I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Dislike Conflict with My Daughter-in-Law - Chapter 75

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

I’m a Mother-in-Law, But I Don’t Want Family Conflicts Episode 75

A boat for someone like me? It’s an expensive hobby I could never dream of.

There seemed to be a boating club at the Academy, but it had nothing to do with me, who avoided people and napped in the garden.

“What do you mean by preparations? Is there something to prepare besides an outing dress?”

“I don’t know the details either, but… in books, they recite poetry on boats, drink tea, draw pictures… things like that.”

“…Wasn’t that something that only happens in books?”

“Huh, really?”

Anna made a shocked expression as if her fantasy had been shattered.

I had asked because I didn’t know either, but it seemed difficult to expect any reliable information from Anna on this topic.

‘There were boat scenes in romance novels, but…’

I thought it would be like yacht parties from dramas.

Hiring a DJ and dancing… It seemed plausible, but I thought it was a culture I would never participate in.

Reciting poetry on a boat didn’t fit the Western fantasy setting. Why suddenly become a scholar?

Anyway, the two of us couldn’t resolve our questions. At times like this, it’s the ‘Help me, Baroness!’ strategy.

“Anna, I’ll write a letter to the Baroness, so bring me a pen.”

“Oh, yes!”

I asked the Baroness about ‘the nobles’ way of outings.’

I sent a letter asking what preparations were needed, with a subtle hope that maybe I could just go and enjoy myself comfortably.

The next day, she visited in person after sending word that she would come see me.

“You didn’t need to come visit personally…”

“No, education should be done in person.”

Ah, she means lessons.

I swallowed a sigh with a dejected expression.

That meant even this simple outing involved noble etiquette.

Sitting in the reception room, she refined her voice to the instructional tone I hadn’t heard in a while.

“Boating is a hobby with a long history. Though it’s only enjoyed in the Western Region with many lakes or in the capital, it can be considered a representative noble hobby along with cricket and horseback riding. In the past, they hired boatmen, but now rowing the oars yourself has become the rule.”

That much was information I already knew. The problem wasn’t that, but how to enjoy boating.

“Do they really recite poetry?”

“Actually, in the past it was just drinking tea… but recently various hobbies have been added, I hear.”

Not just poetry, but various artistic activities are enjoyed on boats.

They draw pictures, hold poetry contests, and there are gatherings where people stand at the stern of boats to perform music and sing.

‘In short, they show off aristocratic hobbies while boating.’

Did they want to put on airs even on the water? I couldn’t understand it at all.

Even rowing the oars themselves – it was a tiresome hobby that combined sports and art.

“But if it’s a family gathering, you probably won’t need extensive preparations.”

“Oh, thank goodness…”

“Bringing some simple poetry material should be sufficient. If there’s a child, nursery rhymes would be fine too.”

“…”

Of all things, these were the two things I least wanted to do.

I imagined myself cheerfully singing on a boat.

…I could probably manage to sing some idol songs?

When I glumly closed my mouth, the Baroness’s expression hardened.

“Grand Duchess, by any chance… have you never tried composing poetry?”

“No.”

There had been something like that in the Academy’s required liberal arts courses, but I had never properly attended them.

Thinking about it now, I’m amazed I managed to graduate.

“I can memorize poems from books, but…”

“It’s more elegant to vary the subject matter according to your audience.”

“Couldn’t I just modify them slightly?”

“Well, I don’t think the Duke and Duchess would fail to notice that.”

It was checkmate. Of course, Helene wouldn’t let such a trick slide.

‘I should learn how to compose poetry even now. I think there were similar books in the study.’

The picnic was in two weeks. Right when the spring flowers would be in full bloom, so there was plenty of time.

I was about to ask what would be best to study first, when the Baroness, who had been lost in thought with her chin resting on her hand, offered a suggestion.

“Hmm, this sort of thing is learned faster through direct practice… Grand Duchess. How about we go on an outing together?”

“Pardon?”

“The Reading Club, I mean. Wouldn’t it be nice to hold it outdoors for once?”

She was saying it would be better to make mistakes at the Reading Club rather than elsewhere.

