episode_0034

“The Princess will soon visit the Bayoren Castle,” relayed Cael, hastily passing on the contents of the letter he received to his mother after finishing the handover. Darin nodded in acknowledgment. It was a somewhat expected outcome. The fact that the Princess had taken an interest in her son was already known.

The son, who had been shooting sinister glances from right beside his mother, withdrew with a pout. He seemed eager to retort at the moment, but hesitated, feeling uneasy about completely disregarding his mother’s feelings.

Cael slumped onto the sofa, stretching his legs out. The pillar inside his pants still stood stubbornly erect.

‘Why is he acting so shamelessly? Well, I do know the reason…’

His blatant approach felt like a childish plea to his mother to soothe something, as if asking her to handle it.

However, due to the awkwardness, Darin felt uncomfortable just looking at her son’s face. It was best to sip tea and gaze at the distant mountains through the window.

“They clearly declined the meeting through the letter, yet they plan to barge in anyway. Seems like the Princess lacks manners.”

“…Be careful with your words. No matter what, she is still the Empire’s Princess. We shouldn’t be disrespectful to someone of her stature, should we?”

“But look at this letter. Isn’t it too straightforward?”

Darin slowly skimmed through the parchment that her son had placed on the table. Upon a quick read, it mentioned the visit to honor a warrior who had returned after defeating the Demon King over three years.

“This letter didn’t reach other members of the Hero Party.”

Therefore, honoring the warrior was merely an excuse. The real intention was probably to lure out a man named Cael.

“What’s the problem with that?”

But that was only absurd from Cael’s perspective. To Darin, his mother, it was a delightful piece of news. If her son had spent a night with her, she would have considered it a mere escapade and hoped he would meet a good woman.

Darin wasn’t oblivious to the slim chance of Cael changing his mind. However, it was not appropriate for her son to become his bride just like that, right? She needed to come up with a solution.

“What are you saying?”

“Isn’t it good? She’s the famous Princess of the Empire, and this could be an opportunity to become part of the royal family.”

“I don’t love the Princess.”

“Noble marriages don’t always require love. Emotions can develop later on as you continue to meet…”

“Hmm, that’s strange. Didn’t you tell me since I was young to find someone to love and start a family with?”

“…That’s true, but when the other party is the noble Princess, shouldn’t you reconsider?”

“Perhaps the young lady has fallen into a fantasy with a knight in shining armor.”

“Then maybe this ‘fantasy’ is an opportunity. Besides, you’re quite a suitable suitor even to a third party’s eyes. Wait a minute…”

As Darin continued the conversation with her son, she felt puzzled. It was indeed odd for a young lady holding the title of a Princess to pursue Cael. Especially when there were other nobles around, let alone the hero being the prime beneficiary.

Looking at her cute mother tilting her head in confusion, Cael let out a faint chuckle. Then, he responded to the obvious thought.

“I understand what you’re thinking. However, the Princess doesn’t particularly fancy heroes. In fact, she might despise them. She sends disdainful glances, claiming that their nocturnal activities are scandalous.”

“Even so, wouldn’t it be beneficial to strengthen royal authority by marrying a hero?”

“The current ruler of the empire is a figure known for being doting on his daughter. As her mother says, he may suggest a marriage with a hero to his daughter, but he won’t force it.”

“This… is strange. Aren’t heroes usually popular even if they are lecherous?”

“I’m not sure, but people’s tastes can vary, right? Lucas’ casual attitude towards encounters with women might be an issue.”

“I see…”

Darin nodded as if in agreement, sipping her tea. It was a wise choice to have the servants add herbs that had a calming effect. As time passed, she felt that conversations with her son were becoming more manageable.

She slowly lowered her gaze. As anger and fear subsided, her vision cleared.

“Kael seems like a really decent man.”

After hearing her son’s explanation, the princess’s actions became even more understandable.

Her son, Akarel Bayoren, may be a barbarian, but he still came from noble bloodline. He was a war hero who had achieved great feats and was set to receive a viscount title this time, making him not only a high-ranking noble but also competent, powerful, and in a suitable position. Additionally, he was handsome and had a sturdy appearance. Generally, including nobles, the people of the empire considered heroes or dimensional wanderers as lunatics who had come from another world. And unlike appearances, if Kael honed his ‘substance,’ choosing him was the right decision.

