How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love

‘This is an ability that only I have. I found this out thanks to my arrogant servants, who made a habit of lying to me.’

 

‘If everyone had this ability, why would they lie to me? They know they will get caught as soon as they do it.’

 

‘My mother didn’t even notice that what he said was a lie.’ 

 

They indeed attended the military academy at the same time, but the two were not close at all. 

 

‘Nevertheless, the story about Sir Alexander that came out of his mouth was partly true.’

 

‘The fact that his voice didn’t tremble was enough to make my mother nod, ‘Yes, that happened.’’

 

If his whole history was a lie, Noah would have kicked him out on the pretext of not doing well in class, but that’s not the case.

 

‘What is the purpose of this? Why is he lying to my mother like that?’

 

“Nyaang!”

 

“Huh? Ruby!”

 

As he looked around at the familiar sound of crying, Ruby flew over the stone wall of the wizard’s quarters and rushed towards Noah as if pouncing on him.

 

Simon, who was standing behind Noah, screamed in surprise at seeing Ruby like that, but Noah nonchalantly reached out with both hands and hugged Ruby. 

 

“Wow!”

 

“Young Master!”

 

The weight of the fall from above added to the pain as Ruby’s two front paws struck Noah’s chest.

 

However, thanks to the reflexively activated symbol of Ajas, not a single scratch appeared on Noah’s body.

 

But no matter how cute the outside looks, a monster is still a monster. Despite being quite strong, Noah was not at all daunted by Ruby’s strength. Instead, he hugged Ruby and patted his head.

 

“Nyaang, nyaang!”

 

“Not twice. Why do you get so excited whenever you see the shawl my mother knitted for me?”

 

“Meow, meow!”

 

“Ruby! Oh my, you’re here, Young Master.”

 

Noah held Ruby, who was flailing his front paws around, as far away from him as possible so as not to ruin the shawl.

 

Meanwhile, Sage, who had returned to the door, ran up to Noah and took Ruby away.

 

“Somehow, while he was playing around, he suddenly ran away. Ruby really likes you, Young Master.”

 

“Rather than liking me…”

 

“Nyaang!”

 

At that moment, Ruby, who was struggling in Sage’s arms, spat out flames with a face full of discontent.

 

Fortunately, the flames did not burn anything thanks to Sage, who sensed the flow of magical power and quickly lifted the ruby above his head.

 

“At this point, I thought Ruby was fully trained, but he can’t control himself. This is why the ban on entering the main castle won’t be lifted even after several years.”

 

“Whaaah! Nyaang!”

 

Ruby’s appearance, kicking her four feet in the air, as if she was shouting, ‘What did I do! What did I do!’. 

 

Although the sight was quite pitiful, it gave Noah goosebumps to think of Ruby’s claws or the flames spewing out of his mouth touching his mother’s body.

 

How surprised Noah was when the sparks Ruby had spit out caught on his mother’s dress the other day.

 

So Noah wasn’t too sad that he couldn’t play with Ruby in the castle anymore.

 

In the first place, the frequency with which he thought of Ruby had been reduced by half compared to before.

 

Once a day, if not more, because he was busy spending time with his mother and answering his father’s letters.

 

“Nyang…”

 

“……”

 

Thinking about it that way, Noah felt a little sorry for Ruby. In the past, he would catch Ruby and beg him to play with him when Ruby tried to run away because he was annoying, but now that Noah was less lonely, he thought of Ruby less.

 

“By the way….do you mind if I spend a little time with Ruby?” 

 

“Sure. Just make sure you let me stay with you too, just in case.” 

 

Noah nodded at Sage’s words. He then untied the shawl around his neck and handed it to Simon.

 

“Leave it in my room.”

 

“Are you sure that’s okay?”

 

“Yeah. The sun is warm today.”

 

Noah was more scared of Ruby ruining his shawl than anything else.

 

Simon, unaware of that fact, tilted his head, wondering why he was being asked to return the shawl, but he quickly returned to his room to run the errand for his master.

 

Meanwhile, Noah picked up Ruby from Sage and carried him inside the stone wall. 

 

There were many of Ruby’s toys in the backyard.

 

Noah played with Ruby holding a fishing rod with a stuffed mouse on it, Ruby’s favorite toy.

 

Ruby, who had been flying around combatively, and when he was satisfied, he climbed to the top of the cat tower, folded his wings, and curled up into a ball.

 

Noah watched Ruby for a long moment as he closed his eyes and slept.

 

The warm sunlight crumbled to powder, falling white on Ruby’s body. In a place without a roof to protect him, Ruby slowly flapped his wings and exhaled slowly.

 

As he watched Ruby, unaware of his surroundings, Noah suddenly remembered the first time he’d met Ruby.

 

Ruby had been picked up by Leonhard just before he died, and he was covered in wounds.

 

The wizard cast a healing spell and the wound was quickly healed, but Ruby gnashed his teeth and raised his claws at everyone, including the wizard who saved him and Leonhard who picked him up.

 

It was before she was tamed. Even if she was low-level, a monster was still a monster. Noah was not allowed to approach Ruby. So he could only watch from afar.

 

A winged cat. Is it because it looks cute? The knight, the wizard, and even the servants employed by the castle felt sorry for Ruby and also adored him.

