Chapter 16

We were all speechless.

I was dazed for a different reason.

‘Alec defended me in front of his mother…?’

My goodness, is he in his right mind?

Is this even a plausible situation? My head was spinning.

He was the person who respected and revered his mother the most in the world.

He had never once defied his mother’s words or gone against her wishes.

Even when his mother unfairly criticized me, he couldn’t say a word and looked anxious.

At best, he would apologize on her behalf when we were alone.

But why is he like this now?

Has our Alec changed?

Suddenly, his sister shouted out.

“Who asked you to do it? Sis! Tell him you did it on your own.”

“……”

I could barely hear his sister’s words.

I was stunned by Alec’s behavior.

“Sis likes it, so why is Brother making a fuss? If Brother dislikes it so much, you shouldn’t eat what Sis makes!”

“Eloise!”

Finally, his mother sharply reprimanded her. Reluctantly, his sister pouted and closed her mouth.

But I don’t remember saying I liked cooking alone?

His mother, trying to calm herself, stared at Alec.

“Alright, Alec… I understand what you’re saying. But let’s check with Louise’s opinion first and then decide.”

“……”

Me?

“Louise, why don’t you speak up.”

I looked directly into my mother-in-law’s eyes. Her tone was gentle, but her eyes were filled with a strong will.

It was as if she was saying, “Of course, you’ll continue to take care of all the bothersome chores, right?”

“Do you want me and Eloise to help with meal preparations?”

“……”

It’s not just the meals.

There are so many things to do, like cleaning the house and lighting the candles.

No matter how often you dust, it keeps piling up.

“Well, I don’t mind as long as you enjoy the meals. But my cooking skills are lacking, so I ended up disappointing you today, Mother.”

“……”

I put on a sad face, and the family remained silent.

I continued speaking quickly.

“I think it’s best if I give up cooking.”

“Louise!”

“Sis!”

My sudden declaration shocked both my mother-in-law and sister-in-law.

Actually, I didn’t mind preparing meals for the family.

The problem was that I never heard a word of thanks from them.

Seeing my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, who only cared about themselves, made me lose any desire to do something for them.

“Besides cooking, there are many other chores. We can’t live in a dump, so we need to clean the house, do laundry often, and extinguish the candles at night. Don’t we also need to take care of the sheep?”

I put my hand to my mouth as if I was sorrowful.

“Last night, while looking for candles, I felt so sorry for the servants. How hard it must have been for them all this time, taking care of us. Sniff.”

My mother-in-law clicked her tongue.

“They were just doing their job in exchange for their pay.”

“But thanks to them, we could live comfortably. Will you and Eloise cook and clean for money?”

“That’s nonsense…!”

“You see? Anyway, since you’re not happy with my food, I’ll stick to cleaning. You deserve better meals than what I can make. Sob.”

I pretended to cry a little at the end.

Oh dear, what a pity. It’s unfortunate.

My mother-in-law’s face twisted. My sister-in-law looked like she was about to explode with rage.

Her face was turning red and blue as if she was about to storm out, shouting, “I won’t eat!”

Suddenly, Alec spoke, drawing everyone’s attention.

“How about we do this?”

“……?”

“Each person can cook and clean for themselves. I’ll take care of looking after the sheep and burning the trash, so don’t worry too much.”

“……”

“Since laundry is also a tough job, I think it would be better if I handle it.”

Really?

I blinked a couple of times.

I didn’t know this while living at the Duke’s estate, but is my husband quite handy around the house?

Suddenly, he looked like he was shining.

Rrrrr.

But then, the sound of a chair scraping the floor was heard.

So, Eloise is going to storm out again- huh?

Unexpectedly, it was his mother who stood up abruptly.

She then gave Alec a cold look.

“I’m truly disappointed in you, Alec.”

“……?”

“I thought that damned tyrant only took away your title, but now you’ve lost your pride too?”

What?

Pride all of a sudden…?

His mother clenched her fists.

“I didn’t raise a Duke’s son to herd sheep and do laundry.”

“……”

“No matter what anyone says, you are the dignified head of the Brent family. I’d rather see you die honorably than watch you clean up animal droppings and immerse your hands in dirty water.”

“……”

My mother-in-law spoke softly, but with clear indignation.

It was rare for her to be this disappointed in Alec.

With her reacting this way, I felt like I couldn’t swallow my food.

I gulped and watched the situation unfold.

‘At this rate, won’t Alec be so shocked that he’ll kneel down?’

However, Alec calmly stroked his chin.

“……Anyway, given the current situation, we will divide the household chores. I would greatly appreciate it if you could assist us, Mother.”

“……?”

It wasn’t just me who was repeatedly surprised by Alec’s demeanor.

Both my sister-in-law and mother-in-law were stunned by Alec’s firm words.

My mother-in-law gritted her teeth and tightly grabbed her dress. Her face turned red, contorting in anger.

Just before her flushed face seemed ready to explode, she shouted.

“I am the Duchess of the Brent family. How can you talk to me like that-!”

Whoosh.

She stormed out, her dress billowing behind her.

“……”

A heavy silence fell over the room.

My sister-in-law let out a sigh and picked up her fork.

“Brother, why don’t you just hire a few more servants?”

With that, she speared a piece of meat on her plate and put it in her mouth.

As she chewed, she cut another piece.

“Sis, I didn’t say your food was bad like Mother did.”

“……”

Right.

Well, she sure is eating well…

I glanced over at Alec.

This was the man who feared his mother more than anyone, yet he had just defied her, shocking me.

If he had stayed quiet, his mother wouldn’t have scolded him as well.

“……Thank you, Alec. For speaking up for me like that. But I feel like Mother got angry because of me.”

He looked puzzled for a moment, then picked up his cutlery.

“No, I didn’t think saying I’d take care of the sheep would make her so angry.”

You didn’t think so…?

The idea of making his mother and sister share the household chores and him volunteering for dirty work was something his mother could never accept.

“I would be upset too. You’re not just any ordinary son, but the head of a prestigious family. You’re the sole heir to the holy knight family.”

“……”

“Is there another family as renowned and closely connected to the royal family as ours?”

That was all thanks to the previous Duke Brent, of course.

“But I really appreciate you standing up to Mother for my sake.”

I lowered my gaze, fiddling with my cutlery.

Alec defying his mother for me was something I never imagined and was incredibly grateful for.

Although my mother-in-law stormed out in anger, I couldn’t help but feel a surge of warmth from experiencing my husband’s support for the first time.

…What is this feeling?

It’s oddly reassuring?

Is it really that nice to have my husband take my side?

“Sis, is there more meat in the stew?”

“Yes?”

My sister-in-law’s question snapped me out of my thoughts.

Looking at the table, I saw her eagerly waiting, having already finished her plate.

“Well, I don’t think so.”

Tilting my head, I got up to check the stew pot.

Stirring it with the ladle, I found a few pieces of meat left.

‘Since Alec seems to have eaten most of it, I might as well give the rest to Eloise.’

Thinking that, I turned back but suddenly changed my mind.

Putting the pot back, I returned to the table with a regretful expression.

“Oh dear, it’s all gone.”

“I see.”

My sister-in-law looked disappointed as she poked at her stew. Soon, she got up from the table.

“I’m going to see Mother.”

She said in a dejected tone and left the dining room.

With just Alec and me left at the table, I quietly got up again and fetched the stew pot.

I served more stew with the remaining lamb pieces into his bowl.

“Eat more, Alec.”

Tears welled up in my eyes.

In this world, it seemed like he was the only one who truly cared about me. Sniff.

“It’s fine-“

“……Alec?”

For some reason, he froze, staring into space.