Chapter 87: The Son-in-Law Is a Bad Man - 1

None of Isolde’s stats were shared with me.

Honestly, that was only natural.

Unless it was an unusual case like Isabelle’s, it was nearly impossible for an ordinary person to possess high stats.

‘Still, is it because her beauty is unparalleled?’

I ended up gaining a trait related to appearance.

And its name was [Peerless Handsome Man], no less.

‘Despite the grand name, it doesn’t seem like my looks have changed all that much.’

My face, as reflected in a hand mirror, had not changed much.

It was neither ugly nor especially handsome.

Just a pleasantly attractive face that was a little above average.

‘Does the trait need more time before its effect kicks in? Or does it have some other effect?’

Just like the Yin-Yang Body, I was dying of curiosity, but there was no suitable way to find out.

To learn a trait’s effects in detail, I needed an item called the Goddess’s Hand Mirror, but borrowing it required authority equivalent to that of a bishop.

‘Should I start stepping up my efforts to win Vanessa over?’

But how?

I could find no flaw in that principled woman, and even Reina did not know much about Vanessa.

‘I’ll think it over slowly.’

For now, I took Isolde back to her family home.

"Welcome back, darling."

Isabelle had come out to greet us at the door.

"You could have waited inside."

"It’s fine. I like doing this."

Isabelle looked at Isolde beside me.

Seeing her older sister walk with an awkward stiffness, she smiled.

"Hehe, you made love with darling too, didn’t you?"

"I... I’m sorry."

"It’s okay. I’m the one who asked darling to do it."

"R-really?"

"And there’s something I want to ask you to do, too."

Isabelle whispered something into Isolde’s ear.

She spoke so softly that I could not hear it despite standing right beside them.

Not that I intended to eavesdrop, anyway.

"Y-you mean that?"

"Yeah. You’ll help me too, right?"

"Ugh... all right. I’ll help."

"Thank you."

At Isolde’s answer, Isabelle broke into a radiant smile. Unlike her younger sister, however, Isolde wore a complicated expression.

I was curious what they had discussed, but it was not my place to intrude between sisters, so I let it go.

"Isabelle, where did Adelia go? There’s something I need to discuss with her."

"Mother is in the kitchen—"

"Eek!"

The back door suddenly flew open, and I saw Adelia dash out.

"She was here, but she just went out."

"Sigh... Is she still angry?"

Adelia was still deeply upset that I had cursed Isolde.

Even though it had ended without any serious trouble, as a mother, she could not help swallowing down her anger.

"Ian, should I talk to Mother? It all started because of me."

"No. This is something I need to do. I was the one who started this without discussing it with Adelia. And you shouldn’t blame yourself so much."

I spoke while looking back and forth between Isolde and Isabelle.

"We agreed not to apologize to each other anymore, didn’t we? Instead of spending time blaming yourselves, think first about what you can do for this family."

"I-I know. Isabelle, let’s finish what we were talking about earlier."

"Okay, Sister."

Blushing, Isolde took Isabelle’s hand and went inside.

Things would still be awkward for them, but as time passed, they would surely return to being close sisters like they once were.

‘Before that, I need to figure out how to calm Adelia down.’

I considered several methods, but none of them seemed particularly good.

What the hell was I supposed to do?

. . .

Adelia did not have the courage to face Ian.

‘Ian must hate me, right?’

Just as Isolde had suffered over what she had done before the regression, Adelia, too, was consumed by guilt over the things she had done before the regression.

‘If only I had treated them better, none of that would have happened.’

According to Isabelle, before the regression, Adelia had defended Isolde’s affair.

Having once been neglected by her own husband, Adelia had likely tried to understand the position of her daughter who had cheated rather than that of her son-in-law.

In the end, that choice cost her the son-in-law who had devoted himself to the family, and both her daughters met miserable ends.

In a sense, Ian might resent the Adelia from before the regression even more.

After all, she had known everything and still turned away from reality.

It would not have been strange if Ian hated her.

Even so, Adelia could only be grateful that he still loved Isabelle.

‘And I didn’t even know any of this.’

Ian had not personally explained what happened before the regression, but after learning the truth, Adelia could not help feeling conflicted.

Even this time, rather than trying to understand Ian’s heart, she had been too busy worrying about the feelings of her daughter, Isolde.

Of course, she had not actually committed those acts, so she did not need to feel guilty. But as Reina had said, when Adelia thought of the pain Ian must have suffered, her heart ached.

"I need to apologize..."

Adelia wanted to apologize to Ian.

But she could not readily summon the courage.

She was the one who had slapped him before even hearing him out properly.

‘Do I even have the right to apologize in the first place?’

Crouched by the riverbank, Adelia looked at her reflection in the water.

She wished she were as beautiful as Isabelle and Isolde, but the woman reflected in the water was merely a middle-aged woman.

She felt that she was not enough to capture Ian’s heart.

‘Still... maybe I shouldn’t give up hope?’

Adelia recalled that blissful night.