 

Under their attention, Ruby gradually became accustomed to the people surrounding him.

 

Only when Ruby realized clearly that the hand reaching out to him was not trying to hurt him, but was merely stroking his head and body. That’s when Noah was able to see Ruby up close.

 

That must have been the first time Ruby had seen Noah. Nevertheless, Ruby approached Noah without any hesitation and wagged his tail. Ruby even rubbed his head against Noah’s carefully extended hand.

 

At that time, Ruby didn’t know that Noah wouldn’t hurt him, but acted as if it was natural for Noah not to hurt him.

 

It was natural to think that way since the people surrounding Ruby cared for and comforted him with such sincerity.

 

‘So, at that time. To be honest, I hated Ruby. No, I envied him.’

 

However, Ruby, who did not know the inner thoughts of humans or their circumstances, approached Noah without hesitation and shared his warmth with Noah.

 

Ironically, it was only Ruby.

 

Ruby was the only one who felt free to be by his side. Ruby was the only one who could be there.

 

“Young Master, would you like some cookies?”

 

At that moment, Noah flinched in surprise at the voice he heard from beside him. 

 

As if he hadn’t expected Noah to be so surprised, Sage awkwardly fiddled with the cookie jar he had taken out of his magic bag.

 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’ve gotten into the habit of giving them to the Marquise.” 

 

“My mother?”

 

“Yes. She really likes desserts. And she often shares it with me because she thinks sharing is the best way to eat any food, so I started sharing it with her too, and before I knew it, it became a habit.”

 

Was it because it was his mother’s story, or was it because there was not the slightest tremble in Sage’s voice?

 

Noah felt a little excited. At the same time, he felt like he wanted to hear more. That must be why he reached out and asked for one.

 

“I’m sure you’ll like them, too. These cookies are from the most famous pastry shop in town.”

 

“The most famous pastry shop?”

 

“Yes. It’s in the 7th district, and there’s a long line even if you go early in the morning. The line is so long that they now give out numbered tickets.”

 

Although he clearly asked for just one, Sage gave Noah a cookie every time his hand was empty.

 

Noah, who could not bear to refuse and ate everything Sage gave him, let out a sigh of relief when Sage’s cookie jar was empty.

 

But as his story goes, another cookie jar appeared in Sage’s magic bag.

 

Noah could have eaten more if he wanted to, but dinner time was just around the corner. When Noah refused for that reason, Sage let out an “ugh” sound.

 

“I made you eat a snack before your meal, Young Master! Ugh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize it.”

 

“Is it wrong to snack before a meal?”

 

“Usually, Yes, because If you eat something sweet before a meal, your appetite will decrease and you’ll feel full, so you won’t be able to eat the important meal.”

 

“It’s the first time I’ve heard that.”

 

Sage looked surprised at Noah, who tilted his head.

 

“Really? Oh, well, you eat a lot, Young Master.” 

 

“Eat a lot? Me?”

 

Noah’s reaction was like he was hearing someone else’s story, and Sage asked, “Didn’t you know?” as if he didn’t understand why Noah didn’t know.

 

“The Marquise said so. She said that you look good because you eat well. She also said that you look like the master because you eat a lot.”

 

“Does my father eat a lot too?”

 

‘We had meals together many times, but I was always looking at my plate, so I didn’t notice how much food my father was eating.’

 

‘Will I be able to see his face next time we eat together…?’

 

It was true that the distance between them had become closer as they exchanged letters, but somehow Noah couldn’t give an easy answer.

 

“How much do you eat? The marquis can usually eat two or three servings at a time, and when he is really strong, he can even eat a whole pig. Don’t you feel more hungry than usual after you use the power of the symbol of Ajas?”

 

“That’s right…I think I did.”

 

Without even having to think back to the distant past, Noah felt like he was getting hungrier than usual right now.

 

Sage giggled slightly as he watched Noah rub his stomach with a puzzled look on his face.

 

“Would you like some more?”

 

“Then just one…”

 

Noah silently accepted the cookie that Sage offered him. He definitely thought that he could eat one more without any problems during dinner.

 

The cookies crumble into small pieces with just one bite, and there are plenty of chewy chocolate chips sandwiched between them.

 

Noah looked at the plump crescent-shaped cookie left in his hand, the sweetness filling his mouth.

 

“Oh, you don’t like things that are too sweet?”

 

“No, it’s not that I don’t like it…but I think my mother would like it too,” 

 

Noah muttered, recalling Raenel, who loved chocolate desserts.

 

Sage, who was taking a big bite of the cookie, nodded after hearing that.

 

“That’s right, the Marquise really likes the chocolate cookies there. I just happened to buy some to give to her as a gift.”

 

Sage seemed to be pondering something, then made a “hmm” sound and pulled a new cookie jar out of his bag.

 

The cookie jar, with its red ribbon tied, was new and unopened. Sage handed it to Noah.

 

“I’ll give this to you, Young Master. You can eat it by yourself, or you can give it to Marquise as a gift. I personally recommend that, as I’m sure she’ll be very pleased.”

 

Sage winked one eye as if he was planning a mischievous prank. 

 

Noah lowered his eyes for a moment in embarrassment, as no one had ever been so gentle with him before, except for his mother.

 * * *