Chapter 355

Chapter 355

Reincarnated User Manual.

Episode 355: Return (1)

Rien Empire.

Eldrina sighed inside the rattling carriage.

She knew that such behavior was unbecoming and could negatively affect the household’s atmosphere, but given that Glen was suffering from the same worries, she allowed herself to relax.

It had been a hundred days since her daughter left home to find a husband. Even today, there was no word on where Siriel had gone.

Thanks to Hugo, who was frequently away, she had grown accustomed to waiting. Since Siriel had also inherited the Sky Knights, it was only natural for her to be used to waiting for her daughter as well.

However, since this wait had no guarantee of an end, Eldrina’s concern only deepened.

According to Hugo, Siriel had gone to the Demonic Realm. But finding someone willing to go to such a dangerous place just to check on her well-being was difficult, leaving Eldrina feeling stifled.

“Sister-in-law, I’m sorry I couldn’t be of any help.”

Glen lowered his head apologetically toward Eldrina. Since Siriel had left for the Demonic Realm, Hugo had temporarily resumed leading the Sky Knights in her absence.

In that case, the only other person capable of going there was Glen—but that was before his core was shattered. In the end, all he could do was wait for the children alongside Eldrina.

“Don’t blame yourself. She’s my daughter, but who would have thought she wouldn’t even send a single letter, completely unaware of her mother’s burning worry?”

The letters had arrived at weekly intervals.

After Siriel left, a few had been delivered to the estate. But not long after, they stopped coming altogether.

“…I should have persuaded her better back then.”

“I told you not to blame yourself. After all, even he and I couldn’t stop that child.”

For a moment, she feared something terrible had happened to them both. But Eldrina chose to think positively.

Since the purpose of the letters was to check on Siriel’s well-being, it was possible that their meeting had fulfilled that purpose.

“She must be so caught up in the joy of reunion that she forgot to consider the elders. Since she gave birth to a child without her husband, the emptiness in her heart must have been even greater.”

“…I truly have no face to show you, sister-in-law.”

Glen rubbed his chest as if pressing down on the stinging pain.

The fact that Shiron was not there for his daughter Elise’s birth. Glen believed he bore some responsibility for that.

Was he blaming himself excessively? Perhaps. But when looking at the broader picture, he wasn’t entirely free of fault either.

Siriel’s pregnancy and Elise’s birth were, of course, something to be celebrated, but the timing had been too hasty.

“A first wife without children does not exist…”

Glen bit his lips hard as he recalled Siriel’s words.

Her pregnancy had largely been due to the Emperor and Empress, who had appeared with their bellies full ahead of her.

Even though her father-in-law had acknowledged her as the official wife, the number of women around Shiron continued to grow, and the pressure must have weighed on Siriel.

Perhaps in defiance of that, instead of swinging a sword by Shiron’s side, Siriel chose to be the first to give him a child.

She was no longer a child, nor did she dream of becoming a legendary hero from history books. Instead, she sought a more tangible happiness—not one imposed by others, but one she could share with the person she loved.

‘I was too short-sighted. What was I thinking, urging him to take concubines left and right?’

If only he had insisted on bringing in just Lady Kyrie as a concubine…!

Glen clenched his fist with a determined expression. Seeing this, Eldrina’s eyes welled up with tears.

“…How much pain must he be in to be seething with such regret?”

Glen Prient.

A man who became crippled due to a “great accident” a year ago. Although her husband never spoke about it, Eldrina knew that Glen was an even greater warrior than Hugo.

In his younger days, Hugo had split a beast that seemed capable of reaching the heavens. Back then, he wasn’t bald nor bearded, but a handsome young man. Since Eldrina had watched over him in those days, she couldn’t even begin to fathom the extent of Glen’s strength.

What kind of ordeal must he have gone through to end up crippled?

To go from an unparalleled warrior to an ordinary man overnight… Eldrina could only imagine that the sense of helplessness he felt was far greater than the sorrow she felt for him.

“Raise your head, brother-in-law. There’s simply no news yet. It’s far too early to grieve like this.”

“…Huh? Oh, yes.”

“Think positively. Siriel is so infatuated with Shiron that she’s probably too busy being in love to even consider her parents’ worries.”

“Ah…”

“You never know. She might even return from her journey with another child on the way.”

