How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love

As if to prove that what Noah had seen earlier was not a mistake, his stepmother had pretty pink hair and slightly lighter colored eyes. 

 

He doesn’t know her exact age, but her skin looks as soft as cream and her cheeks are colored with a peach-colored blush, making her look very young.

 

A blasphemous thought crossed Noah’s mind: ‘perhaps it would be more appropriate to call her sister rather than mother.’

 

At that moment their eyes met. 

 

Without even having time to lower his head again in surprise, she smiled brightly.

 

“Yes, you are Noah. My name is Raenel. Nice to meet you.” 

 

“ah…”

 

‘ ‘Nice to meet you?’ Are those words really directed at me?’

 

Noah lowered his eyelids to hide his watery eyes. Then Raenel asked soothingly in a friendly voice.

 

“There is no need to greet me so politely. I can’t see your face clearly. Would you please raise your head?”

 

‘What does it mean to not have to greet her politely? Which should I focus on, ‘not be polite’ or ‘no need to greet her’?’

 

While thinking about that, Noah slowly raised his head.

 

Meanwhile, Raenel, who was standing in front of the table, suddenly approached Noah and stretched out her hand.

 

‘Do you mean escort? However, her hand was facing up with her palm facing up, not the back of her hand.’

 

‘If she shows me the back of her hand,…I’m supposed to lightly hold her fingertip.’ 

 

‘What should I do when her palm is facing up?’

 

Noah hesitated, not knowing what to do.

 

But he couldn’t embarrass her like this. 

 

Noah watched Raenel’s eyes, then carefully placed his hand on hers.

 

Then, as if that was the correct answer, Raenel smiled brightly and personally guided Noah to his seat.

 

“I went to see you on the first day I arrived at the castle, but the dungeon suddenly exploded and I was shocked. Besides, please understand that I wasn’t feeling well yesterday, so I only came to see you today.”

 

‘She wasn’t feeling well…’

 

Well, the woman in front of him was small and had thin bones. The delicate pink color of her skin, like spring petals, made her look even thinner to Noah.

 

‘It was said that it would take more than 15 days to get from here to the capital of the empire. After riding the carriage for such a long time, it is natural to not feel well. ‘

 

“Then shouldn’t you rest more?”

 

“It’s okay. I feel a lot better today. Rather, sit down first. You’re hungry, right?” 

 

At Raenel’s gesture, the servant waiting behind him pulled out a chair for Noah to sit on.

 

The seat was right to her left.  Not across from her, but right next to her.

 

Thinking about what kind of arrangement this was, Noah sat down on the chair the attendant had pulled out for him.

 

While he washed his hands in a bowl of water, the servant brought out soup and bread, along with some juice.

 

He was about to set down the fruit jam, melted cheese, and butter when Raenel stopped him.

 

“Please serve the prepared main course and dessert at once. Noah, do you have any special drinks to drink with your meal?”

 

“No. Water is enough for me.”

 

“Really? Then just put down the bottle of grape juice and the pitcher of water, and you all go out.”

 

“What? Then for your other needs…”

 

“It’s okay, there’s no need.”

 

And at Raenel’s next words, Noah’s shoulders, which had been gradually relaxing, became tight again.

 

“I want to have a private meal alone with my son.”

 

* * * 

 

The hesitating servants went outside only when I nodded to them to go out one more time.

 

Although the butler hesitated until the end, he bowed his head once before closing the door.

 

He certainly seemed to have a clue as he was the butler. I was going to get mad if I said the same thing one more time though.

 

“Then first of all…Let’s eat before it gets cold. It’s embarrassing if I let everyone out and tell them to reheat the food because it’s cold.”

 

“yes.”

 

Noah nodded quietly, folded the napkin, draped it around his neck, picked up a spoon, and began to eat the soup.

 

The process of scooping up soup with a spoon, putting it in his mouth, and then putting the spoon back down was flawless and fluid. 

 

Additionally, there was no sound of clinking dishes. It was such perfect manners that I wondered if this child was really a five-year-old. 

 

‘What was it like when I was five years old?’ 

 

While I was lost in thought for a moment, remembering my past, Noah seemed to have noticed my gaze and asked in a slightly uneasy voice as he looked at me.

 

“Was there anything about my actions that did not conform to etiquette?”

 

“huh? What?”

 

“Please point it out without any hesitation. I will fix it.” 

 

“Oh, no.…no. It was perfect. Amazing.”

 

I applauded lightly in case he wouldn’t believe me, but Noah said that with a rather dark look on his face.

 

“I just learned etiquette so I may be immature. I’m trying to improve, so please don’t be angry.”

 

“Oh…okay…”

 

‘Is he really five years old?’

 

I was taken aback by his vocabulary, speaking style, and attitude that I could never imagine for someone his age, so I just nodded.

 

That’s why I discovered it too late. 

 

The child’s body, which started eating again, became stiffer than before.

 

He probably didn’t notice, but no, he was so nervous that he didn’t even realize it. Meanwhile, I was finally able to notice the child watching me from the corner of his eye.

 

“Wait a minute, I’m just telling you in case you misunderstand. I didn’t call you to check your eating etiquette.”

 

“yes?”

 

“We haven’t seen each other yet. I just wanted to see your face up close and talk to you. Because we are now a family.”

