Selected as the New Stepmother (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8

I just popped into a general store before heading to work, but Blackswan didn’t look like Blackswan anymore.

The reason was this:

“Miss, over there…….”

Following Anna’s pointing finger, I saw furniture gleaming in gold. The original desk and sofa had been moved outside, and even the lamps had been replaced.

“The original desk?”

“The laborers put it outside to take it away.”

“And the sofa and bookshelf too?”

“Yes.”

I was furious. I understand parents want to replace things with better ones for their children, but Blackswan is undeniably my space.

More than anything, every piece of furniture here belonged to my mother and me. The desk where my mother worked, the sofa where I used to sprawl out for naps as a child.

[In a beautiful garden, pink petals flutter gently. As my baby sleeps, the breeze carries petals softly.]

It was the place where my mother used to sing me lullabies, patting my chest in rhythm.

So at the very least, she should have asked me first.

I stepped outside to tell the laborers to stop, but all the furniture that had been outside had vanished.

As I frantically looked around, I spotted a cart moving away.

I hurried outside and grabbed a rickshaw.

“Please follow that cart.”

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The cart arrived at the Artenbach Manor. Unable to enter, I told the sweat-drenched rickshaw driver to wait briefly while I paced in front of the gate.

‘That was my mother’s desk. I won’t let it slip away like this.’

I straightened my clothes and clenched my fist to knock on the door. That was the moment.

People poured out of the manor. Maids lined both sides of the path, bowing low, followed by a butler who held the door open.

The distance between the gate and the manor seemed about a hundred meters—just barely visible as human forms.

I watched the manor through the iron gate’s bars. Not long after, someone stepped outside, and I instantly knew it was the Duke Artenbach.

I shook the iron gate vigorously, hoping the clatter would reach him. But no one responded.

‘If he’s leaving, he’ll definitely come this way.’

Better to wait. I’ll wait right here until he passes.

Sure enough, the Duke began approaching the gate. I stood squarely in the center of the iron gate so he couldn’t miss me.

When he had passed about two-thirds of the garden, the butler spotted me and whispered something to the Duke.

Our eyes met.

“What brings you here?”

At last, I lowered my hand from the gate and straightened my posture.

“Your Grace.”

I lifted my skirt slightly and curtsied. Despite the noble gesture, the Duke’s gaze remained cold.

“I know it’s improper to come here like this, but your people moved my belongings here without permission, so I had no choice but to visit.”

“…What are you saying?”

“Your order has indeed made Blackswan more beautiful. But the furniture inside were cherished pieces that carried Blackswan’s history.”

The Duke glanced at the butler beside him, who looked just as confused.

“Just now, laborers came to Blackswan and replaced the desk and display cabinets, then brought the original furniture here.”

A servant ran over from afar and whispered something into the butler’s ear.

“Then please return my furniture.”

This time, the butler stepped close to the Duke and whispered so quietly I couldn’t hear.

I waited for their conversation to end. Soon, the Duke, having understood the situation, gestured to a servant behind him.

“Do as the Youngae wishes.”

The servant bowed deeply and vanished. Simultaneously, the Duke turned to me and spoke.

“I’d prefer you not come here like this again.”

The Duke, seen through the massive iron gates, was a being far beyond my reach.

While he possessed wealth I could never fathom, I scraped together enough to survive the next week.

“I’ll remember….”

My head bowed naturally. The joy of recovering my mother’s furniture was drowned by a crushing sense of despair.

Two carriages appeared in the distance. The one gleaming in gold was surely the Duke’s carriage, and the other, laden with furniture, had come for me.

The coachman who arrived first asked where to move the furniture. I directed him to Viscount Dely’s residence and added that I’d meet him there. Meanwhile, the Duke, emerging outside, cast me a sidelong glance before stepping into his carriage.

Realizing I had no desire to become close to someone so aloof, I climbed into the rickshaw.

“Take me to Viscount Dely’s residence.”

The rickshaw driver replied enthusiastically, glancing at my now considerably fuller pocket.

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“Are you the Youngae from the consultation office or the administrative office?”

Inside the Artenbach family’s private carriage heading toward the government office sat another person besides Ascal—his secretary, Limon Tyrrel.

“You’re Viscount Dely’s daughter, aren’t you? I saw you at the gambling den last time.”

