Episode 11 of “She’s My Mother-in-Law, But I Hate In-law Conflicts”
I don’t know why he looked at me like I was some sort of exotic animal.
Is it really that strange to say I wanted to be popular once in my life?
The Frontier Duke gave a short shake of his head, as if thinking, “She really is peculiar.”
I, too, once dreamed of a rosy campus life when I entered the academy during my adolescent years.
But the reality was a harsh academic grind.
The place was so barren in terms of social life and noble status that it felt like a desert of studying.
Of course, I never really put much effort into academics, so calling it “harsh” might be an exaggeration.
“If I knew I’d end up like this, I would’ve just studied hard.”
Never thought I’d end up realizing the same things I used to tell my students as a teacher. If I had recalled my past life during my time at the academy, I might’ve been better off now.
In the end, the conversation with the Frontier Duke ended without much substance.
With a reluctant expression, he simply said he understood and returned to the garden.
Though the man in the helmet caught my eye, he didn’t seem interested in talking, so I left comfortably.
“Felt like he kept observing me… Was I really that curious to look at?”
Well, if I were in his shoes, I’d probably be curious too. A mother-in-law younger than her daughter-in-law? It’s like something straight out of a morning drama. No wonder he was watching me. He must have been just as curious.
“Hmm?”
And when I arrived in front of the annex, I spotted two people squatting near the door—my maid Anna and the errand boy Mirinae.
“What are you two doing there?”
“Ah! Madam!”
Mirinae jumped up and ran to me. I hugged him as he flung his arms wide open, and threw a glance at Anna.
“You came back alone? That’s dangerous…”
“It’s inside the castle. It’s fine. But why are you two here?”
Anna shouldn’t have had a night shift since she became my personal maid. It was well past quitting time.
“We were worried about when you’d come back.”
Mirinae, still in my arms, glanced at Anna and said, “Anna said you might get hurt.”
“Mirinae!”
Anna quickly pulled Mirinae from my arms and pinched his cheek, scolding him in a whisper, “When did I ever say that?”
“Ah, she must’ve been worried I’d be ignored or mistreated.”
Among the maids, Anna was one of the few who knew the Duke’s household well.
She had friends working at the main house, and she’d occasionally share whispered gossip with me.
She must’ve been anxious that something might happen during the celebration, especially considering some of the rumors she likely heard about me.
“She’s such a sweet girl.”
I hadn’t done anything for her, yet she worried about me. It made me feel lucky Anna was assigned to me.
It must be hard to serve someone as unpredictable as me.
“Thank you, Anna. Don’t worry, nothing happened.”
“Ah… That’s a relief!”
Anna let out a sigh of relief as she scolded Mirinae.
Freed from her hands, Mirinae came running back to me and held my hand tightly. It was cold from waiting outside.
“Mirinae, were you waiting too?”
“Yes, I heard you were going out today.”
True, it had caused quite a stir in the annex when I went out for the first time. Even if the errand boy didn’t have work to do, he must’ve been curious.
“Madam, you look so pretty today.”
“Really?”
The evening dress sent from my family was so beautiful that I lacked the words to properly praise it.
It was a dark-toned gown, shaded to match my hair color, adorned with jewels that looked expensive enough to cover a year’s worth of my former salary.
“Helene really put some thought into it.”
She may not like me, but she still made sure the dress suited the status of a ducal wife. I could feel her pride in the family through that.
“This dress is certainly pretty.”
“No, you’re pretty, Madam.”
“…Me?”
“Yup! You’re prettier than the dress. Like a star in the night sky!”
That was… quite the compliment. I couldn’t help but smile at Mirinae’s sincere words.
“For such a sweet compliment, I ought to reward you. Your hands are cold—let’s go inside and have some warm milk before bed. Anna, if you don’t mind…”
“I’ll prepare it.”
“Make three cups. You should join us too.”
“Yes, Madam!”
With Anna and Mirinae in tow, I made my way back into the annex.
The banquet hall was grand, and the adjoining castle imposing… but home really was the best.
Meanwhile…
After Wilhelmina left, two men stood side by side along an unlit garden path.
The Frontier Duke spoke to the helmeted man who had followed him.
“…Are you nervous?”
“Yes.”
At the honest reply, the duke let out a dry chuckle.
He knew well there were few people in the world capable of making this man nervous.
A man who wouldn’t flinch in front of hundreds of enemies was now so tense he could hardly breathe before a single woman.
If his subordinates had heard, they’d probably accuse him of lying.
“You could’ve taken off your helmet and said hello.”
“This wasn’t the kind of meeting I wanted.”
“Well.”
Should he call that stubbornness, or overzealous sincerity?
The Frontier Duke looked toward the annex Wilhelmina had entered with a complicated expression.
For someone this man supposedly felt guilty about, Wilhelmina seemed to be doing just fine.
“Didn’t look like she was suffering from any mother-in-law conflict.”
If anything, she carried herself like the head of the household.
“I support you because I owe her a debt… but don’t overdo it. You can’t be gone too long.”
“Thank you for the advice.”
After confirming they were alone, the man slowly removed his helmet. The brown hair and eyes didn’t quite suit him, making the duke frown.
“Jake would be very disappointed if he saw you.”
“It was necessary to blend in.”
The man was handsome enough to be proud of his looks, yet he chose to disguise himself like a bandit. It made the duke sigh.
He shook his head at the unkempt hair that masked the man’s sharp gaze.
“So, what will you do now? I plan to go meet Duke Leighton.”
“I’ll be returning. I came to congratulate the count, not to stir up trouble in the family.”
“…Though I doubt Duke Leighton would see it that way.”
The man’s concerns were valid, but Mikhail wasn’t as serious-minded as he thought. If anything, he’d probably welcome the man with open arms.
“No need to see me off.”
“Understood. Safe travels, then.”
The duke had wanted to share a drink with him, but now wasn’t the time. So he offered a firm farewell.
The duke saluted first, and the man waved back before heading down the opposite path.
“Oh, and Count.”
“Hmm?”
“Threatening her… I’ll consider that a mistake.”
“…”
Wilhelmina, this man… Why wouldn’t anyone believe he was innocent?
“If she’s that important to you, just say it already!”
The duke clenched his teeth as he watched the man disappear into the darkness.
A week passed, and Wednesday came.
I met Johan in the garden of the annex. We sat on a bench in a quiet, unused corner and started our deal.
“So, in your opinion, the top merchant group is Goldrail?”
Johan answered while munching on the buttered potatoes and milk I gave him.
“Yeah. They have everything!”
I was currently gathering information about the outside world from Johan—mainly about merchants and shops doing well in the Leighton territory.
He probably thought he was just sharing his honest impressions from cleaning the streets, but his sharp insights were surprisingly useful.
“Goldrail—a new merchant group that just became nobility. They sell miscellaneous goods to commoners and supply food and spices to nobles…”
One of my students in my past life used to say, “A heroine who returns after death should make money.” If the story goes off-script, you’ll need cash to do anything.
And I agreed to some extent.
No matter the world, money makes life easier.
Even if I was freeloading off the Leightons now, no one knew what the future held.
“And the heroine uses modern science and culture to make a fortune… Not sure I could pull that off.”
I was clueless when it came to practical science.
Though I had a basic understanding from being a science teacher, I wasn’t knowledgeable enough to invent anything.
Sure, I could study again and become a scholar, but… starting from scratch at my age? No thanks.
“Any interesting news about Goldrail?”
“Hmm… Ah! There’s a lady who sells flour.”
“Flour?”
Is he the emperor?