I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 95

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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 95

 

And so, at the arboretum where Western Sun was being held, Jace entered with confident steps.

 

The person who recommended Jace was a baron house that had connections with the Metokan Baron House.

 

From what he heard, they felt guilty about not being able to help Mabel at the time, so they easily wrote him an invitation.

 

‘Not my concern though.’

 

Jace wasn’t curious about who that baron’s child was or what kind of feelings they were waiting for him with.

 

The moment he accepted Wilhelmina’s request, Jace had clearly set his goal.

 

In fact, he could have refused the request.

 

Even though Wilhelmina held Jace’s weakness of the document theft incident, she had firmly stated she had no intention of using it.

 

‘Besides, Father also told me to get along well with House Layton.’

 

And seeing Jace making such excuses, Mirinai smiled brightly and said.

 

‘Jace likes Grand Madam. I do too.’

 

He was about to shout that it wasn’t true, but somehow his mouth wouldn’t open in front of Mirinai’s smile.

 

‘Well… it wouldn’t be bad to have a debt or two.’

 

Moreover, though he couldn’t explain why, he had an intuition that following Wilhelmina’s words wouldn’t be a bad thing.

 

Jace deliberately erased Mirinai’s smile that had been so adorable, and looked around the arboretum.

 

In the central plaza, there was a large fountain, and around it were displayed artworks that appeared to be painted by the members.

 

“It looks decent enough.”

 

Jace smirked unnecessarily as he examined the works.

 

He had heard the plan was to freely view the works, then have tea time along with an appreciation session.

 

For a kids’ gathering, it really had an atmosphere no less than high society.

 

But the quality of the works was quite poor.

 

‘It’s a portrait, so why are there jewels embedded in the eyes? This one has wrong proportions too. The perspective is also strange…’

 

“…I could draw better than this.”

 

Muttering in a sullen voice, Jace quickened his pace.

 

In fact, Jace’s aesthetic sense was quite excellent.

 

His handicraft skills were also outstanding, to the point where he received praise from professors in art lessons.

 

To his eyes, most of the children’s works were below standard.

 

Moreover, Jace’s artistic knowledge was to the degree that Wilhelmina, who had tried to teach him about art, was amazed and impressed.

 

Although he hadn’t prepared a painting due to his sudden participation, he was confident he could draw better than any of the works here.

 

‘Besides, there’s exactly the same problem the Grand Duchess mentioned.’

 

Wilhelmina, who had heard that an art exhibition was this week’s theme, had guaranteed that there would be ‘that problem’ among the paintings.

 

He had scoffed, wondering if there would really be such idiots who would do such a thing… but there were more than expected.

 

‘It really is a gathering that only looks decent on the surface.’

 

Jace clicked his tongue, saying that even Academy club standards were superior, and eventually spotted Cornell, the leader of the gathering.

 

He was appreciating works together with a group of children.

 

‘He’s obviously putting on airs.’

 

He was resting his chin on his hand, spouting strange evaluations about the artworks.

 

This painting lacks color, or you can’t feel the emotion in it… they were such shallow evaluations that they made him want to snort.

 

The problem was that the group following him was looking at him with admiring eyes and praising him.

 

“Hmm, this technique using sand is unique. I can feel the three-dimensionality.”

 

“Oh my, thank you for the compliment, Cornell.”

 

“On the other hand, this one… you focused too much on the background. I can’t relate to the smiling expression. It’s disappointing.”

 

“That’s so true! The colors are dull too, and it’s boring. You’re amazing as always, Cornell.”

 

Perhaps because he was accustomed to the training camp that valued discipline, Cornell’s every word made him cringe.

 

‘Obviously, the ones getting criticized are probably works by the outcasts or kids from lower social status.’

 

Jace made a retching sound and quietly stepped back, looking for an opportunity to intervene.

 

‘The Grand Duchess said so. Someone will definitely become a target. If I watch for that…’

 

Just then, the opportunity he had been waiting for arrived.

 

“Huh? These two paintings are similar. Who drew them?”

 

“They’re by Zephyro and Billia.”

 

“Wow, they’re really similar. They’re both watermill paintings from the outing we saw last time.”

 

The next turn was for the watermill paintings by children named Zephyro and Billia.

 

But the way they were displayed was quite intentional.

 

They were exhibited on the same line, as if asking viewers to compare the two paintings.

 

Zephyro’s was a beautiful painting filled with bright colors, while Billia’s was a plain painting with clear lines but lacking diverse colors.

 

“Zephyro is truly amazing. He created a wonderful work last time too, and this one is also splendid. On the other hand, Billia’s work…”

 

A girl burst into laughter with a “pfft.”

 

The way she covered her mouth with a fan was so natural, as if she had practiced it somewhere.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry. This is rude of me…”

 

“It’s fine, Yufina. That can happen. Billia’s work is just that… amusing. Right, Cornell?”

 

“Hmm, yes, it’s a bit disappointing. Billia’s work seems too conventional. It would be good if she could break out of that shell. On the other hand, Zephyro’s work is…”

 

They praised Zephyro’s work and disparaged Billia’s work.

 

But in Jace’s view, the evaluation should have been the opposite.

 

That was because Zephyro’s work was a prime example of ‘that problem’ Wilhelmina had guaranteed. Namely, the problem of ‘plagiarism.’

 

“Well then, let’s go see the next artwork.”

 

When Cornell was about to lead the group away from that spot, Jace thought this was his chance and followed behind them.

 

And he spoke very loudly, as if for all the members to hear.

 

“You call this a painting? Even if I drew it with my feet, it would be better than this.”

