The Stepmother Keeps Stealing the Male Leads - Chapter 9

Exhausted from her over-the-top performance, Helene collapsed onto the sofa the moment she returned home, her mind half gone.

In her blurry vision stood Liliana. She seemed hesitant, like she had something to say.

After a long moment of wavering, Liliana finally spoke.

“A stepmother who sincerely confesses and repents her sins is truly a courageous person!” Liliana shouted, her face flushed red.

It seemed she had agonized so much just to say those words.

Liliana genuinely believed that Helene had repented.

Truly fitting of a devout follower of the Sun Faith who upheld the spirit of ‘love and forgiveness.’

Helene had kept from Liliana that this was all a setup. As a devout believer of the Sun Faith, she would never cooperate, saying she couldn’t deceive the Sun God.

‘Still, seeing her misunderstand like this… makes me feel a little guilty.’

Helene didn’t know what to do.

“I didn’t realize… I’m truly sorry.”

Tears welled up in Liliana’s emerald eyes as she choked back her voice.

She had doubted her stepmother Helene countless times for telling her to return to the temple.

Without realizing Helene had repented.

Now, it was Liliana who was asking Helene for forgiveness instead.

“So the 100,000 gold donation was to seek forgiveness from the Sun God…”

‘No, honestly, I was dying inside thinking about how wasteful that 100,000 gold was…’

At first, it had been because of the onions, and later, Helene had wept while thinking about the loss of that precious 100,000 gold.

Still, because she had donated 100,000 gold, she drew even more attention from the nobles.

Those who slandered Emeldia day after day would, at least today, gossip that they had seen the stepmother redeemed through her foster daughter.

They’d call it a miracle of the Sun God, turning Liliana into the devout young noblewoman who saved her wicked stepmother.

If she could be portrayed as a true saint from here, there’d be nothing more to hope for, but that would be difficult. The saint was ‘The Perfect Lady Angelina.’

Still, until it was revealed that she wasn’t the saint, Liliana would undoubtedly become the most talked-about noble lady in the Sun Faith.

For Liliana’s sake, Helene resolved to keep everything a secret.

“It’s all thanks to your prayers to the Sun God, Liliana.”

Helene forced a warm smile.

“Jaina and April will soon come to understand your sincerity too, Stepmother!”

Liliana tightly held Helene’s hand. The warmth of Liliana’s touch made Helene feel another pang of guilt.

“I… I hope so…”

Liliana, who believed that all people were inherently good, had given Helene a chance and opened her heart—but would Jaina and April ever do the same?

Jaina and April’s reactions were only natural.

Just like how Han Yena had never forgiven her adoptive parents.

Helene planned to leave the count’s estate after repaying the debt and helping the three sisters find happiness again.

She feared that seeing her might bring back unhappy memories for the sisters.

That would likely be the final gift she could give them.

‘Jaina and April opening their hearts, huh…’

That was something that would never happen.

Helene’s forced smile quickly turned bitter.

***

“What? Helene went to the temple and begged for forgiveness?!”

On a peaceful late evening filled with the chirping of insects, Jaina reflexively covered her mouth at her own outburst.

Just as Helene had said, the three sisters had concluded that venting their anger at their stepmother outside the house would do no good, so they held small meetings in Liliana’s room every night to discuss Helene.

After Helene and Liliana had left early that morning, Jaina and April had been curious all day about what had happened.

Once Liliana told them the whole story, Jaina accidentally raised her voice.

That Helene had donated 100,000 gold and begged the Sun God for forgiveness—Jaina and April couldn’t believe it.

“Stepmother has repented for everything she did before and promised the Sun God that she would become a new person.”

Liliana continued calmly despite Jaina and April’s reactions.

Jaina stared at Liliana.

The fury that had burned in her emerald eyes—rage deeply suppressed toward her stepmother—was now gone.

“Helene has become a new person? That’s a big deal. We’ll have to rebuild the Sun Temple that faces east…”

“What does that mean…”

“Because from now on, the sun will rise in the west!”

April burst into laughter, but Liliana, the one being teased, wore a completely unmoved, stubborn expression.

She had suspected that Helene might be trying to set her up with some rich, fat old noble.

But to donate such a large sum of 100,000 gold and clean up the image of the fallen House Emeldia—this time, she had to give Helene credit.

If one denied her repentance, it would be akin to denying the Sun God Himself, so even if the nobles didn’t believe her change of heart, they couldn’t show it.

Now that House Emeldia had been forgiven by the Sun God, no one could speak ill of them.

It was all too clear in Jaina’s eyes.

“I know it’s hard for you to trust Stepmother, but I hope you won’t say that people can’t change.”

