Ch.252Summer Break Again (4)

After the unexpected meeting with Kate, I returned to my bedroom to wash my hands thoroughly. It felt nostalgic coming back to my bedroom rather than the dormitory after so long, but meeting Lilly was the priority.

So I washed my hands meticulously for over three minutes—far longer than my usual thirty seconds—then headed straight to the lounge where Lilly would be waiting.

I figured Adelia would take some time since she’d likely be changing clothes and freshening up. Until then, I could chat with my mother.

“I’m here.”

“You’re back?”

When I arrived at the lounge, Mother welcomed me. However, Lilly, whom she had been holding earlier, was nowhere to be seen.

Wondering where she might be, I tilted my head in confusion when suddenly a white “cradle” I hadn’t noticed before caught my eye.

Thinking Lilly must be there, I walked over and sure enough, there she was, squirming in the cradle with her eyes wide open.

My little sister, small and adorable no matter when I see her. She inherited the red hair and golden eyes, giving her a distinct personality.

Swish-

I gently extended my index finger toward Lilly, who was staring with bright, round eyes. She grunted with effort, reaching out and firmly grasping my finger with her tiny hand.

How can she be so small? Of course there’s a size difference between a full-grown adult and a newborn baby, but it’s enough to be harmful to my heart.

“Woo-woo.”

Her babbling dealt another blow to my heart. I smiled at Lilly’s determination as she gripped my finger tightly, refusing to let go.

I’ve achieved the wish I’ve wanted so desperately. All that remains is for Lilly to call me “big brother.”

At what age do children usually start talking? I’ve heard it varies, but generally around three years old. More precisely, they begin to understand language at some point.

That means I’ll have to wait at least three more years, but babies grow up in the blink of an eye. While attending the academy, she’ll start crawling before I know it, and then suddenly she’ll be walking energetically.

I stared directly into Lilly’s golden eyes before slowly withdrawing my hand. As I did, her grip on my finger naturally loosened, and she put her hand in her mouth.

Those golden eyes, filled with intense curiosity, gazed at me intently. She’s probably familiar with Father and Mother’s faces since she sees them often, but not mine.

Mother watched us both with a gentle smile, then spoke to Lilly in a tender voice.

“Lilly, do you see? This is Isaac, your second oldest brother. He’s also a world-famous author of the Biography of Xenon.”

“Aww.”

She responded with babbling, as if she understood. Mother and I both laughed at her babbling.

Surprisingly, Lilly laughed brightly too. They say babies have a habit of mimicking their parents’ smiles, and it seems to be true.

Naturally, my heart ached—or rather, it felt like it was melting. A baby’s pure smile has incredible power.

“Born with a brother who’s the author of the Biography of Xenon. Even this mother wonders how that feels.”

“Indeed.”

I strongly agreed with Mother’s words. There was a famous meme in my previous life about being born into a family where someone had already reached the pinnacle of their field.

Strangely enough, most people don’t make a big deal of it. Partly because they’re already too famous to care, but honestly, they genuinely don’t mind much.

The child is too young now, but later, it’s often because most parents are no longer active in that field. So from the child’s perspective, they’re just an ordinary family.

Children need family, not someone who’s reached the pinnacle in a particular field. If this is neglected, the child is likely to head down the wrong path.

So I should be the same. By the time Lilly is old enough to understand, I’ll have revealed my identity, and I plan to be a good brother to her.

“Mmm…”

Perhaps some time had passed since she woke up. Lilly made a sleepy sound, and her eyes slowly began to close.

It’s normal for babies to spend most of their day sleeping until they start sleeping through the night. I was lucky to arrive while Lilly was awake.

Anyway, since Lilly seems sleepy, I should wrap this up. It’s a shame Adelia missed seeing this.

Ding-ding-

As Lilly began to drift off to sleep, Mother rang a bell to call a maid. Actually, not a maid but a nanny.

Soon, the nanny who received the call entered the lounge. Unlike Mother, who radiated beauty despite being past forty, this woman had deep wrinkles appropriate for her age.

She was the nanny who began living with us when Father was granted the middle name Ducar and a noble title.

I had vague memories of her taking care of me when I was reincarnated, and now she held the position of head maid.

“I’ll leave her in your care, Dana.”

“Understood.”

The nanny bowed respectfully at Mother’s polite request and left. I wanted to see Lilly more, but sleep is truly important for a child, so I had to suppress my disappointment.

After the nanny left with Lilly, only Mother and I remained in the lounge. I stared at the spot where the nanny had departed and then spoke to Mother.

“Has the head maid returned to being a nanny?”

“Not exactly. I’m getting older, so except for tea time, I rarely venture into social circles. We’re sharing Lilly’s childcare duties.”

