episode_0423

Thump, thump!

Normally a person with large eyes, they were now twice their usual size from shock.

“I’m sorry, Negi. I had to find out about it separately.”

“Ah…!”

At the mention of finding out separately, Negi let out a disappointed sigh.

“I didn’t want to tell you…”

“Fran is a mature adult. She has the right to know what happened to her, and she’s mature enough to handle it. Please trust Fran a little more.”

Whether it was Fran’s reaction to Negi’s words or not, she spoke up.

“Tell me everything. I need to hear it all. I have the right to know, don’t I?”

It was a fierce look in Fran’s eyes that hadn’t been seen in a long time.

It was a gaze often seen during times of indecision, but now softened completely, thought never to be seen again.

Yet today, that gaze reappeared.

When Fran looked at me with those eyes, I couldn’t help but shudder.

“Negi, you couldn’t leave prison until you turned twenty. Probably because if you went outside, they would come looking for you, so they waited until you enlisted before letting you go.”

“You endured all that time in prison because of me. Is raising me a crime?”

“Yes.”

One could never have imagined that giving birth and raising someone could be considered a crime.

“How could that be possible? Who decided that was a crime?”

Who made it a crime?

“Your father.”

“!!”

Unless nobility intervened, commoners weren’t kept in prison for so long.

Rather than feeding and housing them, it would be better to demote them to slaves and sell them off.

The fact that this didn’t happen meant there was someone who made her live in prison.

“Why? Your mother didn’t ask for responsibility. Can’t you just ignore it and live as if you don’t know?”

“I’ll take care of the rest. It seems appropriate.”

Negi hastily interrupted me.

She seemed scared of what I might say.

In truth, my knowledge ends here.

I’ve only read a few lines from the game settings, and only Negi knows the real details.

Having nothing more to say since I knew nothing further, I spoke up.

“Shall we let the two talk? Are you okay with that?”

“Yes. I think it should be fine.”

“Thank you, sir.”

Caught up in the word ‘father,’ Fran seemed beyond caring about me.

Her eyes blazed with anger.

When she had that look, there could be serious consequences. Whether Negi could calm Fran down remained uncertain.

Leaving the two alone and successfully exiting, I felt relieved.

Haven’t I once gotten involved in a mother-daughter fight and sweated it out?

This time, however, it seemed unnecessary to worry about a repeat scenario.

From the start, the two had different personalities due to their differing natures.

“Once they lose it, there’s no turning back, but until then, Fran and Negi are relatively well-behaved.”

Looking at it now, Fran and Negi shared many similarities in character.

As soon as I realized I was entangled with Fran, Negi, who tried to escape without even grabbing his belongings, and Fran, who would charge ahead without hesitation once provoked, were strikingly similar.

“They’re so alike. So alike. That’s why they say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

The identical mother and daughter were not the only ones like that.

How much sweat did Bain and Talia shed during their mother-daughter fights?

Talia may have been distinctively blunt and strong-willed, but Bian showed her strength by not backing down in front of her mother.

Recalling the showdown between that mother and daughter, Fran and Negi now seemed like angels compared to them.

With hopes for the two individuals to get along well, I decided to focus on preparing for their reunion celebration.

As it was an unexpected occasion, we had to go shopping to prepare for the congratulatory party.

No matter how long they conversed, for me, time was pressing.

Thinking of the dishes in my head, I hurriedly moved my body.

※ ※ ※

They spent time shedding tears while honestly sharing how they had spent their past days.

Without anyone around, they laughed through swollen eyes, realizing that even their laughter resembled each other.

“When I was young, I used to think so much while waiting for my mother that when I grew up, I never thought about it once. It’s about imagining the moment of reuniting with my mother. But no matter what I imagined, I don’t think I could have described this feeling.”

“Me too. I dreamt every day, stared into space while thinking, but the imagined scenario and the emotions I feel now are different.”

The conversation, which began with stories about their biological father, soon transitioned into discussions about the lives they had led during their time apart.

Through their conversation, they easily realized that their initial thoughts were all misunderstandings, understanding that they had been overly emotional.

Furthermore, things from their childhood that they weren’t sure were dreams or memories, their mother vividly remembered and recounted them all.

Uncertain memories fit together like pieces of a puzzle.

“It was lucky to meet that man. If it hadn’t been him, things could have turned out differently. Despite the area not being as safe as it seems.”

After relaxing their hearts, they sorted out their titles.

She addressed her as “mother,” and she agreed to address her informally.

