IMDL 13

Chapter 13 — Mother-in-Law, but I Hate Mother-in-Law Conflicts

The Border Marquis said it was fine, but this was an attempt to shut the mouths of the social circle gossips. It was about not giving them any ammunition, so it was hard to refuse.

Besides, serving as the banquet coordinator… in my previous life, being a coordinator just meant booking a bar and settling the bill, but here it seemed far from easy.

“Alright, I’ll prepare.”

Living off their goodwill, this much labor was something I could manage. And I was the cause of the problem in the first place.

Once I agreed, Helene briefly explained the schedule for the next celebration.

Fortunately, the venue and budget were already planned, so it seemed I’d have little paperwork to handle.

“Now, shall we have some refreshments?”

As soon as our conversation ended, Mikhail had servants bring in a tea table.

I was about to say I’d just head back without eating.

“……I’ve prepared some herbal tea that’s good for colds. Please have some before you go.”

With Helene adding that, I had no choice but to stay.

Mikhail, as if he’d already forgotten my scolding, continued chatting with a cheerful expression.

*’How does someone with that kind of personality lead a Ducal family?’*

No matter how capable Helene was, Mikhail was ultimately the head of the family.

Looking at his transparently optimistic face, I couldn’t help but feel anxious about the future of a Ducal family that had apparently never known worry.

Suddenly, the voice of the romance fantasy master who had somehow become my inner mentor came to mind.

In my imagination, she was a middle schooler, but for some reason, she was wearing a graduation cap.

*’No, teacher. The protagonist’s father character is usually overpowered. That’s the default. The nuisance father character’s traits are a bit different.’*

*’……If you say so, I guess that’s how it is.’*

Come to think of it, unlike the previous Duke, Mikhail was also well-liked by the servants, so he probably had strengths I didn’t know about.

*’Even that lively personality might have been crafted out of some necessity.’*

I forced myself to think that way and reserved my judgment of Mikhail.

“Now we have the year-end party and the New Year’s event left. Especially for the year-end party, a noble from the Imperial Family will be attending, so we must prepare busily. Mother, please help out as well.”

“……If I have the energy for it.”

The meaningless conversation continued. Mikhail chattered on, mixing business and personal stories half and half, and I went along with it, with Helene occasionally pointing out his errors.

About thirty minutes passed.

Just as the tea I’d been drinking was starting to cool, someone knocked on the reception room door.

“Who is it?”

“It’s Liams, my lord.”

The elderly butler came looking for Mikhail. He delivered a message out of earshot, and it seemed something urgent had come up.

Mikhail approached with a look of regret.

“I think I need to go now. You two enjoy yourselves!”

And without waiting for our reply, he left with the butler.

His exit was as baffling as his entrance. Seeing my expression, Helene put down her teacup and spoke.

“He’s been busy with matters concerning the Imperial Family. I ask for your understanding.”

“……I see.”

The fact that she specifically mentioned the Imperial Family suggested that relations with them were indeed strained.

Since it wasn’t my concern, I just finished the rest of my tea.

*’The tea leaves here are better than what they use in the annex.’*

I’d have to ask Anna if we could get some of this. If not, even a little bit of my own would do.

I was starting to feel like getting up, but Helene seemed to want to continue the conversation a bit longer. She ordered the butler to reheat the tea.

“Lady Rolan, the Viscountess, praised you highly, Mother.”

“That’s fortunate. I was clumsy in many ways.”

“She said that although your etiquette is lacking, your kindness is exemplary.”

I hadn’t realized ginger tea could be this effective. It was an expensive spice in this world; I wondered if I should dip into the annex’s operating budget to buy more.

Even as she delivered the compliment, Helene gazed at me with dry eyes devoid of emotion.

The words that came out of her mouth moments later were spoken in a tone extremely rude to address one’s mother-in-law.

“Good. Please don’t become arrogant and continue to maintain proper conduct from now on.”

“…….”

It was a blatant jab, but honestly, it didn’t bother me that much.

As a mother-in-law who’d been thrust upon her, I figured she was entitled to this much complaint, and our status difference was stark to begin with.

