I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 73

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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 73

“But if something were to happen to the Grand Duchess later on…”

“Are you worried I’ll become hostile toward the Ducal House?”

“…Yes.”

Her firm nod was quite pleasing to see.

It seemed she thought that if things became uncomfortable between me and the Ducal House, she wouldn’t be able to take my side since she had sworn loyalty to the Ducal House.

Well, in a world where even bad laws are still laws and tyrants are still kings, such concerns were understandable.

‘In modern times, I would have said work is more important, but…’

Here, it was better to have even one more person on my side.

“You know that Shepherd fairy tale I told you about before? Did you know there’s a sequel?”

“Pardon?”

“The Shepherd who became rich lied to his Wolf friend about having no money and stopped feeding him, so the angry Wolf betrayed him. I guess they got complaints that the first story was too human-centered, because the sequel changed to focus on the animals’ narrative.”

“…”

“The Wolf who betrayed him returns to his pack and becomes the leader, spreading information about the Shepherds’ village and the Sheepdogs’ characteristics to become a ‘righteous Wolf who defeats the lying Shepherd.’ The fairy tale ends with the moral that lying rich people should never be forgiven.”

“That’s, quite provocative.”

“That’s because the sequel rights went to a Commoner Publishing House. The sequel was banned, so I don’t even have it in my Study.”

I remembered reading it at the Academy and laughing. It was a kind of fantasy black comedy.

“Just because you’ve sworn loyalty doesn’t mean you need to uphold justice until you starve to death. Run away if you need to, quit if you’re fed up. That’s what workplaces are like.”

Some people, overwhelmed by various incidents, ended up making the worst choices.

Sometimes running away could be the best option rather than confronting despair head-on.

My mental health and well-being were more important than loyalty or money. And if I could look after friends along the way, that would be even better.

“Even our Sir Nata here threw his resignation letter at the Western Army and came to me.”

“…Grand Madam.”

I ignored Nata’s sullen voice and looked at Jane.

“So Jane, if you really can’t handle it anymore, run away and come to me.”

“…”

“I’m not so hard up that I can’t employ one more person.”

The Main House might disapprove, but since I’d brought them massive profits through business, I could probably push this far.

My answer seemed unexpected, as she lost her words with a blank expression.

“Oh, Grand Duchess. May I eat the last remaining sweets?”

It was only when Ilina approached much later, uttering those unforgivable words, that Jane finally moved.

She bowed her head deeply toward me and murmured.

“…nks.”

“Eating is fine, but first finish what’s in your mouth… Hm? What did you say?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

When Jane lifted her head, her face was brighter than ever before.

“How bland.”

I quickly put sweets in her mouth, telling her to eat them before Ilina finished everything.

Jane put a sweet in her mouth with an expression that was hard to tell if she was smiling or crying.

‘I will stand by the Grand Duchess’s side forever.’

Hearing Ilina’s melancholy sigh, I burst into laughter at Jane’s ridiculous cheeks.

* * *

“Huff, huff!”

Yulkes ran breathlessly.

His ankle creaked as it couldn’t support his heavy body, but knowing that if he didn’t escape now there would be no chance, he desperately moved his legs.

On the dark forest path, he nearly tripped several times because of the tangled roots on the floor.

Each time, the mercenaries protecting him clicked their tongues and spat out curses.

“Run properly!”

“Th, this…!”

He wanted to curse them as mere mercenaries, but due to his labored breathing, glaring was all he could manage.

The mercenaries he had hired by selling all his hidden jewelry were skilled, but they weren’t ones to show courtesy.

They were a flock of ravens befitting the term outlaws, the worst mercenary group that would do anything for money regardless of who their opponent was.

‘Still, their skills are worth acknowledging.’

A month had passed since the evaluation meeting ended.

His terrified sons had spilled confidential information without hesitation under the knights’ pressure, and Yulkes’s sentence grew longer by the day.

When even the corruption from when he handled military rations was exposed, he had a premonition that his neck might end up on the gallows rather than in the mine.

Then, a coded message arrived for him.

Inside the bread he was eating for breakfast, he discovered a note with the content ‘open the door at the prepared time.’

