A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 152: Return (2)
As always, the [N O V E L I G H T] Ringaarden estate greeted the morning with an air of eerie chill.
“Wh-what on earth is going on...?”
“...Shouldn’t someone go check on her?”
“I-I mean, if someone from outside sees this, it might cause serious trouble...”
The servants, who should have been preparing the estate for the day, were instead gathered in the yard with tense expressions on their faces, murmuring amongst themselves.
“.......”
And the cause of this gathering was none other than Meredia Embergreen, who had arrived nearly thirty minutes ago and had been standing motionless in the rain just outside the estate’s entrance ever since.
Despite the servants’ repeated attempts to bring her inside—bringing coats, trying to reason with her—Meredia only shook her head and stubbornly held her ground.
“This looks like the Count’s family just stood up a noblewoman...”
“Y-yeah... Let’s just hope no scandal comes out of it.”
With journalists lately flocking to the Ringaarden estate, drawn by the scent of juicy rumors (though the servants wisely refused to speak a word to them out of self-preservation), it wasn’t far-fetched to imagine this scene being photographed.
And if that happened, tomorrow’s imperial newspaper headlines were practically guaranteed. The gossips would take it and twist it beyond recognition.
But as servants, they couldn’t simply drag Meredia inside against her will. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
“Why is she doing this...?”
“M-maybe... maybe she wronged the young master somehow, and she’s waiting for an apology?”
“C-come on, that can’t be it...”
As the maids continued speculating about the reasons behind this strange scene, an ominous silence crept over them.
“...Actually, if it’s the young master, I could totally see him standing up a duchess.”
“Yep, sounds just like him.”
“But would Lady Meredia really stand there in the rain over just a lovers’ quarrel?”
Soon, their whispers began devolving into conspiracy theories.
“I’m telling you, the young master has something on her... He has to.”
“I-I heard rumors too... The engagement was all part of some plan orchestrated by the Emperor...”
“Sh-shut it! You’ll get yourselves killed saying stuff like that.”
“B-but still. That situation is not normal.”
As their conversation heated up—
“...Hey, isn’t that the young master?”
“Huh!”
“It is!”
Suddenly, they spotted Whitney Ringaarden walking up behind Meredia.
***
“Lady Meredia? What are you doing out here?”
As soon as I caught sight of her figure, I rushed toward her, calling out.
“Lady Meredia?”
“.......”
“Excuse me?”
But there was no response.
“Why are you just standing here like this?”
“...Ah.”
For a moment, I wondered if I was seeing a ghost. But when I placed my hand on her shoulder, she flinched slightly—thankfully, she was real.
“Whitney...”
But something was clearly wrong. Her entire body trembled, her face had gone pale, and her expression was stiff with fear.
She was soaking wet from the rain—but no, that alone couldn’t explain this. Not for someone like Meredia.
“Are you feeling unwell? More importantly, why have you been standing out here alone in the rain?”
“.......”
“Have you been waiting for me all this time?”
“...Y-yes.”
Worried by her condition, I gently shook her shoulders, and finally, she gave me a trembling answer in a faint voice.
“I was waiting for you...”
But... it didn’t sound sincere.
“...Y-you came back sooner than I expected. That’s a relief.”
Her gaze wasn’t fixed on me, and her voice was still quivering.
‘What the hell happened to her?’
For someone who never lost her composure no matter the situation, this was utterly unlike her.
“Lady Meredia, can we talk while looking at each other?”
“...Ah.”
Trying to meet her eyes, I took a step forward—but she quickly averted her gaze again.
“Lady Meredia.”
“.......”
“...Why are you acting like this?”
Eventually, I held both her shoulders and made her face me. And then—I saw it.
Her eyes were filled with unmistakable fear.
But why?
Why would Lady Meredia be afraid of me?
“Let’s go inside and talk, shall we?”
“...Uh, ah. I...”
“You’ll catch a cold like this.”
Something was very off about her today. Still, I couldn’t leave her here.
“From the looks on the servants’ faces, it seems you’ve been standing here a while...”
“...Whitney.”
Just as I gently tugged on her arm to guide her toward the house—
“You said you love me, didn’t you?”
“...Pardon? Where is this coming from?”
“Just answer me.”
Her heavy voice echoed from behind me.
“Of course I love you.”
“...You said you could love me no matter what.”
“Yes. So?”
