She Became My Friend’s Mother-In-Law - Chapter 158

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Side Story 1. What Happened in Peloux (3)
“Uncle’s… fiancée?”
Cecilia’s eyes widened in surprise.
This was the first she’d heard of Baron Barmeo being engaged.
“Ah. It must have been quite sudden news for you, madam.”
As if noticing Cecilia’s bewildered reaction.
Sosie, standing beside her, quickly interjected.
“Mother was already acquainted with the Baron’s wife. Then when the Baron’s wife and her son passed away, and our father left this world as well, the two of them found solace in each other’s company.”
Sosie’s expression grew melancholy.
“And then, as affection blossomed between them, they decided to be together. But who could have foreseen that the Baron would suddenly pass from a heart attack….”
“Now, now, Sosie. That’s enough.”
Penelope cut off her daughter’s words, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.
Sosie too lowered her head with a dejected expression.
“….”
Cecilia found herself momentarily speechless.
Though she was startled by the sudden appearance of Penelope and her daughter.
It seemed absurd for her to judge the private life of an uncle she’d treated like a stranger her entire life.
“I see.”
Cecilia spoke calmly.
“Still, it must have brought comfort to Uncle’s final days, having both of you by his side.”
“Of course it did.”
Penelope nodded with exaggerated emphasis.
“We never registered the marriage officially, but we were already as good as husband and wife. This manor felt like my own home as well.”
She wiped away her tears and smiled carefully.
“Of course… now that everything belongs to you, I must defer to your wishes.”
There was something subtly calculated in her tone.
But before Cecilia could register any discomfort, Penelope seized her hand.
“Madam, you needn’t be so wary of us. I am a woman of clear standing. Marquise Martaine is a distant relation of mine, and she holds me in particular regard.”
“That’s right. Mother can meet with the Marquise whenever she wishes.”
Sosie chimed in from beside her.
As they said, connections with influential figures in High Society were tantamount to a guarantee of one’s status.
And Cecilia herself was acquainted with Marquise Martaine.
“I understand.”
Cecilia nodded.
At this, Penelope’s smile became considerably warmer.
“Wonderful. Since we’ve met by fate’s design, if you don’t mind, I’d like you to think of me as your aunt and treat me with ease.”
“Come now, Mother. Let’s show the madam inside.”
Mentioning that the guest room was already fully prepared.
Just as Penelope and Sosie were about to enthusiastically usher Cecilia inside.
A high-pitched whine pierced the air―
At that moment, a carriage came to a halt before Baron Barmeo’s Estate.
It appeared Rainer had arrived.
Every eye turned toward him simultaneously.
“My goodness.”
The instant I saw Rainer descend from the carriage.
A soft gasp escaped Sosie’s lips.
Penelope forgot all propriety, her mouth falling open in astonishment.
As he set foot upon the ground in his black coat, the very air around him transformed.
His raven hair lay immaculately ordered, his eyes a striking crystalline blue.
His features, sculpted with geometric precision, grew more luminous with each step he took.
“….”
Penelope and Sosie’s expressions went simultaneously blank.
Their gazes drifted unconsciously from Rainer’s face to his shoulders, then down to his hands.
Heavens, such a man existed.
Though Peloux was renowned for its abundance of handsome men.
Yet any man standing beside him seemed to fade into shadow.
In the meantime, Rainer approached Cecilia’s side.
“Rainer, you’ve arrived earlier than expected?”
“Yes, I came only to offer my greetings today.”
He naturally drew his wife close, his arm encircling her shoulders as he brushed a kiss against her cheek.
The unguarded display of affection brought a flush to Penelope and Sosie’s faces.
Only then did Rainer’s gaze turn toward the two women.
“And who are these?”
“My uncle’s fiancée and her daughter, apparently.”
Cecilia answered matter-of-factly.
“I was just making their acquaintance for the first time myself.”
“G-goodness, Your Grace! We are honored to meet you!”
Penelope and Sosie hastily bowed their heads.
Rainer gave a brief nod.
