I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 217

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

I’m a Mother-in-Law, But I Don’t Want Family Conflicts Episode 217

“Thank you, Nanny. Thanks to you, the problem was solved.”

“Ah, yes.”

After expressing my gratitude to the nanny, I left the house.

Helene, who was waiting outside, saw my relieved expression and spoke with a voice mixed with relief.

“It seems to have been resolved well.”

“Yes, now let’s go to Windsor Mansion in the capital. I want to enter without going through inspection, is that okay?”

“I’ve already made contact. A subordinate inside will open the gate for us.”

I wondered if it was okay to enter so easily into what was supposedly the Empire’s greatest city, but since it seemed like it would become a political discussion, I just nodded.

So Helene and I mounted our horses and began riding again.

“…Was what you wanted to investigate a problem about Father?”

“You knew?”

“I expected it to some extent. I heard all about the circumstances of what happened at Count Zormon’s house.”

“That’s right, I wanted to reveal who the real culprit was that murdered Father.”

“Did you find out?”

“The clues have gathered, so only the conclusion remains. So… I don’t know yet.”

Before we knew it, night had arrived, and thick darkness began to settle over the streets.

I suddenly thought that it was always at night when Helene and I had sincere conversations.

“Helene, if I were revealed to be a murderer… what would you do?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

Helene answered with a firm voice.

“If Mother committed a crime, there must have been a good reason for it.”

“…”

It was a surprisingly familiar answer.

It was exactly the same as what I had said to comfort Mikhail during the summer when he was suffering from the curse.

“What if I came forward to turn myself in?”

“That’s…”

This seemed to require consideration, as Helene paused to choose her words. Then she sighed.

“I would try to stop you, but I would take responsibility. As family, as a daughter-in-law.”

“…You might be punished together with me.”

“I would have to bear it. We’re family.”

It was similar to the answer I had given when the Emperor asked about family crimes.

He said it was strange that I, who seemed rational, cared for my family.

And when family crimes were revealed, he questioned whether I would follow reason or choose family, and I chose the latter. Helene was the same.

The saying that people become alike when they live together came to mind, and laughter escaped me.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Because Helene’s answer is exactly the same as my thoughts.”

“Of course it is. Mother and I are alike, after all.”

Helene snorted as if to say what was there to be surprised about.

“Resemble? For someone who resembles her, you hated me for a long time.”

“…The more we resemble each other, the harder it becomes to accept.”

Perhaps it was an emotion similar to self-hatred. This was something I couldn’t relate to.

“We’ll arrive at the capital soon, so can you give me an answer now?”

“What answer?”

“The reason why you chose me and not someone else.”

“Ah…”

I had forgotten while talking with the nanny.

I looked up at the night sky and murmured.

“Even if I revealed the secret and confessed, I thought Helene wouldn’t stop me.”

Nata and Anna were obviously out of the question. They would sacrifice themselves to stop me.

Mikhail was ruled out since he would likely approach the secret before me and interfere, so Helene was the most suitable.

Helene seemed quite pleased after hearing the reason and said with a sneer.

“That’s right, only a daughter-in-law can understand her mother-in-law.”

‘That’s the hardest thing to hear in a mother-in-law and daughter-in-law relationship.’

A mother-in-law and daughter-in-law who understand each other – it was like a dream.

Helene and I giggled like that for quite a while.

Then, perhaps due to fatigue from the long journey, I yawned.

“Yawn-”

“It’ll take about another hour to reach the mansion. Sleep for a bit.”

“Okay, then excuse me for a moment.”

I felt sorry, but being stubborn here would only cause trouble for others given my weak stamina.

I leaned my head against Helene’s back.

One hour seemed enough to get some rest.

‘Maybe I should think about the memories Rohan showed me.’

It was important to keep recalling them steadily so I wouldn’t be consumed by memory gaps now.

Amidst the waves of approaching sleep and memories, I slowly fell asleep.

* * *

At the Academy before winter break, Rohan was continuing his best efforts to forge his own destiny.

During winter break, he planned to head to the Western Region.

His exact destination was the Western Border Region, because Theorne, who was both a prince and his friend, had told him he needed to conquer that place.

The Western Border Region was the most battle-intensive battleground with foreign tribes in the Empire.

Even for Rohan, renowned as a genius in swordsmanship, it was a place where life and death couldn’t be guaranteed.

Moreover, he planned to hide his identity as someone from a ducal house and operate as Theorne’s knight.

If he died, he would be buried as an unknown knight, not as Rohan of Venice.

It was an operation that no sane person should participate in, but Rohan agreed.

‘The reward is that great.’

All kinds of people from the Empire gathered at the border region. From lower nobles seeking achievement to soldiers pushed out by capital nobles, illegitimate children abandoned by their families, and so on… Rohan’s mission was to unite such outcasts.

Theorne had gathered merchants and scholars with his outstanding abilities, but he couldn’t win over the conservative military nobles.

So he entrusted that role to Rohan, who excelled in military prowess.

If he could sound the victory drums there and monopolize respect, and even build friendships with the military nobles… and furthermore with the Margrave who was called the symbol of soldiers, it would only be a matter of time before Theorne became Emperor.

When he told Wilhelmina about this plan, she scoffed as if she couldn’t believe it.

“Gambling with your life in front of your lover, are you in your right mind?”

Though her attitude was sharp, Rohan knew she was worried about him and calmly persuaded her.

Feeling that she couldn’t change Rohan’s mind, she sighed and nodded.

“Fine, then promise me just one thing. When you come back alive, come find me first. I have something to give you. By then, I’ll be able to meet you in a free state too.”

Freedom regained for the first time – he quickly understood what that meant.

“Don’t overdo it.”

