Chapter 22
I’m a Mother-in-Law, but I Hate Family Feuds
Their greatest achievement associated with her was probably seduction, so it wasn’t unreasonable for them to misunderstand her.
However, Derek and the fellow knights had witnessed her swordsmanship firsthand.
They had been by her side when she beheaded the enemy general and survived amidst dozens of enemy soldiers.
On the battlefield, Nata had been a reliable comrade. But now that the war was over, she was seen as an obstacle to their promotions.
“Even if it’s just a ceremonial event, it doesn’t change the fact that we’re wielding swords. A knight should—”
“Who’s even going to care if you win here?”
“……”
Here we go again. Derek pretended to offer consolation, telling Nata not to overdo it, but in reality, he was belittling her chances again.
It was a roundabout way of saying, “There’s no point in trying.”
Normally, Nata might have wavered at those words. She might have convinced herself that she was taking it too seriously and simply backed off.
That habit of ignoring subtle injustices had led to this behavior.
But now, things were different. Because there was one person who believed in her without question, and that faith now carried her.
Nata stared directly at Derek with unwavering eyes.
“Is that your excuse in advance for losing?”
“……What?”
“Saying you won’t take it seriously because it’s just an event sounds like a lie made in anticipation of defeat. Are you planning to explain away your loss by saying you weren’t serious?”
“……”
Perhaps he hadn’t expected such a sharp retort from Nata. Derek’s expression momentarily faltered. But he quickly regained his composure.
“Why are you so angry? I was just trying to encourage you not to be too nervous.”
“Is that so? Then I hope you’re not nervous either, Sir Derek. I hope you display your best performance. Do you remember the rule about having to remove your mask if you lose?”
“……”
“No matter how unserious you say you are, if you lose too miserably… won’t that be embarrassing?”
With those words, Nata walked past Derek and headed to the waiting room.
She could feel his gaze drilling into the back of her head, but she wasn’t scared in the slightest. In fact, the fact that he was angry at her was satisfying.
He couldn’t refute Nata’s words because he couldn’t afford to take off the mask of a respected senior knight.
‘Back then, I didn’t understand why the Grand Madam gave me this weapon…’
Upon arriving in the waiting room, Nata picked up a small box placed in the corner. Inside was a weapon gifted personally by Wilhelmina, with a cryptic message: “Use it if you dare.”
At first, she didn’t understand why such a thing was given to her. But now, she could see it clearly.
“If you’re going to win, win thoroughly—and in the spirit of the event.”
Maybe Wilhelmina had anticipated this situation all along?
With her unreadable smile in mind, Nata let out a low chuckle.
Preparations for the event proceeded swiftly. Honestly, I didn’t do much.
I figured people of high status shouldn’t meddle unnecessarily and should simply issue commands and rest—because that was the best way to help.
I did help a bit with the stitching for the outfits, but other than that, I mostly relaxed and waited.
‘Thank goodness the servants from the main house didn’t come.’
While I was busy preparing for the celebratory banquet, the main house was bustling with preparations for the year-end party. Apparently, an important guest was expected, which made things even busier than usual, according to Anna.
Thanks to that, the main house didn’t interfere, and we were able to complete preparations smoothly with the villa’s staff and the soldiers assigned by the border marquis.
As the banquet began, knights, soldiers, and officers took their places to the tune of prepared music.
I stood on the podium set up in the garden, watching the Marquis deliver his speech to the soldiers.
It was the first time so many people had gathered at the villa, and as I watched the celebration from a corner of the garden, Mirinae asked me,
“Aren’t you going up there, Grand Madam?”
“No, I’m too lazy.”
I had received an offer to participate in the medal ceremony after the speech, but I declined out of sheer laziness.
It felt awkward to pin medals on strangers’ chests. Besides, it was obvious that some of the Marquis’s knights wouldn’t welcome me.
‘They wouldn’t want to receive medals from some fallen noblewoman.’
The Marquis had a righteous personality and probably wouldn’t show it outright, but Anna had mentioned that some of the servants had been subtly disrespected by the knights.
