I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 21

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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 21

As Wilhelmina finished speaking, the waiting servants stepped forward and began guiding the knights and soldiers.

Each commanding knight, along with the apprentice knights and elite soldiers following them, followed the servants with awkward expressions.

Wilhelmina and the Margrave headed toward a small storage room attached to the garden.

Originally a storage room for seeds and fertilizer, it had now been remodeled into Wilhelmina’s rest room.

“You remember the order of events, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

First, the Margrave would deliver a victory speech, award medals, and then start the tournament.

Knowing that long speeches would ruin the atmosphere at such occasions, he planned to proceed quickly through the medal ceremony.

At celebration banquets attended only by nobles, Duke Layton would personally step forward to give speeches, but at gatherings like this with soldiers present, it was customary to proceed with only internal personnel.

“By now my attendants should be explaining the tournament format to the participants… Count, you just need to wear this with me.”

“This is…?”

What Wilhelmina held out was a flashy mask and formal attire that participants might wear.

Perhaps considering the Margrave’s massive build, it was closer to a cloak used in theater rather than formal attire.

The problem was the fabric used in the cloak. Rainbow fabric was haphazardly sewn together, with inexplicable pink hearts and thumbs up marks attached to the chest.

“Surely I’m not wearing this too?”

“That’s what will liven up the atmosphere. I’m wearing one too.”

Wilhelmina’s outfit, which she showed off saying “Look,” was no less impressive. Hers consisted of a cat mask, a rabbit-eared hat, and a hood with multiple long arms reminiscent of a spider.

While the colors were rather pretty, it was so unusual that no one would imagine she was the Grand Duchess while wearing it.

“Everyone will recognize you, Count, but I want to hide my face. Since I need to provide commentary.”

“Commentary?”

“It’s supposed to be a martial arts tournament, so shouldn’t there be commentary to liven things up?”

Could she possibly mean that frivolous commentary they do at fighting arenas?

Typical martial arts tournaments were conducted in a dignified atmosphere. He had never heard of commentary being introduced to raise excitement.

‘But… it would be fun.’

The soldiers would especially like it. There were a few soldiers among the participants, so if there was commentary to lighten the mood, they would be less nervous too.

The Margrave, thinking it was consideration born from deep thought, accepted the costume without hesitation.

“…What about Nata?”

“What about what?”

“You know what I mean.”

Wilhelmina, who had been touching the cat mask, quietly looked at the Margrave.

Her dark blue eyes seemed to see through his inner thoughts, making him feel as if he was facing another commander rather than the mistress of a noble house.

“He’s a bit weak.”

“…”

But contrary to his expectations, what came back was a cold answer.

“I know Sir Nata is in a complicated position. I also understand that you entrusted the work to me because the more you favor him, the worse the situation becomes.”

“Then…”

“Even so, Sir Nata’s handling of the situation was so poor it made me sigh.”

She put on the cat mask with a sigh.

“If he had known that the Count would become his ally, he could have moved more proactively.”

It was quite a cold assessment.

“If he had found people who favored him to form a group, and escalated the matter from a personal issue to one of groups and classes… the situation would have been better. Sir Nata’s fatal flaw is believing that everything can be resolved with swordsmanship alone.”

Though I did suggest that as a solution too, she muttered quietly.

“Using group discord… isn’t knightly.”

“Then since when has ostracism been knightly behavior? Victims buried in irrationality are bound to seek immoral ways to strike back. Both sides will become perpetrators, but at least from the victim’s perspective, it would hurt less than now.”

Wilhelmina’s solution was thoroughly aristocratic politics.

Taking advantage of the Margrave’s silence on this matter to turn it from personal conflict into group discord was a tactic often used by noble ladies seasoned in social circles.

Since he hadn’t expected her to explain it so clearly, the Margrave couldn’t find any excuse to refute it.

“Some things can’t be resolved by being righteous alone. Whether appearance or connections… he had many things he could have utilized. He wouldn’t have needed to bother seeking help from outsiders.”

“Did you tell Nata the same thing?”

“…No.”

Wilhelmina clicked her tongue softly and adjusted her mask.

