MDCHC 27

chapter 27

It was, truly, war.

“You idiot! Do you even know who I am?”
“You’re the bigger idiot!”
“You ugly thing!”
“You’re uglier.”
“Where do you get off talking back like that? Do you want to die?”
“You should be asking yourself that.”
“You! You! Do you know who my father is? If he finds out about this, someone like you is finished!”
“Do you know who my husband is? My husband beat your father.”
“That’s impossible!”
“No. Not impossible. Possible.”
“My father is a count!”
“My husband is a count too. And a Sword Master. Do you even know what a Sword Master is?”
“What’s that?”
“Exactly. Forget it. What could you possibly know, kid?”
“Who’s the kid! Ugly yourself! You, you, you! Ugly girl!”

Victory! I had won!

Watching Unscho stomp his feet, shaking with fury, pointing his finger at me and screaming, I couldn’t help but smile triumphantly inside.

He wanted to say something harsh to me, but being still young, he didn’t yet know anything that shocking.

After all, he was only two years older than Daniel, which made Unscho just an eight-year-old child at that time. And I was a confident 25-year-old adult, victorious over an eight-year-old.

Hmph—what an excellent opponent.

“If you have nothing more to say, why don’t you go, kid?”
“What the—!”

Youth didn’t dull his temper. Unscho, realizing he couldn’t win with words, lunged straight at me.

But…

“Ha!”

I lightly caught the punch Unscho threw. Though he might grow into a violent rogue, right now he was merely an eight-year-old troublemaker. Compared to that, even as an extra, I was an adult capable of easily subduing a child.

“Let go!”
“Nope.”
“Not letting go?”
“Mm. Not letting go.”
“Let go, you crazy woman!”
“Nope.”

Unscho struggled to escape my grip, but I held tight, unwilling to let go. I wanted to pick him up and throw him outside. I didn’t like him being anywhere near Daniel.

Even if it couldn’t be helped later, now was not the time.

“What on earth are you doing?!”

Ah, my ears!

The voice, screaming as if tearing through the air, made my ears sting and I frowned instinctively. And having heard this shrill voice too many times earlier, it irritated me even more.

Turning my head, I saw the horrified expression of Countess Aitley.

It was, truly, round two.

“Let go at once!”

Countess Aitley approached me, horrified to see me gripping her son’s wrist.

Her only son, the third-generation heir and future of the family, was helpless in another’s hands, and seeing it seemed to make her heart ache terribly.

“Then… would you like to take him yourself, Countess Aitley?”
“Take him? What are you talking about!”
“This child hit our Daniel. Being violent, he needs to be separated from other children immediately.”
“Separated? Are you implying that our Unscho is some kind of criminal?!”
“Even if not now, who knows later? If you raise a child without correcting violent tendencies, they might bully, abuse, or even plot murder. Eventually, they’ll get caught and bring ruin upon themselves.”

I kindly recited Unscho’s fate from the novel.

“Countess Winchester! Your words are harsh!”
“Oh? Really?”

That is the future of your child, and your family’s future!

“Let go at once! Kids fighting while playing—things like this happen sometimes.”
“‘Things like this happen sometimes’? Don’t you see the bump on Daniel’s forehead?”
“…Well, that can happen while playing.”

Countess Aitley, noticing the clearly visible bump on Daniel’s forehead, flinched slightly, but then changed her expression and brazenly continued.

“Teaching kids this way makes them violent. Wasn’t it Unscho who broke Miss Reynold’s leg before? If that happened, you should’ve disciplined him properly, teaching him never to hurt others.”
“No! Are you serious? Grabbing the heir of another family violently, and now you’re talking about discipline? Let go of our child immediately!”
“This rascal will never leave Daniel’s side unless I remove him!”
“R-Rascal? You just called our Unscho a rascal?!”
“Leaving a bump on someone else’s precious daughter’s forehead without an apology—that’s obviously rascal behavior!”
“You’ve gone crazy, Countess! A baron’s daughter suddenly acting like a countess—this crazy woman!”
“Argh!”

I had underestimated the villainous nature of the original story’s mother-in-law. In an instant, Countess Aitley’s eyes flashed angrily, and she grabbed my hair.

The pain of having hair pulled made me scream involuntarily. Yet I did not let go of Unscho’s arm—what if that little troublemaker touched Daniel again?

“Let go! Let go! Not letting go?”
“You go first!”
“I’ll pull out all your hair!”
“Oh! Countess, please calm down!”
“Waaah! Mom~”
“No, what is this chaos?!”
“Argh! Let go! Let go!”
“You let go of my son first!”

The pain in my scalp, the cries of the children, and the hands trying to separate us all mixed into a chaotic tangle.

I didn’t know how this would end, but one thing was clear: this was definitely not educational for the children.

“Ugh~ I’m so furious I could die!”

Even at home, my anger didn’t subside easily.

“If I had known this would happen, I should’ve just let go of my ex-husband’s arm quickly and pulled out all that woman’s hair!”
“…Ex-husband?”

A low voice asked.

Ah, right. I was reporting to Lord Winchester. I had warned him just in case the Aitley family decided to act.

That household was utterly despicable. They’d think only of revenge and not consider their own faults.

“Did I say ex-husband? I must’ve been too excited and nonsense came out. He’s only six years old—husband? Hahaha~”

I laughed awkwardly, pretending to distract him.

“Is Daniel badly hurt?”
“Yes!”

Lord Winchester’s interest in Daniel made me answer loudly, happily.

Clearly, Korean-style drill education worked anywhere. I had repeatedly said Daniel needed attention and that it was the father’s responsibility. Finally, it was paying off.

“He has a big bump on his head. I was so worried about a concussion, I carried him from the carriage straight to the room.”
“Concussion?”
“Yes. Thankfully, the doctor said it wasn’t a concussion, just rest would suffice. But how could I leave him alone? I applied ice packs, medicine, and blew on it so it wouldn’t hurt. Still, such a big bump on that small head! I was so upset!”

Talking about it made my anger rise again.

“I should’ve put that little devil over my knee and given him the palm of justice! ‘Playing with other kids’—that’s no excuse! One more time and there’d be a hole in his head! I’m so furious! Making my Daniel’s pretty forehead like that! Lord Winchester, teach me swordsmanship!”

“….”

Was he stunned by the suggestion? Lord Winchester just silently watched me.

“Swordsmanship… you mean?”
“Yes!”
“To duel Countess Aitley?”
“If I learn from Sword Master Lord Winchester, I will surely win, right?”
“…Haah.”

What was that? Did Lord Winchester just sigh quietly? Or was I imagining it?