“People do change. I just don’t know if Helene is one of them.”

Jaina shrugged her shoulders.

With the same old pattern of arguments between Liliana and Jaina, April let out a sigh.

“Still, now when people see us, they’ll insult us less…”

At April’s words, Liliana and Jaina’s faces stiffened.

They had thought it had been directed only at them.

It should have been only them.

Neither Liliana nor Jaina had imagined that the pointing fingers and cold stares they had endured would also be directed at their ten-year-old sister.

April realized her slip.

She had never once told her sisters about what she had gone through.

Unlike her sisters, who had at least experienced a wealthy and happy childhood, April had not.

At an age when she should have been playing with peers, there was nowhere that welcomed April.

A fallen noble girl couldn’t be friends with nobles or commoners.

She spent her countless, boring hours locked away in her room, reading old books that Helene had failed to recognize the value of and thus hadn’t sold.

“Don’t worry, April. This sister will definitely marry a wealthy noble and restore House Emeldia,” Liliana said, brushing aside April’s stray bangs.

Helene had repented, and Emeldia would no longer be criticized by nobles.

If she could just marry a wealthy noble, then Jaina and April would no longer have to suffer.

Seeing Liliana’s faint smile at this glimpse of hope made Jaina feel like her insides were burning.

Liliana looked exactly like the most beautiful woman in the world—their mother—but her personality was a mirror image of their father.

Even when Helene’s wrongdoings were revealed, their father had always laughed it off, saying she must have had her reasons, always falling for her sweet words. He always believed she would change someday.

She couldn’t bear to see her sister get hurt again by being deceived by Helene.

Their father would always say this whenever he taught Jaina swordsmanship:

“Jaina, even though you’re younger than your sister, you’re the strongest among the three. So protect your sisters.”

Jaina didn’t know it, but Raul had also told April,

“Even though you’re the youngest, you’re smarter and more capable than your sisters. So when they’re wrong, speak your mind boldly.”

As the second daughter of House Emeldia, she couldn’t just sit back and watch the situation unfold.

***

“Countess Helene, welcome.”

“Marchioness of Lausenne, good day to you. It’s another day blessed with the light of the Sun God!”

The Marchioness of Lausenne, who had just ascended the temple steps, naturally linked arms with Helene.

Right now, all eyes in high society were on Emeldia.

The story of a devout young lady who forgave the stepmother that ruined her family and brought her to repentance through faith had spread beyond social circles and throughout the entire empire.

Nobles believed that just being friendly with such a family as Emeldia could prove their own piety.

Every morning, Helene and Liliana were worn out by the noblewomen who gathered at the temple to show off their friendships.

But Helene’s performance had to continue. The more she showcased her repentance, the more favorably Liliana would be seen.

“By the way, today, the Marchioness of Lausenne and your daughters look especially beautiful.”

After speaking, Helene wondered if her words might be interpreted as a veiled jab at their attire being inappropriate for the temple.

But the Marchioness of Lausenne, known in society for her childlike naivety, merely covered her mouth with her peacock-feather fan and kept silent.

Now that she thought of it, it really was strange.

Even though noblewomen and young ladies had always dressed extravagantly at the temple, today it was especially excessive.

Their outfits were so splendid, it was reminiscent of the ballroom season.

Helene sensed something was going on.

And her hunch was right.

It seemed today would mark the end of society’s interest in the repenting stepmother.

Before the service began, the nobles, who had been chatting outside the temple, suddenly split into two groups.

Walking toward them were the most powerful woman in the empire, Grand Duchess of Revladian, and her son, Grand Duke Sieghardt.

He had returned to the capital, Lephia, after finishing his studies in Herbyante.

In the past week, she had chatted with countless noblewomen and young ladies, but none had mentioned this.

They had kept quiet about such a significant piece of news, only filling the air with useless gossip.

At the appearance of Grand Duke Sieghardt of Revladian, many noble ladies’ faces flushed red, like autumn hills.

Grand Duke Sieghardt, along with the Crown Prince, was one of the most eligible bachelors in the empire—and even a leading male candidate in The Perfect Lady Angelina.

With jet-black hair and red eyes passed down through the imperial family, Sieghardt’s masculine yet refined face caught everyone’s gaze at first sight. Then, his broad shoulders and strong physique, befitting the title of Sword Master, stole their gaze a second time.

He was currently escorting his mother, the Grand Duchess, to the temple as a show of filial piety after years of studying abroad.

Though a devout follower of the Sun Faith, he didn’t enjoy crowded temple services.

But he couldn’t refuse his mother’s rare request.

Sieghardt pretended not to notice the stares directed at him.