Thinking it was quite a good plan, the Baroness and I immediately created invitations to send to the other members.

“If it weren’t for the Reading Club, I would have suggested bringing the children along. It’s a shame. I wanted to teach you about the proper attitude to have as a grandparent.”

“…You knew?”

I had been worrying about my two grandsons as much as the outing, and she smiled kindly while covering her mouth, as if she knew what was on my mind.

“I am a teacher, after all.”

It was a much more reliable and gentle smile than my past life self could ever manage.

“It’s alright, Grand Duchess, you’ll do well. Considering the pages at the Annex Building and Jace, any grandsons would be no problem.”

“Ah, that’s not it.”

“Pardon?”

Oh dear, I had been thinking ‘the Baroness is indeed wonderful,’ but it seemed she had slightly misunderstood the direction of the problem.

“It’s my daughter-in-law whose relationship with me has soured because of the grandsons.”

“What do you mean…”

While putting the invitations for the members into elegant letter envelopes, I pondered how to clearly convey that incident.

Ah, this should work.

“While playing with my grandsons pretending not to be their grandmother, I heard one grandson say something like ‘I wish sister was our mother’ in front of my daughter-in-law, and it turned out she had been listening.”

“…”

The Baroness pressed her lips tightly together.

Her expression clearly said ‘this is problematic,’ so I silently folded the letter paper. The Baroness’s expression felt particularly sharp today.

* * *

Reading club meeting day.

I headed to the lake.

I dressed in an outing dress I had never worn before and brought sweets that the cooks had made for me.

I hadn’t particularly expected much when planning it, but once I got into the carriage, I felt unexpectedly excited.

On the other hand, Anna, who followed me into the carriage, glanced at the hem of my skirt with a sullen expression.

“I still think the pink embroidery would have been better…”

“Enough, I like this.”

“But this is your first outing.”

This wasn’t even my first time going out, but to Anna, an outing seemed to be something special rather than just going out.

She wanted to dress me in much more colorful clothes than what I was wearing now.

When I saw the sky blue dress with pink embroidery and the pure white hat covered with spring flowers, I firmly refused to wear it.

This was clothing for someone Ilina’s age, not something that suited me.

Not only Anna but even Nata looked disappointed, but I ignored their objections.

Instead, what I chose was a white dress with no pattern on the skirt, a light shawl with hints of sky blue, and a hat with just one flower pinned to it.

Simple but comfortable clothes to move in. What Anna had chosen would have been uncomfortable to sit anywhere because of the petticoat.

“I won’t compromise on clothes either. Give up.”

I actually knew that the clothes Anna had chosen were in the fashionable style, but I still couldn’t give up my preferences.

I had been unable to tolerate stuffy clothes since I was young.

Anna seemed to realize that saying more might sound rude, so she quietly nodded her head.

Since I knew about her efforts, busily going in and out of the costume room whenever I went anywhere, I didn’t scold her either.

Perhaps trying to change the mood, Nata took out a promotional flyer that had been placed in the corner of the carriage and spoke up.

“Speaking of which, this is the first time I’ve heard the name Dahlia Lake.”

Dahlia Lake was the destination for this reading club meeting.

It was a fairly large lake near the castle, a tourist spot that had recently become popular due to interesting rumors.

“A fairy appears…”

Nata, who was a real fairy, looked at the promotional flyer with a complicated expression.

The flyer had the phrase ‘Let’s find the lake fairy that appears at Dahlia Lake!’ written on it.

“Are there lake fairies too?”

“I’m not sure, but it’s possible. Fairies are beings born from nature, after all. I don’t know if they would be intelligent like me, or just instinct-driven like spirits.”

Come to think of it, little was known about fairy ecology. It was because individual differences were so great that standards couldn’t be defined.

According to Nata, there were apparently several human-looking fairies in the Empire, but they had never contacted each other.

‘Just because people are from the same hometown doesn’t mean they’re all close.

Since she said that, I didn’t ask any more questions.

Suddenly, I wondered if it was right to bring Nata to Dahlia Lake.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————