How The Sub-Male Lead’s Stepmother Teaches Love

‘This is all because of Count Hiern and Lady Lamberton…It’s because of those people.’ 

 

Raenel asked Leonhard, with some personal feelings, to punish them severely.

 

He nodded, saying that he would have done so even without her saying anything, and stayed at the castle of Ajas for two days to track down everyone involved in that matter. 

 

Thirteen people in all, from vassals to servants.

 

That’s less than the number of people Raenel fired when she turned the castle upside down once. But the important thing was that among those Thirteen were nobles who had their titles restored.

 

Of course, they weren’t nobles who had received a title from the emperor.

 

Long ago, the Marquis Ajas took back the titles from the nobles he had appointed as his vassals. Incredibly, Count Hiern and Count Lamberton were among them.

 

The nobles who had retained the titles they had received from the Emperor, including them, were exiled from the Ajas itself, not from the castle of Ajas, but all that they had received from the Marquis of Ajas was confiscated.

 

Of course, Lady Lamberton was the same.

 

“Let go of me! Banishment? What have I done wrong!”

 

“It seems you still don’t understand the situation. Lady Lamberton is only given the sentence of banishment because she is a lady. If you don’t want to end up like Count Hiern or Count Lamberton, then follow the orders.”

 

Lady Lamberton also knew what had happened to those two. She had already fled from the soldiers who had stormed into the count’s mansion and had hidden in the secluded inn.

 

Lady Lamberton gritted her teeth at the soldiers who had chased her there, determined to chase her out.

 

“I have not committed any crime! I only did what Count Lamberton told me to do!”

 

“How many times do I have to tell you that’s exactly the sin? Anyway, please be quiet and get on the carriage. If you don’t behave, I can make you walk.” 

 

“Hey…!”

 

It was impossible for Lady Lamberton to escape from the soldiers’ eyes since she could not hide from them.

 

Lady Lamberton, who was eventually dragged into the carriage by their hands, sat curled up in a corner and gritted her teeth.

 

‘Just wait and see, do you think I’ll ever forget this shame?’

 

The soldiers had no sympathy for a woman who had already tried to escape once.

 

Lady Lamberton, confined for days on end in a dirty, cramped carriage with these filthy, stinking men, grew bitter and her desire for revenge grew.

 

With the false accusation that all of that was because of Raenel.

 

* * * 

 

Under Leonhard’s command, the search for those involved in the plot to assassinate Noah Ajas ended in just two days.

 

It was even discovered that they had attempted to harm not only the successor, but also the Marquise, who had only recently arrived at the castle.

 

That gave a great shock to not only the servants but also the people of the castle city.

 

“Oh my god, how fearless. How could he have thought of harming the Marquise?” 

 

“That’s right, that good lady.”

 

“A good lady? You have never met her in person.” 

 

“Do you think you would know if she is a good person if you saw her in person? She gave us plenty of food this spring. She even exempted us from paying the mill fee.”

 

“Of course, the person who gives you food is a good person.” 

 

“Why would the Marquis come all the way here to bring her here?” 

 

The Marquise, who had only recently arrived in Ajas, did not have a bad reputation. Thanks to that, many people sympathized with her.

 

The rumor began to spread somewhere that the reason several vassals had banded together to drive Raenel out of the castle was because she cared for her son who was not of her own blood.

 

“They say she treats a young master who is not her blood relative as if he was her own son. You wouldn’t be able to do that unless you have a really bad personality, right?”

 

“I saw her from afar when she stopped by the market with the young master before, and the Young master followed her very well. How kind is she that he would open his heart in such a short time?”

 

“The vassals were too much. Ah, after all, the successor was brought by the Marquis himself. They tried to harm that young master because they didn’t like him and tried to frame the innocent marquise for it.”

 

“They deserve to be kicked out. No, they should be lucky to be kicked out!” 

 

As public opinion against the vassals who plotted spread like wildfire among the residents, the atmosphere among the servants working in the castle was tense as if they were standing on a knife’s edge.

 

Not only were the servants who had been hired by Count Hiern punished and driven out of the castle, but the servants who had picked up the rumors they had spread and spread them elsewhere were also punished.

 

“This is already the second time. I hope this makes everyone realize clearly. What is the point of talking nonsense about your master?”

 

Since ancient times, servants have been said to have ears but not be able to hear, and to have mouths but not be able to speak.

 

Lucius gathered the servants employed at the castle and gave them another round of attitude training, speaking clearly.

 

If anything like that happened again, not only would they be kicked out of the castle, but the person who wrote the letter of recommendation that allowed them to enter the castle would also be beaten.

 

Starting with the guards guarding the castle, the servants kept their mouths shut and did their own work with strict discipline.

 

When the work was done, the most they could do was go back to their quarters and curse the people who had done that to them.

 

“When was the last time the castle was turned upside down? And now they are going around spreading rumors instead of doing their job!”

