How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love

“Don’t you answer, you’re supposed to answer when people talk to you, didn’t you get an education at home, huh..hups?”

His face is red, his eyes are unfocused, and the hiccups are mixed during speaking. On top of that, he has a bottle of alcohol in his hand. Not a glass, but a bottle!

“hah…”

“What now.… Did you sigh in front of my face? Do you think you’ve become anything because you’re engaged to Marquis Ajas?”

“Here, a stranger has sat at my table. Please take this person.”

It was best not to deal with drunkards.

Fortunately, the two nearby servants quickly approached my call, as if they had been paying attention early and they tried to get rid of the man sitting across from me. 

“I can’t let go of this! How dare you, you know who I am and put your hands on me!”

“You are very drunk, don’t do this here…”

“Did I talk to you? Hey, you. How long are you going to keep disrespecting people? You seduced Marquis Ajas with your body, and now you’re looking at me like I’m a third son who can’t even get a title—”

Splashh!

The water I splashed dripped down the unknown man’s face. Surprise erupted from all around me, but I only glared straight at the man looking up at me with his mouth wide open.

“You are good at spreading rumors. Did you even see it with your own eyes? Did I seduce Leon with my body?”

“I’d love to see it in person. I’m curious. Please show me. How did you seduce him, so that the Marquis of Ajas…Ouch!”

The body of the man who had been smirking and hurling lewd remarks slammed backward along with his chair in an instant!

It happened in the blink of an eye, so people around me screamed belatedly.

But I saw it. I saw why the man suddenly fell backward. It was because he had been hit in the face.

Not a stone, not a cup, not a tray.

In pure white gloves that are nothing more than fluttering fabric!

“I heard your insults towards Ajas, Viscount Skella. I thought you were a disgrace at your age, you didn’t achieve anything in your name and are still drinking and going around, and now I see you have lost your fear.”

A voice spreads around like a thick poison fog. I could hear people gasping and swallowing their breath.

People hissed and fled from Leonhardt, who approached with heavy footsteps as if he were about to burst into flames

People hissed and fled from Leonhard, who was approaching with heavy steps as if they would be burned if they were near him.

“How dare you use my fiancée’s rumors as a means to humiliate Ajas.”

The only thing that resonated in this large banquet hall was Leonhard’s voice, which was growing in anger.

It seemed that I was not the only one surprised that the blue eyes, which were smiling, shy, and sometimes downcast, could flash so ferociously.

The silence, which even made it difficult to swallow saliva, continued for quite some time, and then, belatedly, when the glove fell next to the fallen man, whispers broke out. 

“Gloves? Did he get hit by the glove and fell backward?”

“Viscount Skella, I think he fainted…” 

“ugh, look at the double nosebleed”

“How strong do you have to be to make a person look like that with just one glove?”

The people were nervous as they watched him emit a terrifying aura.

Everyone realized it again.

The power of ‘Ajas’ that even those cruel and unruly barbarians feared.

“I request a duel to restore the honor of my fiancee and Ajas. Wake up, Viscount Skella.”

“He already fainted, Marquis Ajas…” 

“Then splash water on him and wake him up.”

“yes?”

“That would be more polite than waking him up by kicking him. I can’t ruin a good mood on a good day.”

“No! A friend of mine was insulted, and who cares about that mood!”

and it was Rebecca who shouted in an angry voice.

She finally arrived at the banquet hall after changing her clothes, and a servant with a puzzled face stood next to her.

She must have heard the whole story, because she exclaimed furiously that Duke Khalid wanted to stop her.

“I, who is the main character here today, will allow it. We can see the blood, Marquis Ajas! I want you to kick him as hard as you can, like a ball! Crush him!”

Duke Khalid let out a small sigh at her words, which did not show any embarrassment. But he didn’t stop my wife.

“If necessary, I will lend you my practice room, and the swords there.” 

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Leonhard didn’t even turn down her offer. Then he approached Viscount Skella, who had collapsed by a chair lying on the floor and tried to kick him for real.

