Episode 34 of “I’m a Mother-in-Law but I Don’t Want Conflict”
Contrary to the expectation that it would take a couple of days, he sent a message at dawn, saying he welcomed the Milo family’s goodwill.
It probably had to do with the recent discovery of a gold mine in the Milo territory—but it wasn’t something I wanted to get involved in.
After handing the finished documents to Nata, I made my way to the dining room. While going down the stairs, Nata cautiously asked,
“Do you think Mirinae will be okay?”
“She’ll be fine.”
“You sound sure.”
“Yeah. Brats like Jace usually like their younger siblings.”
The problem is just how they show that affection. I swallowed the rest of my words. The lower a rebellious kid’s self-esteem, the more likely they are to obsess over those who follow them.
I could easily guess what kind of conversation Mirinae and Jace were having.
“Besides, that kid cares a lot about looks.”
“…Excuse me?”
“You didn’t know? He got super shy when he looked at you.”
Nata tilted his head, clearly confused and unaware.
Jace had been rude to me but didn’t say a word to Nata, who had stepped in his way.
It wasn’t because Nata was a knight—it was because he was handsome. That bratty young master cared more about appearances than one might think.
I even heard it directly from the viscountess: he’s less aggressive in front of good-looking people.
“Mirinae’s cute, so he’ll probably try to impress her.”
Now that I thought about it, maybe that’s why he didn’t complain when she showed up.
“You look like you don’t believe me.”
Nata faintly furrowed his brows. I almost joked that he shouldn’t waste his handsome face like that—but decided it sounded too much like an old man’s comment and held it in.
“Then why was he so rude to the First Madam?”
“…Huh?”
“If he wants to look good, shouldn’t he act that way with the First Madam too…”
“What are you talking about?”
“Pardon?”
“Huh?”
“…”
As I stared blankly, not understanding what he meant, Nata blinked in confusion. Then suddenly, his face flushed bright red.
“T-That’s… not it.”
“What’s not it?”
“It’s nothing.”
So is this inside or outside?
Should I crack a joke to break the awkwardness?
Nata’s unusual behavior was more flustering than anything.
He passed by me, went down the stairs, and opened the dining room door wide—gesturing for me to enter.
‘What’s up with him…’
Still, a pretty face stays pretty even when it turns tomato-red.
Mirinae had been told by Wilhelmina to “get along with Jace,” so she decided to approach him first.
“Hi, I’m Mirinae.”
“…”
Right after Wilhelmina left, she greeted him.
Jace, on the other hand, was flustered by how casually Mirinae approached.
‘What’s with this servant talking down to me?’
He was trying to figure out how to scold her when Mirinae suddenly leaned over to look at his workbook.
“Wow, what’s all this? Are these problems?”
“Don’t touch that. I haven’t finished it yet.”
“Looks like a foreign language.”
“That’s math. Don’t you even know that?”
He instinctively snapped at her, expecting her to get upset. But instead, Mirinae brought out her own workbook and opened it.
“I’m studying math too.”
“That’s… arithmetic.”
“Is that different?”
“Of course it is! I solved that stuff seven years ago!”
He felt embarrassed, like he was bragging over nothing. Jace was about to rephrase when Mirinae beat him to it, her eyes sparkling.
“That’s amazing. I haven’t even finished mine yet. You’re already doing the hard stuff.”
“Uh… yeah, I guess.”
“That’s really cool.”
Jace felt like if Mirinae had a tail, it would be wagging wildly from friendliness.
Even without Wilhelmina’s request, Mirinae had the pure ability to admire and compliment others genuinely.
Her sincerity made Jace relax a little.
“You’ll, uh, catch up soon too.”
“When? Will I be able to write that kind of foreign language too?”
“It’s not a foreign language, it’s formulas. Uh… maybe in like 10 years?”
Jace didn’t want to say less than his own seven years, so he guessed vaguely.
“Ten years…”
Mirinae looked down, clearly disappointed.
