I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 7

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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 7

I glanced at the Butler standing behind Mikhail. The old Butler wore a bitter smile.

‘Did he properly understand what Helene meant?’

Adaptation my foot, Helene’s hint was a signal not to stir up unnecessary trouble.

It was obvious how it would look to his subordinates if the new head of the family respectfully served a stepmother of low status.

While he might need to watch the Emperor’s mood, he couldn’t abandon the authority of the family head.

“Still, I’m relieved to see you looking so healthy. Is life in the Annex Building comfortable?”

“…I’m living well without lacking anything.”

“But I’m worried because it’s so far away. If you need anything, you could move to the Main Castle where we are…”

“No, it’s fine.”

I firmly refused. Living in the Castle and watching others’ moods was bad enough, but the thought of running into Helene there was horrifying.

‘The new mother-in-law lives upstairs from her son’s family!’

It wasn’t like this was some divorce mediation program intro. If categorized, I would definitely be the villain.

“Then instead…”

“Master, the banquet is ready.”

“Ah, is that so? Let’s move, Mother.”

It was the old Butler beside him who cut off his words.

He quickly gestured for them to open the doors to the Banquet Hall, worried that Mikhail might make some strange request.

Seeing the doors open at perfect timing, Mikhail extended his left arm.

Despite my reluctance, I placed my right hand on his arm.

Since I had to take Helene’s place, Mikhail was in charge of escorting me for today’s entrance.

As we moved, the Retainers behind us followed.

‘Normally this would be a heartwarming scene between Mother and son.’

Having my stepson handle my first escort in life felt very strange.

When we entered through the Back Door first and stood beneath the wall with the Family Crest and Banner, the door at the front opened.

“House Chersil of the Lake is entering.”

The Butler who opened the door announced each person entering. They slowly looked around and came toward where we were.

“We greet His Grace Duke Layton.”

And they bowed deeply, showing noble courtesy.

Though I had already been briefed by Baroness Rollan, actually receiving bows in person made my shoulders tense up. Who would have thought I’d directly receive greetings I’d only seen in movies.

I placed my hands on my stomach and bowed slightly, while Mikhail responded by patting his shoulder as if they were close friends.

“Welcome, Count. I hope your journey here was smooth.”

“It was fine, it was a lighter journey than last month.”

When the attending nobles offered their greetings, Mikhail would finish with pleasantries.

Repeating this dozens of times was the task given to me today.

Since I knew no one and had no pleasantries to exchange, my role was just a mannequin who bowed. The guests didn’t seem to have any intention of speaking to me either.

‘Though they’re probably watching carefully.’

What kind of relationship Mikhail and I had, whether showing friendliness to me might earn Mikhail’s displeasure, or what my identity was. They seemed to have many curiosities.

Some nobles hid their expressions well, but the naive ones openly displayed their curiosity.

Their true feelings were so obvious that I thought even nobles weren’t much different from ordinary people.

“The next person to enter is….”

Perhaps because we entered first. The entrance order went from high-ranking nobles down to lower ranks.

Since the lowest seat at this banquet was for a baron, after he arrived, the entrance would end with Mikhail personally bringing and introducing the Margrave.

I mechanically received greetings while waiting for my turn.

‘Let’s finish this quickly and grab a plate of dinner to take to the rest room.’

As the lady of a ducal house, there was even a private rest room in the banquet hall.

I planned to make an excuse about being tired and take some of the luxurious food and drinks from the banquet hall to rest.

I had already received the butler’s grateful advice that he would ‘prepare a place in the rest room once the greetings are finished.’

“The honorable Baron Millize enters.”

Finally, the last noble entered.

He was a middle-aged man with a small stature and protruding lips that reminded me of a duck, and beside him was a girl slightly smaller than him.

‘It must be a father-daughter attendance.’

There had been father-son pairs among the nobles earlier, so it wasn’t strange.

The father and daughter slowly approached us.

At first, I wasn’t particularly interested and was about to look around at what food to eat… but my eyes fell on the girl.

‘What are those heels?’

The girl was wearing stiletto heels that seemed twice as high as mine, an overly tight corset, and a seductive dress that exposed her shoulders.

