Stepmothers Are Not Always Evil

Chapter 110 I was guided by Mrs. Rotney to the tea room at the end of the hallway on the second floor.As we went out to the terrace connected to the tea room, we could see the large gymnasium behind the castle at a glance.Helios and the knights were training in the gymnasium. Escal was also caught between the large knights and wielding a sword.‘It seems like it’s been a long time since I’ve seen Escal holding a sword.’He hadn’t picked up a sword since Baron Hazel left, which was at least a month.After Tiaris left, I was worried that the gloomy mood wouldn’t go away, but it was nice to see his lively appearance, perhaps thanks to the change in the environment.Just when I was looking at Escal with a happy expression, Helios suddenly turned his head.Warmth permeated his sharp eyes in an instant. Helios raised a soft corner of his mouth and raised his hand to stop the training.“That’s enough for today.”Helios disappeared from view in a flash, as if he’d interrupted a training session, and quickly entered the tea room.“When did you wake up?”“About 30 minutes ago.”“You are a heavy sleeper.”“Who?”“Well, since you’re sitting out here, I’m guessing you’re okay.”He laughed, rubbing slowly at the bruise that was clearly marked down my neck.“Don’t do that.”Helios whispered strangely as I slapped the back of his hand and rolled my eyes.“If you keep being cute, I’ll make it impossible for you to wake up tomorrow.”“I’m going to use other room!”“Haha.”Helios, who spit out a clear laugh, seemed more relaxed than when he was in the capital.I changed the topic by wiping the drops of sweat from his forehead.“Aren’t you overdoing it as soon as you arrive? Take a few days off.”“I’m fine.”“Don’t just say I’m fine. You’ve been overworked since you’re in the capital.”“I’d rather have you worrying about me like this than resting.”“Helios-.”This man, really.As if he sensed my nagging, Helios stood up from his seat.“I’m sorry, but you can eat lunch with Escal today. I’ll be back in time.”“Where are you going?”“There is a rumor that a monster has appeared in the neighboring estate, so I’m going to look around a bit and come.”A monster here too.I looked at Helios with worried eyes and nodded.“Be careful.”“I’ll be right back.”Helios lightly kissed my cheek. ***** After Helios left, I had lunch with Escal, and then Mrs. Rotney and I set out to explore the castle.Yesterday, I went straight to my room, so I could only guess the size of the castle, but when I looked around the castle, it was incredibly spacious.The castle consisted of a total of four floors, excluding the castle tower, and a large banquet hall, a small banquet hall, and a dining room were located on the first floor, and 29 rooms, 7 bathrooms, and 10 dressing rooms were scattered on the 2nd to 4th floors.‘It must be difficult to clean.’The bigger the house, the better, but this is enough to get you lost in the house. I shook my head with excitement and looked around the castle.‘It’s old, it’s old and old.’The overall cleanliness and housekeeping was good, but the signs of age were evident in the smallest details.The chandelier was missing a few cubes, picture frames were faded, and the condition of the carpet and curtains, which set the tone for the castle, was embarrassing.“When were these navy blue curtains hung?”“Probably… 16 years ago, because navy blue was in fashion then.”“16 years?”How can you use the same curtains for 16 years? Isn’t it basic to change according to the season?I stared at the curtains in disbelief, wondering how they could have lived with these thick velvet curtains all year round, and Mrs. Rotney explained.“This castle is hot in summer and cold in winter, so we put thick curtains on purpose as a sunblock and windshield.”“I know what you mean, but this is a little-”As I pulled the curtain tufts slightly, the old piece of fabric ripped helplessly.“—It looks bad.”“”I was going to change it, but I had no eyes for it, so I just left it alone. Replace it with the one you like.”“I guess so. If possible, I will also remove this carpet.”I pointed to the carpet, which was crumbling with every step I took. Similarly, the old carpet, which had been laid sixteen years ago, was breathless and had no cushioning at all.“I will call the merchant tomorrow.”