I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 94
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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 94
After meeting Wilhelmina, Jace underwent a major transformation.
He didn’t become a virtuous and moral noble, but at least he became a boy who didn’t speak carelessly and knew how to control his anger.
In a way, he had overcome his adolescence.
Jace also accepted his own changes and successfully completed Baroness Rollan’s education.
When Jace, who had achieved such proud growth, returned home… what greeted him was a training notice from the Margrave.
‘To think that an heir receiving military education would emerge from our Baron Milo’s house, how very proud I am!’
‘Father, I need to return to the Academy…’
‘It’s fine! The Academy has already contacted us saying they’ll provide attendance certification!’
He couldn’t bring himself to refuse in front of his father, who was wearing the brightest smile he had never seen in his entire life.
The training notice bearing the Margrave’s crest, the attendance certification from the Academy… seeing such flawless arrangements, it was obvious whose scheme this was.
‘Grand Duchess…’
He had prided himself on becoming an adult who wouldn’t yield to his father’s pressure, but when he recalled memories of Wilhelmina, cold sweat still broke out even now.
Someone he must never defy – that was Jace’s image of Wilhelmina.
‘My fate…’
After only a brief rest at home, Jace was immediately dragged off to the Margrave’s army.
After that, as if being the son of a noble family didn’t matter at all, he received training throughout the winter from instructors whose eyes blazed with fire.
Swordsmanship, archery, physical training, tactical education, and so on… they were harsh and difficult days, rigorous enough to deploy him to the front lines immediately.
He grew a full span taller, his youthful face began to subtly shed its boyish appearance, and his arrogant eyes took on a calm demeanor.
His particularly sharp atmosphere had considerably settled down, thanks to the burly instructors who mercilessly disciplined him the moment he showed even the slightest disrespectful behavior.
‘Well, still… looking back now that it’s over, I am proud.’
At first, his mind was filled with thoughts of escape, but as time passed, Jace’s mindset gradually changed.
The biggest change was that he no longer trembled under pressure from his betrothed family, Count Jormon’s house.
Whether it was because the instructors’ fists were more frightening than their lectures, he no longer trembled at a single letter.
At the same time, he also realized how foolish his former violent self had been.
‘What was that petty pride worth anyway.’
Coming out into the world, he realized how cowardly his actions had been.
When Jace, whose mindset had changed this way, sent letters of apology to the Baroness and maid Rose and received their forgiveness… spring arrived.
It was finally time to leave the training camp.
Now he no longer had to wake up at dawn to run around the training ground, nor did he need to faint from grueling physical training.
Just as he was about to rejoice fully at the fact that freedom had come.
‘A letter has arrived from the Grand Duchess.’
A letter had arrived in Wilhelmina’s name.
When he opened the letter with trembling hands, he saw greetings written in neat handwriting.
After quickly skimming through it, the contents could be summarized in one line.
[Wow, right now.]
And so Jace headed to Layton Territory with tears in his eyes.
* * *
Only about half a year had passed, but Wilhelmina and Jace met in the study that strangely held memories for them.
Mirinai, still as cute as ever, poured black tea in Anna’s place, and perhaps because it had been so long since he’d seen her, his heart pounded violently.
‘She’s gotten even cuter.’
Of course, Mirinai hadn’t changed at all except for growing a bit taller.
It was a misunderstanding caused by Jace’s infatuation growing thicker.
Wilhelmina, who had been quietly watching this scene, spoke in a reluctant voice.
“You, I mean. Do you still think Mirinai is…?”
“Pardon?”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
Wilhelmina sighed, trailing off her words with the thought that he would learn the truth someday.
“Anyway, I called you here because I have a favor to ask.”
“…What kind of matter is it?”
Jace took a sip of the black tea he could rarely drink at the training camp and waited with a tense expression as if what was coming had finally arrived.
‘What could it be? Don’t tell me she’s going to conquer high society or something like that?’
To Jace, Wilhelmina was like a mastermind character from a novel.
Even when he was at the training camp, he had heard stories about Wilhelmina.
It was rumors about her guard knight, Nata.
Nata, who won the martial arts tournament and fully displayed his skills.
A knight who left the army that had looked down on him in a triumphant manner and found his true master.
Only then did the knights realize that everything had been Wilhelmina’s scheme.
