I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 32

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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 32

He had already made a plan for how to deal with Wilhelmina.

He was confident that if he shouted that he knew her true identity, Wilhelmina would panic and bow her head like his other subordinates.

The imagination of an adolescent child was remarkably poor.

He hadn’t specifically decided what to make her apologize for. If he had to give a reason, it would be for making him feel bad the day before.

Besides, he didn’t like that the Baroness had entrusted Wilhelmina with his education.

He really hated the Baroness’s etiquette training, but he couldn’t stand being nagged by someone from a mere fallen noble house.

His father wouldn’t want his proud son to be disrespected either.

The Baroness returned after dropping Jace off at the Duke’s Estate. Feeling that there was no one left to stop him, Jace arrived at the Annex Building triumphantly.

“Huh?”

Then he saw the people in front of the Annex Building’s door and stopped walking in confusion.

“Perfect timing.”

In the garden, Rose, the victim of yesterday’s commotion, was kneeling.

Wilhelmina stood before her with Nata and an unnamed servant, and Nata was holding a bundle of documents.

The reason Jace was confused was because there was a bundle of luggage placed next to Rose.

“First… Rose, as I said, you’re suspended from duty for the next month. Reflect on your sins during that time.”

“Sob sob… I understand, Grand Madam.”

She dabbed at what were clearly makeup-created tear marks with the back of her hand while looking up at Wilhelmina. Wilhelmina patted her shoulder, then gestured to the servant with her chin.

The servant picked up Rose’s luggage and headed toward the entrance of the Annex Building. Rose followed behind him with her head hung low.

‘Did she get… scolded?’

He hadn’t heard the earlier conversation, but from the atmosphere, it seemed Rose was being punished for yesterday’s incident.

‘Serves her right!’

He had been feeling bad because yesterday’s incident had ended inconclusively.

On the way back to the mansion, the Baroness had repeatedly explained why one should treat subordinates kindly, but in Jace’s mind, rather than his own fault, only anger toward ‘the person who made him listen to such sermons’ arose.

“Hehe!”

Just then, Rose and the servant passed by Jace. Seeing Rose with her head hung low, Jace let out a small laugh.

“Welcome, you arrived faster than I thought.”

“Of course I got up at 6 o’clock! Baroness Rollan was so pushy!”

“Really? That’s too bad.”

Despite her words, Wilhelmina didn’t look sorry at all.

“Ah! And about what you did to me yesterday…”

“Before that, could you do me a favor? I need you to sign a document.”

“What?”

Jace was about to voice his complaint, but Wilhelmina cut him off and took a document from Nata to hand to him. At the bottom of the document filled with difficult words was a signature line with Jace’s name written on it.

“What is this?”

“A disciplinary confirmation regarding Rose’s punishment. Want me to read the contents?”

“I can read too!”

Jace, whose grades at the Academy were quite excellent, got angry and slowly read through the document.

At first glance, it seemed to contain many difficult words, but when I interpreted it, there wasn’t anything particularly strange about the content.

‘So… it’s about a maid receiving punishment for being rude to me.’

The reason Jace’s name was written was that as the party who suffered the rudeness, his signature was needed for confirmation and witnessing.

“Read it carefully and sign. Since you’re writing your family name on this, it can’t be undone…”

“If I don’t sign this, will that maid’s punishment be canceled?”

“…That’s right.”

‘Then I have to do it!’

Jace quickly took the pen from Nata and signed. In crooked handwriting, he wrote exactly “Jace Mylo.”

[…I acknowledge that servant Rose disobeyed Jace Mylo’s orders and committed rudeness. With this, servant Rose’s punishment is confirmed.

Jace Mylo (seal) ]

He handed the documents to Wilhelmina. She lightly touched the signature section with her hand, then smiled slightly.

‘What, what’s that?’

The smile was strange. It was a smile that didn’t look happy at all, making his spine tingle for no reason.

“Good, I’ve confirmed it. Now then… this is the next signature.”

