he said ‘the Layton Family is.’

‘Put differently, does that mean everyone else might become my enemy?’

It was an unsettling farewell in many ways.

Curious about what exactly he had discovered on the first floor, I went downstairs as soon as Mikhail left the mansion.

And while looking around the first floor, I discovered something strange in the kitchen.

“…Did Mikhail do this?”

The kitchen had been turned into a complete mess, with the wooden floor torn up and the kitchen counter overturned.

Judging by the dust rising up, this had clearly just been done.

While I was focused on the book, he seemed to have torn apart the kitchen.

This wasn’t something done to find something. Rather….

‘It feels like everything was overturned to eliminate some kind of evidence? But… Mikhail said he would come back and explain.’

Those words couldn’t have been a lie.

Then this action was… meant to hide evidence from someone other than me.

“What on earth was here that made this necessary?”

There was no one to answer my question.

Moreover, of all places, it had to be the kitchen, which brought back unwanted memories and soured my mood.

The wrecked kitchen, the dark corridor… it was similar to the environment when Kim Hana died.

The messy kitchen, the dark hallway… because it was strikingly similar to the environment when Kim Hana died.

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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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