The fact that she was calmly expressing her anger even without Mikhail around actually showed her maturity, I thought.

She might have been hoping I’d get angry… but before anger, what came to me was the thought that she was kind of cute.

“……Haha.”

“……?”

I thought I understood why she was speaking so indirectly.

Lady Rolan, the Viscountess who had educated countless young ladies, had praised me.

She wasn’t impressed by that fact; she was warning me not to get cocky just because I’d received a compliment.

Her transparent intentions, her pretending not to hate me while clearly hating me—it was all endearing.

*’It reminds me of the old days.’*

Even though Helene was older than me in this world, I had experienced a wider variety of human nature.

Subtly putting others down while mixing in compliments and sarcasm?

In modern times, is there anyone who hasn’t been subjected to that kind of tone?

Compared to her, with her absolute status, someone who’d navigated countless modern relationships was bound to have thicker skin.

*’She could just openly dislike me.’*

Noble pride is such a funny thing. Even showing dislike has to be done with an eye on decorum.

It was a peculiar scene created by the difference in status between a mother-in-law and a daughter-in-law.

“Right, as your mother-in-law, I should maintain proper conduct.”

“……Yes.”

I slowly rose from my seat.

Just then, the butler brought back the reheated tea, but Helene had already said everything she wanted to say, so there was no need to drink it.

“I won’t become arrogant, and I’ll strive to be a proper Grand Madame from now on.”

Did she detect the mockery in my tone? Helene listened without so much as a blink.

Personally, I rather liked people like Helene, so I hadn’t wanted any petty quarrels.

But she struck first, so this much should be fine.

“After all, mother-in-law conflicts harm the peace of the household, don’t you agree?”

“…….”

Our fight isn’t determined by status, but a conflict between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. The moment Helene acknowledges that, our relationship becomes much clearer.

There was no reply.

I patted the butler holding the teapot on the shoulder as a gesture of gratitude and left the reception room.

A part of me had wanted to see a daughter-in-law throwing a teacup in anger… but unfortunately, Helene’s rationality held firm, and I heard no sound from the reception room until I was far away.

—

* * *

Before the year-end party, two more tasks were added.

First, make contact with Jane, the merchant from Goldrail.

Second, successfully host the celebration banquet for the knights and soldiers.

*’I’m not confident about either.’*

The celebration banquet was especially problematic.

I’d spoken confidently in front of Helene, but I knew nothing about hosting banquets.

I thought maybe just serving good food and drink and playing some lively music would suffice, but considering the Ducal family’s prestige, that probably wouldn’t be enough.

*’I don’t want to give them any excuse to find fault either. I’ll have to think about it slowly.’*

First, it would be best to tackle the immediate task.

After finishing lunch, I headed to the small reception room in the annex.

A woman was waiting in the overly lavish reception room, decorated according to the previous Duke’s tastes.

She had straight hair cut to her shoulders and sharp, intelligent blue eyes.

She looked to be in her early twenties, exuding a seasoned air yet with a touch of youthful confidence.

Dressed in an impressive suit with gold embroidery, she gave me a polite bow the moment she saw me.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Grand Madame. I am Jane Goldrail.”

“Nice to meet you, Jane. I’m Wilhelmina.”

After returning the greeting, I had her take a seat.

Anna poured tea into her cup and glanced at me.

“Leave us.”

She seemed uneasy about leaving me alone with a stranger, but she nodded in understanding and left the reception room.

“Eek!”

As soon as she did, she bumped into a large man who had been standing in front of the reception room door.

He had long hair covering his eyes and wore a tunic with a high collar. He was so huge I thought he was a wall, not a person.

Through the open door, he silently gazed into the reception room. I had the strange feeling our eyes met.

“Ah, he’s my errand boy. Step back.”

“……Yes.”

At Jane’s command, the man answered briefly and walked down the opposite corridor with Anna.

“I apologize, I should have told him to wait elsewhere beforehand…….”

“It’s alright. It’s cold out, so let’s have some tea first. I hope it’s to your liking.”