She Became My Friend’s Mother-In-Law - Chapter 10

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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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Chapter 10. Marriage Alliance for Revenge (1)

“What, what did you say? Senile?”

Elise felt her head spinning for a moment.

For her, who had lived elegantly in a noble family, this was a type of insult she had never heard before.

“M-My lady!”

“Don’t touch me!”

Harry tried to support the swaying Elise, but she roughly shook off his hand.

“It’s a natural measure, isn’t it.”

Despite the series of commotion, Rainer calmly folded his newspaper and spoke.

There was no sign of agitation in his voice.

“As the head of the family, I must maintain the dignity of the Duke’s Mansion.”

“What? Head of the family? You?”

Elise glared at Rainer in disbelief.

Rainer’s declaration that he would become the head of the family himself trampled on her pride.

“I can’t give the duke’s title to a shameless bastard like you! I’ll reveal that you’re an illegitimate child and dismiss you immediately!”

The excited Elise swept the items on the desk with her arm.

The fallen inkwell shattered and spread a black stain across the carpet.

Only then did Rainer slowly rise to his feet.

A chill was circling around his expressionless face.

He approached Elise threateningly.

“You…”

Elise suddenly realized how robust a man Rainer had become.

In her eyes, he had always been just an annoying little child.

‘M-My lady! Please don’t hit me. I’ll be a good child… Please!’

‘A good child? Don’t make me laugh! Your very existence is a disaster!’

But the Rainer before her now stood tall with a frame that towered over her by a head.

In his eyes, there was no longer any sign of fearing Elise as in the past.

“Go ahead and struggle all you want.”

Rainer looked down at Elise with a bitter smile.

His consistently arrogant attitude of looking down on others wasn’t just because of his tall stature.

He already knew he was the victor.

“The Hays Retainers have already turned to my side. The moment you hid Gilbert’s death, trust crumbled.”

“What, what did you say?”

“Why did you do such vile things that even lowly people wouldn’t do.”

“Ha…”

“If you want to rebel, go ahead and try. If you show the end of an ugly old woman mad with power, it will be a good lesson for society.”

At the sharp sarcasm, Elise froze with her mouth agape.

Rainer cast one last contemptuous glance and turned toward the window.

“Drag that woman out immediately.”

With his cold final words, servants rushed in and grabbed Elise’s arms.

“Let go! How dare you lay hands on me!”

Rainer looked back with a cold gaze.

The sight of Elise being dragged away by the servants was utterly pathetic.

Standing by the window watching this, Rainer suddenly felt a sense of emptiness.

He found it ridiculous that he had feared such a woman for nearly twenty years, trying to please her.

Of course, he had no choice back then.

He was a small, weak child who barely ate and suffered verbal abuse and beatings every other day.

Moreover…

‘Save me! The door is locked! It’s too hot!’

‘M-Mom! Mom!’

Rainer clenched his fist as he recalled Elise’s unforgivable evil deeds.

The moment he witnessed his mother’s death before his eyes, Rainer’s heart shattered completely and closed off entirely.

‘I still have a long way to go to pay back what I received.’

Simply sending Elise away like luggage wasn’t satisfying enough.

Rainer quietly turned around.

The desk that had been a mess earlier was now neatly organized.

“Harry.”

At his master’s call, the aide approached.

Despite the earlier commotion, Rainer looked rather refreshed.

Now it was time to prepare for the succession of the duke’s title…

“Prepare the marriage documents.”

“Understood, I’ll prepare for the succession immediately… Pardon?”

Marriage all of a sudden?

At the unexpected instruction, Harry doubted his own ears.

Soon he laughed lightly and shook his head.

“Ah, I’m sorry, Your Grace. I must be overworked lately, I think I misheard—”

“No, you heard correctly.”

Harry, who had thought it was just Rainer’s unfunny joke, gaped.

Wasn’t he the one who would turn pale at the mere mention of marriage?