Who sent it was obvious.

‘As expected of my aide!’

His aide was a secretive man who wasn’t even recorded in the Goldrail Trading Company roster.

As an ally who had been by his side since before Yulkes became a noble, he was a partner closer than family to him.

When contact was lost after Yulkes went to the ducal house, his aide sold all the treasure Yulkes had hidden away and hired Raven Skull, the notorious outlaw mercenaries of the Empire.

Now all that remained was to open the main gate of the detention center according to his aide’s instructions.

So he used his two sons.

‘Those boys would have gladly sacrificed themselves to save their father!’

His two sons were staying in different rooms, but an opportunity arose for the three to gather for testimony.

During the brief moment when the knight stepped away, he told his two sons about the escape plan.

The second son would act like he had stomach pain, and when the doctor came, the first son would take that doctor hostage and come outside.

When the quick-witted first son asked ‘Won’t we just get caught again anyway?’, Yulkes answered as if he had a scheme in mind.

‘That’s the plan. They’ll escort you to solitary cells. There’s a secret escape route from the castle there. I’ll come find you with mercenaries, so wait in the solitary cell.’

His two sons believed that plan completely… and were betrayed.

The moment the doctor arrived at the detention center to treat the second son’s stomach pain, the mercenaries hiding at the entrance rushed in and extracted Yulkes.

‘Wh, what about our son?’

‘The commission fee is for one person! Shut up and get on the horse!’

In the end, he abandoned his two sons and escaped.

He could faintly hear his son’s screams calling for him from afar, but he deliberately ignored them.

The guilt of betraying his son quickly transformed into hatred toward Jane.

‘Jane, that damned bitch!’

He raged that it was all Jane’s fault – falling from his horse while fleeing from the Knights through the forest, having to risk his life racing down these rough paths, and being cursed at by lowly mercenaries.

‘I will definitely, definitely reclaim what’s mine.’

The Aide would lead Yulkes to success, just as he had done until now.

Getting revenge on Jane and reclaiming Goldrail became his top priority.

He no longer desired noble status. He resolved to dedicate the rest of his life entirely to revenge.

“Huff, gasp!”

For that future, he first had to escape from Layton.

The mercenary group’s skills were excellent, worthy of their expensive commission fee.

They chose escape routes that would be difficult for the Knights to follow, even using a separate unit to hinder pursuit.

If they continued like this, they could definitely shake off their pursuers. That’s why Yulkes kept moving his legs without complaint, even though he was breathless.

“Wait, stop.”

The Mercenary Captain declared a rest when it seemed Yulkes had reached his physical limit.

He wished they would just carry him, but the captain refused, saying ‘transportation fees’ were a separate cost.

The captain handed Yulkes a water bottle.

He watched Yulkes desperately gulp down water with cold eyes while explaining their future plans.

“First, we head south. After leaving the forest, we’ll run for three days straight without rest, so keep your wits about you.”

“N-no rest?”

“Don’t complain – we have a carriage prepared once we leave the forest. We’ll disguise ourselves as peddlers, so drop that idiotic noble speech pattern. We’ll prepare your identity.”

Though it was humiliating, Yulkes couldn’t defy the captain and tried to calm himself with water.

He reminded himself that his life was in the captain’s hands.

Once he reclaimed the Goldrail Trading Company, he would never associate with these barbaric mercenaries again.

“…?”

The captain, who was about to take back the empty water bottle, suddenly sensed a presence beyond the forest.

Sound was coming from a direction where he hadn’t stationed any subordinates.

At first he thought it might be wild animals, but soon the steady footsteps he heard made him frown.

“Pursuers. Hide.”

“What? Sh-shouldn’t we run away?”

“Impossible with your legs. If they’ve tracked us this far, we have no choice but to fight.”

He had an ominous feeling. Coming this close meant they had broken through all the separate units he had prepared.

The separate unit hidden in the forest totaled twenty men, each skilled enough to match a Knight…

“Hey, you haven’t heard any sounds until now, right?”

“Uh, yeah.”

“So I wasn’t mistaken. …We didn’t even hear the sound of clashing swords.”

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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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