How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love

“I don’t know who he is, but he seems to have made a big decision for that purpose.” 

 

“It must not have been easy, considering the precedent of Baron Gemini.”

 

“So who did it, then? We need to know, so we can protect him from the wrath of His Excellency the marquis.”

 

In the chaotic atmosphere, the vassals asked each other who had harmed the young master.

 

However, even as suspicion grew toward the candidate who could commit such a crime, no one came forward to claim that they had committed it themselves.

 

Among them, Count Rembert, sitting next to Count Hiern, whispered.

 

“Is this perhaps your own doing?”

 

“What are you saying now?”

 

Count Hiern, who was nervously fiddling with the hand hidden under the desk, scolded in a sharp voice as soon as Count Rembert finished speaking.

 

Only then did he realize that it was Count Lamberton, and he gave a small cough.

 

He forced himself to calmly look away, knowing that revealing his anger would do nothing good.

 

“Don’t you know what I’ve done? This has nothing to do with me.

Someone else must have done it.” 

“I’m sure it was, or I wouldn’t have cooperated with the Count.”

 

“Well, no, I wouldn’t!”

 

The loud voice that shouted suddenly made the conference room quiet as if cold water had been poured over it.

 

However, Count Hiern raised his voice in anger, not noticing that the surroundings had become quiet and that the eyes were focused on him.

 

“Just take a look. How many people are truly concerned about the young Master?”

 

There are many people who would harm Noah even if it wasn’t him, he was about to say that. 

 

“Yes, I see there is not a single person who cares about my son’s well-being.”

 

Could the sound of the wind coming from a ruined house late at night be more eerie? The goosebumps that ran up his spine made Count Hiern look back in surprise.

 

“Oh, I greet you, Your Excellency, the

Marquis!” 

All the vassals gathered in the conference room rose from their seats and bowed to him. 

 

Count Hiern was no exception. He bowed his head hastily, his hands clenched into fists, trembling.

 

His footsteps echoed in the silence of the room as he passed them without a word. The vassals lowered their heads and swallowed dryly.

 

As the sound of footsteps passing by grew louder, a distinct sense of oppression began to suffocate them.

 

No matter how dull they were, they couldn’t help but feel the murderous intent emanating from Leonhard right now.

 

The vassals who had been holding their breath in tension let out a long breath without realizing it as soon as Leonhard passed by.

 

At the same time, a pungent smell of blood rushed into their nostrils. This wasn’t a smell that could be smelled simply because of a wound on the body. It was a smell that could only be produced by covering one’s body with a large amount of blood.

 —Crek 

There was the sound of a chair being dragged backward and something heavy falling.

 

As if they had made a promise, the vassals raised their heads to check what Leonhard, sitting at the head of the table, had thrown down on the central table.

 

It was a sword. It was split in two, and only half of it remained, covered in fresh blood.

 

Finally, Leonhard opened his mouth. The voice that came out was mixed with a low, hoarse sound.

 

“This evening, my son was attacked in the castle. My wife, who witnessed the scene, was shocked and fainted, and is still unable to open her eyes.”

 

How could they possibly respond to that? The vassals just bowed their heads, their mouths locked, as if they had made a promise.

 

Leonhard glanced around the room, where a heavy silence descended.

 

Soon, his gaze stopped at Count Hiern. 

 

Everyone was equally frightened, but he was trembling so much that anyone could tell something was wrong.

 

Soon, not only Leonhard but also the other vassals’ eyes turned to him. 

 

The suffocating silence and the gazes pouring down like rain pressured him. 

 

Finally, he could not bear it any longer and shouted that it was unfair.

 

“I swear by the name of Hiern that I would never dare to harm you, my lord. How could I, a man who has sworn allegiance to Ajas, have such a reckless thought!”

 

“You have not the slightest idea of what happened to my son?” 

 

“Yes, my lord!”

 

“Then why did your name come out of Mario Polten’s mouth?” 

 

“Yes…?”

 

At that moment, the face of Count Hiern froze, which was witnessed by Leonhard and all the vassals who were watching him.

 

As if he had realized the fact, he lowered his head and hid his face. 

 

He insisted on his innocence in a voice dripping with resentment.

 

“If he is Mario Polten, isn’t he the new teacher hired to succeed me? 

I don’t see what the problem is with my name coming out of his mouth.”

 

“My missing son was found with that man in the greenhouse, the defensive magic tool my son had been carrying was still active, and that man was lying on the ground holding this sword with a broken blade in his hand. What do you think happened between the two of them?”

 

“What!”

 

‘Did Mario Polten really try to harm Noah?’

 

Count Hiern raised his head in surprise and looked at Leonhard. 

