She Became My Friend’s Mother-In-Law - Chapter 37
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————
Chapter 37. Elise’s Evil Deeds (3)
The place the maids dragged Cecilia to was Elise’s room.
Even seeing them enter noisily, Elise sat upright on the sofa, drinking tea.
“You’re late. Taking so long just to bring one item.”
“My apologies, Dowager Duchess.”
Margaret bowed her head lightly at Elise’s rebuke.
Meanwhile, the maids roughly pressed Cecilia down onto the sofa.
‘Ha, item?’
As she was forcibly seated, Cecilia looked at Elise with bewilderment.
Her teeth clenched at the attitude of treating a person like an object.
Well, if she had seen her opponent as a person, she wouldn’t have dragged her here by force like this.
If she had business, she could have just called for her.
Going to such lengths was obviously to pressure and humiliate Cecilia.
“Mother, what on earth is this about—”
“Be quiet. I’m drinking tea.”
Cecilia tried to protest, but Elise cut her off with a hand gesture.
At the same time, the maids pressed down harder on her shoulders.
Cecilia had no choice but to frown and close her mouth.
“…”
For a while, only the dry sound of the clock’s hands echoed in the room.
Elise continued drinking tea without saying anything for quite some time.
Naturally, there was nothing in front of Cecilia.
As always, treating her like she was invisible, clearly intending to break Cecilia’s spirit.
‘What a scheming person. What exactly is she plotting?’
Taking advantage of the moment when Rainer and others were away from home, having the maids detain her like a prisoner made her anxious.
But Cecilia tried not to let her gaze waver and sat up straight.
If she showed weakness now, all the initiative would obviously fall to Elise.
Displeased with her attitude, Elise raised the corners of her mouth in a sneer.
“You seem quite dissatisfied.”
“…Should I remain still after being treated like this?”
“If you had been a reasonably docile item, I wouldn’t have gone this far either.”
Elise elegantly set down her teacup as if nothing had happened.
That nonchalant appearance was rather chilling.
“There’s something I need to confirm with you.”
“Something to confirm?”
“Yes, how many times have you shared a bed with that bastard Rainer so far?”
“…What?”
Elise asked calmly as if inquiring about where to buy a dress.
But the content was explicit and vulgar.
“I’m asking about the possibility of you being with child. It would be troublesome if that bastard’s blood came forward claiming to be Hays.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
Cecilia looked bewildered.
If she said here that she hadn’t even had her wedding night with Rainer, it would surely arouse suspicion.
But she didn’t want to answer straightforwardly that she wasn’t with child either.
No, wasn’t this kind of question itself rude in the first place?
Cecilia bit her lips tightly.
“Hmm, seeing that you can’t answer, it seems not yet.”
Elise interpreted Cecilia’s silence as she pleased.
“Well, if you were with child, Rainer would have made a fuss long ago. He’d be desperate to somehow bring down Evan.”
Elise looked back at Margaret with a satisfied expression and nodded.
Margaret approached Cecilia and held out a jewelry box.
“Please accept this.”
“…What is this?”
“It’s a gift the Dowager Duchess prepared for you, madam.”
“A gift?”
In this situation?
Cecilia looked down at the box with a suspicious expression.
When she didn’t accept it, Margaret opened the box herself and placed it on the table in front.
Two white pills were neatly placed on the purple velvet lining.
“What is this…”
Watching Cecilia’s face mixed with bewilderment and confusion, Elise raised the corners of her mouth smugly.
“It’s contraceptive pills.”
“…What?”
“Just one pill lasts for 2 weeks, they say. Don’t forget to take them. Come here every first week of the month to receive them. Make up some excuse to Rainer.”
At the matter-of-fact tone as if explaining how to use cosmetics, Cecilia felt a chill down her spine.
A mother-in-law handing contraceptive pills to newlyweds.
She was definitely not in her right mind.
Meanwhile, watching Cecilia who gave no answer, Elise’s eyebrows rose subtly.
“Don’t think too badly of it. It’s all a measure for the peace of the Duke’s Mansion.”
“…”
“The true heir of Hays is Evan. What good would come from unnecessary variables?”
At those words, Cecilia sneered inwardly.
She, who was obsessed with the Duke’s Mansion bloodline, initially didn’t acknowledge Evan, a bastard, at all.