 

“…”

 

The arboretum was enveloped in silence.

 

When everyone’s attention gathered on him, Jace opened his mouth as if he had prepared for this.

 

“Besides, this is a counterfeit, isn’t it? Or should I call it plagiarism? The composition and colors are completely from the Chakila Artist’s work.”

 

“What do you mean…”

 

The flustered Cornell and his followers nearby stammered.

 

Jace quickly scanned the faces of the spectators.

 

It was to find the child who appeared to be Billia among them.

 

‘There she is.’

 

A girl with striking freckles happened to be wiping away tears when her eyes met with Jace’s.

 

Jace smirked at her, then looked at Billia’s artwork and said.

 

“Still, this one’s somewhat decent to look at. The finishing is clean, and unlike that plagiarized work, it’s faithful to the basics too.”

 

“Wh-who are you? Just where do you think this place is…”

 

When the girl called Yufina tried to approach, Jace straightened his back that had been bent to appreciate the artwork and spoke with an arrogant expression.

 

“Jace Mylo. I’m a new member. Nice to meet you.”

 

“Uh… th-that is…”

 

Ignoring Yufina who was blushing for some reason, Jace snorted at Cornell who was blinking his eyes.

 

“I heard Western Sun was an incredibly cultured place, but it’s really nothing special. Do you guys even consider plagiarized works like this as art?”

 

Surely what Wilhelmina wanted was a ‘small commotion,’ but the alley boss who had reclaimed his territory after so long had no brakes.

 

* * *

 

Mabel looked around the arboretum with a dumbfounded expression.

 

The children were murmuring in their respective groups.

 

It was quite a different atmosphere from Western Sun, which always prided itself on elegance.

 

‘That person… fought with Cornell, right?’

 

She recalled the argument that had broken out as soon as she entered.

 

Though she was too far away to properly hear the conversation, it was certain that the young man had insulted Cornell.

 

Cornell’s friends had argued back against the young man, but he had sneered as if there was no need to listen.

 

After the commotion passed, the young man turned around as if he had completely lost interest.

 

Then he sat at the table where tea time was scheduled, propped his chin on his hand, and began glaring at the plaza with listless eyes.

 

‘He looks scary.’

 

Mabel averted her eyes, afraid she might accidentally make eye contact with Cornell.

 

Actually, the young man’s appearance was handsome.

 

His impression was fierce, but with his splendid green hair, sharp eyes, and tall stature, calling him a beautiful young man wouldn’t be lacking.

 

The problem was that his eyes, mixed with anger and irritation, covered up all his charm.

 

Anyway, due to the chaotic atmosphere of the arboretum, Mabel, who had intended to go find Yufina right away, hesitated in her steps.

 

‘Should I wait a moment?’

 

Yufina didn’t seem to have time for conversation.

 

She was moving her mouth busily, whether comforting Cornell or perhaps badmouthing the green-haired young man.

 

Since she had heard that tea time would follow after the appreciation session, Mabel thought it wouldn’t be too late to have a conversation then, and walked toward a corner while waddling with her large canvas.

 

‘But where should I go?’

 

There was nowhere to sit and rest except for the table where the green-haired young man was.

 

While she was pondering what to do, she saw a girl approaching the green-haired young man.

 

“Um…”

 

The freckled girl sat beside the young man and carefully opened her mouth.

 

“Thank you, Jace. For taking my side…”

 

“Hmph, I just said what I saw.”

 

The tone of the young man called Jace was still sharp, but the girl shook her head vigorously and expressed her gratitude once more.

 

“No, it really was a great help. Ah! I’m late with my introduction. I’m Bilia Timir.”

 

While Jace and Bilia were exchanging introductions, people began gathering around him one by one.

 

“Is this your first time here? I’m Pict. I’m from a bit far from Mailo Territory…”

 

“To recognize Chakila Artist’s work, that’s really amazing! Actually, I’m also a fan of Chakila Artist…”

 

In an instant, Jace’s surroundings were filled with children.

 

‘Even though he looks so scary, he’s quite popular.’

 

Not knowing what had happened earlier, Mabel found his popularity curious.

 

Just then, Jace, who had been casually brushing off the children’s greetings, spotted Mabel.

 

He looked Mabel up and down, then his eyes lit up as if he had spotted prey.

 

“Hey, you there.”

 

“…Why?”

 

“Are you Mabel?”

 

“Yeah.”

 

Mabel took a step back, feeling burdened by his gaze.

 

Jace pointed to the seat next to him with his chin and said.

 

“If you’re going to sit, sit here. There’s space. I’m right now…”

 

“…I don’t want to.”

 

“I have something to say… what?”

 

“I’ll just stand.”

 

Mabel firmly refused.

 

As if he hadn’t expected Mabel’s reaction, Jace blinked blankly.

 

“What… hey, I’m telling you to sit here. Who’s going to eat you?”

 

“I don’t want to.”

 

When he got up from his seat and approached, Mabel hugged her painting tightly and took another step back.

 

“No, listen to me. I have something to say. Why are you running away like that?”

 

“Well…”

 

Mabel, who had half-covered her face with the painting, secretly muttered.

 

It was a very small voice, but Jace, who had good hearing, heard it clearly.

 

“Because you look scary. And… you’re green.”

 

‘Your hair looks like seaweed.’

 

A simple and bizarre reason, typical of a child.

 

For reference, the only food Mabel was picky about was seaweed… sea vegetables.

 

Mabel avoided the spot because it reminded her of food she disliked… and Jace couldn’t say anything as he recalled the harsh words of a villainous-looking woman he had heard before.

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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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