‘Even Viscountess Rolland said something like that.’
After that etiquette lesson, I occasionally exchanged letters with Viscountess Rolland.
She had expressed joy upon hearing about the banquet, but also warned me that it would be best to avoid entanglements with the military.
[“Soldiers are exclusive by nature. That’s the way their organization works. You should steer clear of noble-born officers and knights who’ve noticed your status, Grand Madam.”]
It was a short message, but easy enough to understand.
‘Seems like the Western Army has its own inner tensions.’
Although the military doesn’t officially discriminate based on status, higher-ranking positions do tend to require noble birth. Nata was a clear example of someone harmed by that system.
‘And they still managed to defeat the western barbarians with a track record like that. Do they have some kind of hidden weapon?’
I had heard the Marquis’s army won a crushing victory, but maybe they had a secret weapon. Or maybe the enemies were just weaker than expected.
As I pondered various thoughts, the speech came to an end. Knowing the soldiers didn’t like long speeches, the Marquis had purposefully shortened it.
The medal ceremony was about to start, so I made my way back to the lounge.
“Time to wear the outfit Mirinae made for me.”
“Yep!”
Mirinae nodded confidently, proud of the outfit she had designed.
Frankly, I had no idea what she was aiming for.
If I had to name it, I’d call it a “cute chimera pajama outfit,” but I couldn’t say that in front of her, so I just referred to it as an “animal dress.”
Once in the lounge, I changed into the outfit. Since it was hard to wear alone, Mirinae helped me.
“Thanks. Shall I head out now?”
“I’m excited!”
“Okay. It’s dangerous out there, so stay close to Anna, alright?”
After patting her head, I put on the mask and stepped out of the lounge.
The medal ceremony had ended, and people were gathering around the arena.
Since I’d moved discreetly, no one seemed to suspect I was the Grand Duchess. From a distance, Anna spotted me and gave a wry smile.
As I approached, some soldiers who had already taken their seats spotted me and gaped in surprise.
I ignored them, climbed up onto the arena stage, and picked up a small wooden loudspeaker Anna had prepared instead of a microphone.
Then, I shouted cheerfully into the loudspeaker:
“Welcome to the Masked Martial Arts Tournament of the Layton Ducal Family, brave undefeated warriors! I’m your host and tournament commentator, the Cat Bunny!”
“Oh, ooooh—!”
It was only then that some of the soldiers seemed to realize I was the emcee for the event and began to cheer.
Of course, the knights unfamiliar with such festivities still looked stunned.
‘I’ll have to liven it up. That’s how I gain energy for the event I planned myself.’
And with that, Nata’s performance would attract even more attention.
I gradually raised my voice.
“No long-winded explanations! You’ve all been briefed already, and my throat is too sore to speak at length anyway!”
“Hahaha!”
“But before we begin, please give a thunderous cheer and applause to the commander who helped make this tournament possible—Count Teitan Isonon!”
“Waaaaaah—!”
Clap clap clap!
The Marquis, seated at the announcer’s spot, looked slightly embarrassed as all eyes turned to him. He stood up and gave a short salute in my direction.
‘Wait—he shouldn’t be saluting me! That could expose my identity!’
There was no one else in the audience he would salute like that—only me.
Thankfully, no one seemed to notice, and I quickly moved on.
“As you’ve heard, the tournament is a knockout duel! It will proceed in the order you’ve been given. Each contestant will appear masked, so try to guess who they are! And—”
At my signal, one of the servants waiting behind the arena appeared, pushing a cart with two boxes on it.
“We’ll be awarding a special treasure not only to the champion, but also to the audience member who correctly identifies the most contestants!”
“Wait, we never heard about that!”
“A treasure? You mean gold?!”
They had only been told about the tournament, not the rewards. I had kept it a secret on purpose.
‘Nothing boosts excitement like money.’
Even if some had no interest in the matches, few would refuse the chance to win a prize just for guessing contestants’ identities.
And just like that, everyone was suddenly far more invested in uncovering who was behind the masks.
