How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love

“Oh my God…..”

 

“Welcome to Ajas, Nell.”

 

If Leonhard hadn’t subtly pulled my hand, I would have been frozen in place like a stone statue.

 

Thanks to that, I moved my body naturally, stepped on the footrest, and came down to the snow-covered ground. Then everyone bowed and greeted me.

 

“Welcome to Ajas, Marquess.” 

 

“Thank you everyone…”

 

Because I was nervous, my voice came out a little shaky. As if to be considerate of me, who quickly closed my mouth because of that, Leonhard continued speaking.

 

“I’m sure you’re tired, so let’s postpone the official introduction. Lucius.” 

 

“Yes, master.”

 

The man wearing the glasses, who was standing in the front, stepped one step forward and bowed politely with his hands on his chest.

 

Lucius, with his blue hair neatly combed, smiled softly with his dark blue eyes shining.

 

“Greetings, my lord. I am Lucius Lyndon, the undeserving bearer of the duties of the head butler of Castle Ajas.I look forward to your kind cooperation, Marquess.” 

 

“Yes, I look forward to it too.”

 

“I guess my wife’s room is ready.”

 

“Of course. Please come this way. I will guide you.” 

 

“I will take you there, Nell.”

 

Lucius took the lead, and I followed behind, escorted by Leonhard.

 

After passing through the large door that the gatekeeper opened on both sides and entering the castle, I opened my mouth slightly as the warm wind blew from inside.

 

“Wow, it’s really warm inside the castle? I think I can take off my coat.” 

 

“No, Please keep it on until you get to your room, Nell.” 

 

“Hmm, it’s a little hot.”

 

But no one took off their coats, so I decided to hold on for now. Ah, it’s better to be a little hot than cold.

 

‘By the way…it’s better than I thought’

 

The castle was built of stone, so the tiles on the floor were hard stone, but thanks to the thick carpet, my feet didn’t hurt. I was able to walk comfortably through the lobby and explore the interior of the castle.

 

Was it because the castle was made of dark black-gray stones? Even though there were lanterns made from magic stones of light hanging all over the walls, the interior of the castle felt more dark than bright.

 

In addition, perhaps because the castle itself has a long history, the tapestry on the wall, the tiles on the floor, the chandeliers on the ceiling, and the decorations on the pillars appear to have been replaced, but the overall atmosphere was exuding an antique feel.

 

While climbing the gentle spiral staircase and looking at the pictures on the wall, Leonhard explained in a relaxed voice.

 

“The hall is centered on the 4th floor, with Marquis’s castle to the east and Marquess’s castle to the west. For convenience, the Marquis’s castle is called east castle, and Marquess’s castle is called west castle. The couple’s bedroom is on the 5th floor.”

 

“the 5th floor? Wow, it must be hard to go up and down the stairs.…What floor is the dining room on?”

 

“It’s 1st floor.”

 

“I see…”

 

‘I can’t eat in my room, can I? The thought of going up and down from the 5th floor to the 1st floor three times a day was already painful.’

 

‘Oh, the 5th floor is the couple’s bedroom, so I usually stay on the 4th floor?’

 

That was better, but it was still a long way from the 4th floor to the 1st floor.

 

“By the way, I haven’t used the married couple’s bedroom yet, but I’ll start today.”

 

“really? Then where did you usually sleep?”

 

“I have a separate bedroom in the Marquis’s Castle on the 4th floor. And, of course, you have too.”

 

As we walked up to the 4th floor, Leonhard explained to me the room in the Marquess’s castle.

 

A bedroom, a dressing room, an office, a study room, a bathroom, a still room where tea is prepared and cookies and cakes are baked, and a guest room and lounge for guests. 

 TL: A still room is a service area in most great houses, castles or large establishments that provides items of food and beverages required for the service of meals. 

The number of rooms for just the wife was as large as a normal castle, no, more than that.I understood why it was called ‘Marquess’s Castle’, for the Marquess of the border.

 

“But isn’t there a separate guest room? Why is there a separate guest room?”

 

‘Oh, is that the room you give out when you invite people from your family? to spend a little more time there.’

 

“Normally, this room is given over to your other man.” 

 

“Oh, I see.…what?”

 

They created a separate room for their affair?

 

When I asked again, wondering if I had heard wrong, Leonhard gave me a smile.

 

“But I’m sure you won’t be using the guest room for that purpose.”

 

“Of course not! for God’s sake…..I really, really, really hate affairs, and I’m sure you agree with me, right?”

 

“Of course. After I inherited the title of Marquis, the guest rooms in the East castle were completely closed. because there’s no use for them.”

 

“Oh, so do I have to close it too?”

 

At my question, Leonhard looked at me with strange eyes. 

 

“Is there anyone who you would like to give them your guest room?” 

 

“Lily or Becky. Well, other than that.…”

 

There wasn’t a single person that came to mind. My circle of friends was so small.

 

‘I regret the past days of living as a homebody… but I was born to be a homebody, so what can I do?’

 

At least I have friends to invite over.

 

As I was thinking about that and nodding my head, I heard Leonhard’s voice next to me. Perhaps due to my mood, it sounded a little softer than before. 

 

“You can use that room however you want. The same goes for other rooms. Feel free to fill the dressing room, study, and lounge with whatever you want. If you tell Lucius, he will give you a ledger of your expenses.” 

