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Chapter 8 — My Mother-in-Law, But I Don’t Want In-Law Conflicts
For the record, Helene agreed to my coming here. In other words, my intentions are the same as Helene’s.
“I’ll see you again later.”
I’ll be checking on this later, so handle yourselves accordingly.
Without waiting to see their reactions, I supported Illyna once more.
Fortunately, not a single voice followed us as we left the corridor.
Illyna couldn’t lift her head.
In the ladies’ lounge attached to the banquet hall—a room several times more luxurious than her own—she had just emptied the contents of her stomach.
She didn’t have the courage to look at Wilhelmina, who was seated across from her.
What have I done?
If she could turn back time, she would gladly sell her soul to the devil.
To make such a terrible first impression at a banquet attended by her fiancé, and in front of the ducal family no less—and then nearly vomit on top of it.
Had Wilhelmina not stepped in to smooth things over at the end, Illyna herself would have become the center of attention instead of the marquis hosting the banquet.
The Dowager Duchess.
Only then did Illyna cautiously raise her head and steal a glance at Wilhelmina, who sat with one leg crossed over the other, resting her chin on her hand in silence.
From afar, she had seemed sharp and intimidating.
But seeing her up close gave an entirely different impression.
She’s… incredibly young.
Lately, rumors about Wilhelmina had spread through high society in numbers too great to count.
She was the fifth wife taken in by the late Duke, only to become a widow before the wedding ceremony had even taken place.
Despite her questionable background, she had supposedly been fortunate enough to receive the title of “Dowager Duchess” through the generosity of the ducal family.
Naturally, most of those rumors were malicious.
Stories carefully crafted to benefit the ducal house while painting Wilhelmina in the worst possible light.
Anyone perceptive could easily guess where those rumors originated.
Unfortunately, high society cared far more about sensational gossip than vague evidence.
So Illyna hadn’t expected much from Wilhelmina either.
Her own parents often sneered that Wilhelmina was “someone who’d soon be locked away in a forgotten room.”
But she doesn’t seem like that kind of person.
She didn’t look like someone who would quietly accept being hidden away.
Nor did she seem like someone who would bow her head and cling to the ducal family out of gratitude.
If anything, the way she’d carried herself just before leaving the banquet hall had been worthy of a true member of the ducal household.
“Finished?”
“Ah!”
Before she realized it, Wilhelmina had turned to look at her.
“At least you can manage some milk, can’t you?”
“Y-Yes.”
The moment they had arrived in the lounge, Wilhelmina had poured honey into the warm milk a servant had brought.
So much honey that anyone watching might have worried about the calories.
“There.”
She stirred it casually with a teaspoon before pouring the milk until it nearly overflowed from the teacup and holding it out to Illyna.
“Th-Thank you.”
Carefully accepting the dangerously full cup, Illyna hesitated before bringing it to her lips.
It’s delicious!
“Good, isn’t it? We use excellent milk here.”
The rich flavor spreading through her mouth made Illyna gasp in admiration.
The creamy milk coated her palate.
The sweetness of the honey flooded her tongue without mercy.
The fragrant aroma tickled her nose.
Her empty stomach rejoiced after just one sip.
But… I should stop.
After taking one large swallow, Illyna reluctantly lowered the teacup.
Wilhelmina frowned.
“Why’d you stop? You don’t like it?”
“N-No. It’s delicious. I’m simply overwhelmed by Your Grace’s kindness…”
“Then drink more.”
“I’ve had enough.”
Just as she was about to say the words—
Grrrrrrk.
A loud growl echoed from her stomach.
Her body loudly declared that a single sip hadn’t been nearly enough.
Illyna’s face instantly turned scarlet.
“Enough? Hardly.”
“…”
Looking at the girl who seemed on the verge of tears, Wilhelmina let out a sigh and stood.
Then she walked behind Illyna’s chair.
“Y-Your Grace?”
“Hold still.”
She reached toward Illyna’s back.
Without hesitation, she untied the laces of her dress and slipped a hand inside.
“Eek!”
Feeling Wilhelmina’s fingers against her bare skin, Illyna instinctively tried to pull away.
Wilhelmina didn’t let her.
Instead, she held her waist even more firmly.
“Your Grace! You can’t do this!”
Could it be… the Dowager Duchess has some unspeakable hobby?
Even as bizarre thoughts raced through Illyna’s mind, Wilhelmina ignored her cries.
Her hand moved from Illyna’s back to her side, then toward the front of her bodice.
