I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 206

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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 206

Wilhelmina, who had suddenly appeared, reached out her hand to open the door.

Sophia, who was startled, shouted that she shouldn’t open it, but Wilhelmina didn’t take her hand off the handle.

“Why don’t you want to come out? I’m not your parents.”

Wilhelmina continued speaking in a calm voice, as if she had already anticipated Sophia’s situation.

“Is there something you can’t show me?”

“That’s…”

Sophia, who was inside the room, unconsciously covered her face with her hair.

Even though she knew Wilhelmina couldn’t see her since she was beyond the door, she stepped backward.

‘Even if she’s the Grand Duchess… she’ll definitely be shocked if she sees how I look.’

It was a face that even her parents had frowned at in disgust.

To show her bare face to Wilhelmina, who was the Grand Duchess, was something that had to be thoroughly hidden for the sake of the family.

“Since when?”

“Pardon?”

“Since when did you switch?”

“…We haven’t switched, Sophia is by the Grand Duchess’s side…”

“Then if you’re the third child, why don’t you call her sister?”

Pointing out Sophia’s speech habit of finding it awkward to call her younger sister “sister,” Wilhelmina let out a sigh.

“Never mind, you don’t have to answer this question. I can roughly guess the timing. It was after you got engaged to Jace, right? When that illness started.”

“Do you know what the illness is?”

“I don’t know. But seeing that you had healers coming and going, the reason is obvious.”

The doctors of the nobles certainly had excellent knowledge, but even they didn’t know every illness.

Rather, there were cases where healers were more knowledgeable about endemic diseases or infectious diseases.

Since it was revealed that the patient’s identity was Sophia, the reason for calling a healer was easy to guess.

“Judging by your voice, your health seems fine… Is it a skin problem?”

“…!”

To think she could guess her illness without even showing her face, surprised Sophia covered her mouth and held her breath.

But in times like this, silence tends to sound like affirmation.

No matter how much she tried to deceive, it was just the acting of a teenager, and Wilhelmina quickly caught on to Sophia’s feelings.

“Something you can’t show to others, having to entrust the role to your twin sister, and the reason for calling a healer instead of a doctor… Something must have happened to your face or something like that.”

“Are you… a mage?”

“Why, worried I might have used clairvoyance magic or something? I do know a fairy who can do something similar to that, but I’m not one.”

Anyway, she continued.

“First, come out of the room. It’s frustrating to have a conversation like this, and since all the secrets have been exposed, deceiving is also meaningless.”

“…I can’t.”

“What?”

“I… can’t go out. For Sophia’s sake, and for our family’s sake, I have to stay here.”

Though she couldn’t see her face, somehow Sophia thought Wilhelmina must be frowning.

“Who decided that? Your parents?”

“It’s, it’s my own thought.”

“Lies. If it were really your thought, you wouldn’t have let your younger sister into this place either.”

“That’s because that child came alone…”

“You could have asked the attendants to prevent your younger sister from coming. The reason you didn’t do that is because you still have lingering attachments to the outside.”

She couldn’t bring herself to refute Wilhelmina’s sharp words.

Of course it was natural. Who would like staying in this cramped room?

The walks only once a week, meals served on shining tableware but always eaten alone, old books that had become tiresome – nothing was to her liking.

However, knowing that if she went out, she would cause trouble for everyone, she didn’t approach the door.

The words about doing it for her family had been Sophia’s only belief that sustained her until now.

Wilhelmina firmly denied that.

“Don’t cling to illusions that others have forced upon you. Do what you want to do.”

“…I wish for Sophia’s happiness.”

“Is that you, or is that her?”

“The Sophia who is by the Grand Duchess’s side.”

At Sophia’s answer, her younger sister murmured in a tearful voice.

“Sister…”

She wanted to comfort her younger sister who was calling for her, saying it was alright, but she steeled her heart, thinking she shouldn’t respond to being called sister.

“If I go out… the engagement will be canceled too. Then our family house will suffer great losses. So, I must not be Sophia.”

Sophia touched her own face.

The skin disease that had appeared at some point, red spots swept across half her face like burn marks.

Thanks to the herbs the healers gave her, the pain had disappeared, but the scars remained.

For an unmarried woman, facial scars were a sin in themselves.

Moreover, for House of Count Zormon, which had enjoyed enormous benefits by marrying off their children, Sophia’s flaw was directly connected to the family’s survival.

‘I am Father and Mother’s treasure.’

Sophia recalled her parents’ praise that she had heard since childhood.

‘My, Sophia looks exactly like us.’

‘To think such a clever and pretty child is my daughter. Father is proud of you.’