“I think you could still be active in social circles, Mother.”

“Oh, you.”

Mother covered her mouth with her hand and laughed pleasantly. She seemed to take it as a joke, but I was being sincere.

Who would think that face belonged to a woman who had raised three grown children? There wasn’t the slightest sign of aging.

Perhaps she’s absorbed all of Father’s mana due to their excellent relationship. Marie and Cecilly also had firmer skin after each of their escapades, so it’s highly possible.

Come to think of it, how was Lilly born in the first place? Mother is the one who gave me her last contraceptive pill on my first night with Marie.

“Anyway, welcome home. But it seems you’ve experienced quite a lot, not just with Adelia.”

“Well… yes. I just met Kate before coming here.”

“It’s so much that even I felt a bit dizzy. It seems we have a lot to talk about, so sit down for a moment. Your father is busy with work right now, so it’s better to meet him later.”

“Is he that busy?”

“Don’t even ask. He’s busy grumbling and complaining about you every day.”

I wonder how busy he must be to complain about me. Actually, most of Father’s work is caused by me, so I can’t really say anything.

I’d like to help, but I’m completely ignorant about his work. I should learn by observing during the vacation to prepare for the future.

Following Mother’s suggestion, I sat on the sofa in the lounge. There was still some time before Adelia would arrive.

Until then, I planned to bring up the Biography of Xenon. As if prepared in advance, fresh fruit was already arranged.

Slice- Slice- Slice-

Mother picked up a luscious red apple and began peeling it with a fruit knife. She always preferred to peel fruit herself rather than having a maid do it.

I took a piece of fruit that Mother had peeled with a fork and put it in my mouth. Sweet juice spread throughout my mouth.

“So much has happened that I don’t know where to begin. It’s hard to organize everything.”

“You can start wherever you like, Mother.”

“Then… Kate. How did you meet Cardinal Kate? It seems she knows your identity too.”

“It’s nothing special. Luminus gave me a somewhat ambiguous oracle.”

Not just the oracle, but the strong scent of lilac emanating from my body also played a role. Since it was a natural lilac scent rather than artificial perfume, Kate noticed more quickly.

After that, she asked for my “seed” and other things, but fortunately, the situation was resolved. Having grown up under the church’s strict supervision, Kate’s knowledge about sex is disastrously limited.

After hearing about what happened between Kate and me, Mother thought for a moment and smiled faintly. It seemed rather absurd now that she’d heard it directly.

“So that’s what happened. I wondered why she would say such things so freely.”

“Did she say similar things to you too?”

“Something similar. She said that your seed, which is like light itself, should be spread widely to brighten the world.”

“…What?”

I paused with fruit halfway to my mouth and looked at Mother with a bewildered expression. I wondered if I had misheard.

But Mother saw my expression, smiled calmly, and continued peeling fruit as she spoke.

“Just as you heard. She said that just as seeds planted in the ground grow into plants, your seed should be spread throughout the world. Only then would the world be filled with light.”

“…”

“When I first heard that, I thought she might be a woman with some mental issues. But I didn’t know there was such a reason behind it.”

“Reason or not, isn’t it strange to say such things in the first place?”

I could only laugh in disbelief. She had muttered about me being the light to save the world earlier, and now this.

I wish I could open Kate’s head like a lid and peek at what she’s thinking.

“But it’s understandable. At first, I thought she was trying to turn my son into something worse than trash. You’re already quite the playboy as it is.”

“…Mother?”

“What’s wrong? If you don’t believe me, shall I count them one by one? The daughter of House Reckyless and the Princess of Helium. The knight and the daughter of the chief you mentioned in your letter. Finally, Cardinal Kate and the junior you discovered recently. These are women who have at least favorable feelings toward you.”

“…”

“Ah, the Elf Queen might be included too. She received a lot of help from you as well.”

Mother delivered the final blow with a smile. She stabbed my heart with a dagger while smiling. If Nicole physically beat me, Mother was mentally assaulting me.

I wanted to protest about some of them, but doing so would only make me look worse, so keeping quiet was the best strategy. I should just eat the fruit.

Anyway, let’s quickly move past the topic of Kate. Continuing would only make things more difficult for me.

“…Let’s move on from that topic. That’s not what’s important right now.”

“It’s extremely important, but you’re the only one who doesn’t realize it. Perhaps collecting princesses is your hobby?”

“…Mother.”

“Hoho.”

When I looked at her with complicated feelings, Mother laughed like a young girl. How can she say exactly the same thing as Nicole? Is this hereditary too?

I watched Mother laughing and eating fruit, then hung my head and sighed. I had a strong feeling this would become a lifelong source of teasing.