 

“Poor Leah. She really didn’t do anything, but she got kicked out because she had a letter of recommendation from Count Lamberton.”

 

“I heard that His Excellency was frightfully angry with his vassals, but that won’t happen again, will it?”

 

“I hope not,….If it happens, I hope the person who wrote me a letter of recommendation doesn’t get involved.” 

 

“Me too.”

 

“Me too.”

 

“At this point, I really feel sorry for the young master. What did he do to deserve that?”

 

“That’s what I’m saying. Did he want to become a successor just because he is a young master?” 

 

While public sentiment of sympathy for Noah was slowly rising among the servants, an official document with Leonhard’s seal was sent to all vassals and servants who had sworn allegiance under the banner of Ajas.

 

The document detailed the incident that had occurred at Castle Ajas and the punishments handed down to all those involved, starting with the main culprits, Count Hiern and Count Lamberton.

 

He also made it clear that he would not show even an ounce of mercy if the same thing happened again in the future.

 

Noah Ajas will succeed him as the next Marquis, and they must be loyal to the next Marquis. If they cannot do that, then leave Ajas now. 

 

The favors he has shown them so far are not theirs.

 

Even though there is much hard work they have done so far, they will have to give up all the privileges they have enjoyed and leave because they have violated their oath of loyalty.

 

If they think that Noah Ajas will not be able to become the rightful successor to Ajax in the future, then they should volunteer to leave now.

 

In the face of the stern warning of the Marquis, no one dared to leave the Ajas’ territory because they could not acknowledge Noah Ajas. 

 

After all, everything they have built and cultivated is here, so how could they abandon it and leave for a place where they had no connection?

 

Some sighed, saying that there was nothing they could do, some cried and grumbled, and some wrote replies as if they were doing what they had to do. 

 

Messengers arrived at Ajas Castle one after another with their letters. 

 

Leonhard, who had finished everything and returned to the Hiyela Gate, immediately called Iron and Robert.

 

“What is the situation beyond the gate?”

 

“There have been three short battles of attrition. The number of monsters accompanying them has dwindled considerably, so the shaman’s numbers must be much reduced now.” 

 

“Of course, that doesn’t mean we can let our guard down, the monsters the few shamans are bringing are high-level and hard to deal with without a few knights or wizards attached.”

 

Leonhard tapped the armrest of his chair with his index finger as he listened to the types and numbers of monsters the barbarians had brainwashed and brought in while he was away.

 

His eyes, staring far out the window, were so deep that it was impossible to guess his inner thoughts.

 

The moment his hand stopped tapping the armrest, Robert and Iron simultaneously raised their heads and looked at Leonhard.

 

“Gather all the wizards and knights and tell them. In three days, we will close the dungeon, leaving only minimal guards at the gates.”

 

“Dungeon…Are you talking about the Shipwreck Graveyard?” 

 

“We are closing it? Are you serious?”

 

Iron and Robert were surprised, not only because Leonhard’s order was abrupt and out of the blue, but also because the content of it was deafening.

 

The Graveyard of the Wrecked Ship. That dungeon is much more difficult to clear than other dungeons because the only place to step is the sea with ghost ships.

 

However, the boss monster of the dungeon was none other than the Kraken. It was a monster that swung its large tentacles underwater, sinking boats one by one, causing people to drown and die.

 

To catch the Kraken, they must go into the water. However, even with the help of a magical tool that allows them to breathe underwater, the swordsmen have a hard time swinging their swords because of the water.

 

On top of that, the tattered sails of the ghost ship are covered in skeletons. Once you’ve defeated them all, they’ll reappear after a period of time.

 

In order to defeat the boss, they must secure a hideout for rest. 

 

To do that, people have to take turns and defeat the skeleton.

 

What if the Kraken’s tentacles appear and sink the ship? It’s a total disaster. Since the movement area is limited, it’s not easy to retreat out of the dungeon. As a result, the only way to get out of the dungeon is to clean it up.

 

“If that dungeon hadn’t exploded, I wouldn’t have had to leave my wife alone in the castle and come here as soon as I got there.”

 

“That’s true, but….”

 

“If I just close that dungeon, the future barbarian raids won’t matter even if I’m not there.”

 

After finishing speaking, Leonhard stood up and looked at Iron and Robert.

 

“After the dungeon is closed, I’ll head straight back to the castle. Deliver my orders to them, and you will organize the troops that will be stationed at the gate and report to me immediately.” 

 

Robert and Iron exchanged glances for a moment at the firm voice that refused to accept any dissent and then bowed their heads in agreement.

 

“Oh, by the way, while the captain was away, the messenger sent by the mercenary group arrived.”

 

Robert took out a small letter box from his waist bag and handed it to Leonhard, saying he had forgotten.

 

Leonhard quickly took a piece of paper out of the letter box and checked what was written inside.

 

* * *