How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love

“Now? Suddenly?”

As I asked, my older brother looked at me. I averted my eyes from his gaze asking if I knew anything.

Then my older brother reprimanded me with a face like, “Oh, my God.”

“Nell, didn’t you promise Alex? You will not write the letter to him.”

“I swear to the Clover, I didn’t write the letter. I didn’t know he was coming to visit today.” 

“So you didn’t know it would be today, but you knew he was coming to visit no matter what.”

“What…?”

How could my older brother be so quick-witted? 

“By the way, Count, his visit is not the problem…” 

“Then what is the problem?”

“I think you should go out and see it first.” 

“Go out? Didn’t you guide him to the drawing-room?”

It’s polite to treat a guest well once they’re in the house, whether they’ve contacted us or not, even if they complain about it later. Unless he was an enemy worthy of a door slam.

“If you go out, you will know.…I think the youngest lady should go out too.”

“Nell too? why… No, let’s go out and see.”

My big brother, who knows John is not a reckless person, put a shawl around my shoulder.

I was wearing the comfortable cotton dress I wear at home now, but it wasn’t so flimsy that I couldn’t go out in front of outsiders.

Thanks to that, I could go out with my older brother to the garden and see why John was so flustered.

“No, this is…”

A carriage is parked outside our simple garden.

As if to show off to the people hanging outside the wall and spying this way, beyond the wide open door, all kinds of splendid jewels and luxuries were filled. At first glance, I couldn’t shut my gaping mouth because each one of them was so expensive.

What the hell is that? Why did you bring that to my house? Why the hell are they hanging there staring at my face?

“Marquis Ajas, what the hell is this?”

My older brother, noticing the people’s gaze, sent me back and stepped forward to protest against Leonhard.

My older brother told me to stay inside, but how would I go inside in this situation?

I lifted on my heels and stretched my neck over my brother’s shoulder. This allowed me to make eye contact with Leonhard.

“Oh, my goodness…”

Handsome, handsome, handsome. I’d always admired him until my mouth hurt, but today he was looking even more dashing and handsome than usual.

Under the pouring sunlight, his golden hair, which shone brightly as if sprinkled with gold powder, was straight, and he was proud of all the honor he possessed with several medals on his chest and a cape with the pattern of Ajas engraved on his chest.

The number and material of the medal were a symbol that intuitively revealed the honor he possessed.

Among them, the most shining was Nolan’s medal, which also means the winner of the Closiante Colosseum.

Numerous strongmen headed to the Ajas frontier for the medal given to the only and most powerful fighter on the continent.

But none of them could take it from him. The proof was that the medal was still shining on his chest.

‘I heard he won that medal before he turned 20 years old.…’ 

He even said that while he fought and defeated countless fighters in the Closiante Colosseum, no one noticed that he was the Marquis of Ajas.

What that means is that at the Colosseum, he never used the power of the pattern.

He’s such a strong man…I can’t believe Noah will be stronger than him when Noah inherits his power.’ 

Just when I thought I couldn’t imagine it, Leonhard slightly bowed his upper body to my older brother.

“It’s been a while, Count Howard. I’m sorry that I visited this without contacting you in advance. but when I sent you a letter and got no answer, I could do nothing to assuage my anxiety.”

“letter…?”

Did Leonhard ever write the letter to me?

My older brother must have thought of that question as well and looked back at John with a bewildered face. 

John shook his head, looking even more confused than before.

If it was a letter sent through official procedures, there could be nothing John didn’t know about in the letter that came to the Howard family.

My older brother, who came to the same conclusion as me, looked at me this time. As if he was asking me if I’ve ever received a letter that ‘didn’t go through the formalities’.

But I really don’t know, so I shook my head with my mouth shut. At the same time, a question popped into my head.

‘If you secretly sent me a letter, you probably sent it through Catherine…’ 

But Catherine never came to my house, what is it? While I couldn’t calm the confusion, Leonhard seemed to have no intention of resolving our question, suddenly he strode in front of me and knelt on one knee.

In the process, the dark blue cloak fluttered like a flag and unfolded, clearly revealing the pattern of Ajas.

dashing appearance. Gleaming medals. I can hear him admiring everything about him, even to my ears. I wonder if the same things that seem so appealing to the prying eyes hanging over the wall are so appealing to my eyes.

But what catches my eye are his blue eyes, which look up at me respectfully, melted with affection, as if in deep love.

Perhaps only I, whose face is reflected in these eyes, can know that the straight, hard gaze of a stalwart knight is finely crafted with gentleness.