Meanwhile, Mother picked up another fruit and slowly began to peel it.

“As you wish, we’ll move past that and talk about the Biography of Xenon. What gift did you receive from the demons that accelerated your work pace?”

“I’ll tell you about that later. Gartz will bring it soon.”

The typewriter was too large to carry but couldn’t be left in the dormitory. So I asked Gartz to bring it, like a delivery man.

It should arrive around this evening. I asked him to deliver it then.

“I’m looking forward to it. I’m curious about what item could have increased your work speed so much. Thanks to that, this mother is happy to be able to read the Biography of Xenon sooner.”

“Oh, by the way, what about the mail I sent with the side story? Did you send it?”

Just before the vacation started, I completed all the side stories and sent them to the mansion. By now, they should have reached the publishing house through the mansion…

“Ah, I forgot to tell you. It will be difficult to send anything to the publishing house for a while.”

“What? Why?”

I received unexpected news from Mother. At the same time, I felt concerned.

This was because the publishing house president had previously been attacked by devil worshippers. I worried whether something even worse had happened.

Of course, I could contract with another publishing house without major issues. However, the trust built with this publishing house over time was very deep.

President Musk had firmly stood his ground when pressured not only by human nobles but also by elves backed by the Senate.

Perhaps due to his remarkable ability to smell money, he continued to maintain his loyalty to Xenon—that is, our family—to the end.

It’s hard to find someone like that, and in the current situation, there would be numerous difficulties if something happened.

“Well, you see. They’re moving the company.”

“Where to?”

“To our territory.”

“…What?”

What does this mean? A well-established company moving to our territory.

Seeing my completely bewildered expression, Mother maintained her characteristic calm smile and explained the situation.

“As you know, the publishing house president was attacked by devil worshippers.”

“I know that.”

“But the president thought that others might be harmed too, not just himself. So he planned to move the company to our territory, where the temple is being built. I heard he’s even helping employees’ families relocate?”

“That must cost a lot of money…”

I expressed deep concern. Currently, land prices in our Mayshall territory are skyrocketing.

Not only is a temple for the twin deity siblings being built, but the massive event called the Xenon Exhibition is held there every year.

Moreover, although it hasn’t been developed, it was originally a territory with excellent potential, meant to keep our father tied down. Naturally, land prices would be high.

Though he must have earned enormous profits through the Biography of Xenon, I worried whether taking care of employees’ families might be too much.

But contrary to my concerns, Mother shrugged her shoulders and calmly spoke.

“Well, the president didn’t seem to mind much. He said that while people can be bought with money, human lives cannot.”

“…”

“So it will be difficult to receive manuscripts while the building is being constructed. But it should be completed quickly. Cardinal Kate’s side offered to help.”

This person called Musk—he truly has an incredible nose for money. It’s fortunate he’s not a nobleman; if he were, he would have amassed tremendous wealth.

As I was inwardly chuckling about this, Mother stopped peeling fruit and gently put down the knife.

Then, looking around to check if anyone was listening, she asked me in a cautious voice.

“By the way. Actually, this mother read the side story.”

“You read that? You shouldn’t have.”

“Yes. How could I resist the curiosity? It’s the past story of Jin and Lilly!”

Crack-

Huh? What was that? I blinked as a strange sound reached my ears.

When I shifted my gaze, an unbelievable sight entered my view—Mother’s fingertips had pierced into the fruit.

I understand that excitement might have caused her to apply more force, but regardless, a finger penetrating a solid fruit is clearly not a normal occurrence.

“After reading it, I can’t tell you how excited I am. I hope Jin and Lilly get together soon and have a child.”

“…”

But he gets stabbed through the chest in volume 20. I couldn’t bring myself to say those words.

Because…

Crack! Crack!

Just imagining it seemed to make her apply more force, as Mother’s fingers increasingly invaded the fruit.

I’ve seen people in my previous life split apples with one hand, but never someone piercing an apple with their fingers. And this wasn’t even like the finger pistol technique from that pirate manga, shooting through at bullet speed.

It was pure grip strength. Mother was mercilessly killing the fruit with sheer grip strength, without even using mana.

Squish!

Finally, our fruit met its heroic end. It splattered juice everywhere and shattered into pieces.

She squeezed it so hard that some juice even splashed onto my cheek.

“Oh my. I unconsciously applied too much force…”

“…”

“Wait a moment.”

Mother shook off the brutally destroyed fruit from her hand and stood up. I continued to stare blankly at the shattered fruit pieces.

Why does that feel like my future? I’m seriously worried that when I publish volume 20, my chest might get pierced.

‘There’s a reason Father met Mother.’

Indeed, a lioness is the most suitable companion for a male lion.