“Darin disagreed with her son’s words. Seeing that the hero did not forcefully pursue the princess, it was clear that the princess, though young, was quite a wise woman.

Kael stared at his mother, who was fidgeting nervously. She had already accepted her son’s semen in her lower garment, yet she still couldn’t compose herself. It was evident that she saw her son as a nuisance and was scheming to pass him off to a daughter-in-law.

The lady should be a thoughtful red-haired woman, not an inexperienced little princess.

“Then we must not miss out on the princess. This is an unparalleled opportunity for our Bayoren family.”

“Oh, I didn’t know that you, Mother, had ambitions for entering the capital.”

“Don’t joke around, Kael. Forget about my personal desires. This is a chance for both the future head of Bayoren and the people to prosper. Why would local nobles like us refuse the princess’s proposal?”

Instead of listening to his mother, Kael looked at her with an uncomfortable expression. It seemed to carry the nuance of why a man would be upset with a woman he liked.

“…I prefer a woman who grows naturally like a wildflower, rather than an artificially cultivated greenhouse plant.”

His gaze was quite persistent. Darin stiffened slowly, without a flinch, as she stared into his intense blue eyes. She seemed to know very well who the wildflower-like woman living somewhere was.

“My son’s heart is already set, so why do you keep trying to push other women onto him?”

“Are you asking because you really don’t know?”

Darin retorted sharply without realizing it. It was unreasonable for a man who would become the head of the household to not get his act together and be pushed around by his mother.

“Sigh…”

Kael remained unresponsive for a moment, then let out a sigh full of frustration. Soon after, he handed over the cup of tea his mother had been drinking in one gulp, not seeming to mind that it wasn’t lukewarm.

“I wish you had shown a little jealousy, but you just keep pushing me away. It’s rather pitiful.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

“Calling it nonsense… Indeed, unrequited love is painful.”

“Why are you speaking as if something is so regrettable? Haven’t we done enough by now? You’ve done everything you wanted…”

“It seems like you’re misunderstanding. What I truly desire is not your body, Mother, but your heart. Since achieving the latter will undoubtedly take time, I settled for the former in advance.”

Looking at the teacup in his hand, Kael glanced at the part where his mother’s red lipstick mark remained and discreetly wiped it off. Tasting the faint citrus scent rising from there, he smirked. Darin, observing this, grew irritated by his son’s constant attempts to treat his mother as a female.

“That’s enough now!”

Darin glared at his son, then abruptly stood up with a grunt. The transfer of power was already complete. Continuing the conversation seemed pointless and might lead to an argument. It would be better to leave before things escalated further.

I unwittingly got caught up in the strange atmosphere, fearing I might be overwhelmed as I was last time.

“Mother, where are you planning to go?”

“…I’m going back to my room to rest.”

“Hasn’t the discussion finished yet?”

“No! The discussion is over. If there’s anything else to discuss, relay it through Emma.”

Before even realizing it, her voice rose in tone. Darin realized he might lose his temper if he stayed here any longer. However, he also knew his son wouldn’t simply comply as before, so he decided to retreat to his room quickly.

– Crash.

But naturally, Kael didn’t let go of his mother.

– Ugh!?

Darin was momentarily surprised, his face contorting briefly, but he didn’t writhe in pain. It wasn’t squeezed tightly enough for that.

The white creature pressed down on the woman’s shoulder with a large grip, continuing its speech.

“Mother, are you satisfied with being a viscountess?”

“What?”

In response to the sudden question, the woman seemed taken aback. However, her son’s expression was so serious that it didn’t seem like a mere jest.

“If you have any ambitions at all… how about becoming a countess? If you wish, I’ll aim for a marquis. No, even higher, a grand duke.”

“Let go of me! What on earth are you talking about!?”

Trying to free herself by waving the hand not held, the woman’s steel-like grip didn’t budge. Perhaps slightly annoyed, Kael then growled softly in her ear.

“Stop these unnecessary actions. Please tell me honestly. What does your son need to do to win your approval?”

Adding a spoonful of indulgence.

“And you won’t even touch me for over a day. Just planning to leave like this…”

Another dash of personal desire.

“Why do you keep acting selfishly?”