“I’m not good at saying harsh things to that type of person.”

“…Heh.”

Only then did the Margrave realize that what she had been doing wasn’t speaking ill of Nata, but complaining.

“So you chose the most troublesome method in the end.”

“Well…”

She pondered her words for a while, then sighed as if blaming herself for only being able to say such childish things.

“It makes me angry to see someone who worked hard not getting rewarded.”

In truth, it would have been enough to just give advice from behind the scenes. However, Wilhelmina deliberately brought this problem all the way to the celebration, wanting to help Nata in the most ideal way possible.

It wasn’t as if she would gain any particular benefit from it, yet she had done all this for the single reason that she was angry.

“Now I roughly understand what kind of person the Grand Duchess is.”

At the Margrave’s muttering, Wilhelmina lowered her mask and frowned.

“Is that some local saying from this region or something?”

“Hm?”

“Sir Nata said something similar.”

Puhaha!

The Margrave, unable to hold back his laughter, lowered his head. Wilhelmina looked at the Margrave with narrowed eyes as he laughed while even holding his breath.

“It’s probably because we saw the same thing.”

“What would that be?”

“There is something interesting.”

‘It seems your eye for people isn’t wrong after all.’

The Margrave thought as he put on the strange mask and costume Wilhelmina had given him.

He recalled the first love confession of a man he had met on the battlefield. It was a moment when he understood why that man had harbored unrequited love for Wilhelmina.

“Please take good care of Nata.”

“The job isn’t even finished yet. Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.”

“Kimchi…? What is that?”

“It’s something I miss.”

Wilhelmina grumbled and closed her mouth.

Nata Sonon.

Having received ‘Sonon’ among the Margrave’s middle names, he had dreamed of becoming a knight since childhood. Overcoming persecution toward minority races and enlisting in the Margrave’s army was the first step toward his dream.

Fortunately, his talent was outstanding enough to follow his dreams.

With swordsmanship talent that impressed even the Margrave, he acquired skills superior to most knights within just one year, which was revealed through the achievements he made on the battlefield.

However, his colleagues’ evaluation couldn’t keep up with his achievements.

Excessive talent inevitably brings jealousy. Having perfect talent as a knight, he was isolated for the crime of lacking social skills.

That’s why he couldn’t express in words how grateful he was for Wilhelmina.

When he received his costume as a participant and stopped by the rest room to tell Wilhelmina he would do his best.

Nata overheard the conversation between Wilhelmina and the Margrave.

‘It makes me angry to see people who work hard not getting rewarded.’

It was nothing special, just common words, but they were also the words he had longed to hear.

He realized anew how comforting it was to meet someone who took his side exclusively.

‘I will definitely win.’

Nata briefly bowed silently to the closed rest room door and turned his steps toward the waiting room.

It became an opportunity to pull himself together after his spirit had become lax due to the ridiculous costume.

“Oh? It’s Nata.”

While heading to the waiting room prepared in the annex building, he encountered Derek. He too seemed to be preparing his costume, holding a large cloth bundle in his arms.

He welcomed Nata with his usual good-natured smile.

“Wow, there are so many participants, this is trouble. It’ll be hard to win.”

“…I see.”

Nata trusted Derek, thinking of him as a sincere superior.

He had a good reputation within the knight order, and his skills were equally excellent. It was common enough to see apprentices or low-ranking knights consulting him about their concerns.

‘And yet…’

Even such a person was, in fact, someone who belittled Nata. He still couldn’t forget the conversation he had heard at the annex building.

The way he pretended to look after apprentice knights while subtly putting Nata down showed this wasn’t his first or second time doing it.

As he tried to subtly ignore him and head to the waiting room, Derek still spoke with a smile.

“Still, don’t be too nervous. It’s just an event after all.”

“…”

Nata had never brought up the martial arts tournament in conversation. But anyone among his fellow colleagues knew that he intended to approach this tournament seriously.

Because they knew he was waiting for an opportunity to show his skills.

‘That makes it even more disgusting.’

He could tolerate to some extent the hatred from apprentice knights who had never gone to war with him.

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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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