When questioned about the justification for such familiarity, the awkward mother, who didn’t want to be addressed formally by her parents, agreed to it, saying she didn’t mind using informal language.

“In truth, it could have been a dangerous situation if it hadn’t been for the boss.”

The mother casually recounted the events of that time.

The weather was too cold, they had nowhere to go, and they didn’t have a penny on them.

However, the man had shown consideration, telling the mother to warm up and providing food.

While it was heartwarming to confirm the man’s kindness once again, she couldn’t help but feel angry when considering her mother’s situation at that harsh time.

The mother seemed uncomfortable and fearful when discussing her biological father, to the extent that she had to make an effort not to reveal her emotions.

“You may seem indifferent and aloof, but you’re actually a warm-hearted person.”

“Yeah. You’re really kind. You’re considerate, and there are many things lacking in me as a mother. But the boss encouraged me, saying I could do well. That’s how I gained a lot of courage.”

“He did the same for me. Without him, it would have been difficult for me.”

Their current close bond with the friends they were with wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the man.

At that time, being from the Sahabi sect, she had been reluctant to let children get close to her.

It was an atmosphere where speaking was disliked.

Acting oblivious, pretending everything was fine, she had been alone, but that couldn’t have been enjoyable.

“You’ve grown fond of him because he’s affectionate, right?”

“Yes.”

“…But, you know.”

Suddenly hesitating, the mother seemed conflicted.

Struggling whether to speak or not, she was in a dilemma.

“Please tell me. We agreed to be honest about everything, right?”

“Uh-huh. Do you happen to know? The boss has another woman.”

“How could you possibly know that, Mother?”

Surprised to hear such a thing from her mother, I was a bit taken aback.

“You knew?”

“Yes. I know.”

“Sigh~ No, I can’t relax. Why are you so nonchalant when there’s another woman in the picture? I made myself clear… But then again, maybe it’s different for nobles? Did I speak out of turn?”

It’s true that to others, our relationship might seem peculiar.

Among nobles, it’s common to have concubines or lovers even after marriage, but it was somewhat unusual for an unmarried man and woman to be together.

Of course, for a capable nobleman, having multiple women by his side wouldn’t be considered strange.

Becoming that ‘capable nobleman’ isn’t something anyone can achieve, though.

Hence, I was well aware that to others, it might appear odd.

Until now, there hasn’t been a need to explain this to others or make them understand, but I felt the necessity to do so with my mother.

“If we’re fine with it, shouldn’t it be nobody else’s concern? We get along without any issues. There are various types of relationships in the world, and I believe ours is just one of them.”

I’m not sure if my words will be convincing enough.

“I don’t see any problem. Just make sure you’re not deceiving your lover.”

With that said, my mother tightly grasped my hand, stating that she doesn’t wish for anything more.

Though her warmth felt awkward, it was comforting.

※ ※ ※

Francois said he would spend the night in Neige’s room.

Upon hearing Francois’ words, Neige flashed a wide smile, saying she would go clean the room and promptly disappeared.

When we were alone, Francois unexpectedly brought up something.

“I want to investigate about my father. Can you help me?”

She was asking me for assistance in investigating her father.

Given her personality, I had expected her to try to solve it on her own rather than seek my help.

Of course, unexpected didn’t mean unwelcome.

In fact, it was quite the opposite.

Isn’t it natural to feel pleased when your partner trusts and relies on you?

“I’ll investigate everything from head to toe.”

I responded with a firm voice to appear as trustworthy as possible to her request.

“Thank you.”

I wondered what Francois would want to do after investigating her father.

“What do you plan to do after the investigation? Do you seek revenge?”

If she wanted revenge, I was prepared to assist her without hesitation.

However, Francois mentioned that she hadn’t made a decision yet.

“I haven’t decided yet. Right now, I just want to ask my mother why she did what she did, not to us, but to her.”

Since we still didn’t know what kind of person this nobleman was, it was premature to speculate, but I couldn’t help but wonder if he remembered the two of them.

If he had been keeping an eye on Francois all this time, wouldn’t he have reached out when she enlisted and gained fame?

Yet, it seemed like he had forgotten about her entirely, not contacting anyone, not even Neige who had been released from prison.

In that case, perhaps he had truly forgotten about the two of them over time.

‘Victims can’t forget, but perpetrators completely move on?’

As someone who regarded the victim as a friend, it was a frustrating situation.

Especially if the victim was still suffering from the incident to this day.