“Please do that.”I smiled and opened the door in front of me.The dresses I had brought were hanging in the spacious room. On the large dressing table placed by the door, makeup tools were neatly arranged.“The dressing room is very spacious.”“Because the former madam had so many clothes. The dressing room is on another floor, so please let me know if you want to move it.”“No. I like it because it is close to the room.”I looked around the dressing room and went out.The room next to the dressing room was the music room. In the music room, there was an old piano that looked like it had not been touched for a long time.“The former Duchess must have play the piano well?”“This is the piano the Duke used to play.”“Helios?”Helios played the piano?I couldn’t imagine Helios playing the piano, so she opened her eyes wide and asked Mrs. Rotney“He used to play it often when he stayed at the castle, and when he did, all the maids would come and sneak in to hear him play, so it’s been almost ten years since I’ve heard him play.”Mrs. Rotney looked at the piano with dim eyes.I was gently stroking the polished piano, thinking if I would ask Helios to play it when he came, and Mrs. Rotney opened the door connected to the music room.“This is the drawing room.”“Drawing room?”It was really impressive.The drawing room, with its large bay window, was filled with paintings. Most of them were portraits of the former Duke and Duchess, but there were also a few paintings of a young Helios.‘He was just like Escal when he was younger.’I looked at the picture of Helios, who seemed a little bit grumpy, and then moved my gaze.There was only one painting of the three families on one canvas, and it looked like they were united at first, but upon closer inspection, I felt a strange sense of incongruity.“How old was Helios when this was completed?”“That painting was done after the madam died.”“Oh, I see.”Somehow, I thought it was strange that the young Helios and the former Duchess were together in the picture.“The former Duchess have a weak body, but after giving birth to the Duke, her health rapidly deteriorated and always stayed in bed.”Mrs. Rotney said with tears on the tip of her sleeve.“So the Duke grew up early. How pitiful it was to pretend to be righteous without being pampered by his parents.”Even that sounds like Escal.My heart throbbed a little.I smiled warmly at the portrait of young Helios. At that moment, I heard a loud crashing sound from across the hall.“What is that?”Mrs. Rotney furrowed her eyebrows and left the studio. I ran with her to where we heard the sound, and saw Escal buried in the bookshelf.“Escal?”“Uh, Mom.”“What are you doing here?”“I was going to get the book over there…”It looked as if the bookshelf had collapsed while taking out a book from a high place, and the stacked books spilled out.I grabbed his hand and pulled him up and asked him“What book are you trying to get out?”“This one.”Escal shyly held out a thick book.[The Knight Who Saved the Princess: The Heartbreaking Love Epic of Kate Desollo, a fake princess trapped in a castle tower, and Dimwright Eastfield, a noble knight cursed by God]… The title is too long.I smiled and lightly brushed his dusty hair.“Next time, ask Mom to take it out. Understand?”“Yes.”“Mom will clean this up. Go read the book.”Escal, who glanced at me, grabbed the book and left the library. Mrs. Rotney picked up the spilled books and laid them on the desk.“I didn’t know the bookshelf was this old… It must have been a big deal.”“I’m glad he wasn’t hurt. The bookshelf needs to be updated.”I helped Mrs. Rotney picks up the books. The books on the shelf were mainly novels and children’s books.“Is this the book Helios was reading too?”“Yes. He has loved reading books since he was a child.”Mrs. Rotney nodded her head.With no one to talk to, reading must have been the only thing he could do for himself.How would it feel to spend time sitting alone in the study room with no one around and reading a book?With some regret, I gently caressed the book whose cover was worn out.Curious about what book he had read, I opened the bookshelf and the inserted paper fell. It was a drawing of a woman that looked like a child’s doodle.I was going to put it back in its place, assuming Helios had drawn it, I found a small writing on the corner of the painting.[I miss you, mother]