I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 193

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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 193

It had already been a month since I started coming and going to the Main Castle to show that the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflict had been resolved.

Summer was ending and autumn was beginning, and as the weather became cooler, outdoor activities naturally increased.

Grand Duchess-like duties were added, such as attending banquets with Helene or patrolling the Territory to oversee Mikhail’s business.

I felt uneasy because it seemed like they were gradually giving me more and more work, but I had no justification to refuse, so I had no choice but to follow along.

One morning while living such a busy daily life, I was invited to a meal and headed to the Main Castle.

Going to the Castle from early morning was tiring and difficult, but Helene said she had something to tell me, so I had no choice but to make my way there.

When I arrived at the Dining Hall, Mikhail greeted me with his usual cheerful face.

“Welcome, Mother.”

“Good morning… Where are Minerva and Zeonil?”

I was excited at the thought of seeing my grandchildren, but only Mikhail and Helene were waiting in the Dining Hall.

“They have field study today, so they left early. The three of us will be dining together.”

When you’re at the level of a Ducal House, even the Kids are busy.

I swallowed my disappointment and sat at the dining table. I had been looking forward to it since Minerva had been approaching me much more lately, but it was disappointing.

As I was the last to arrive, the Butler slowly began bringing out the Food.

I was blankly staring at the Plate containing Pre-meal Fruit suitable for an autumn morning when Helene spoke to me.

“I heard you like Fruits for breakfast, so I ordered without meat.”

“Hm? Oh, right. Thank you.”

I was just still not fully awake, but it must have seemed like I was dissatisfied with the Food.

I waved my hands to indicate it was fine and slowly began eating.

The Chef at the Annex Building was also skilled, but certainly couldn’t compare to the Main Castle.

Thanks to the vegetables tossed in refreshing dressing and the high-sugar Fruits, I gradually woke up.

After the meal ended like that, it was time to drink after-meal Tea.

Helene and I ordered Coffee, while Mikhail ordered Black Tea.

“So, what did you want to talk about?”

After all the Servants had left, I asked Helene.

Judging by Mikhail’s atmosphere, it didn’t seem like a serious conversation, but Helene opened her mouth with a stern expression.

“I contacted you because I wanted to discuss Mother’s residence.”

“Residence?”

Could it be that she called me to tell me she’s kicking me out?

I hurriedly looked at Mikhail while recalling how much money was in my wallet right now.

Mikhail waved his hands and laughed as if it wasn’t like that.

“It’s called a residence, but it’s about the Annex Building.”

“Annex Building? What about the Annex Building?”

This time Helene answered instead.

“Because we want to invite Mother to the Main Castle.”

“…I see.”

Now I understood why they referred to the Annex Building as a residence.

“Due to my oversight all this time, I’ve kept Mother staying in the annex building. So I want to take this opportunity to prepare a place in the main castle. If there’s not enough space, I’m even thinking of expanding.”

“Expanding is unnecessary… we have plenty of rooms.”

Though I hadn’t mentioned it before, Layton Castle boasted grounds so vast they rivaled the Imperial Palace.

Just walking around once would take half a day, and the number of rooms was countless.

If we renovated just one or two guest rooms, there would be plenty of space for me to live.

“I cannot give Mother such a room.”

‘Such rooms are better than any I’ve seen in my lifetime.’

Even the family head’s bedroom at the Windsor Family, my former home, was inferior to Layton’s guest rooms.

I looked at Helene with a complicated expression.

“Why did you suddenly think of this?”

“Because there’s no reason to live separately. The management costs for the annex building are also unnecessary.”

Does the annex building cost that much money? I’ve been trying to save where I can, but I don’t know the financial situation well enough to comment.

Then, Mikhail interjected while suppressing a smile.

“Actually, more than that, she wants to live with Mother.”

“Honey!”

“I heard that the reason Mother doesn’t come to the main castle often is because of the distance. If you live in the castle, we can see each other more often, and you won’t have to find it bothersome. We can have breakfast like this more frequently too.”

So that was the reason.

I looked at Helene’s face again. Her cheeks were slightly flushed, as if he’d hit the mark.

‘Well, half the reason I don’t come is because it’s bothersome.’

If it were an outing, a carriage would come to pick me up so it’s fine, but when going between the annex building and castle, I always had to walk.

I could call for a horse, but I don’t feel like calling someone for such a trivial matter.

Just this morning, didn’t I get tired from walking while fighting off sleepiness?

“Did you want to see me that often?”

“…!”

When I asked in a playful tone, Helene pressed her lips together and turned her head away.

Finding that sight adorable, Mikhail smiled so brightly his grin reached his ears.

“Anyway, what do you think, Mother? As Helene said, if there’s not enough space, I’m also in favor of expanding. Since there’s renovation work before winter anyway, it wouldn’t be pushing it.”

“Mikhail, would you also like me to come to the main castle?”

“I’d welcome it. When we live together, happiness doubles.”

It was a response typical of the ever-positive Mikhail.

I took a sip of cold coffee and fell into thought.

Setting aside Helene’s wishes, moving to the main castle wasn’t a bad choice.

The facilities and environment were better, and it was true that the trouble of going back and forth would disappear.

But…

“I’ll decline.”

I slowly shook my head.

“…Why?”

Helene asked with a sulky face like last time.

Wondering how to answer, I chose words that were closest to my true feelings.

“I’ve grown attached to the annex building now. Staying as things are isn’t bad either.”

