The Stepmother Keeps Stealing the Male Leads - Chapter 13

Today’s Sun Fellowship gathering was held in the picture-perfect garden of the Grand Duke of Revladian’s estate.

Beneath a large pergola bluer than the sky, noblewomen with uniformly graceful postures greeted Helene.

“Countess of Emeldia, welcome.”

Centered around the Grand Duchess of Revladian, the noblewomen welcomed Helene warmly.

“Thank you for the invitation.”

Helene sat down with the escort of an attendant.

She was still only an invited guest of the Sun Fellowship.

To officially join, Helene Emeldia did not meet any of the qualifications—wealth, status, or reputation.

Before the title of ‘repentant stepmother’ lost its luster, Helene had to win over the members of the Sun Fellowship and become a full member.

Helene looked toward the Grand Duchess of Revladian.

Born the daughter of General Kelso of the Hersen Empire, she had a small frame yet radiated a commanding presence that could intimidate even most men.

After the Empress’s death, she flawlessly assumed the role of the empire’s matron and thus had earned the love and respect of the people.

Her influence likely rivaled that of the Emperor.

How could one win the favor of someone like her?

Helene’s strategy was to listen to ten words and speak just one.

In her past life, she had worked in both male- and female-dominated companies and endured all sorts of unreasonable demands and customer mistreatment in the service industry.

If there was one thing she was confident in, it was pleasing people.

Far from drawing attention as a guest, Helene aimed to blend in naturally with the group.

Smile, listen, and empathize.

That was her task for the day.

A High Priest, who had also been invited, arrived, and the noblewomen of the Sun Fellowship read from the Sun Scriptures together and discussed their interpretations.

Helene followed the class with ease, to a degree surprising for her first day.

Thanks to her nights spent resisting sleep and reading the thick Sun Scripture in spare moments.

“Then, Countess of Emeldia, who is joining us for the first time today, would you read and interpret this passage?”

The High Priest asked casually, but the noblewomen’s eyes instantly lit up like hawks spotting prey.

This was a test.

A test to see how much she had studied the Sun Faith in preparation to join the Sun Fellowship.

Helene looked at the verse in the scripture.

Then she carefully read it aloud.

“‘Fear not, believe. Even if the sun does not rise, my wings shall be by your side. Even if you are lured by dark wings, I shall send the wings of light to once again embrace you.’”

Now came the interpretation.

“…This must be a prophecy that the Sun God will send His embodiment. Even if we fail to recognize the savior sent by the Sun God, that savior will still come to rescue us.”

Helene delivered her interpretation smoothly.

It was a passage that also appeared in The Perfect Lady Angelina, and a prophecy of the Sun God passed down from long ago.

When it is later revealed that Angelina is the Saintess, the High Priest realizes the true meaning of this verse—that Angelina is the savior sent by the Sun God to save the Empire in crisis.

“…Pfft.”

As soon as Helene finished speaking, a disrespectful chuckle escaped from the Duchess of Dervis.

She met the stares with no hint of shame and looked Helene square in the eye.

“Countess of Emeldia, I understand that you haven’t studied the Sun Scripture before, but your imagination is excessive. Do you know what a metaphor is? This is metaphorical—‘wings’ symbolize faith. It means that as long as we carry faith, we can overcome any wickedness.”

At her words, the noblewomen—excluding the Grand Duchess—let out low, mocking laughter.

Ah, before it was revealed that Angelina was the Saintess, that’s how this passage was commonly interpreted.

It was only natural.

She had meant to stay low-key, but she had already slipped up.

Flustered, Helene couldn’t say anything.

“Is that so? I’m very surprised to learn that such an interpretation exists.”

The High Priest widened his age-wrinkled eyes with interest.

He even jotted down Helene’s words in his prepared notebook.

The noblewomen’s laughter vanished instantly.

‘No, wait, now I’ll be hated by the Duchess of Dervis!’

“Ah, no… I’m still very inexperienced. I’ve learned a lot from the Duchess of Dervis. I hope to continue learning from you.”

Helene quickly tried to smooth things over, but the famously spiteful Duchess of Dervis still looked displeased.

The Duchess of Dervis was firmly against Helene joining the Sun Fellowship. If she opposed Helene’s membership, her close friends—the Marchioness of Pirdi and the Countess of Kellex—would likely oppose as well.

If that happened, Helene would never be able to join.

Duchess of Dervis.

She was the key to Helene’s acceptance into the Sun Fellowship.

***

After the Sun Faith class ended, the attendants began setting three-tier trays filled with colorful pastries on each table to prepare for tea time.

