A Stepmother’s Marchen

Chapter 1

TL: Sibyl

Editor: EndlessSkyRain

Pr: SpiderLotus

The iron widow, the spider widow, the male hunter, the witch of Neuwanstein castle, the embarrassment of noble ladies…….

Whom are all these titles pointing to? It’s none other than me, the Marquis Shuri Van Neuwanstein.

Is there anyone else in this Empire who has as many nicknames as me?

….I know it‘s not something to be proud of, but I don‘t care.

Because it’s not important what people say about me.

The only thing that matters is the fact that I have kept the family of Neuwanstein and my children safe until this day.

Yes, I kept my promise with him till the end.

Of course, it’s a bit awkward to call them my children. Since they are practically at the same age as my brothers and sisters. Children who don’t share even a single drop of blood with me, but they are my children regardless.

Even though they have never called me mother. I still raised those four children.

And tomorrow is the day when I will finally be able to see the fruit of my labor. What is the special occasion?

It’s my eldest son Jeremy’s Marriage Day.

It’s finally that day!

As soon as he becomes the Prince’s Sword, the Lion of the self-proclaimed Neuwanstein, and signs his wedding vows, he will finally become the posthumous work of his father, Johannes Von Neuwanstein.

And the lovely lady, the daughter of Duke of Heinrich, is known as the most beautiful woman in the Yellow Sea.

Ah, I’m so moved to tears. It’s like just yesterday when you were almost dying of measles.

The countless tough times that I’ve been through without a hitch, my tough times at last have come to an end .

I feel rewarded for all the troubles I went through! Let’s drink to celebrate this day!

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….but it was only a great illusion.

Who did it? I can’t even think straight anymore, I feel so dumb. I don’t even know what to take the situations as, let alone say anything.

“What did you just say…….”

“As I said, yes. He wanted to come say this on his own…but since he was busy with the wedding preparations, I asked him to let me come in his stead. He doesn’t want you to attend the wedding.”

A beautiful lady calmly told me as I held my head in my hands in frustration. She’s Jeremy’s fiance and the princess of this wedding of the century, Ohara Von Heinrich.

Is it just my misunderstanding that the curly, wavy, pale blond hair and the fantastic blush of purple eyes seem to hold the light of strange pity?

“But why didn’t he tell me this in person?”

“You know he’s crazy busy right now. I’m sorry, I hardly got any time. I was trying to convince you…….”

“Wait, wait, wait, wait. Whatever he says, I’m obliged to attend your wedding at Bandhsi. That’s what he’s… ”

“To be exact, I was asked to tell you this.”

The princess, who chose her words carefully while taking a deep breath with a look of unwillingness, said Jeremy’s words as if she were spitting it out.

“The duty that you are always emphasizing about, as a habit will be coming to an end tomorrow as we take our vows, wouldn’t it be better to take them off as soon as possible?”

“….”

I was dumbfounded for a moment. While I was taking in this terrible news, Ohara was only looking at my eyes with a half sorrow and half reproach.

What am I supposed to say? What am I saying? I’ve never been in a situation like this before.

What am I supposed to say? What am I saying? I’ve never experienced or imagined such a case, so I don’t know what to say.

Jeremy, whom I have known for so long, didn’t come to deliver this message, but sent it through others. He would sit around and be polite enough to scold and flirt with people. It would suit him to come on his way and say things face to face to a person.

If you can deliver it to me through your brothers and sisters….

You’re not going to need any more bluffing tomorrow, face-to-face talk and shuffle your words.

Is my presence a nuisance?

No, no way that can’t be… .

I opened my mouth to talk, but my voice cracked.

“Why would you…….”

“Honestly, that’s a little too much. I thought so, too, but what can I do if he’s so stubborn?… and I’m sorry, but I’m afraid to say that you are responsible for this situation too.”

It was quite a wishful remark, but I was feeling more perplexed than displeased.

My daughter-in-law, who breathed a frustrated sigh briefly, now laid her long eyelashes and recited it in a reproachful voice to her mother-in-law, who only has a difference of 4 years in age.

“You must be familiar with your image in society. Of course I know you’re a good woman, but most people don’t want to be like that. I can’t help it because it’s only natural for him to blame his mother objectively.”

“Does Jeremy blame me?“

“To be honest, it had only been a month since his mother’s death and his father got remarried back then. I heard that you blocked the relatives who shared the blood with him in countless scandals. And you threatened to kick out Aunt Lucretia who asked you to show her the faces of her nephews….so I have to blame you. Why did you do that?”