His gaze returned to Cecilia.
“In Peloux, the temperature drops once the sun sets. Shall we head inside?”
“Of course.”
“Y-yes! This way, please!”
Sosie hurried to guide them.
Rainer entered the manor with his arm still around Cecilia’s shoulders.
Penelope and Sosie swallowed hard as they followed in their wake.
The two women’s eyes remained fixed upon Rainer’s retreating figure for some time.
* * *
That night.
In a room of Baron Barmeo’s Estate, the flames within the fireplace crackled and danced.
Within the crimson light, the shadows of two women wavered and stretched long.
Penelope and Sosie.
“Hmph, an aunt by marriage, no less.”
Sosie, buried deep in the comfortable chair, let out a scornful laugh.
The gentle face she wore during the day had completely vanished.
“I nearly died laughing the moment I heard it.”
“What’s so funny about it?”
Penelope, removing her earrings before the mirror, furrowed her brow.
Sosie pulled one corner of her mouth upward.
“Mother becoming that woman’s aunt by marriage? Even a stray dog passing by would laugh.”
“Did you think I was happy about it?”
Penelope set down her earrings with a sharp clink.
“I thought all I needed to do was dispose of the Baroness and her son. Who could have predicted that niece would suddenly appear?”
“You said you’d chase her away the moment she arrived.”
“That was just talk!”
Penelope clenched her teeth.
Having lost her husband early and raised her daughter Sosie alone, she had always yearned for the position of a wealthy noblewoman.
At first, it was merely admiration.
But it gradually transformed into an obsession to claim that seat for herself.
Then, thanks to Marquise Martaine, she had formed a connection with the Baroness Barmeo.
Everything had proceeded smoothly—poisoning the Baroness and her son, drawing closer to the Baron—until news arrived from Listea about his sister.
Until word came of his sister in Listea.
‘What? His sister’s death wasn’t an accident—she was murdered?’
When the trial results for Count Osburn were announced, the Baron fell into a terrible rage.
He had believed all along that his sister’s death was an accident.
Unable to resolve the anguish in his heart, they had parted ways, and for over ten years he had tormented himself with self-reproach.
To think such a truth had been hidden all this time.
Watching from the sidelines, Penelope’s heart grew anxious.
‘What if this brings up the matter of the Baroness again?’
In the end, she used poison once more to keep the Baron bedridden and immobilized.
She also intercepted the letters that niece from Listea sent frequently.
Thus isolating the Baron.
She thought all that remained was to complete the marriage registration.
‘How could he have changed his will without my knowledge?’
Filled with remorse over his sister’s death, the Baron had rewritten his will to leave all his wealth to Cecilia.
‘Is this why you rejected all my proposals for marriage? To abandon me and hand over everything to your bloodline—someone you’ve never even laid eyes on?’
When Penelope discovered this too late, she confronted the Baron in fury.
After their quarrel, the Baron could not bear the shock and collapsed on the spot from a heart attack.
Of course, the poison she had been administering all along had played a significant role.
Penelope gnawed at her fingernails.
“Damn it, I should have waited until the marriage registration was complete….”
Years of meticulous planning were crumbling to dust.
“Mother.”
Sosie, who had been watching from beside her, furrowed her brow.
“What will you do now? Since the Duchess has come here, we could be cast out at any moment.”
“….”
“Perhaps it would be better to coax that woman and at least pocket some pittance―”
“What? Pittance?”
Penelope’s head snapped up.
“After all that grueling work, you want me to settle for mere scraps?”
“Then what method do you have?”
“Well!”
Penelope, about to shout, suddenly closed her mouth.
She glanced around the surroundings once, then slowly approached her daughter.
Penelope whispered, her voice kept deliberately low.
“Sosie, you foolish thing. Why do you make things so complicated?”
“What? Foolish?”
Sosie, stung, tried to protest.
But Penelope raised her hand, silencing her daughter.
“The solution is quite simple, really.”
And she whispered ominously.
“The Duchess simply needs to disappear from this world.”

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