“Who’s telling who? Between me going to trial with the Imperial Palace and you standing on the battlefield, who’s in more danger?”

Wilhelmina was also undertaking her final effort to find freedom.

If Rohan fought on the battlefield, Wilhelmina had to fight in the courtroom of the Imperial Palace.

The freedom she sought to regain was of such low value that nobles couldn’t even imagine it.

Since there was no precedent, there were no allies to help her when she faced opposition.

Her purpose was none other than ‘the dissolution of the Windsor Family.’

‘Voluntary renunciation of noble status, I’ve never heard of such a thing.’

When nobles fell to commoner status, it was usually because they had committed crimes. Until now, no one had voluntarily given up their noble status.

Though buying and selling of official positions was rampant in the distant Northern Kingdom, in the Peon Empire, nobles were those chosen by the sun god.

Who could understand a human throwing away divine blessing?

‘But that wouldn’t matter to Wilhelmina.’

The Windsor Family was suffering from terrible debt.

They were somehow managing to pay taxes, but the money borrowed from numerous nobles and guilds was accumulating interest daily.

At this rate, they would soon be unable to handle the interest and have their property seized, and finally fall from grace for failing to pay taxes.

So Wilhelmina wanted to make the first move.

Rather than having their land and property seized due to taxes and debt, she intended to sell them herself to raise money.

Land and mansions granted by the Emperor couldn’t be sold carelessly, but if she abandoned her noble status, she could return these to the Imperial Palace while securing compensation.

Additionally, she planned to sell the soldiers’ weapons and armor, dismiss the servants, and dispose of all the jewelry and dresses she had been forced to wear to participate in noble meetings.

And using this as capital, she would live as a merchant.

At first glance, it seemed like a reckless and foolish plan, but Wilhelmina wasn’t afraid.

She was confident she could overcome all obstacles and seize her goal.

A small trading company to manage assets, businesses that had completed demand surveys and were waiting to launch, organizations to protect her family’s safety, and so on – she had been constantly preparing while attending the Academy.

‘I’d like to solve it for her if I could, but… the timing is too early.’

Wilhelmina lacked wealth, and Rohan lacked power.

Their best option was to grasp freedom through their individual efforts.

“Anyway, you must come find me. Don’t stop anywhere else.”

“Yes, I promise. No matter what happens, I’ll come to see you right away.”

Rohan clasped Wilhelmina’s hand.

Though the future that would unfold after graduating from the Academy might be difficult, he was certain they could definitely grasp happiness as long as they were together.

They had the ability to do so.

…But ability alone wasn’t enough. They couldn’t resist tragedies that escaped their perception.

‘Too late!’

Heavy spring rain was falling.

In the deep night where even the streetlights were obscured, Rohan arrived at the Windsor Family mansion.

His promise to come see Wilhelmina immediately after finishing work had not been kept.

It was because of Theorne’s request and friction with the military nobles.

Anxious that he might have come too late, he opened the door of the Windsor mansion without even knocking.

And his entire body froze at the smell of blood that wafted toward him.

“Mina!”

He hurriedly headed toward where the smell of blood was coming from. The source of the smell was in a corner of the first floor, the kitchen.

In front of the wide-open kitchen door, in the empty corridor, Wilhelmina was sitting collapsed.

Holding a blood-covered kitchen knife in her hand, facing a cold corpse inside the kitchen.

“Mina, are you okay? What is this….”

“Rohan, Rohan. I… I killed Father.”

“What?”

Wilhelmina, who was trembling and panicking, stammered unlike herself.

No matter how strong she was, she couldn’t remain composed at the fact that she had killed her own family.

“Wait, is that man your father?”

“Y, yes.”

“Stay calm. He might still be alive. First, let me get a doctor….”

Rohan urgently approached the corpse.

But having died some time ago, the corpse that was beginning to show rigor mortis was cold.

When he turned the face, he saw dark blue eyes that resembled Wilhelmina’s.

“I have to pay, I have to pay for my sins.”

“…Mina.”

Eventually, Wilhelmina began muttering the words Rohan least wanted to hear.

It was a confession that everything was her fault. Tormented by guilt, Wilhelmina couldn’t make rational judgments.

Rohan, biting his lip, approached Mina again.

The moment he saw this terrible situation, he realized there was only one way to reverse everything.

The secret arts passed down through the Venice Family, the miraculous memory manipulation magic.

Contemplation and resolution happened in an instant.

“…Rohan?”

“Mina, it’s okay.”

“What are you doing right now….”

“Forget everything.”

He placed his hand on the head of his beloved Wilhelmina….

* * *

“Mother.”

I opened my eyes.

“We have arrived.”

As soon as I opened my eyes, I could see the shabby appearance of Windsor Mansion.

Since I had been at Windsor Mansion even in my dream, it felt as if the dream and reality were connected.

…No, perhaps I might still be in a dream even now.

I could feel unpleasant and warm blood between my fingers.

The sensation of stabbing someone ran up my spine, and I could see Father collapsed at the end of the dark corridor…

“Mother.”

“…Ah, yes.”

Just as my vision was about to blur, Helene grabbed my shoulder.

It seemed that memories from the past were overwhelming my mind, causing hallucinations to appear.

I comforted Helene, who was making a worried expression, and turned my gaze back to Windsor Mansion.

‘I did well to come. I can feel my memories being restored.’

This was the first time my memories had been stimulated this much.

If I went inside and recalled all the clues I had gathered so far, it felt like everything would become complete.

“Let’s go in. Like before, if it seems like I’m about to fall asleep, please wake me up.”

“…Will you be alright?”

“I’ll be fine. They are my memories after all.”

I smiled brightly and headed toward the mansion.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————