Yeah, why did I do that?

There are many reasons. But not a word came out of my mouth.

Even if I hold on to Ohara here and make any excuses, even if I now say something about the reason why I had to do so, what’s the point?

The back of my throat was burning. Even after saying that I’m used to the children’s insensitivity, why do I feel so sad?

“No matter what anyone says, I’m his….”

I swallowed a lump stuck in my throat and managed to keep my emotions in control, but Ohara stopped me again.

“You know he’s never considered you to be his mother, right? Honestly, that’s ridiculous.”

…… yes, of course. He is only two years younger than me, and it doesn’t make sense for him to think of me as his mother. I agree, but……but….

“I want to get along with you too, mother. So I hope you’ll just cooperate this time, because you don’t want to cause a disturbance in his once in a lifetime wedding, do you understand?”

“…”

“Well, I’m going to get going. I still have a lot to prepare……… but I’ll try to persuade you as much as I can. Don’t expect too much from everyone.”

Ohara threw a last look of regret at me. Meanwhile, I just froze blankly without even thinking of seeing her off.

Jeremy, Jeremy…….

The child who saw me as an enemy ever since I first set foot in this mansion. He was at the age of fourteen then.

A child who didn’t shed a single tear at his father’s funeral.

A child who cried alone in a place where no one could see.

A child who caught the measles and burned with fever for countless nights.

A lean boy who had never opened his heart to me, even though I was trying to protect him with all my heart and soul.

The boy has now become an unparalleled young man…… was now severing his ties with me.

I called out these words to myself, “It seems I have raised a black-haired beast.”

[T/N: ‘black haired beast’ is a metaphor used to refer to an evil person. It refers to Jeremy not caring for his mom over here.]

…… But Jeremy has blond hair, he doesn’t have black hair. This doesn’t make sense.

Yes, it’s impossible to raise a child. As expected, our ancestors are wise and more knowledgeable. It’s a waste of time to raise children!

“Ma’am, are you all right? ”

“No, Gwen, I really can’t live, uh, I think I’m going to die.”

“If you please, madam…. “

“… that wicked bastard! How did I raise him! How could he do this to me! Oh!? Gwen, I’m so sad that I’m going to die… !”

Why would I cry so hard for him, that I don’t have a control on my emotions anymore in front of these people? But I can’t help it. I can’t complain. It’s my fault that I don’t have any friends.

Ha, my life is so miserable. I didn’t know how very lonely I am now.

I realize that there is not a single soul to be blamed except me. I’m the one who caused the rise of this situation.

“How can they do this to me?”

There is not much use of convincing the second-born Elias, the youngest twins Leon and Rachel, and Jeremy. It’s funnier to go in order to get humiliated when you’re told not to come.

I was so sad that I almost went crazy! How could they not let me see the wedding when I raised them?

No, more than this wedding, more than the issue of me attending it or not. The problem is how they perceive me!

I had no appetite, perhaps because I was too anxious inside. Instead of having dinner, I was sitting with my feet in a blanket, leaning against the window, staring blankly at the night sky.

It’s been a long time since I’ve done this. It was just like the sky nine years ago when I first came here. Black inked the endless night sky.

There were countless twinkling stars in the night…I didn’t know then, that the countless stars in the sky will be one day just like the tears I am shedding here.

When I remembered my childhood, I always passed by the same scenery.

A father who was crazy about gambling and fighting, a pathetic mother who was busy turning a blind eye to the ugly reality, and a brother who was a dwarf with no awareness of reality.

Me, the daughter of a Minor Viscount, who had only his name left in his empty pocket with a fan spreading air like the cold snow.

That was me.

Ironically, it was my 14th birthday when my parents finally realized their wish to marry off their only daughter.

To be exact, I attended a banquet at my mother’s residence in Be Tels Bach, where my mother was anxious to get me into the social world of the city’s capital.

One man who said I looked too much like his first love was my father’s senior. Who even had a deathbed carrier with his ex-wife, was Marquis Neuwanstein.

Instead of marrying me, he placed a condition that he would settle all the debts in my house. My family immediately agreed with a jump of joy.

…yes. I was sold by none other than my family to an old widower who had not forgotten his first love!

I didn’t want to go. That day, I cried and cried until I was tired like a girl who didn’t know what was happening around her. But cry till a fountain of tears was created. Those people were my parents…