 

Leonhard had a cold expression on his face as if he already knew what he was planning.

 

The realization that if he made a single mistake there, he would end up in the same fate as Baron Gemini flashed through his mind.

 

Count Hiern, who shook his head and denied the charges against him, tried to figure out how to get out of this situation.

 

“I know Mario Folten, of course. He just owed me a debt, but he said he couldn’t pay it back, so I suggested that he go to the castle and take a test. That’s all!” 

 

“Count Hiern, this is your last chance.”

 

Count Hiern, who reflexively raised his head at the sound of teeth clicking, gasped in frustration at Leonhard’s glaring eyes as if he wanted to kill him at any moment.

 

Beside him, who was coughing and sniffling, Count Lamberton lowered his head and closed his eyes in despair.

 

Unlike Count Hiern, he had already realized that Leonhard knew everything.

 

“Can you swear on your loyalty to Ajas and Hiern, of which you are so proud, that you are innocent?”

 

Count Hiern had a gut feeling. At that moment, he was standing in front of a river that he would never be able to cross again after crossing it.

 

His survival instincts clenched as if he was in deep water. Sweat filled his curled fists and dry saliva flowed down his throat.

 

However, because of that, the answer he could give was already set. 

 

Count Hiern tried to ignore the warning his instincts were sending him and spoke in a dry, cracked voice.

 

“I swear on the name of Hiern that I have never done or even thought of doing anything to harm Ajas. I know nothing about what happened today.”

 

The one who let out a faint sigh at those blunt words was Count Lamberton, who was standing next to him.

 

While Count Hiern wiggled an eyebrow at that fact, Leonhard’s voice echoed loudly throughout the conference room.

 

“Bring him in!”

 

The door swung open as if it had been waiting.

 

Eight knights entered as ordered, and in pairs, they grabbed the four men by the arms, one by one, and dragged them across the room.

 

“Those are….”

 

“The man on the far left must be Mario Polten and the three men next to him are servants of the castle…?”

 

“Judging by their clothes, I think so…”

 

The mouths of those who had been muttering in confusion did not remain open for long. 

 

It was because of the strong smell of blood coming from those who had been dragged by the knights and were forced to kneel.

 

On the outside, there seemed to be nothing wrong with their bodies. 

 

However, they were lying half-collapsed on the floor, unable to even kneel, panting and breathing heavily with fear.

 

The back of the clothes that were exposed like that was torn and tattered.…A dark red stain was spread out around him. 

 

The smell of blood was coming from right there.

 

“Mario Polten. Who sent you to the castle?”

 

His eyes were unfocused as if he had lost his mind. But the answer came quickly from his mouth.

 

“It’s Count Hiern.”

 

“Your Excellency! No, I—!”

 

“He told me to seduce Marquise. If I failed, I would spread a rumor. He said he would pay me a lot of money if I succeeded in making her an impure woman and driving her out of the castle—”

 

“Shut up! How dare you talk such nonsense in front of us!”

 

“He even gave me information about Alexander Howard to get the attention of the Marquise. I’m not that close to him. It was all Count Hiern who ordered me to do it!”

 

Cold sweat poured down like rain on his face, which had turned as white as a sheet of paper. 

 

Even though he was panting heavily as if he would collapse at any moment, Mario spoke rapidly. As if he would die immediately if he didn’t.

 

In fact, his eyes darted around, as if he were being chased by something.

 

Soon, his breath caught in his throat, and his appearance was so messy that the servants gasped, wondering if he was really the same handsome young man they knew. 

 

Count Hiern hesitated as he remembered the way Mario had acted in front of him, even though he was deeply in debt.

 

Without missing a beat, Mario screamed, 

 

“It was Count Hiern who ordered these people to spread rumors about the Marquise in the castle!”

 

Mario’s head turned towards the servants kneeling beside him.

 

The servants, who were gasping for breath with their mouths wide open, banged their foreheads on the floor as his gaze flew past them like arrows.

 

“My lord, I have committed a mortal sin! Please spare my life!”

 

“I was threatened, that’s why I did it. I swear, I never meant to betray the Marquise! That, that’s because the Marquise actually seemed interested in Sir Mario—!”

 —puck! 

“Ugh!”

 

“Don’t play with your mouth.”

 

In fact, the warning was meaningless. The servant, unable to overcome the knight’s rough hands, fell to the floor and lost consciousness.

 

The body that moved intermittently told him that he was not dead. 

 

However, the sight was so bizarre that the servant nearby urinated.

 

As the vassals frowned at the stench, other servants kept hitting their forehead on the floor without even realizing that it had burst.

 * * *