I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 45

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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 45

“My lady, the young master and miss seem to be over there.”

“…I see.”

When they arrived at the garden, another attendant who had received word from the butler came carrying snacks.

On a small wooden tray were beautifully colorful snacks – light sweets with restrained sweetness made according to Helene’s requirements.

Helene took it directly from the attendant. She calculated it would be better to carry this herself.

‘Stop thinking about her. Focus on work for now.’

She would give this to them, have about 10 minutes of conversation with the children, order warm tea, then return to the reception room.

During the remaining break time, the children would spend time drinking tea and eating snacks, while she would greet the Viscount Family waiting in the reception room.

It was a tight schedule, but manageable.

Just as she was thinking to quickly approach and speak to them for the next 10 minutes.

“Wow, so these blue flowers turn red in summer?”

“When it’s hot, our faces turn red too, so it’s similar.”

“But brother’s face is always red!”

“Then maybe your brother is a flower.”

“Wh-whoooa!”

Along with the familiar voices of the children, she heard the voice of someone she didn’t want to hear.

“My lady?”

“Wait…”

She stopped the flustered butler who was about to approach.

Beyond the withered garden trees of winter, the children wearing the white coats she had gifted them were sitting around a flower bed, conversing with a woman.

Dark blue hair that didn’t match the gray western sky. A woman with deep eyes that seemed to see through one’s inner thoughts, whom Helene detested. Wilhelmina was there.

She had spread her own coat on the ground for the children to sit on, and was pointing at flowers while continuing her explanation. As if she were some kind of teacher.

“Is it true that if you eat the seeds from the fruit on that white tea tree, you’ll get an upset stomach?”

“Yes, that’s right. They take root even after entering your belly. If you eat them by mistake, you have to drink lots of water and vomit them out.”

“I-I drank white tea tree tea yesterday…”

“Zeonil, make sure to check the toilet when you go. It’ll be big trouble if the seeds don’t come out.”

“Waaah!”

“…Teacher, that’s a lie, right?”

“This isn’t a lie, it’s a joke.”

Minerva clutched her stomach and laughed rudely, and Zeonil finally grasped the situation and waved his arms, getting angry for her to stop teasing him – and laughed.

They laughed together. It was a childlike, lively smile that Helene had never seen before.

“Ah- that’s fun! Teacher, when will you come again? I want to go not just to this flower bed, but across the lake over there too!”

“Well, I’m not sure. Teacher is very busy, so there’s not much reason to come here.”

“Then I’ll ask our mother! Please give us lessons, okay?”

Zeonil grabbed Wilhelmina’s collar and pestered her. She had taught him not to grab adults’ collars since they might fall over.

Wilhelmina gently removed his hand and held it.

“No. Don’t you know how busy your mother is? I’ll visit when winter ends, so wait until then.”

“Why not in winter?”

“Teacher doesn’t like the cold.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“Unfortunately…”

Wilhelmina shook her head with a serious expression, while Minerva burst into laughter again.

Everything felt surreal. The unbelievable scene brought Helene not confusion, but emptiness.

Anna’s proud steps came to mind, along with the blank spaces on reassignment applications that no one had ever filled out, and the Margrave who had sent a letter of praise saying he had benefited from Wilhelmina’s virtue.

And finally, she saw the face of the Previous Emperor—her father—who had looked at her with sorrowful eyes just before his death.

‘Child, you don’t have the qualifications. What suits you is…’

The terrible feeling that even the only ‘suitable role’ she had left had been taken away from her.

Though she had never wished for it, the role she had to have as a princess by birth was now betraying her.

Crack—she gripped the tray tightly.

“But Mother is too busy.”

Zeonil made a tearful face.

“That’s right. It would be fun if Mother played these games with us too. All Teacher Zepa ever brings are quizzes.”

Minerva swung her legs while sitting improperly.

“Ah…”

Minerva, who had clenched her fists and begged her to come to the garden a month ago, spoke.

“I wish Teacher could have been our mother.”

Crash—!

The tray full of sweets fell to the ground, and those terribly hateful dark blue eyes discovered her—Helene.

* * *

When Minerva made that thoughtless remark, I realized the situation was already beyond salvaging.

Helene, who had been staring at us blankly from beyond the bare trees, dropped the tray she was holding and turned around.

Then she slowly left the garden.

“Hel…!”

I tried to approach her to stop her, but her butler blocked my way. It was the same young butler who had first guided me to Helene.

“Please step back.”

“Wait, at least let me explain…”

“This is for my lady’s sake. I beg of you.”

“…”

I ended up closing my mouth at the butler’s polite request.

Wounds caused by misunderstandings tend to fester over time.

I thought it would be best to have a conversation immediately, but standing before the butler, I couldn’t bring myself to move.

Facing those eyes filled with loyalty, sympathy, and hatred, I had the intuition that no excuse would work.

In the end, I couldn’t move from my spot until he followed after Helene.

Nata approached cautiously.

“Grand Madam.”

“…Never mind, let’s go back.”

I felt the reality that an irreversible incident had occurred. My head throbbed as I couldn’t even grasp how to resolve this.

First, I decided to calm the children down and return to the annex building.

Zeonil was fine since he had no idea what had happened, but Minerva was anxious with her hands tightly clasped together.

It would be better if these were students I could look after closely… but after parting with these children this time, I had no idea when I could see them again.

Then what Minerva needed right now wasn’t a lecture, but reassurance.

“It’s okay, Minerva. Don’t worry too much.”

“B-but just now, Mother was…”

“Minerva, you’ve fought with your brother before, right?”

At my question, Minerva nodded her small head up and down.

“So you can make up with Mother too. Since you’re family, if you speak from the heart, she’ll understand.”

“From the heart…”

“You just need to apologize that you really love Mother, and that what you said earlier was a lie. You can do that well, right?”

But despite my comfort, Minerva’s anxiety didn’t seem to be resolved. I looked straight into Minerva’s blue eyes filled with tears and continued speaking.

“Mother loves you both. She would never hate you just because you made a mistake. Your teacher guarantees it.”

I didn’t know if she could trust the words of someone she’d just met, but this was all I could say.

Fortunately, Minerva seemed to understand the meaning in my words, as she said she understood and then led Zeonil away.

“Huh? Why?”

“…It’s lesson time. Let’s hurry.”

Then she picked up my clothes from the ground with her small hands and dusted them off thoroughly. After returning them to me, she left with Zeonil.

I put on the overcoat Minerva had returned and quietly watched the children’s retreating figures. Nata murmured in a pitying voice.

“What a mature young lady.”

“Indeed.”

Of course, what Minerva had said probably wasn’t her true feelings.

But the fact that such a clever child would make that kind of mistake also meant that the relationship between Helene and the children was twisted.

Helene probably wasn’t neglectful in child-rearing. Rather, I think she was exemplary by the standards of noble parenting appropriate for this era.

‘It’s a world where family affection is hard to feel.’

What could I expect in a world where sacrificing children for the glory of the family house is justified?

“…Let’s go back. There’s a mountain of work to do.”

“Yes.”

However, I didn’t have the luxury to worry about other things right now.

I resolved to somehow arrange a meeting with Helene after the year-end party ended, and left the garden.

Before leaving, I looked back at the flower bed where I had played noisily with the children. Now there was no warmth to be found there.

* * *

The day before the year-end party, the weather began to deteriorate.

The weather that started with heavy rain turned to sleet, freezing the roads, and finally became a blizzard.

The Western Nobles were fine since they had already arrived at the castle, but the problem was the Emperor.

The Emperor, who was supposed to arrive last, would now arrive later than scheduled due to the snow.

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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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