Stepmothers Are Not Always Evil

Chapter 96 The rain, which started in the morning, continued to fall with no sign of stopping until the end of the afternoon.The garden trees that had withered in the hard rain brought fresh petals.As I embroidered on the sofa overlooking the garden, I turned my attention to the children running around the living room.The children who could not go to the garden because of the rain were playing in the living room as if it were a playground.Kyaa, no. Puppy, come here.”“Catch it, Tia!”They really liked the doll given to them by Princess Adela, so the two children continued to make a fuss about chasing a doll that was not fast enough.“I got it!”“Gently, brother. Let the puppy go.”In particular, Tiaris pampered the doll like a real living puppy.Princess Adela will be annoyed if she sees it, but, well, she won’t come again.Grabbing the puppy, Escal rewound the tapestry and set it down on the floor.It creaked and squeaked as it moved, making him chuckle.As I watched them happily, I suddenly checked the watch and said:“Escal, it’s time for the teacher to come, you should prepare.”“Ah yes.”Escal, who had been fascinated by the doll, responded sharply and got up.“Tia, I’m going to study, so wait for me.”“Uh. Bye bye!”When Escal entered the room, Tiaris, who was left alone, took the doll and headed towards the corner of the living room.Squeak, squeak, squeak. The puppy wiggled away as Tiaris wrapped it up in her fern-like hands and dropped it to the floor, followed closely by the child, who wrapped it up again.After playing with the doll alone for such a long time, hse seemed to have lost interest, so she held the doll in her arms and crawled around me.It’s cute that she’s snooping around like a curious cat, so I pretended not to know and focused on the embroidery.“What is that?”“I’m embroidering a pouch.”“Why?”“Why?”“Hmm, so it looks nice?”“Hehe…”Tiaris nodded as if she understood.“For who?”“Escal.”It seemed that Escal was envious of the embroidered pouch that Helios had given him, so I started making it for him for his birthday present.The shape of the beast that is completed every time the needle moves is amazing, so Tiaris couldn’t take her eyes off of it.Do you want it, too?I quickly added the idea that it might be sad to make only Escal.“It’s Escal’s birthday soon. That’s why I’m making it to give as a gift.”“Birthday?”“Yes. Didn’t Escal tell you?”“No.”Tiaris shouted that she didn’t know at all.Well, Merlin said that Escal had never had a birthday since the year Escal was born, so he may have forgotten about it.“We’re going to have a quiet birthday party, but it’s still a secret to Escal. Understand?”“Yes.”The girl nodded enthusiastically and fixed her gaze on the pouch again. The plump cheeks swelled up.“Huh, but…”“Yes?”“How is Tia earning money?”“Yes? What?”“A gift for brother Escal.”A serious voice filled with concern. I stopped my hand and answered with a smile.“Tia doesn’t have to do anything. Don’t worry.”“Yeah, well, Tia should give brother a present, too.”Tiaris muttered sullenly. With a look of disappointment, I spoke quickly.“Then why don’t you write him a letter?”“Letter?”“Yes. Escal will be very happy to receive the letter Tia wrote.”“Really?”“Yes, really.”At my words, Tiaris’s face quickly brightened. Tiaris, who placed the puppy doll on the living room table, turned around quickly.“Tia will write a letter!” ***** “To my brother…Escal…”Tiaris took a quill that was too difficult to hold in one hand and started writing crookedly. The stationery was stained with black ink on her hands.“What should I write again?”Tiaris, who was worried while looking down at the blank paper, moved the pen again.“Uh, it’s not like this.”Not liking the letter, Tiaris crumpled the paper and threw it on the floor.Tiaris opened a new piece of paper and began to write the letter more carefully this time.“Escal’s older brother who is the second in the world….”By the eighth try, Tiaris had a letter she was quite happy with.Her handwriting was terrible, as she wasn’t as good at writing as she was at reading, but she was proud of herself for completing it.After Tiaris breathed in and dried the ink, she folded the letter finely and put it in the envelope.Then she looked down at the envelope with a proud expression and muttered a little.