episode_0015

Darine felt truly strange.

Today was clearly a solemn day to celebrate the hero’s victory. I should have been happy as the parent of such a figure.

However, all she faced was a nightmarish reality. Something damp and warm trickled down her cheeks. No matter how much she blinked to deny it, the fact that she had pinned a brooch on her son did not change.

So, Lady Darine simply closed her eyes tightly, clinging to silence, praying for time to pass quickly.

Now it was aftermath, self-reflection. She only wanted to go home and sleep right away. Oh, it would take half a day to get there by carriage. I guess I’ll have to close my eyes in the carriage. But I have to be with my son in the carriage, don’t I? No matter how much I love my son, I was reluctant to be in the same space after his sudden actions.

“Oh, thank goodness. Thank goodness, Kael.”

Still, despite the appearance, as a mother, she firmly engraved the promise that the Emperor would promote her son to a suitable-sized fiefdom and barony. Whether this way or that, the joy surged because her child received a great reward, but only negative emotions overflowed thereafter.

The banquet ended with the Emperor’s speech. The crowd began to buzz for the afterparty. Meanwhile, Kael, who was all the rage, was surrounded by several nobles, engaging in conversation.

He was a local noble, but he was scheduled to become a baron. As one of the leading figures of the new generation, it was natural for him to attract attention one after another.

Darine sat in her chair, staring blankly at her son, then pushed the chair away and slowly got up. She wanted to be alone for some reason.

But Kael’s blue pupils were wide open, keeping an eye on his prey so it wouldn’t escape. Even as he conversed with the nobles, he did not withdraw his gaze from his mother.

Darine tried to rush to the corner of the hall for a moment to calm herself, but she couldn’t escape her son’s fierce grip as he emerged from the crowd.

“Ah! Ka, Kael! Just a moment!”

Kael led his mother by the wrist, not painfully, but tightly enough that she couldn’t escape, and guided her to a secluded corner. It seemed like they needed to have a conversation.

“Mother, you should come with me. Where were you planning to go?”

“I, I was just going to be alone, take a little rest…”

“The banquet has already concluded. The lively nobles will either go to wild parties or leave on their own if they’re not interested. So, my son belongs to quite a young group, shouldn’t he be discussing post-banquet matters with the latecomers? He’s not a child. Why does he want to spend time with his mother at a time like this?”

“Well then, you should mingle with other nobles. Or go drink with party enthusiasts…”

“I don’t want to spend time with men who only have copulation in their minds. I’ve arranged to meet the capital nobles separately later, so there’s no need to worry.”

Is this enough to dispel any misunderstandings? Kael chuckled once and then continued, gently holding his mother’s waist.

“I intend to dance with you, Mother.”

“Huh? Wha…?”

Darine’s pumpkin-colored eyes couldn’t meet her son’s face and wandered around helplessly. Making eye contact was just terrifying. She didn’t know how to react to Kael’s constantly changing demeanor.

“You, you should stay here for a few more days, shouldn’t you? You’re the man who will inherit the viscountcy now, you should engage more in social activities. What is there to enjoy with women approaching their forties…”

To avoid the crisis, Darine began to ramble. Her son would spend some time here and then return. It was clear that she intended to return home first.

“What are you talking about? I just said there’s no need for you to stay here any longer. And…”

However, no matter how much she tried to explain, it seemed unlikely that her clever son would understand her intentions. It meant she had no intention of letting it go.

“…I will find something enjoyable to do on my own, so please go with me, Mother.”

Finding something enjoyable to do with a married woman and her child? What could that possibly mean? Daniel’s head was spinning. This wasn’t something a man should say. The fact that his own child was doing this was unbelievable.

“Kael, why are you acting like this today? You seem very strange.”

“I am not strange at all. Why are you acting like this, Mother? Suddenly trying to disappear somewhere and leaving your child behind.”

“Well, I was just tired. I was so tired, I wanted to rest a little…”

It seemed like Kael had done something wrong, but she was the one being questioned. Well, it was a coming-of-age ceremony for her son, so it would be against etiquette for parents to leave without a word.

“…I’m sorry, are you feeling very upset?”

Darine’s apology was not insincere, but she was more intent on appeasing Kael, who looked ready to explode. No matter how close they were, if a child with such a temper began to show dissatisfaction, she could only yield.

“I cried a lot today, felt nauseous, and my condition is really bad…”

Darine began to hastily make excuses. She couldn’t bring herself to mention how repulsed she felt about being with him, so she focused on her physical condition.

