Episode 149 Side story: Lioncourt mother-in-law and daughter-in-law problem - The Saga of Lioncourt

A day in the capital city. "Sumina, what is the meaning of this?" Countess Lucienne harshly interrogated Sumina, causing her to shrink back. "Um, is there a problem?" "This wine. It's meant for the banquet, yet it's musty and overly sour. Serving such aged wine is–" It was not unusual for Lucienne to nag at Sumina relentlessly. This mother-in-law would always call Sumina out when she found any shortcoming in the household management and scold her in front of the other family members. "Perhaps you're unaware in your village, but such a thing is not suitable for a count's banquet." "...I'm terribly sorry. What should I do with this wine?" Lucienne sighed deeply, shaking her head, her expression wordlessly blaming Sumina for her ignorance. "Add spices... no, honey. In the Lioncourt family, they–" Her mother-in-law never missed a chance to belittle and reprimand Sumina as a mere 'commoner's daughter.' This bullying began after Varian's elder brother, Robert, fell in battle, leading to Sumina's arrival at the estate. The 'daughter-in-law harassment' continued for years, but Sumina never grew accustomed to it. Lucienne would not overlook even the slightest mistake, continuing her nagging until she was satisfied. Sumina was not the one to receive this wine from the merchant. However, she knew well that mentioning this would only increase her mother-in-law's ire. Thus, she had no choice but to endure. However, it was tough to bear being demeaned for things out of her control, like her family background. After tormenting Sumina for nearly an hour, Lucienne finally left, saying, "Mind your actions from now on," and departing. The other family members, relieved the fearsome matron was gone, let out audible sighs of relief. While such behavior should be frowned upon in Sumina's presence, she endured it as they too treated her lightly due to Lucienne's influence. Unable to suppress her rising emotions any longer, Sumina secretly wept in the shadows. Crying in public would only invite her mother-in-law's scolding. In this household, even the freedom to cry was denied to Sumina. Her husband Varian was kind but was also a son doted on by his mother. Fearing what might happen if anything reached Lucienne's ears, Sumina couldn't even voice her complaints to him. ...I just want to return to my village. When they married, Varian was simply a carefree second son—gentle, sincere, and attentive solely to Sumina. But now, he kept adding more wives, constantly indulging in affairs. Although she was told this was the norm for nobility, the pain and sorrow remained. The married life Sumina had envisioned was nothing like this. Her childhood friends likely married commoners in neighboring villages, leading their supposedly humble, mundane, yet peaceful and happy daily lives. Marrying into a count's family was every bit a fairy tale, but the reality was far from sweet. Just as she was quietly sobbing, she heard approaching footsteps. Startled, fearing to be seen crying, Sumina turned around hastily and saw a petite girl. It was Princess Kiara from Elwayne. "×××, Sumina, ××?" Kiara, with a puzzled expression, said something to her. Though her words were unclear, Sumina understood the concern in her 'Are you okay?' "No, I'm fine. What’s wrong?" This young girl was her husband's third wife. However, she adored Sumina and never vied for her husband's attention, making her one of the few people Sumina could trust. Kiara smiled broadly, offering something to Sumina. “Oh? Is this for me? Thank you.” Receiving it casually, as one would a gift from a child—it was the carcass of a rat. Having come from Elwayne, Kiara saw the captured rat as a food offering—a cultural difference, no doubt. Sumina screamed, and her cry brought Lucienne back, who promptly scolded her once again. "Do you understand, Sumina? I speak for your own good." Sumina inwardly sighed, thinking 'Here we go again,' as she listened to her mother-in-law’s tirade. Such were the severe realities of marrying above one’s social standing. The reversal of the power dynamics between this mother-in-law and daughter-in-law was still a story for another day.