“… I want to give him a present too.”Wouldn’t it be too shabby to just give a letter?The puppy doll that was given to him as a gift from someone and the pouch that Lenia had embroidered fluttered in front of her eyes.‘But what should I do?’Tiaris didn’t even have a doll to play with, so no matter how much she thought about it, she didn’t have anything to give as a gift.‘Should I ask Grandpa to buy it?’Asking Grandpa was the simplest solution, but I don’t think Grandpa would allow it. ‘We have to leave soon, so don’t be too attached to this family.’ I didn’t quite understand what he meant, but I knew Grandpa didn’t like staying here.“Hm….”Tiaris, who had been contemplating over and over again, searched through the pile of luggage.The pile of luggage that had not been unpacked, saying that we were leaving soon, was full of useless rubbish.Tiaris, who was diligently searching for something with her face in the bag, finally pulled out a small box.“Ah!”Tiaris shouted warmly and opened the box lid.Inside the box was a faded handkerchief. It was a handkerchief that my late mother made.It was the only thing left by my mother, so it was very precious to Tiaris, but if it was for Escal, she would gladly give it to him.Tiaris carefully wiped the dusty box and put the handkerchief and letter inside it again.The box was old, but she thought it would be pretty enough to decorate with flowers from the garden on the eve of Escal’s birthday.“He’ll be so happy when he gets it, right?Tiaris smiled proudly. ***** ‘… I am deeply disloyal to your majesty for failing to fathom your heart’s desire… I would be infinitely honored if I could have alleviated your anxiety in the slightest degree by accepting Your Majesty’s favor….’ Suddenly, the oiled paper burned up in an instant. The Emperor asked, sweeping away the remains of the ashes of the letter.“What is the status of the Marquis of Melks?”“He seems to be waiting for Your Majesty to give the next order.”The Imperial Knights Commander reported in a low voice. The Emperor opened his mouth expressionlessly.“He is untrustworthy. Prepare to deal with him if necessary.”“Yes, Your Majesty.”“How is the investigation of the monster going?”“The corpse of the monster was burned, and we received formal testimony from the guys who accompanied us to the hunting ground.”“Who moved the monster and the soldiers at the checkpoint?”“We took care of them and sent them away.”“The security forces don’t know, so we have to take good measures so that they don’t notice.”“Don’t worry, Your Majesty.”The Emperor sighed as he pressed his temples together.If this is known, his credibility as an Emperor and his prestige will be threatened.However, in order to establish the authority of the fallen Imperial family and hand over the throne to Frederick safely, it was a risk he had to take.“Yeah, I told Sirius to get someone too.”“I instructed him to follow quietly so he wouldn’t be noticed.”“He must be careful, if he is discovered, he will be in trouble.”“Yes. His Majesty, Sir Peterson is Your Majesty’s cousin, so you can tell the truth…”“It’s not okay. If he found out that I used a monster to do such a thing, he would never stand still.”The Emperor shook his head, saying that Sirius, who hated monsters more than anyone, could not tolerate such a thing.“He must not be allowed to enter the Duchy of Eton. Oh, and by the way, how is Anthony Eaton doing?”“He was never quiet to begin with, but since he met the Marquis of Melkes, he’s become even more so. I hear the guards are having a lot of trouble.”“I thought I said I didn’t mind if they treated him roughly.”“Perhaps they are cautious because he is the Empress’s brother.”“Hmm.”The Emperor frowned, fiddling with his chin.I’ll keep him alive just in case, but if I can win Duke Anthemion’s heart, the only way to put his life on the line is to leave the seeds of a conflict that may arise in the future.‘I made a promise to Duke Anthemion…’The Emperor, who judged that the possibility of Helios changing his words was extremely low, hardened his mind.“I’ll deal with it.”“Do you want me to send someone?”“It will be difficult when things get bigger, so please take it slow and quietly so that there is no evidence left behind. I think it’s best to let it pass this year.”“Yes, I’ll make sure that happens….”At that time.“What did you say now, Your Majesty?”The Empress swung the door open and entered the office.