“Wait a minute, Marquis Ajas!” 

At that time, a man broke in and stopped Leonhard.

Perhaps he was concerned that Leonhard wouldn’t stop, so his position came only a little farther away from the fallen man.

Even when he saw Leonhard’s feet stopped in the air, he didn’t come any closer.

“This guy…It looks like he made a mistake while drunk. I’m sure he didn’t mean it, so please don’t take it to heart and have mercy on him. As you say, isn’t it a good day?”

“How do you know whether this man made a mistake under the influence of alcohol or seriously insulted Ajas?”

“yes? That, that…”

“And even if it was a drunken mistake, it’s unforgivable. Was Ajas’s name like a feather enough to go up and down lightly like that?”

“Ha, but… Lady, please, I beg you. Please stop Marquis Ajas. You are the one who has been insulted, so why are you sitting still?”

“Why am I sitting still? Are you asking because you really don’t know?”

I answered, looking straight at him who was subtly rebuking me.

“I don’t know why the person who had been sitting still while Viscount Skella was drunk and making mistakes is now coming forward, because I’ve been insulted, and I’m not stopping my fiancé.”

“What, what?”

“If I stop those who come forward to restore my honor, how should I restore my honor? Do I have to throw the glove myself?”

“I don’t mean that…”

“Oh, come to think of it, that’s not a bad idea either.”

Yeah, that’s a really good idea. I got up from my seat and approached Leonhard.

“Leon. Excuse me, but could you lend me your spare gloves?” 

“Yes.”

Leonhardt handed me one of the remaining gloves without hesitation.

I was reluctant to soil his gloves, but I threw the gloves at the face of the man lying on the floor with the shame and anger I had just felt.

As if I was playing a slap match, I put all my strength into my right shoulder.

Plakk!

“Argh! Ugh… What, what.”

Plakk!

“Ouch! What, what is it…?”

Fortunately, my strength wasn’t that weak either. Because he wakes up in shock.

Viscount Skella looked around with a bewildered face, as if not realizing what had happened. On that stupid face dripping her twin nosebleeds, I said with a smile.

“I challenge you to a duel for insulting Ajas and Howard, and furthermore, that individual’s honor. However, as you can see, I am a delicate lady, so I will ask my fiance and my knight, Leon, will you fight for my honor?”

“With pleasure, my lady.”

Leonhard, who bowed gracefully to me with his hand on his chest, grabbed Viscount Skella, who was still blinking, unable to comprehend the situation, and dragged him outside.

“Duke Khalid. Could you be the judge and witness of the duel?” 

“The noble lady who accepted my wife’s bouquet was humiliated, so how could I refuse the request? I am happy to accept it.”

“I will go with you too. I will be a witness too!”

“Hey, let go of me! Is it okay to persecute lower nobles if you are a high-ranking noble?” 

“Of course not. Just as a drunkard shouldn’t insult a thin lady when her fiance, who was by her side, was away for a while.”

“You, you! Argh!”

bang!

Leonhard just let go of what he was holding, but there was a loud crash as if it had been thrown. 

I flinched and my shoulders trembled, but soon I felt better and all I could do was exclaim.

“Didn’t you learn at home what titles to use when addressing a lady?  I’m going to lodge a complaint with Viscount Skella’s family about what happened today, including this.”

Viscount Skella didn’t even pick up the sword Leonhard had thrown him, he knelt down and begged in front of me.

I was reluctant to forgive him for that, but since more than double digits of people witnessed the scene, I felt compelled to be generous.

I knew that if I didn’t forgive him after all he’d done, I’d be judged even more.

Since I am the only one who has forgiven him, Leonhard sent a formal complaint to Viscount Skella’s family.

How dare Viscount Skella reach out to Ajas on an issue where it’s obvious who made the mistake first?

He sent an official apology not only to Leonhard but also to the Howard family, to be precise, to me.

I thought that was the end of this case.

After two days. At Paul Herbina, where I went to check the flowers for the wedding, Leonhard told me something I had never imagined.