“Oh, is that so?”

What’s so enjoyable about a mother being tired? Kael started to smile lazily. It seemed like he had found some kind of good solution. He even hinted at a sweet expression.

“Fortunately, there are several top-notch Hospitales near the palace. I will take you to one of them.”

Hospitale was a concept similar to the hotel Darine had lived in her past life. And it was very high-end. It was a luxury space where the salary of an ordinary person for half a year would be spent in just one day.

Perhaps, if it had been the usual Darine, she would have gone wild and wanted to go see it…

“To stay alone with Kael in an accommodation…? Especially today?”

For some reason, I felt nauseous. Visiting an inn with my family is a common occurrence, but today, I felt an intense aversion. I couldn’t predict what might happen if my son and I were left alone in an empty room.

“No, this isn’t right. What am I thinking…”

Darin rubbed his temples, feeling uncertain. It seemed like an excessive self-consciousness until now.

Is it because one of the empire’s top grooms saw something lacking and referred to me as a woman? Even here in the capital, there are plenty of admirers sending their gazes.

“For now, being alone with Kael in the carriage feels uncomfortable. I also want to rest…”

It seemed that I could think more clearly after waking up tomorrow, so visiting the inn was urgent. However, I wasn’t at ease with the idea of letting my guard down around my son just yet.

Lady Darin pondered alternatives and recalled an inn nearby where Bayolunga’s maids and servants were waiting.

“Then, how about reserving a separate accommodation?”

“Reserving a separate accommodation?”

“Yes, you and the maids will stay in the same place.”

“…That place is too shabby for you to stay, Mother.”

“It’s okay. In the end, it’s an inn in the capital, so the facilities seem quite good.”

“…”

Kael listened to his mother’s words with an uneasy expression. Then, he began to maintain silence for quite a long time.

He even stared uncomfortably into his mother’s eyes through the eerie silence, but despite her fear, Darin did not agree with Kael’s suggestion. It seemed unreasonable to accept her son’s invitation without careful consideration, as something serious might happen.

Unable to endure this silence, Darin naturally spoke first.

“Why, why are you like this, Kael? Did something get on Mother’s face?”

“That’s not it…”

Kael carefully watched his frightened mother’s attitude and slowly began to relax his expression. He realized that this was no different from his father.

“I’m somewhat disappointed, but I have no intention of forcing my opinion on my mother. So please do as you wish.”

“Thank you.”

Darine took a deep breath, calming her pounding heart, feeling relieved that the crisis seemed to have been averted for now.

“In that case, I will stay in the quarters where the servants are.”

“That’s… Oh, no, do as you please.”

Darine had tried to refuse even this, but she immediately withdrew her objection, thinking that she needed to compromise with her son to avoid resentment.

And even if Kael and Darine were to visit the inn together, it wouldn’t be a big problem. There were servants from Bayorunga there, and Darine planned to stay with the maids without having a separate room.

“It’s probably just an overreaction. But you never know.”

Her son was fifteen years younger than her, and they shared the same blood. No matter how irrational his behavior might seem, objectively speaking, she was probably being too protective.

“Yeah, there’s no way my son would do something crazy, right? He’s such a bright kid…”

Even assuming he became interested in women during the expedition, whether it was a clean maiden with no sexual experience or a seductive courtesan, Kael had plenty of choices.

So why would he insist on taking the risk of stealing his own mother in such a situation?

“It doesn’t make sense.”

“Mother.”

As she was about to retract her absurd thoughts, a hand the size of a person’s face landed on the shoulder of the woman who stood still. Darine stiffened at the voice of her son behind her.

“Since it’s a shame to go straight in, how about stopping by the café for a moment? If you have some rosemary tea, it’ll help you wake up refreshed tomorrow.”

The large hand that came to rest on the shoulder, which had stiffened like a stone, felt just as gentle as the touch that the child used to know. The son’s warmth, filled with affection and consideration, slowly began to reassure the mother.

“Did I really misunderstand for no reason?”

The touch of my son was as warm and reliable as usual.

And I’ve made sure to have guards placed in the dormitory, just in case.

There should be no more cause for concern.

“Let’s go to the cafe and ask Kael. A smart kid wouldn’t do something like this for no reason.”

Therefore, Darin decided that she must be misunderstanding and accepted her son’s suggestion.

“Yeah, let’s do that.”