She had not forgotten a single moment of the happiest time of her life as a woman.

If Ian wanted her, perhaps...

"What is this old woman even thinking?!"

Adelia struck her own head, trying to put aside her feelings for Ian.

"Finally found you."

"I-Ian?!"

That was, until he suddenly appeared before her.

"There’s something I want to tell you, Adelia."

"N-no. Don’t say it!"

"Why not?"

"I’m a bad woman!"

"No, why would you be a bad woman, Adelia?"

"I didn’t even listen to you properly, and I even raised my hand against you."

"That was my fault. I pushed ahead without consulting you first."

"No. I should have listened to you more. Instead of thinking only of Isolde’s feelings, I should have considered yours too... sob But I slapped you first."

Ian gave a quiet chuckle at the sight of Adelia shedding tears and endlessly blaming herself.

"I’m fine. So please don’t worry about it."

"I’m sorry. I’m sorry your mother-in-law is such a woman. If I had been better, you would never have been hurt."

"Sigh... Adelia, come over here for a moment."

"No. I can’t stand before you anymore."

"You’ll have to go home again to prepare dinner anyway. Are you going to keep avoiding me then too?"

"..."

At Ian’s point, Adelia hesitantly stepped in front of him.

"Please hold out your left hand."

"Why my left hand?"

"Because I have something to give you."

At Ian’s insistence, Adelia reluctantly held out her left hand to him.

Then she saw Ian slip something onto the ring finger of that hand.

"I’m sorry. I haven’t had time to prepare something proper yet, but please wear this for now."

"Ian, th-this is...?"

"Yes. It’s a wedding ring."

Adelia had taken off her wedding ring after that night.

It had been her way of declaring that she would no longer be bound by her ex-husband.

Ian had prepared a modest ring for her.

It was not simply a flower carelessly twisted into a loop. It had been made by painstakingly weaving blades of grass together, one by one.

"Adelia, will you become my wife?"

"M-me? A woman like this? And I’m your mother-in-law."

"That doesn’t matter if we love each other."

"N-no, the villagers will think we’re strange."

"I’ll take care of that. What matters to me right now is how you feel, Adelia. Do you dislike me?"

"I-I..."

Adelia could not easily answer Ian’s question.

Her heart had already been won by Ian, but her reason was trying to stop her.

After all, she was a mother with two daughters.

"I can’t. I’m much older than you, and I’m a woman who has given birth before."

"I don’t really care about that."

"I couldn’t control my anger, and I hit you."

"I don’t care. If anything, I fell for how sincerely you love your daughters."

Adelia kept trying to retreat, but each time, Ian pressed one step closer.

"If you’re truly sorry for slapping me, then get pregnant with my child."

He relentlessly launched confessions no ordinary person would ever make.

"P-pregnant?!"

"Yes. You can do at least that much for me, can’t you?"

"I-I am still on my period, though..."

Adelia, who had seriously begun contemplating pregnancy, suddenly came to her senses.

"Grr, absolutely not!"

"What a shame. I thought you would give in."

"Why do you even like an old woman like me? There are countless women better than I am."

"Because there’s only one woman in the world named Adelia."

"Y-you’re being far too instinctive!"

"Love is supposed to be true to instinct. If you pick apart every reason one by one, you’ll never be able to love."

Persuaded by Ian’s words, Adelia ended up nodding.

They did make a certain amount of sense.

Of course, once she came to her senses again, Adelia frantically waved her hands.

"N-no. I might give birth to another cursed child, like Isabelle."

Adelia had a kind of trauma surrounding pregnancy.

If another child she gave birth to was cursed, she would not be able to endure it mentally.

"If I give birth to a cursed child, I’ll become a burden to the family."

"Why would that be a burden? I can just cure them again."

Knowing her pain as well, Ian calmly approached Adelia.

And he gave her the courage to overcome it, even when memories of her past pain resurfaced.

"Could it be that you don’t trust me, Adelia?"

"It’s not that I don’t trust you..."

Taking Adelia’s hand, Ian spoke.

"If you don’t trust me, then shake off my hand. If you don’t, I’ll take that as permission."

"You’re so cruel."

Adelia pouted at Ian, who was forcing her to choose.

Ian knew perfectly well that she could not let go of his hand.

"Didn’t you know? I’m a bad man. A downright wicked one. So just give up. If there’s a woman I want to possess, I have no intention of ever letting her go."

Adelia considered Ian’s words for a moment before finally opening her mouth.

"Will it really be all right?"

"I’ll take responsibility. So don’t worry."

"What could you possibly like so much about an old woman like me? There are plenty of women better than me."

"Like I said, there’s only one Adelia in the world."

Under Ian’s continued confessions, Adelia could do nothing but crumble helplessly.

"Hmph—then you have to take responsibility. It’s all your fault for making me fall for you."

"Yes, I promise."

In the end, Adelia grasped Ian’s hand.

Tightly, at that.

She did not want to let love slip away anymore.

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