The instructor, reminiscing about that time, sighed and said this:
‘Everyone was in the Grand Duchess’s palm.’
Jace felt sympathy for the instructor who had always seemed so intimidating.
Because he had experienced the exact same thing.
When he realized something was wrong, it was already too late.
The situation where his own karma was strangling him, and then Wilhelmina’s hand reaching out to him…
‘She must have come up with some grand scheme this time too.’
Jace gulped and looked at Wilhelmina, who was leisurely choosing her words while thinking ‘How should I explain this?’
‘Could she be trying to use our family? I heard recently that House of Count Zormon isn’t on good terms with the ducal house. Or maybe she’s making moves at the Academy? Come to think of it, that marquis’s child…’
While Jace was having these various wild suspicions, Wilhelmina opened her mouth.
“Jace, can you do some acting?”
“Uh… why?”
“I need to act like a troublemaking neighborhood bully. I’ve done it before, so I can do it well, right?”
Jace’s face crumpled up.
Regardless, Wilhelmina continued explaining the reason she had called Jace.
After hearing about the conflict between Mabel and the Western Sun, Jace frowned.
‘Western Sun? That’s just a gathering of gloomy kids.’
It was a group famous for its tight unity, like the alumni connections at the Academy.
Of course, that wasn’t a compliment.
Even aside from Mabel’s case, there were countless children who had fallen out of favor with that group and then had bad rumors spread about them.
The nickname ‘little social circles’ was quite fitting.
“So… you want me to help that girl named Mabel?”
“No, just causing a moderate disturbance will be enough.”
“Why? Wouldn’t it be simpler to help her directly?”
Bullying was something that happened quite often at the Academy too.
Since it wasn’t easy for kids to resolve among themselves, it wasn’t uncommon for parents or relatives to subtly intervene.
Usually these situations were resolved unfairly due to status differences, and in that sense, Mabel was in a very advantageous position.
‘Even if the Metokan Baron House has no power, House Layton is different.’
There was definitely no noble who wanted to get on the bad side of Duke Layton, the leader of the Western Region.
If Wilhelmina just applied a little pressure, this kind of problem would be easily resolved.
“Jace, if you were Mabel, would you want my help?”
“Of course not. I’d just want to… no, I’d want to resolve it myself.”
Wilhelmina’s eyebrow twitched for a moment.
Jace hastily corrected his words.
“Mabel is the same. If that child had wanted my help, I would have gladly helped her. But she chose to resolve it with her own hands.”
“Is it because of pride?”
“Probably.”
‘…Hmm, not bad.’
Jace’s evaluation of Mabel went up a notch in his mind.
He had been thinking she was just a weak young miss who relied on her backing called Wilhelmina.
Even if he didn’t understand the feelings of a bullied child, he knew that bullying among children was a frustrating problem that couldn’t be easily resolved.
To think she was trying to solve it alone, and she was just a young miss from a baron house at that.
He began to develop some interest in Mabel.
“I understand. You’re saying not to help her openly, right? …But what does that have to do with causing a disturbance?”
“To be precise, it’s not causing a disturbance but talking back. To the president of that group.”
When Jace seemed to have trouble understanding, Wilhelmina leaned forward as if sharing a secret and continued.
“Jace, do you think that group would really be harmonious and peaceful?”
“Uh… probably not?”
“Would everyone follow and respect the president?”
“That’s unlikely.”
Nobles were the type to form factions even when just three gathered together.
Even if to a lesser degree, it was natural that the Western Sun, which was called the little social circles, would also have factions.
“That’s right. So you’ll become friends with the members who dislike the president.”
“…Ah.”
Only then did Jace understand what Wilhelmina meant.
“You don’t need to help Mabel directly. But you can support the children who want to take Mabel’s side.”
Jace felt a chill down his spine at Wilhelmina’s unexpected plan that penetrated the children’s ecosystem.
Escalating personal conflict into a group problem.
Using resentment to make children who don’t sympathize with bullying step forward.
It was about stimulating the simple and obvious rebellious sentiment of ‘I actually didn’t like her either.’
“Of course, you can’t use violence or profanity. You don’t need to make enemies there. Listen carefully, the attitude you should show is…”
Wilhelmina slowly began educating Jace.
It was practical education infused with adult social skills that he had never heard at the Academy, not even from the Baroness.
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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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