She Became My Friend’s Mother-In-Law - Chapter 164

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

Side Story 1. What Happened in Peloux (9)
“W-what are you talking about!”
The Merchant jumped to his feet.
“I don’t know anything about that! I’m just a man who sells goods!”
Just a man who sells goods, he says.
Cecilia let out a soft laugh.
He sold poison while claiming ignorance of its purpose?
‘There are limits to shamelessness.’
I regarded the Merchant with cold eyes.
He was spewing excuses, spittle flying from his lips.
“Quite the loose tongue you have.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Rainer pressed the gun barrel deeper.
“H-hiieeek!”
“If you have nothing to say, there’s no point wasting time.”
This was the only way to end this.
The finger on the trigger moved ever so slightly.
A metallic click rang out right beside the Merchant’s ear.
Rainer glanced at me and tilted his head slightly.
“Step outside for a moment. The sight of brains splattering isn’t particularly pleasant―”
“W-wait!”
At that moment, the Merchant cried out in a cracked voice.
“I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything!”
He had no choice but to surrender.
Better to lose his entire fortune and face prison than to die here with a bullet in his skull.
“Y-your words are all correct, madam.”
The Merchant trembled as he spoke.
“Penelope Della killed them all. The Baron’s wife and her son… and even the Baron himself. She used the poison from my shop for all of it.”
He spilled the words out like rapid gunfire, his eyes squeezed shut.
Unable to meet my gaze, he hung his head low.
“….”
I stared at him without the slightest movement.
Then I crossed my arms and spoke again.
“What did that woman buy today?”
“Th-that is….”
“Speak.”
My voice dropped low.
“Or would you prefer a bullet in your head?”
“Oh, dear God!”
The Merchant’s face drained of color as he cried out.
“Deadly poison! A single drop can kill anything!”
“Who were you planning to use that on?”
“I, I… that was…”
He attempted to make excuses, but ultimately faltered, his words trailing into silence.
The sight of him gasping for breath, sweat pouring down his face, was pitiful and wretched.
‘Ha.’
I let out a short, silent laugh.
A cool fury rose from deep within my chest.
I wanted to tell Rainer to pull the trigger right then and there.
‘Not yet.’
This man still had his uses.
I turned my head toward the Doorway.
“Harry, you may come in.”
At my words, Harry and the men waiting outside entered without hesitation.
They twisted the Merchant’s arms behind his back and slammed him to the ground without a moment’s pause.
“Ahhh! Please, spare my life—ugh!”
As the Merchant thrashed and screamed, Harry quickly gagged him.
The cries soon became muffled grunts.
I stepped closer.
He looked up at me with eyes wide with terror.
“…If you wish to live.”
My foot tapped lightly against his shoulder.
“From now on, you do exactly as I command.”
“Mmph! Mmph!”
The Merchant nodded frantically.
After all, he had no other choice.
I leaned forward slightly, satisfied.
“Good. Your task is quite simple. It is…”
* * *
The next morning, early.
Penelope and Sosie came to Cecilia’s Room.
“Um, madam. There is something we wish to tell you…”
I was receiving Wendy’s attendance at my vanity.
I frowned as I observed the two of them through the mirror.
“You two, right now—”
“M-madam!”
Before I could finish speaking, the two of them suddenly rushed forward and fell to their knees before me.
Wendy let out a small cry of surprise and quickly positioned herself between me and them.
In that moment, Penelope and Sosie cried out desperately.
“We have nowhere else to go! Please, show us mercy and allow us to remain here!”
“Yes! We are truly remorseful! We will become your devoted servants, madam!”
The two women clasped their hands together, rubbing them desperately as they bowed their heads in supplication.
“….”
Cecilia gazed down at them in silence.
On the surface, they presented a truly pitiful sight.
But she already knew the truth.
That they were concealing their true intentions.
‘But they’re not the only ones capable of performing.’
The corners of Cecilia’s mouth lifted ever so slightly.
Penelope Della and her mother, unaware of this subtle shift, continued their pleas with the same words repeated over and over.
After observing the two for a moment, Cecilia slowly opened her mouth.
“Very well.”
“If you don’t believe us, we could write a letter of apology… Pardon?”