The Duchess of Dervis pulled the Siamese cat brought by her attendant into her lap.

She seemed focused on stroking the cat’s soft, snow-white fur, but in truth, all her attention was fixed on Helene.

Having finished her observations, the Duchess of Dervis casually opened the conversation.

“Countess of Emeldia, you truly are fascinating. It’s amazing how someone can change so suddenly.”

She was not the only one who thought so.

Many people had thought the same, but it was a sentiment they could never voice aloud.

Was it really true that the Red Witch, once the disgrace of the Empire, had been saved overnight by the Sun God?

But to question that was to deny the Sun God’s salvation, which no one dared to do.

Clearly using the excuse of private time, the Duchess of Dervis was trying to uncover the truth about Helene.

Helene could have feigned hurt for being suspected of false faith, but doing so would forever bar her from joining the Sun Fellowship.

She needed to tell them something believable enough to make them think she had truly repented.

“…I’m just as surprised. If not for the Sun God, I’d still be roaming gambling dens…”

But she couldn’t come off as a foolish woman who liked to talk about her misfortunes.

Rather than displaying her suffering, she had to present herself like a noblewoman who endured hardship with dignity.

That’s how nobles garnered sympathy.

“After my husband died… I met a man. Looking back, he was a terribly pathetic man. He didn’t love me—he only wanted my money.”

Helene put on a sorrowful expression.

“I abandoned even my daughters to be with him and ended up following him to the gambling dens. By the time I came to my senses, I had already lost everything. And just as if he had been waiting for that moment, the man left me for another woman. I begged him to stay, but all I got in return were cold words and a hateful glare.”

People know that the truth isn’t always beautiful.

They had surely suspected that Helene’s transformation had some backstory.

And Helene planned to make use of that.

Behind the reformed Helene was a woman deceived and abandoned in love.

She was telling them a story that best matched what they had likely imagined.

“Oh, my…”

Though they had everything, even these noblewomen sometimes dreamed of reckless love.

Hearing how it ended in tragedy through Helene gave them a strange sense of relief, and at the same time, they began to feel sorry for her.

“That’s how men are… really.”

“It turned out for the best. Countess of Emeldia, you can start a new life now!”

They were becoming more and more absorbed in Helene’s story.

“I didn’t even have the money to call a carriage, so I walked all the way back from the gambling den to the mansion. That night, in the dim light, I saw the Sun Scripture I had once given to my daughter Liliana and tossed aside. I never liked reading, but it was like I was possessed—I started reading the Sun Scripture. And as the sun began to rise, I heard the voice of the Sun God. ‘It is not too late. Forgive, and be forgiven.’ That day, I felt like I had been born anew.”

The noblewomen began to believe that if it had truly been such a moment, perhaps Helene’s repentance was real.

Helene studied their expressions.

They were completely immersed in her story.

But lies, when stretched too far, risked exposing mistakes. It was time to wrap it up.

“Now that I think about it, no one loved me like my late husband did… I envy the noble ladies here so much…”

Helene dropped a single tear—the ultimate finishing move.

‘Helene Emeldia is a woman who envies me.’

The noblewomen came to that conclusion about her.

Helene took out a handkerchief she had prepared and gently dabbed her eyes.

“Don’t cry… Only good things will come to you now, Countess of Emeldia.”

The Duchess of Dervis held Helene’s hand firmly as she said this.

Following her lead, the Marchioness of Pirdi and the Countess of Kellex also came to Helene’s side to comfort her.

“All I hope for is to thank the Sun God and share little moments of laughter over tea with the noble ladies gathered here…”

With those words, Helene once again expressed her desire to join the Sun Fellowship.

“We want to get along well with you too, Countess of Emeldia.”

The Duchess of Dervis, basking in her own sense of superiority, smiled at Helene.

After Helene returned home that day, the Duchess would remark that she found Helene surprisingly gentle and would cast her vote in favor.

From a distance, the Marchioness of Lausenne grinned and flashed a victorious V sign with her fingers.

Helene felt confident that she had succeeded in entering the Sun Fellowship.

***

But contrary to Helene’s expectations, a full week passed without a single word from the Sun Fellowship.

Even the Marchioness of Lausenne started quietly avoiding her.

It was something she had experienced many times in her past life.

She’d leave a job interview feeling like everything had gone well, only to receive a brief message saying, ‘Despite your excellent qualifications, we regret to inform you…’

Still, she wanted to know why she had been rejected by the Sun Fellowship.

After morning prayer, Helene stopped the Marchioness of Lausenne, who was trying to make a quick escape.