“Oh. The clasp’s in the front.”
“Eep!”
Her fingers shifted slightly.
Click.
The fastening came undone.
The corset that had been squeezing Illyna’s waist loosened all at once.
Her chest and stomach suddenly felt free, while the belly she’d kept tightly compressed immediately pushed outward.
In a panic, Illyna covered her stomach with both hands.
“N-No!”
Since the dress had been fitted to the size of her tightly cinched corset, the front now looked as though it might burst open.
“Then we’ll loosen this too.”
Wilhelmina removed the dress pins and untied the front laces.
“Ah!”
In an instant, both her side and back were left half exposed.
Embarrassed, Illyna bent forward to hide herself.
“Here. Put this on.”
Wilhelmina retrieved an enormous coat hanging on a rack in the lounge.
It was so soft and fluffy that, if not for its shape, one could have mistaken it for a feather quilt.
She draped it around Illyna’s shoulders before calmly returning to her own seat.
Illyna felt as though she’d been swept away by an unexpected storm.
Her dress and corset were half undone, yet the oversized coat kept her pleasantly warm.
“W-What is all this…?”
“No one’s coming in, so don’t worry. Finish your milk. Doesn’t your waist feel better now that the corset’s loose?”
It did.
Without the corset she’d worn even while sleeping, she could finally breathe deeply without pain in her chest.
The crushing pressure around her abdomen had disappeared.
Even the aching in her back seemed to have eased.
“B-But I shouldn’t loosen my corset. I have to keep wearing it until I get married so my waist will become slimmer.”
“Taking it off for a little while won’t change anything. Don’t worry.”
“And if I drink this, I’ll gain…”
“You won’t.”
She wanted to argue.
But there was a strange confidence in Wilhelmina’s words.
She offered no evidence whatsoever, yet somehow sounded even more convincing than the dressmakers who sold corsets for a living.
Besides, no matter what the rumors said, Wilhelmina was still the Dowager Duchess.
Illyna wasn’t in any position to refuse her.
Still looking uneasy, she picked up the teacup again.
…It’s so good.
Her negative thoughts vanished the moment the warm milk reached her stomach.
With her abdomen no longer tightly compressed, drinking became much easier.
The warm liquid flowed down her throat, gently warming her stomach.
Her tense expression gradually softened.
“I wasn’t going to say anything because that’s just how the times are, but you really should get a larger corset.”
“But… this is the most popular style…”
Illyna muttered quietly.
Wilhelmina clicked her tongue loud enough for her to hear.
“So what if everyone else wears it? Does copying other people automatically make you prettier? Have some backbone.”
It was a statement that completely rejected the fashions of high society.
Illyna blinked in confusion.
“I’m not talking about beauty standards. First and foremost, you need to be healthy. Do you even know what condition you’re in right now?”
“I-Is something wrong with me?”
She’d spent so much effort getting ready.
Had she made some terrible mistake?
Setting down the teacup, Illyna looked herself over.
Only then did she notice that some of the powder on her chest had smudged.
“Ah, I need to reapply…”
“Your pale skin isn’t the issue.”
Among the younger generation, skin untouched by sunlight had become the latest symbol of beauty.
With a sigh, Wilhelmina pointed at Illyna’s abdomen.
“Doesn’t your stomach hurt?”
“Not really…”
“You’re lying. If you’ve been wearing that every day, you’ve probably been constipated too.”
At the word constipated, Illyna’s face flushed bright red again.
“Your Grace!”
“What? You’re embarrassed by that? But you weren’t embarrassed when you nearly threw up in front of everyone at the banquet?”
“W-Well…”
Her voice trembled as tears welled in her eyes.
The memory of her humiliating mistake came flooding back.
Wilhelmina sighed and brushed a hand through her hair.
“I understand wanting to be prettier than everyone else. But you shouldn’t sacrifice your health for it.”
“My father always says I need to lose more weight…”
“Are you marrying your father?”
“I’m marrying my fiancé!”
“Then has your fiancé ever said he dislikes women who aren’t skinny?”
“Hans has never said anything like that!”
Thinking of her gentle fiancé, Illyna shouted without thinking.
Wilhelmina’s eyebrow twitched at the sudden outburst.
“Good. At least your fiancé has his head screwed on straight. The one you’re going to spend your life with is him. If he’s fine with you, why push yourself so hard?”
“That’s… true, but… it’s unattractive.”
“Unattractive? What’s unattractive?”