Moreover, he had never even seen him meet anyone.

“Who exactly are you marrying?”

“Cecilia Panning.”

“Pardon?”

Harry unconsciously gasped.

Rainer lightly laughed and patted his shoulder.

“Why are you so surprised? You heard everything recently too.”

“Ah.”

Only then did Harry recall the recent talk of a contract marriage between Cecilia and Rainer.

It was something he had momentarily forgotten due to Elise’s rampage.

‘I don’t mean to become your real wife. Please maintain married life for just 3 years. After that, I’ll leave cleanly.’

The sight of that deer-like delicate woman making such a bold proposal without being intimidated was impressive.

It was also surprising that she knew about Mariana, something even he, the closest aide, only partially knew.

But even so, the fact that Rainer had accepted her proposal was still unexpected.

Harry asked cautiously.

“If I may speak out of turn… are you really going through with that marriage?”

“Being freed from the attention of unmarried young ladies for 3 years. That alone makes it worthwhile.”

Rainer lightly nodded toward a bundle of letters piled high on one side of the desk.

They were love letters sent by the ladies of Brussel.

Among them were some who sent letters daily or even came to the mansion.

“Well, if you put it that way…”

Harry was equally sick of the young ladies who clung to Rainer.

He neatly organized the letters on the desk.

Without regard for the effort their writers had put in, these letters were destined to become firewood for the fireplace.

Harry glanced at Rainer.

“Still, since you’re getting married anyway, wouldn’t it be good to get along well with her—”

“No.”

Rainer cut off Harry’s words with a low, firm voice.

“If it’s a marriage I have to have anyway, it’s cleanest to just exchange what’s necessary and end it.”

“Yes.”

Harry quietly bowed his head.

Rainer watched his aide for a moment before sitting back down at his desk.

He crossed his arms and leaned back lazily against the chair, closing his eyes.

Naturally, green eyes came to mind.

Cecilia Panning.

The strange discomfort he had first felt when sitting across from her came flooding back.

“…What do you mean, doing well.”

Rainer muttered unconsciously, his brow slightly furrowed.

At those words, Harry paused.

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing.”

Rainer opened his eyes again and straightened up.

As if nothing had happened, he had returned to being Rainer Hays, praised throughout the Empire.

“I need it tomorrow, so prepare the contract documents right away.”

* * *

The next day.

Thanks to the quick-working Harry, the marriage contract between Cecilia and Rainer was prepared immediately.

Rainer, who had returned to the Seymour Hotel, handed the documents to Cecilia.

“I believe I’ve included all the necessary clauses. Please take a look.”

Cecilia took them and read through them carefully.

「1. Rainer Hays and Cecilia Panning shall maintain their marriage for 3 years from the point of contract.

2. Cecilia Panning shall be granted all rights as the Duchess of Hays and may exercise them freely.

3. Rainer Hays shall adopt Evan Machi within six months of the contract date.

4. Rainer Hays shall not interfere when Cecilia Panning ‘disciplines in the name of motherhood’ Evan Machi and his wife.」

Cecilia nodded with a satisfied expression.

What pleased her most was clause 4, which she had proposed in advance.

‘To ‘discipline Evan and Rosena in the name of motherhood’….’

Even having written it herself, it was quite an amusing expression.

Cecilia picked up her quill pen again.

“May I add just one more thing?”

“What would that be?”

“About the mindset that you and I should share during this marriage.”

Cecilia wrote the final clause at the very bottom.

「5. Rainer Hays and Cecilia Panning shall not involve personal emotions during the execution of this contract.」

Rainer’s eyes narrowed slightly as he read the new clause.

At his suspicious gaze, Cecilia added an explanation.

“People can have their emotions get twisted as they live. But we can’t let personal feelings ruin our work. By specifying this, we can think twice when emotions arise. For example, if we were to fight….”

“…Or fall in love?”

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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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