She Became My Friend’s Mother-In-Law - Chapter 81

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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 81. If Only I Could Have the Duke (2)

“…What?”

Tira was suddenly struck with fear.

What the head maid had said earlier, and now this.

Could they be planning to punish her for deceiving the Duke’s family?

“P-please forgive me!”

Before her thoughts could finish, her body moved first.

Tira dropped to her knees and prostrated herself on the floor.

“I’ll never, never do such a thing again. Please show mercy just this once!”

A brief silence passed.

Tira swallowed nervously and waited for Elise’s next words.

Elise silently stirred her teacup while looking down at Tira.

Soon, the corners of her mouth slowly curled upward.

“Hoho.”

Her laughter filled the room.

At this completely unexpected reaction, Tira looked up with a dumbfounded expression.

Elise looked down at Tira with snake-like eyes and said,

“You have a refreshingly straightforward side. Good, do as you wish.”

“What?”

Elise set down her teacup.

Seeing her in person, she was even more to her liking than she had imagined.

Especially her nature of not overthinking things and not being the type to slyly back out alone.

“If you want to stay at the Duke’s mansion, then stay.”

“R-really?”

“Of course, it would be even better if you could also drive out that wench who’s acting so insufferably as my daughter-in-law.”

Tira’s eyes widened in shock.

What on earth had she just heard?

So.

A lady of a great noble house.

Was directly asking her to drive out her own daughter-in-law?

“Are you saying that perhaps…”

“That’s right, if you do the job well, I’ll give you that bas— no, Rainer.”

Elise almost disparaged Rainer out of habit but corrected herself.

Since Tira firmly believed she was Rainer’s mother.

“He married without my permission and his arrogance reaches the heavens. On top of that, she’s no ordinary fox. Could I borrow your help?”

“Yes! Of course!”

Tira’s face brightened.

“If I can have the Duke, I’ll do anything the Dowager Duchess commands.”

“I like that spirit.”

When Elise gestured lightly, Margaret approached.

“Tell the physician. Have him prescribe appropriate treatment so this child can stay at the manor until I say otherwise.”

“Yes, I understand, Dowager Duchess.”

Tira couldn’t hide her joy and bowed her head.

“Thank you so much! I’ll do my absolute best to repay your help!”

“Just doing your best isn’t enough. You must definitely turn Rainer’s heart around.”

“Don’t worry! That’s exactly my specialty!”

Tira smiled confidently.

With her own charm plus the Dowager Duchess’s help.

She would be truly invincible.

In her mind, she was already picturing herself standing beside the Duke and the Duchess being driven away.

“I won’t disappoint you.”

Tira left the room with an excited expression.

Watching her retreating figure, Margaret shook her head.

“Will this be alright? She seems more foolish than I thought.”

“That’s exactly what’s good about her.”

Despite Margaret’s concern, Elise maintained a calm expression.

“For dealing with that thing, someone like her will actually be more useful.”

Though she kept disparaging her by calling her “that thing.”

Elise inwardly acknowledged Cecilia’s wisdom.

That’s precisely why she needed Tira even more.

She would confront a woman like Cecilia with petty and stupid methods that Cecilia could never even imagine.

The family might suffer some minor damage.

But that much could be resolved by placing the blame on Rainer and expelling him.

And even if she failed, there was nothing to worry about.

Tira was a pawn chosen to be easily used and discarded from the beginning.

But somehow, it seemed like that child would prove quite useful.

‘Rainer, it looks like I’ll be winning this round.’

The corners of Elise’s mouth slowly twisted upward.

* * *

“Sigh…”

Michel let out a deep sigh as he trudged along.

He was on his way back from buying Sandy’s medicine at the apothecary.

‘Who would have thought the medicine prices would go up again so soon.’

Every time the prices increased, he felt suffocated.

Last month, he could buy a month’s worth with the money he had.

Now he could only get barely 3 weeks’ worth.

‘There’s nowhere left to borrow money…’

Most of his performance fees were going toward paying back the advance he had borrowed from the theater.

The sponsorship from the Duchess last time had also slipped through his fingers like sand in no time.

Should he cut and sell his hair?

But then what would happen to future performances?

It was when Michel returned home with a despairing expression.

“Sandy, I’m ho—”

He stopped mid-sentence as he casually announced his return.

“Y-you!”

Cecilia was sitting inside the room.

A Duchess in their small, shabby room.

Michel blinked his eyes several times as if he couldn’t believe it.

‘Why is she suddenly here?’

Since he hadn’t seen her for a while, he thought their connection had ended there.

“Shh.”

Cecilia turned to look at Michel and brought her index finger to her lips.

“She just fell asleep.”

Beside her, Sandy was covered with a blanket, sleeping peacefully.

Unlike usual when she suffered from frequent coughing, today she looked quite stable.

Cecilia quietly rose from her seat and gestured slightly with her head.

It was a signal to go outside and talk.

Michel reluctantly followed her out.

“What exactly are you doing? Breaking into someone’s home is grounds for reporting.”

“I apologize for entering without permission. But her coughing was so severe that I couldn’t just keep waiting outside.”

“What the hell—!”

Michel was about to shout but looked around and took a breath.

He placed his hands on his hips and looked at Cecilia.

“If you’re trying to blackmail us using Sandy’s illness as leverage—”

“That’s not it.”

Cecilia said firmly.

There was neither pity nor sympathy in her gaze.

“If I wanted to blackmail you, I wouldn’t have done it this way. I wouldn’t have brought medicine either.”

“…Medicine?”

While Michel hesitated.

Cecilia pulled out a medicine bottle from her coat.

It was what she had received from Naijel.

“Th, this is…”

Michel’s eyes wavered as he saw the label he had only seen in the brokers’ office.

Even the one there had been an empty bottle.

When he unconsciously shook the bottle, the sound of pills clinking against each other came from inside.

“The House of Hays has acquired the distribution rights for this medicine.”

Cecilia said calmly.

“Starting next month, it will be available at reasonable prices throughout the Empire. Until then, give her this.”

“Wh, what…”

“One pill in the morning and evening, two pills a day. You already know that.”

Michel looked down at Cecilia with a dazed expression.

He couldn’t believe this situation at all.

Could he be dreaming?

But the faint rose scent emanating from Cecilia told him it was definitely not a dream.

“Wh, what do you want from us—”

“I didn’t do this expecting anything in return.”

Cecilia continued quietly.

“That would be like making a deal with Sandy’s life as collateral.”

In fact, if she had wanted to persuade Michel, there were plenty of ways.

It would have been easy to buy a bunch of expensive medicine and hand it over directly.

Money was overflowing at Hays after all.

But Cecilia didn’t want to do that.

The moment she used Sandy like that, she would be no different from Nigel Russ.

‘Of course, I can’t say my intentions are completely pure…’

But at least she didn’t want to use medicine as bait to bind someone.

Cecilia shrugged her shoulders.

“Well then, I’ll be going now.”

Today, it was enough just to confirm that Sandy took her medicine and rested comfortably.

“If you have anything to say about the medicine, feel free to come to the Hays Ducal House anytime.”

Leaving those final words, Cecilia turned around.

“…”

Michel stared blankly at her retreating figure while holding the medicine bottle.

His lips moved several times, but no words came out in the end.

In fact, he didn’t even know what he wanted to say.

Thank you for giving me the medicine?

Or that he had information for her?

“Haah…”

Michel let out a heavy sigh and went inside the house.

His mind was complicated.

‘The Duchess saved Sandy…’

Yet he himself, knowing who killed her parents.

Wasn’t taking any action at all.

This was definitely not the right thing to do.

A voice in his heart kept crying out.

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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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