The more I looked, the more I felt that strange discomfort you see when a child tries to act seductive.

Moreover, her complexion was so poor that although she tried to walk calmly, I could see her eyes wavering with each step even from here.

Eventually, her father beside her scolded her as if telling her to walk properly.

‘Oh, for crying out loud.’

I couldn’t help but curse. Was she barely middle school age?

The child who already looked skinny had her waist cinched with a corset as tight as a wine bottle and was covered in white powder that didn’t match her natural skin tone, making me furrow my brow.

At a glance, she looked like a noblewoman who was just short, but looking closely, she was no different from a middle schooler wearing excessive makeup.

‘If she were my student, I would have smacked her back and told her to take care of her skin.’

Many other ladies at the banquet had excessively elaborate outfits, but not to this extent.

What was ridiculous was that no one seemed to find it strange to see a child dressed like that, as if this were normal.

“We greet His Grace Duke Layton.”

After precarious steps, they stood before us and offered their greetings. The father bowed first, and the girl followed.

I wondered if she could even bend with that waist, and sure enough, the child who was bowing suddenly covered her mouth.

“Ugh!”

“Ilina!”

The girl called Ilina staggered while standing. With such high heels, even that looked precarious, and in the midst of it all, she glanced up to gauge our reactions.

“Baron, is everything alright?”

“It’s, it’s fine! Ilina, what do you think you’re doing! Stand up straight!”

The baron scolded Ilina, and I sighed quietly watching the scene.

Of course she couldn’t stand properly. Anyone who knows understands how difficult it is to lift your head once nausea sets in. Especially if it’s stomach acid. It’s actually more comfortable to just vomit.

I had seen such a sight in my previous life too. It reminded me of an adolescent student who was obsessed with being thin.

“Mother?”

I quickly approached and grabbed Ilina’s arm.

It was so thin and hard that it didn’t seem like it could belong to a child.

“What’s with this skinny arm? There’s nothing left but bones and skin.”

She looked like she could be from some slum rather than a noble child.

I sighed and pulled out a handkerchief from my pocket, covering Ilina’s mouth.

I placed my hand on the girl’s stomach and gently rubbed it to help calm her stomach. At times like this, I’m grateful my hands are on the warm side.

“Hey, do you even eat meals?”

It wasn’t a question I expected an answer to. She’d have trouble speaking right now with the burning stomach acid rising in her throat, so I needed to understand.

I turned to look at Mikhail while half-embracing Ilina.

“The child seems to be having dizzy spells, I’ll take care of her.”

“Your Grace, you don’t need to do that.”

“It’s fine. Go enjoy the banquet.”

I was momentarily surprised by the informal tone that naturally came out toward the viscount, but now wasn’t the time to worry about that.

Mikhail looked into my eyes and was briefly flustered, but soon gestured to the butler, indicating he understood.

“Have a physician called to the rest room.”

“No need for a physician. Instead, bring warm water and honey.”

The physicians are all nobles too, and the child would hardly be able to vomit properly in front of them.

I held onto Ilina and headed toward the rest room. Ilina’s shoulders trembled repeatedly at the murmuring noise from the banquet hall.

Having to worry about others’ opinions even in this situation – being a noble must be truly exhausting.

“Don’t worry about it, it’ll calm down soon.”

“Hic…”

My words didn’t seem to calm her down. I wished they would keep their mouths shut appropriately, but their tongues had already begun cooking up stories about Ilina’s behavior.

I didn’t expect to end up taking care of a child here too. I let out a silent sigh.

Just before leaving the banquet hall, I turned around. I could see countless gazes directed this way.

I briefly entrusted Ilina to a servant who had followed along, then gave the greeting I had learned from Baroness Rollan and spoke.

“I apologize for causing a disturbance. I will step away for a moment.”

I raised my head and continued speaking while taking note of each noble who had just mentioned Ilina’s name.

“This banquet is a celebration for the Margrave. Please feel free to offer your congratulations to him.”

Don’t think about gossiping about the child – just do what you were doing.

“That is Helene’s and my wish.”

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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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