Her words were too serious for me to brush off, so I stopped walking and turned to face her fully.
“Did you mean it?”
“...What?”
“If I did something terrible to you... could you still love me?”
Her words were becoming stranger by the second.
“...Didn’t you already try to kill me once?”
“.......”
“Even if you betray me tomorrow and try to kill me again—I’m confident I’ll still love you.”
I didn’t know why she was asking such things, but I gave her my honest answer.
“.......”
She bit her lower lip tightly and started trembling again.
“Lady Meredia...?”
Only then did I realize she had been crying quietly, the rain masking her tears.
“...Ugh.”
But suddenly, her pale face tensed, and she took a step back from my approaching arms.
“What if it was something even worse?”
“.......”
“What if it’s something completely unforgivable—something I’ve already done?”
As I listened closely, I began to piece it together.
She must have realized... something she did in the past—something that hurt me.
“Even then, I can still love you.”
“...I thought you’d say that. Honestly, I expected it.”
I repeated my feelings sincerely, but instead of relief, my words seemed to terrify her even more.
“I... I’m scared. That’s why I’m even more afraid.”
“.......”
“Your sincerity and your smile... what if one day they just disappear...”
What could I say to her in a moment like this?
Maybe it was time to change the subject.
It wasn’t what I planned to talk about here, but... now might be the right time.
“Lady Meredia, please listen carefully.”
I slowly approached her again, to prevent her from retreating.
“I’ve found a way to lift your curse.”
“......!”
“...Isn’t that good news?”
I smiled softly as I watched her face shift from shock to confusion.
“Of course, the method won’t be easy. I might... have to dirty my hands a bit.”
“What...”
“But no matter what, my sincerity—and my smile—won’t break.”
“.......”
“No matter what you’ve done, I will save you.”
At those words, her tears finally stopped.
“...Don’t tell me.”
But her face now showed a different kind of shock.
“You already know everything?”
“...Sorry?”
“If you know how to break the curse... that means you know how it was formed, don’t you?”
Her sudden questioning made me scratch my head.
“No, not really. I only heard about the solution—not the cause.”
“...R-really? Is that all?”
She stepped in close, cold sweat on her face, and muttered with a faint sigh of relief.
“Ha... haha... Thank goodness. I mean, not that it’s a good thing...”
“.......”
“...A-anyway. Good job. I knew you could do it.”
After a moment of flustered rambling, she looked at me seriously.
“Hey... can I ask a favor?”
“...Of course.”
Her next words took real courage—especially after how frightened she’d been.
“If that solution... won’t hurt you... please tell me before you use it.”
“.......”
“...And then, even after hearing what I have to say—decide if you really still want to save me.”
“Is that really necessary?”
I tilted my head. I wasn’t going to betray her, no matter what she said. But Meredia’s expression remained firm.
“Yes. It’s necessary.”
“...Then why not just tell me now?”
“T-that’s...”
Now I was genuinely curious about her secret. As I cautiously asked, she lowered her gaze and finally spoke in a shadowed voice.
“...I’m sorry. I really must be selfish.”
“I just... like you too much. I can’t end this happiness just yet.”
Her face twisted in complete self-loathing.
“So... please let me delay it just a bit longer.”
“.......”
“I’m sorry. I’m really, really sorry...”
Seeing her again break into tears, I couldn’t just stand there.
“If there’s something you want to say, you can take your time.”
“.......”
“I’ll always be waiting for you.”
This time, I gently pulled her into my arms and whispered.
“.......”
She trembled slightly as she leaned into me—but she didn’t resist.
“...Phew.”
“Did... did that solve it?”
Behind us, the servants whispered with wide eyes. I let out a small, bitter smile where Meredia couldn’t see.
‘Yeah... I definitely can’t tell her what the “solution” actually is.’
With that thought, I quietly looked up at the slowly clearing sky.
“Master, sorry to interrupt your lovely moment...”
“...Parsha?”
“But we’ve got an urgent situation.”
I turned at the voice behind us—and found Parsha, her expression unusually grim.
“What is it?”
That someone like her—normally all smiles—looked like this meant it was serious.
“The Duke of Embergreen has returned.”
As expected... her words were not trivial.
“He’s about to enter the Embergreen territory as we speak. You need to stop him, no matter what it takes.”
“...Get the carriage ready.”
Looks like today... rest would have to wait.