 

As soon as Leonhard finished explaining, Lucius, who had been walking ahead of me, glanced back and bowed to me.

 

The moment I reflexively bowed my head in response, we reached the 4th floor.

 

Lucius stretched out his white-gloved hand and pointed to a corridor west.

 

“This is the Marquess’s castle, West castle. Would you like me to show you the room right away, or would you like to take a rest first?”

 

“Hmm… I’d like you to show me my room first. When that’s done, I’d like to take a bath.”

 

“I will prepare without any shortage so that you can do as you wish.”

 

With that said, I was able to take a bath right after looking around the west castle. The bathroom in the west castle was very spacious, with a bathtub large enough to fit three or four people, a drawers stocked with all kinds of perfumes and bath products, a massage room, and even a dressing room for dressing and undressing.

 

“Marquess, is the water temperature appropriate?” 

 

“What kind of scent do you like in perfume?”

 

“I’ll give you a massage. Which part of your body is the most tense?”

 

“Now let me comb your hair. Wow, your hair is nice too. How would you like me to tie your hair?”

 

“What color ribbon do you like?”

 

While I was taking a bath, a total of four people, including Sally and Scarlet as well as two lady maids from Ajas Castle, clung to me.

 

It was definitely nice to have a professional help relieve my tense muscles, but honestly, it was a little embarrassing to see maids in identical clothes waiting on either side of me while I was naked.

 

‘This too…I’ll have to adapt, right?’

 

My dry hair was tied up high, and a sapphire necklace in the shape of a water drop was hung on the exposed nape of my neck.

 

Then, I wore a light blue cotton dress and tied a pink ribbon around my waist, the same color as my eyes.

 

The ribbon tied to emphasize the thin waist was a little frustrating, but it was still much better than the corset.

 

“Wear this shawl around your shoulders. It’s a shawl with a warming magic, so it’ll be warm.” 

 

“Yes, thank you.”

 

With the maids at my side I stood in the hallway and wondered for a moment where I should go, then asked the person standing closest to me. 

 

“Where is the Marquis now?”

 

“He was in his office, finishing some work that had piled up” 

 

“ah…I see.”

 

It was natural since the castle had been empty for quite some time.

 

I thought I shouldn’t disturb him until dinner time, so after thinking about it for a while, I asked one more time.

 

“Then what about Noah?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“My son…I mean. Where is the child now?” 

 

The word ‘my son’ is still awkward. Anyway, I’ve been curious about Noah ever since I got off the carriage.

 

So many people came out to greet the marquis and the new marquess, but no matter how much I looked, there was no sign of Noah among them.

 

‘I couldn’t ask because I missed the right time to ask.…No matter how young he is, isn’t it natural to meet your father and Stepmother when they return home after a long time?’

 

‘Even though he is the heir, the owner of the estate has returned, and he doesn’t come out?’

 

“Well, the young master is….He’s currently in class.” 

 

“Class? What class?”

 

“I’m not sure what class he’s taking right now.”

 

Hannah, the brown-haired maid who answered, looked at Amy next to her and asked, ‘You know?’ she asked with her eyes. But Amy also shook her head. 

 

Of course, Sally and Scarlett, who came here for the first time today with me, didn’t know about that.

 

‘I felt a little strange…’

 

“That child…. Does he know that me and Marquis have arrived?” 

 

“Maybe he knows…?” 

 

“maybe?”

 

For some reason, all the answers that came back were vague.

 

“Well, the young master has learned so much, so the Marquis has said several times that there is no need to stop class to see him off. It was like that in reality.”

 

“But this time, he didn’t just go away for a moment. It’s been almost a few months since he came home.”

 

“Last year, the Marquis was away for two or three months on an inspection of the estate, and when he came back, he said the young master didn’t need to come out, that it was all right.”

 

“What?”

 

‘This is a family you haven’t seen in a few months? You pass by so coolly?’

 

My face seemed to be distorted horribly at that thought. Hannah fiddled with her apron and stepped forward to defend Leonhard. She said, 

 

“There are so many things a young master has to learn. once he stopped the class and resumed it, the time it ended would be too late.…So I know the Marquis were considerate.”

 

“What time does his class usually end?” 

 

“Well, I know it’s 9 p.m”

 

“9 p.m.? A five-year-old child takes classes until 9 p.m?”

 

However, it seemed like I was the only one surprised by that fact. 

 

Hannah and Amy exchanged glances and one of them came forward and opened their mouth.

 

“But he has the symbol of Ajas.….If you’re worried about physical problems, he should be fine. It’s never been a problem for a young master before.

 

“No, aside from physical problems,…”

 

‘At this point, I really don’t know. Am I strange for thinking this way? Is it really right for an heir to a high-ranking noble to take such harsh classes?’

 

“I have to see it with my own eyes.”

 

“yes?”

 

“Where is Noah taking classes now? Please show me the way.” 

 

“But he is probably in class right now.….”

 

“I don’t mean to interfere. I’ll just quietly watch the class take place, so please show me right now.”

 

Was my firm voice helpful? Hannah and Amy, who were a little hesitant, nodded and led me to Noah’s study room. And there I saw an unexpected face.

 

A face I never thought I would see again in a place like this.

 * * *