When Gilbert ended up leaving no children due to his distant relationship with the previous duke’s wife, only then did she frantically search for and bring Evan.
“Now, madam.”
Meanwhile, Margaret came with a cup filled with water.
It meant she should swallow it directly in front of Elise.
‘What a truly horrible woman.’
Since it was a contract marriage anyway, what Elise worried about wouldn’t happen.
But Cecilia was furious at Elise’s attitude.
She didn’t want to meekly follow her wishes like this.
Cecilia ignored Margaret’s hand holding the water cup and stared directly at Elise.
“Well. Would the medicine Mother gives really be effective?”
“…What did you say?”
“I understand Mother also carefully prepared medicine for the previous duke’s wife. But what was the result?”
Cecilia’s eyes gleamed challengingly.
“Despite all that care, the previous duke’s wife couldn’t have children. I wonder if this medicine would really be effective.”
Cecilia sneered at Elise and snapped the box lid shut.
“I’ll decline this medicine of questionable effectiveness. I’ll gratefully accept just the thought behind it.”
“You, how dare…!”
Elise’s face turned red with anger.
She roughly snatched the box and said.
“I tried to end this nicely with words, but I guess that won’t work.”
At the same time, the maids’ hands roughly grabbed Cecilia again.
“What are you doing! Let go, right now!”
Cecilia struggled, but the maids’ grip was too strong for her to escape.
Elise picked up one white pill.
“If you’re going to take it anyway, wouldn’t it have been better to take it nicely with your own hands? Your husband and you both. Children raised without parents are all equally stubborn.”
“Don’t insult people like that!”
Cecilia shouted.
It felt even more insulting to hear such words from someone like Elise, of all people.
She, who judged people by ridiculous standards, was the most vulgar person in the world.
‘I can’t just take this lying down.’
Cecilia tried once more to forcefully pull her arm free.
But she couldn’t overcome the strength of several people pressing down on her from above.
Elise approached Cecilia with a vile smile.
And roughly grabbed Cecilia’s chin.
“Open your mouth.”
“….”
“Hurry up!”
Cecilia endured to the end, keeping her lips tightly shut.
Elise’s eyes narrowed sharply.
“Force it open.”
At Elise’s command, the maids rushed forward in a swarm.
Cecilia desperately resisted.
Her breath was cut short, and sharp pain surged through her twisted wrists.
The room instantly turned into chaos.
‘No, this can’t… like this…’
Unable to overcome the strength of many, just as Cecilia’s lips were about to part little by little.
“Take your hands off her right now.”
* * *
A moment earlier.
Bang!
As the gunshot rang out in the forest, flocks of flying birds scattered in all directions.
Hunting dogs barked and ran about, while men drove their horses at full gallop.
Evan’s horse closely pursued Rainer from behind.
“Father! I’ll finish this!”
Evan aimed his gun at the flying birds with an extremely excited expression.
‘Perfect! Everyone watch the skills of the next Duke of Hays!’
Bang!
But the shot missed.
The birds fled even faster, and Harry’s grumbling could be heard from behind.
“Missed again.”
“Damn it. They got away, got away.”
The hunters also turned their horses around one by one with deflated expressions.
This was already the umpteenth time they had lost prey that was already caught because of Evan.
The person in question himself showed no awareness of this at all.
“Oh my, Father. I made quite a mistake this time, didn’t I? Ahaha…”
Evan sidled up close to Rainer.
He rattled off more than ten excuses about why he had unavoidably lost the prey this time.
Rainer let out a deep sigh inwardly.
Though he didn’t show it, Evan’s constant interference and chatter was annoying.
Maybe he should tie him to a bear trap instead.
Such a thought flashed through his mind momentarily, but soon feeling it was meaningless, Rainer just turned his gaze away.
At that attitude, Evan pursed his lips and grumbled inwardly.
‘Tch, acting all high and mighty. How much has he even caught.’
The scores already differed significantly, but foolish Evan’s thoughts didn’t reach that far.
Until Evan stealthily turned his horse to the other side and disappeared, Rainer didn’t say a single word.
If the annoying fellow would withdraw on his own, that was enough.
It was when he, left alone, was about to pull the reins and head elsewhere.
“Y-Your Grace! Your Grace!”
—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————