The second daughter smarter than her older sister, the second daughter prettier than the youngest, the treasure of her parents who would raise up House of Count Zormon.

That was the treatment Sophia had received from her parents until now, and at the same time, the discrimination her twin younger sister had received.

‘This child… we can’t present her anywhere. It would be better to bring in a son-in-law and have him marry this child, wouldn’t it?’

‘That would be efficient. Well, she’s obedient enough despite being stupid, so we just need to choose a smart son-in-law.’

As much as she had been loved, her younger sister had been hated by their parents.

The guilt and sense of debt for not being able to prevent that gripped Sophia’s ankles.

That’s why Sophia thought she shouldn’t feel dissatisfied about giving her future to her younger sister.

She must not disappoint her parents. She must live for her family. Wishing for her younger sister’s happiness is an older sister’s duty.

Everything is my fault for getting scars on my face and being unable to help my family.

Familial beliefs steadied Sophia’s heart.

“If I just endure a little more, everything will be resolved. Sophia can live happily, the family will become wealthier, and I’ll eventually leave this place too. Right now is just a time for patience.”

At Sophia’s words that seemed almost noble, Wilhelmina let out a short sigh.

“…Sigh, good child syndrome.”

“Pardon?”

Sophia felt her muttering an incomprehensible term as she took a step away from the door.

Just when she was relieved that she had finally persuaded Wilhelmina.

“You’re intoxicated by the fact that you’re a victim. Moreover, you can’t even properly look at your younger sister’s face, yet you’re tailoring other people’s happiness by yourself. Does your younger sister look happy to you right now?”

“What do you mean…”

Of course her younger sister’s current life was happy.

With better clothes, room, and food, there was no way she could be more unhappy than herself.

“You only think about giving her the name Sophia, but you never even dream that your younger sister had her own name stolen, do you?”

“…!”

“Right now we don’t even know your younger sister’s name. Your younger sister has been erased from this mansion without leaving even a speck of traces. Is that what you consider your younger sister’s happiness?”

Sophia, who was about to answer yes, recalled her younger sister’s crying that she had just heard.

Part of her heart might have accepted her younger sister’s tears as mere whining.

Unlike herself who was trapped here, she had concluded that her younger sister would surely be happy.

“Listen carefully, Sophia. The happiness you desire is wrong. No one should steal another person’s name. Even if you two use each other’s names, you two cannot become the same person. You’re just fakes using someone else’s name.”

“B-but…”

“To begin with, imagining that everyone will be happy if only you’re unhappy is arrogance.”

Then what was I supposed to do.

Resentment rose up to her chin.

She wanted to scream not to blame her, that she didn’t want things to turn out this way either.

As if understanding Sophia’s feelings, Wilhelmina continued in a somewhat softened voice.

“So, take back what’s yours. Don’t be afraid to confront them. If you only run away, no one can save you.”

“…The engagement will be canceled. My parents will abandon me too, and our family house might fall to ruin.”

“How can you be so certain the future will turn out that way? You’re just trapped in a room constantly imagining, but you’ve never faced reality.”

Wilhelmina’s voice moved another step further away.

“As you wish, I won’t open the door. If you’re that intoxicated by your trapped situation, it would be useless even if I took you out.”

“…I’m not intoxicated.”

“Then open the door and come out. The door has been unlocked from the beginning.”

The count couple was confident that Sophia would never open this door and come out.

Sophia, who had grown up as a good child, never went against their words.

“There’s nothing to fear. You just need to show the simple act of pushing the door and taking one step out. Then I’ll restore you back to Sophia.”

“What about after you restore me? What happens to our family?”

“You need to ask the right question. You’re more important than your family.”

“…Is it, is it okay for me to return to being Sophia?”

Wilhelmina smiled.

“Of course. Even if I can’t know your family’s future, I can assure you of one thing. When you return to being Sophia, no one will be able to find fault with you.”

It sounded like the comfort that parents would give.

The adult’s embrace, telling her that everything would be fine and to trust and leave her worries behind, made her feel relief for the first time in her life.

Sophia’s hand, mixed with anxiety and worry, anticipation and hope, was already slowly pushing the door open.

Creak-

She had only stepped from the dark room into the slightly brighter corridor, but standing before Sophia was Wilhelmina with an expression brighter than sunlight.

“See, you can do it well.”

And she stroked Sophia’s hair like a parent praising their child.

Sophia had instinctively tried to cover her face, but Wilhelmina arranged her hair and said.

“It’s okay, you’re pretty.”

“….”

“Well done, Sophia. Now, let’s go up together.”

Sophia’s face reddened as she slowly nodded her head.

She thought that in front of this person, she no longer had to try to be a good child.

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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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