“There’s more?”

“There is. Next is an invoice for you.”

At the word “invoice,” Jace’s eyes widened.

The documents given to him were just one sheet, but now he could understand why Nata was holding a handful of document bundles.

All of that was documents to be given to him.

“Wh-what is this?”

“It’s an appraisal document and documents with the invoice amount for the flower pot you broke. Since it’s a 15-year-old piece from the Rohena Family, the price is about this much. It’s set at Imperial Bank standard interest, so if there’s any delay in payment, the money you’ll have to repay is…”

“Why should I pay money!”

Jace tried to throw away the documents, but Wilhelmina firmly grabbed his hand. Then she bent down and met his gaze.

“Well, it’s your fault for breaking the flower pot.”

“I told you it was that maid’s fault! That’s why you punished her!”

“Right, I punished her. I acknowledged ‘only’ that Rose was rude to you.”

“…Huh?”

Wilhelmina pointed to a section of the documents Jace had signed earlier.

[With this, servant Rose’s punishment is confirmed.]

In other words, Rose had received all her punishment with the one-month suspension.

If Rose had already been punished, then who would receive punishment for breaking the flower pot?

The ‘clever’ Jace could deduce the answer just by reading the documents. It was himself.

“This is fraud!”

Jace screamed after seeing the outrageous invoice amount written in the appraisal document.

“I can’t sign something like this! That maid broke it!”

“Rose already received all her punishment.”

“Even so, it’s strange that it becomes my fault!”

“Did the flower pot just fall over and break by itself? Jace, there are many witnesses besides you.”

Wilhelmina snatched back the bundle of documents that Jace had been holding. Then she continued in a calm voice.

“So Jace, you don’t agree with Rose’s punishment?”

“Of course not.”

“But you signed it.”

The document with Jace’s signature in her hand swayed.

“I told you earlier. This is signing your family name, so it can’t be undone. If you refuse… I’ll have no choice but to submit the documents to the Imperial Court.”

“C-Court?”

“Because of your wrongful signature, the head of the family will be summoned too. Since you created a false contract in the name of Mailo.”

Jace was about to shout that it was ridiculous, but the phrase “what if” stopped his mouth.

The Mailo Family had many dealings with the Imperial Court.

This was because a gold mine had been discovered near Mailo Territory.

Due to mining rights disputes, Baron Milo had once frequented the court like his own home.

It was a fact known to any Western Nobility who loved gossip… and naturally, Wilhelmina, who was close to the Baroness, also knew about it.

“There’s nothing I can do. Your father will have to suffer a bit.”

“Ugh…”

Jace had planned to confront Wilhelmina about her status, demand an apology, and declare he wouldn’t receive education. But his triumphant demeanor had vanished.

No matter how much of a street leader he was, his father’s harsh rod was frightening.

“But I don’t have that kind of money…”

“If you can’t pay the money right away, there’s one method.”

When Jace muttered, Wilhelmina opened the last page of the document bundle as if she had been waiting.

There, prominently written under ‘Reduction Method for Non-payment,’ was the item ‘Attending Wilhelmina Layton’s Lessons.’

“You’ll attend my lessons consistently for ten days. Then I’ll let it slide.”

“Grr…!”

Only then realizing that everything was Wilhelmina’s scheme, Jace ignited the fire of anger again.

“From my perspective, I’m being considerate. I changed the expensive flower pot cost to the easy punishment of class attendance, didn’t I?”

“…”

“So, sign it.”

Wilhelmina held out the last page.

It meant to write the punishment he would receive with his own hands.

There, a signature line for content confirmation was written at length in faint letters.

[I, Jace Mylo, pledge to faithfully attend Wilhelmina Layton’s lessons.]

Jace had no choice but to pick up the pen.

* * *

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just use the rod?”

After sending Jace to the study, Nata, who was organizing the documents, asked.

“Going to such lengths with this acting…”

It meant there was no need to prepare documents just to deceive one little brat.

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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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