“What’s wrong?”
“That’s too long. Even if I study every day… I won’t have enough time. The First Madam can’t keep teaching me forever.”
Mirinae could only study during lunch and right before bed.
And that was because she was just a servant—if her rank increased, she’d get busier.
No matter how much Wilhelmina looked out for her, it wasn’t realistic to expect she’d keep getting personal tutoring.
“Hey, it’s just studying…”
Jace was about to tell her not to whine about something like that—but stopped.
Mirinae’s expression was much gloomier than he expected.
‘Ugh, this is annoying…’
Normally he’d say, “If you’re gonna cry, go somewhere else,” but instead, Jace clicked his tongue like an adult.
“…Then I’ll help when the First Madam isn’t around.”
“Huh?”
“I’ll be here for ten days anyway… and I don’t wanna eat with you in the dining room, so we’ll keep running into each other in the library. So…”
His sentence dragged on awkwardly. Jace scratched his head irritably.
“I’ll help a bit. You better be grateful—I’m ranked pretty high at the academy…”
“Really? Thanks!”
Mirinae grabbed Jace’s hand as he scratched his head.
Her hand was small and warm, with calluses, typical of a young child.
Surprised, Jace froze.
“I’m so happy to have a smart friend like you. I’ll definitely repay you.”
“Uh, yeah. Of course. A noble like me… teaching a commoner is…”
For some reason, the words wouldn’t come out. He mumbled and tried to pull his hand away, but his eyes landed on Mirinae’s face.
Now that he looked closer, she was really cute.
Fluffy reddish-brown curls, bright eyes, fair skin, chubby cheeks, and a tiny nose and lips—adorable.
‘A girl shouldn’t grab a boy’s hand like that…’
Not that Mirinae cared—she was just happy to have a study buddy.
“Let’s eat together while we study. I brought some bread from Anna—wanna share?”
“No thanks, that stuff’s too hard. The servants will bring my meal soon anyway.”
“Okay, then let’s eat separately.”
“…Well, maybe I’ll share some soup.”
“Really? I love soup.”
Mirinae’s innocent gratitude left no room for Jace’s teenage awkwardness.
So he never questioned her calling Anna “unni” (big sister).
Because, of course, he thought Mirinae was a girl.
He didn’t know that Mirinae hadn’t yet learned about family terms in language lessons—or that she only started speaking six months ago.
He also didn’t know that she called Johan “hyung” and Anna “unni” because no one had corrected her.
‘Should I make her call me oppa? But at home, they said “young master.” If she calls me by name, it feels too casual…’
And so, his misunderstanding began. It was something even Wilhelmina hadn’t foreseen.
Ten worksheets a day—it sounded easy, but the homework didn’t go as smoothly as Jace had thought.
The problems got harder and longer as they went on.
Though the difficulty wasn’t high, the solutions required more time.
Unfamiliar with long-form problems, Jace only managed to finish about eight sheets before it was time to leave.
Wilhelmina, who had gone out that afternoon with a relaxed expression, returned only after sunset and checked his progress.
She just checked the answers and then closed the workbook casually.
“Then come again tomorrow.”
“…”
He had expected to be scolded for not finishing, but instead, all he got was a simple “see you tomorrow.”
He wasn’t even sure this counted as a lesson anymore.
As he was about to leave for the day, he saw Mirinae returning from work.
Mirinae waved at Jace with all her strength as he left the estate. Her face remained expressionless, but the sincerity in her gesture was clear.
Normally, he’d have scolded a servant for not bowing—but for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything to Mirinae.
He gave her a look that said, “You better be prepared for tomorrow’s lesson,” and climbed into the carriage headed for Viscountess Rolland’s home.
“Welcome back. Did the lesson go well?”
“…Yeah.”
The Viscountess, who always used to stiffen at the sight of Jace, now looked calm.
It was as if she truly believed Wilhelmina was taking care of everything.
And somehow, that made Jace feel a bit sulky.