“I know you must be sick of me for daring to tarnish the reputation of a noble lady, even if it was unintentional. She said she had no desire to have anything to do with a man like me, and I’ve decided to honor her wishes.”

I had a sudden thought.

Narcissus fell in love with his face reflected in the water and eventually jumped into the water.

People around him thought so, but in fact, he might have jumped toward something under the water that was only reflected in his eyes.

“One thing I learned last time was that my breath and soul had already been taken away by the lady, and breathing without you was a pain in myself.”

As he said, he exhaled heavily and lifted the open ring box towards me.

A gasp came out of John’s and older brother’s mouths at the same time, who had unintentionally the ring inside because they were standing next to me.

I was surprised as well. Leonhard’s proposal ring was a round coral pearl with a smooth curve.

‘There is no pearl cultivation or coloring technology here, so it would have been difficult to find such a large, round pink pearl in nature.…’

“Oh my God, these are Odette’s tears!”

“Odette’s tears?”

I blinked in surprise at the exclamation I heard from somewhere and my older brother covered his gaping mouth with his hand.

Why is my older brother so surprised?

What are Odette’s tears?… Wait a minute, Odette’s tears?

The pearl in the legend that Princess Odette’s bloody tears fell and turned pink? The pearl that disappeared with Princess Odette was found on the sunken pirate ship. Leonhard bought it and made it into a proposal ring, not a wedding ring? 

With this precious pearl that wouldn’t be strange even if it was displayed in a museum?

Apart from my surprise, Leonhard’s voice continued smoothly. 

“The moment I first met Lady’s soft spring flower-like eyes, I felt that spring could come even for me, who was born in the barren North and had always been on the sidelines of winter.”

His blue eyes meet me.

Maybe this person doesn’t know. 

What I think of when I look at him is the sky and the sea that don’t change with the seasons.

“I swear to you that this love will not grow cold until every flower on this earth withers until every star in the night sky loses its sparkle. Please, marry me, Raenel.”

I noticed that the hand holding the ring box was shaking a little. He probably wouldn’t be trembling in pain just because he had his arms raised. He is Marquis Ajas so it’s impossible.

I don’t know if he’s feeling shame or embarrassment as he kneels on one knee in a place where countless people are watching, profusely confessing his love and begging me for the same thing.

[‘Please restore my honor.’]

I know that all of this happened with one word of my request. It must be because of that that he deliberately brought so many people and confessed the words of love with an attitude that made him want to be servile.

I expected this, but to be honest, I didn’t expect Leonhard to do this far.

‘Really, he’s a man that ‘Raenel’ can’t help but fall in love with.’ 

I decided to try to change the future, but maybe I can’t change just one future.

I wish that wasn’t so sad and tragic.

I barely suppressed the tears welling up in my eyes and gave him my left hand with a bright smile.

“With pleasure, I will accept your marriage proposal, Leon.”

Leonhard’s stiff face at my consent melted like snow.

Looking at me with relief and soft blue eyes, Leonhard deeply kissed the tip of my hand.

“By the name of Leonhard, which I received for the first time in my life, I will ensure that you will not regret your choice today. Thank you…Nell.”

Then he took the ring out of the box and put it on the ring finger of my left hand.

At that moment, several people clinging to the wall and watching, whistled and clapped their hands.

“The youngest daughter of the Howard family accepted the marriage proposal of Marquis Ajas!” 

That voice shouted as if to say, “Listen to it…” I thought I had heard it somewhere.

But I didn’t have time to look up to see the face against the wall. Taking Leonhard’s hand and pulling him to stand up, I put my hand on his arm and looked at my older brother.

“Brother Liv, will you allow me and Leon to marry?” 

“Well, you’re asking me too early.…”

It was an answer to me, but the eyes mixed with reprimand were directed at Leonhard.

He quickly averted his gaze, as if he was groaning. but Leonhardt’s gaze met his as if he knew that averted gaze was not the answer.

“I know you raised her with affection. I will not forget and cherish her as my only wife, as a lover, and as Marquess Ajas. Would you please allow me to marry her?”

“I’ll do it. Will you please allow me to marry her?”

It would not be easy for even my older brother to shake his head in this atmosphere.

But still, I was nervous, holding onto Leonhard’s arm and nervously waiting for my older brother’s answer.

and with a small sigh, the answer I was expecting fell from his lips.

“At this moment, you must not forget the promise the Marquis made to me.”

“Is it possible?”

“Then…Howard will accept Ajas’s marriage proposal.”

“Whoa, hurray!” A voice shouted.

It was so clear who this voice belonged to that I couldn’t help but burst out laughing along with Leonhard, who smiled with relief.