“Do you dislike staying in the Main Castle? We can assign the same servants to you there as well.”

“It’s not that kind of problem. And I think living in the Main Castle would be enjoyable too. The grandchildren are adorable, and there are many convenient aspects.”

Since the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law conflict had been resolved, there was no reason to avoid the Main Castle.

Besides, even if I moved to the Main Castle, my lifestyle wouldn’t change particularly much.

As for me, I was confident I could live well anywhere as long as I had a bed to lie on, books for entertainment, and delicious meals.

“Then there’s no reason to refuse. Don’t tell me it’s because of me…”

Worried she might misunderstand, I firmly denied it.

“Of course not. I’ve said this many times, but I like both Mikhail and Helene.”

Mikhail smiled saying “I feel the same way, Mother,” while Helene frowned as if she understood even less because of that.

“So, it’s not that I dislike the Main Castle, but rather that I prefer the Annex Building more.”

The time it takes to drink a cup of coffee wouldn’t be enough to explain all the good points of the Annex Building.

I briefly answered that I liked the tranquil and peaceful atmosphere.

Helene seemed intent on continuing to persuade me, offering to create a similar environment in the castle expansion, but I didn’t change my decision.

In the end, the conversation concluded with me visiting the Main Castle more frequently than before.

“That’s disappointing. If Mother came, Minerva and Zeonil would be happy too…”

“Don’t bring up the grandchildren to make me waver.”

When I glared at him while speaking, Mikhail with his drooping shoulders nodded weakly.

‘While I’m grateful for his acting cute, I’ll keep getting swayed by this.’

Moreover, Mikhail was clearly using an acting tone that anyone could see through.

On the surface it seemed like Helene had hoped for this, but I suspected Mikhail had drawn her into it.

‘And since he has no malicious intent, it’s even more troublesome.’

Since he was the type of airhead character who shakes up his surroundings without much thought, I couldn’t let myself fall for it too.

‘And if I moved to the Main Castle, it would be difficult for Rohan to visit too.’

This would only invite unnecessary suspicion, so I absolutely must not let this slip out of my mouth.

“Oh, right. Since you mentioned having something to discuss, I remembered I also have something to ask you two.”

To avoid continuing the Annex Building topic, I took out the book I had brought with me in my drowsy state.

This book was precisely the reason I had lost sleep.

“This is… the Imperial Document Format Collection, isn’t it?”

Mikhail recognized the contents just by looking at the book’s cover. He opened the book and examined the inside.

“Do you know this book well?”

“Of course. There probably isn’t a Family Head who hasn’t memorized this book. We have to check it every time official documents arrive. But this is the 12th Revised Edition… Since we’re currently on the 25th Revised Edition, this is quite an old book.”

Mikhail spoke with interest, saying that both the forms used and the laws were different from nowadays.

“But why this?”

“Actually, I discovered this by chance at the Windsor Mansion.”

Mikhail and Helene’s expressions hardened.

Perhaps because they knew my family history better than anyone, they quickly realized this was a serious matter.

“A part of that book is torn out, and according to the table of contents, it was ‘Suggestions for Improvement and Correction of the Noble Registry.’ So I’ve been investigating it. I thought it might be a clue to finding my past.”

“…Mother, you said you have no memories of the past.”

I nodded briefly.

Forms regarding the Noble Registry… coincidentally, this was exactly what Raymond had wanted from Helene.

So at first, I suspected this book might be related to Raymond, but the distribution period of this book and Raymond’s period of activity didn’t overlap.

All the notes written in the book were also in my handwriting.

“I’d need to know the content to even make deductions, but that section wasn’t in the table of contents in either the previous or later published editions. And when I tried to get the same book, it’s been out of print for so long that I couldn’t find it.”

Given the era, once a book went out of print, it was difficult to obtain unless you went to the Imperial Library.

Moreover, these types of books were immediately replaced when new editions came out, so they weren’t easy to find.

That’s why I wanted to ask if Mikhail had this book.

“Hmm, we don’t have it at the main castle either. It seems they quickly moved to the 13th edition because there was something that needed urgent revision.”

“Then can’t we find it?”

“First, we’ll have to search the bookstores. If that doesn’t work, we could make a request to the Merchant Guild.”

As expected, I knew Mikhail would have a way to obtain it.

Just as we were about to discuss how to get it, Helene spoke up with a reluctant voice.

“…There’s no need for that. I’ve read the 12th Revised Edition before.”

“Really? Do you remember what the content was?”

“Yes, the usage example recorded as an appendix was so striking that I remembered it. It was probably…”

Helene looked back and forth between Mikhail and me, then continued hesitantly.

“It was an application form to request His Imperial Majesty’s permission for a family head to arbitrarily modify the registry of family members. In other words, it was documentation that could demote children or relatives from nobility to commoners.”

To put it in modern terms, it meant it was a ‘Family Registry Removal Application’ for removing children from the family registry.

“The reason it stopped appearing from the 13th edition was probably because it was often misused for illegitimate child issues or succession disputes. Once a form template exists, anyone can use it. In fact, when this was briefly legalized, extreme cases emerged.”

“What kind of cases were there?”

“…It was a case about a family head who made his wife a commoner. The enraged wife killed the family head, and it went to court over whether this was patricide or noble contempt and murder.”

Unable to resolve that issue, the form template was eventually abolished.

I thought that made sense, since it was still an era when legal and administrative techniques were immature.

And at the same time…

Suddenly, a ridiculous thought crossed my mind and I let out a hollow laugh.

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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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