 

“Family….”

 

Noah blinked quickly as if the word was very unfamiliar. 

 

Beyond the eyelids that were constantly opening and closing, amber-colored eyes took on a confusing glow.

 

I wondered if I had been too hasty and without realizing it, I leaned towards Noah.

 

“Of course I’m a stranger. I’ve heard a lot about you…, but this is the first time I’ve seen you in person. I wanted to narrow the distance between us, so I asked to eat together.”

 

“……”

 

“It’s the first time I’ve had a son, and it’s the first time you’ve had a mother. 

I just wanted to say hello. Really.”

 

The child’s face was filled with confusion, as if he had just heard a difficult mathematical formula.

 

‘Did I approach too hastily?’

 

‘Well, I and Leon haven’t even had a wedding here yet.….’ 

 

At that time, I regretted that I should have taken a more cautious approach. 

 

“Is that more important than my classes?”

 

“yes?”

 

For a moment, I seemed to make a very strange expression.

 

Noah must have been surprised, so he dropped the spoon he was holding onto his plate, and at the sound of a clang, he looked at me, his face sharply.

 

Only then did I realize. That kid had been watching me from the moment he came here.

 

“I mean, my dad told me to prioritize my classes before anything else.….”

 

“When he says to prioritize class above all else, what are some exceptions to that?” 

 

“I do not know.”

 

Noah’s voice gradually lost strength, perhaps because he thought I was angry at him.

 

I was so shocked that I screamed Leonhard’s name in my mind.

 

‘Why did you force him to take classes like this!’

 

“So you took all the classes you were asked to take? All those classes that run from early morning until late at night? and you didn’t skip a single one?!”

 

“How can I waste the precious time that busy people give me?”

 

“oh my god.”

 

‘These are all coming out of the mouth of a five-year-old…?’

 

In despair, I put down my fork and knife and gulped down cold water. 

 

Noah looked at me and asked with a timid look on his face.

 

“Did I do something wrong?”

 

“No. You didn’t do anything wrong. you didn’t do anything wrong….” 

 

‘Could it be that I am wrong here? Should I take it for granted, just like everyone else who takes it for granted that this child is being educated in this way?’

 

Since I am in Ajas, do I have to follow the Ajas laws?

 

‘I do not want to.’

 

What did that child do so wrong that he had to look at me instead of even eating?

 

I would have understood if he’d been mean enough to say he couldn’t recognize me as his mother.

 

It was my first time coming to this castle, but the child who must have lived here his whole life did not look like the owner of this place. Rather, it might be a military family member.

 

I don’t know where it went wrong. 

 

I could clearly see Noah watching me, so I calmly chose what to say without even being able to frown.

 

But as the silence goes on, Noah’s eyes become more and more tearful. I didn’t want to bother Noah any more, so I quickly said anything.

 

“When I was five years old, while eating raspberries in the forest behind the main building, my white dress got all red and I got scolded for throwing away my new clothes.” 

 

“What?”

 

“I broke my mother’s favorite mirror while fighting with my brother, and there was also the time when I was caught sneaking into the kitchen late at night and stealing a handful of strawberry jam, so I ate only bare bread for two days. I’m such a tomboy that they can’t stop me. 

Still, I was confident. why am I like that?”

 

“I do not know…”

 

Noah shook his head with a shadowy face, biting his lower lip as if he thought it was wrong to answer like that.

 

‘No, why should you feel guilty about answering that you don’t know If you really don’t know?’

 

I was a little angry at the teachers in this castle. How the hell did they teach him?

 

“The answer is simple. I was five years old at the time.” 

 

“So?”

 

“That’s it. At your age, it’s natural to joke around and make mistakes. There’s a lot more I don’t know than what I know. But you don’t seem to think that way, so I’m a little…upset.” 

 

Actually, I was a little cautious about saying this. It seems like this child is already taking it for granted that he is watching what people around him think and believe it.

 

Of course, people expect differently from the successor of the lord and the youngest daughter of a country nobleman, but I only learned to play the piano and draw until I was seven.”

 

It wasn’t quite right either. All I did was follow my mother by playing the keyboard and making fancy brush strokes on white drawing paper.

 

“Okay, now that I think about it, Noah, you’re learning the piano too, right? How about playing the piano? Do you enjoy it?”

 

“Yes?”

 

“Why? Isn’t it fun?”

 

“Oh, no.…It’s my first time being asked that question.”

 

As if to prove that what he said was true, Noah just had a confused expression on his face.

 

Looking at the child who looked like he didn’t know what to do, I made the same expression.

 

“Oh my god, have you been learning something that isn’t even fun?” 

 

“Education is not supposed to be for fun, right?” 

 

“I guess it’s like that from the age of ten. But not five years old. At this age, it’s enough to do what you want. Of course, reckless behavior must be done only within the boundaries of ethics, morality, and law.”

 

I don’t know how the story got here. I pushed a bowl of soup, brought a steak plate, sliced it into bite-sized pieces, and asked Noah.

 

“I’m asking you now, what’s the most fun class you’re taking? Not what you’re good at, but something fun.”

 

“Something fun….”

 

Noah hesitated for a long time, as if he had never thought about it, before opening his mouth carefully.

 * * *