Chapter 8

It was necessary to put aside the failed method and set up the next method. Now that I have become a stepmother, I can be a good mother to Carl as I promised Merilyn. After Merilyn’s funeral, I decided to hold Carl in my arms. What’s the big deal about a good stepmother? Being nice to him.

My mother said that even if I raise him like my child, others’ children are others’ children, and that no matter how much I care about Carl and how much Carl follows me, it will not look nice to others. She foretold the rigors of raising the child that wasn’t mine, and she told me to reconsider becoming a Duchess, but I was determined.

I thought it would be a good life to be a stepmother who raised Carlos, the main character of the world, rather than living with Oscar, a handsome Knight.

I was determined to do so, but unfortunately, I was not Carl’s nanny, but Carl’s stepmother and Duchess of DeMancier. The Duchess seems to have a lot of work to do, but the Duchess of DeMancier and the North had more work to do because most of the Lords and Knights went to war for half a year due to their geographical characteristics.

As Merilyn got pregnant and lay bed-ridden at the same time, the Duchess of DeMancier’s seat was virtually vacant, and at that point, I decided to remarry on her deathbed, so there was no one to take over for me. Even if Merilyn left, time did not stop, so as spring was just around the corner, Mrs. May looked at me and asked me how she should prepare to go to war.

“Ready to go to war? What should I prepare?”

Unlike me, who just became a duchess, Mrs. May, who had been a maid before Merilyn became a duchess, answered without hesitation.

“The Duke and his aides do things like military rations and war supplies, but things like gathering the wives of the castle to mend armor or make military uniforms are things the Duchess prepares. I was supposed to do it during the winter…”

Half of the year was winter in the north, and the other half had wars with monsters trying to move south at the border. From now on, my husband, the Duke of DeMancier, spent half the year on the battlefield. During the winter, monsters did not break in easily, so only the minimum number of soldiers stood guard, and most of the Knights and soldiers, including the Duke, returned to their respective homes and prepared for another battle to begin in spring.

And this winter, Merilyn was sick as she gave birth to Carlos. The work that Merilyn was doing before she was sick stopped, and the maids proceeded with the least amount of work that they usually did, cleaning up the castle.

“When will the Duke go to war?”

The goods had to be prepared in time for the Duke to leave. Mrs. May replied,

“A week from now.” And at that moment she was absolutely beside herself.

Originally, there were rituals to greet spring, but it was fortunate that there would be no such celebrations or ceremonies this year since Merilyn died.

I looked at what Merilyn had done, but it was too much to prepare the rest in a week because things were neglected for a long time, and eventually I had to spend a lot of money to buy new items. The quick delivery also added to the costly expenses. The Duke and his aides did not take issue with the expenditure, knowing that the Duchess’s seat was vacant during Merilyn’s illness, and that they could not do what they were doing every winter. However, as soon as the Duchess died, those who were interested in the new Duchess said that I was already incompetent and extravagant, and that I made the Duke spend a lot of money.

I felt so dirty and annoyed when I was criticized for something that wasn’t my fault. Anyway, after a week of being busy searching for new war supplies, the ceremony of the Knights and soldiers heading back to the border was just around the corner. I made sure all the supplies were loaded into the carriage until the end and prepared to show my face to Carlos and begin the ceremony.

Spring was just around the corner, but the weather was fierce because there were still remnants of winter. Carlos was clothed in thick clothes and wrapped in fur. I also put on Merilyn’s fur coat and went outside. As a self-created lover, I didn’t have many clothes and I didn’t have enough time to buy new clothes to suit the Duchess’s dignity, so it was a choice I couldn’t make.

“Are you frustrated, Young Master? Even if it’s frustrating, hold it in. It’s cold outside, so if you catch a cold, you will get sick.”

Wearing thick clothes, I was frustrated, so I came out with the child wrapped tightly, soothing Carl who was whining. As expected, a fierce wind blew. I curled up and took care not to let Carl get caught in the wind as much as I could, and headed for the Duke who had not yet mounted the horse.

He seemed calm as if he had little appreciation for his annual expedition. I know he survives until Carl grows up, but war has always been accompanied by numerous variables. Moreover, for about half a year, he hoped that the stepmother would further solidify Carl’s position as soon as he, who might not return from the battlefield, lost his life.

While I’m at it, I’d like you to build up my prestige as a duchess, but… I don’t expect much from a man who didn’t respond much to the dying Merilyn.

The Duke of DeMancier saw me approaching him, at this moment the Duke’s aide approached him and whispered something. The Duke nodded slightly, handed the reins of the horse to the aide, and approached me.

The Duke of DeMancier, who spent half a year on the battlefield, was really strong. I have three fairly tall brothers, and yet he surprised me, who is used to my second brother who is a knight. The Duke was a man of great stride, one step being my three steps. Whenever he strode toward me, my head gradually lifted upward and bent backward.