Penelope blinked at the unexpected response.
Cecilia gave a small nod.
“Come to think of it, I was being rather emotional myself at the time. Finding a place for you both to stay within two days is no simple matter, after all.”
“Then… does that mean…?”
“Let’s discuss this matter again after the royal banquet concludes. Until then, you’re welcome to remain here.”
The eyes of Penelope Della and her mother widened simultaneously.
Cecilia turned back toward the mirror.
“Now, if you’ll excuse me? I haven’t finished my preparations yet.”
“Of, of course!”
“Thank you so much, madam!”
The two women scrambled to their feet and retreated hastily.
They bowed repeatedly, pouring out words of gratitude until the door closed behind them.
Click.
But the moment the door shut completely and they turned into the corridor.
“….”
As if nothing had happened, their expressions transformed entirely.
Penelope’s lips curved into a malicious smirk.
Sosie, standing beside her, wore a similarly cruel smile.
“The plan is proceeding perfectly.”
“Indeed. Who knew she’d become so soft-hearted just because we shed a few tears?”
The obsequious demeanor from moments before had vanished without a trace.
The two women snickered mockingly at Cecilia’s expense.
As they walked down the corridor, they naturally reviewed their next steps.
They would poison the Duchess at the upcoming royal banquet.
To the world, they would make it appear as though she had taken her own life, driven to despair by her inability to bear children and compounded by her uncle’s death.
“Sosie, once we’re in the room, retrieve the Duchess’s letters first.”
Penelope spoke in a low voice.
“Remember that forger we hired to fabricate the Baron’s will? He’ll produce the Duchess’s suicide note just as quickly.”
Thanks to intercepting the Baron’s letters all this time, I had no shortage of handwriting samples.
Penelope’s eyes gleamed with anticipation.
“Ah, I can hardly wait.”
Upon arriving in the room, Sosie clasped her hands together and murmured.
“Once this is finished, the Duke will surely―”
“Of course he’ll become my husband.”
“Spend the rest of your life with me… What are you saying?”
Sosie’s expression hardened abruptly.
“Mother, are you still clinging to such foolish fantasies?”
“Foolish fantasies?”
Penelope let out a scoff.
Then she flicked Sosie’s forehead with her fingertip.
“You’re the one who bungled everything at the lake, yet you still haven’t grasped the situation?”
“Ow! But Mother, you’re old!”
“And you’re nothing but a green, wet-behind-the-ears brat!”
The two of them glared at each other menacingly.
Their voices rose, and accusations flew back and forth.
“Stop spouting nonsense!”
“Mother, wake up from your delusion!”
“What? You disrespectful little thing!”
Finally, unable to contain herself any longer, Penelope seized Sosie by the hair.
“Aaaah! It hurts!”
“You wretched girl! I should have broken your legs when you were young!”
“This is abuse! This is abuse!”
Sosie flailed her arms wildly, but they didn’t land properly on Penelope.
Sosie, now thoroughly enraged, thrashed about and screamed.
Penelope, staggering, refused to let go of her hair until the very end.
It wasn’t until the Maids came running at the commotion and separated them.
That the two women’s farce finally came to an end.
* * *
The Rose Garden of the Pelosu Royal Palace was originally accessible only to the royal family.
However, the King of Pelosu decided to hold a special banquet there to welcome the Duke of Hays and his wife.
As a result, even nobles who would normally never set foot there received invitations to the Rose Garden.
Crimson roses in full bloom filled the garden.
Sunlight descended gently over the meticulously manicured flower beds and fountains.
“I never thought I’d see this place before I died.”
“It feels like a dream.”
The garden, filled with the sound of clinking glasses and laughter, was brimming with excitement.
And at the center of it all stood the Duke of Hays and his wife.
“Though we’ve met before, I truly welcome you to Pelosu.”
“How much longer do you intend to stay? If you have the time, please do visit our villa.”
The nobility of Peloux surrounded Cecilia and Rainer, each striving with all their might to catch even a glimmer of their favor.
Accustomed to such attention, Cecilia and Rainer navigated their company with practiced ease.
After some time had passed in this manner.
“Rainer.”
Cecilia cast a subtle glance toward Rainer.

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