Ascal didn’t answer, but nodded.

“Are you seriously planning to recruit the Viscount into the military? He’s from the Imperial Knights, yes, but he’s old and can’t even handle physical labor.”

“No one can match his marksmanship.”

“True enough—he’s the only one ever admitted into the Imperial Knights based purely on marksmanship.”

Limon muttered under his breath, then asked:

“Since using debt as leverage to force him into service didn’t work, shouldn’t you look for another way?”

“He came to me on his own.”

Ascal thought of the pink diamond.

“I’ll be able to form a marksmanship unit soon. Prepare accordingly.”

“Yes, Your Grace!”

Limon smiled broadly in reply. Having repeatedly refused the recruitment offer, the Viscount’s sudden willingness made the order to begin preparations deeply satisfying.

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After safely relocating Blackswan’s historically significant furniture to Viscount Dely’s residence,

I returned to the office and found Rublion sitting on the sofa without even a cushion or cloth beneath him.

“You’re here?”

“When did you get here?”

“Just now.”

Kid jumped off the sofa to greet me cheerfully.

“Because Mama didn’t eat breakfast, I went with the sister outside to the bakery.”

Kid smiled as he opened a paper bag. Inside were freshly baked bread and milk.

“But, Kid.”

“Yes?”

“You mean Anna, the sister outside?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know I’m one year younger than Anna?”

“Mama’s younger than the sister?”

Kid’s face showed genuine shock.

His expression shocked me too.

“Am I… really that old-looking?”

Kid said nothing. I was shocked again.

“Wow, this bread must be delicious!”

Kid changed the subject abruptly, and I let out a long sigh. He couldn’t possibly have meant anything by it, and he certainly didn’t mean it maliciously. …Sigh.

“Mama, please eat it. It’s really good.”

Kid, already nibbling the corner of the bread, spoke with his mouth full. I poured milk into a cup and placed it before Kid.

Perhaps it was because this morning had been unusually busy, but the bread Kid brought was warm and delicious. The sinking mood and vanished motivation returned with every bite.

Grateful for a moment, I stroked Rublion’s head. His soft hair made me feel better too.

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“Mama, I have a question.”

Kid asked me as I sprawled on the sofa.

“What is it?”

“What does ‘it has to be big’ mean?”

“Huh? What has to be big?”

Kid frowned slightly and rested his chin on his hand.

“I asked yesterday because I thought the Duke’s preferences would matter when finding someone to be Mama. But he said it has to be big.”

“Big?”

“Yes. Since I didn’t have a proper standard, I used Mama as a reference—but the Duke said it has to be bigger than Mama. I don’t know what ‘big’ means though.”

“…I’ve never looked at people like that.”

Wow, so appearances really are deceiving.

My gaze involuntarily dropped downward. Sure, I’m not exactly generous, but how could he say something like that to a child?

“Well, I get it. I just need to find someone bigger than me, right?”

“But I don’t know what ‘big’ means.”

Today was truly… bitter.

“Just find someone big—height, heart, whatever.”

“Oh! Then that’ll work!”

Watching Kid clap his hands, my mood soured.

I began to doubt whether the Duke was even fit to be a father.

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After spending an uneventful day and returning home, Rublion sat on the sofa in Ascal’s office, holding his work documents, and began his briefing.

“Your Grace, I asked Mama.”

“What about?”

“The ‘has to be big’ thing you mentioned.”

“Oh.”

“But Mama looked really upset. She said, ‘I’ve never looked at people like that,’ with such a disappointed expression.”

Ascal clicked his tongue. He recalled Schmidt, who had come all the way to the manor to retrieve furniture too worn even to burn as firewood.

“That woman is frugal.”

“Frugal?”

“Yes. The lady of the Ducal House mustn’t calculate even when it comes to luxury. Someone who cares too much about short sleeves or holding onto things too long can never become a Duchess.”

Rublion’s face lit up with sudden understanding.

“How did you know Mama’s sleeves were short?”

“…I happened to see.”

“And how did you know about her habit of keeping things too long?”

“I had a bit of business this morning.”

Rublion’s lips curled slightly.

“You said it wasn’t about preferences, but you’ve already noticed these things?”

“What are you trying to say?”

Despite Ascal’s sharp gaze, Rublion grinned unabashedly.

“Nothing in particular.”