“…That’s certainly possible.”

Glen wondered why their roles had suddenly reversed, with her comforting him instead. But he decided not to dwell on it.

Clatter—

Just then, the carriage traveling down the central road came to a halt.

“Sister-in-law, we’ve arrived.”

Glen skillfully extended his hand to escort Eldrina. Though she wished Hugo could be here as well, she composed her expression.

Today was the day she visited her granddaughter, which happened once every two days.

—————

Before leaving for the Demonic Realm, Siriel had asked them to take good care of Elise.

Leaving behind a child still in the infancy stage—when a mother’s presence was essential—to go searching for her husband in the Demonic Realm could, in some ways, be considered irresponsible.

However, Glen and Eldrina had no intention of criticizing her for it.

Glen, after all, had left child-rearing entirely to Yuma. He had even been fighting in the Demonic Realm when his wife passed away, so it was only natural for him.

But what about Eldrina?

Eldrina was the daughter of a prestigious magical family, renowned not only in the empire but across the continent.

In noble households, it was customary for children to be raised not by their birth mothers but by hired wet nurses or caretakers. Eldrina, too, had been raised by a wet nurse alongside her milk siblings until she was old enough to speak.

Since her beloved husband, Hugo, was unfamiliar with noble customs and wished for an ordinary yet ideal family, Eldrina had raised Siriel herself. However, for nobles, it was completely normal for a mother and child to be apart during infancy.

Thus, Siriel’s absence was not a problem at all.

Even if the thought of not having her beloved granddaughter by her side made her uneasy, Eldrina was still a noblewoman. As long as the wet nurse entrusted with the child was someone reliable, she could endure the inconvenience.

And as if on cue, someone had volunteered to be the wet nurse.

As the golden and marble-adorned doors opened, a woman stepped forward with a radiant smile.

Louise Bisconti. In her arms, she held two children.

“You’ve arrived, Mother.”

“Your Highness, you must be working hard.”

Eldrina greeted Louise with a respectful bow, and Glen took Elise into his arms. Perhaps because she was meeting her grandfather again after two days, Elise giggled happily instead of fussing.

“You may speak comfortably with me.”

“How could I disregard proper decorum? Rather, Your Highness should feel free to speak comfortably with me.”

“How could I possibly do that with Sir Shiron’s esteemed mother-in-law?”

“Mother-in-law? I am merely that child’s mother-in-law, not someone so grand…”

‘…Here they go again.’

Glen sighed at yet another round of their verbal sparring.

On the surface, it looked like a simple display of humility over honorifics, but Glen knew better.

A meticulous battle of wits.

Louise was trying to be acknowledged as part of the “family” by Eldrina, while Eldrina was treating her as an outsider.

It wasn’t because Eldrina was heartless or overly rigid.

The idea of the Emperor’s children and Elise Prient sharing a wet nurse and becoming milk siblings was certainly a good thing. However, the issue was that those children were also Shiron Prient’s offspring.

Both Louise and Viktor understood this well, which was why they had addressed Eldrina as “Mother” and bowed their heads.

But with her daughter in a life-threatening situation in the Demonic Realm, Eldrina couldn’t easily accept them.

She wanted to welcome them, but she felt guilty toward her daughter.

A conflict between reason and emotion.

For now, the best Eldrina could do was maintain an ambiguous stance until she received news of her daughter.

‘Can’t they tone it down a little?’

But for Glen, it was simply a nuisance.

Perhaps because she took after Shiron—or maybe even Siriel—Elise didn’t fuss.

However, the child in Louise’s arms was already preparing to wail, letting out small whimpers of “Hweeng.”

“Oh, oh?”

“Here, hand them over to me.”

Glen reached out toward Louise with empty hands. Somewhat flustered by her lack of experience in childcare, Louise instinctively handed the child over to Glen.

With practiced ease, Glen rocked the child gently, soothing them. Seeing this, Eldrina’s eyes widened in surprise.

“You’re quite skilled at calming babies.”

“Am I?”

“Yes, you seem very experienced with childcare.”

“Oh, no, not at all.”

Glen chuckled, pleased to receive praise after so long.

“I just have a knack for picking things up quickly. I merely observed and learned by watching others.”

He recalled a woman who had raised more children than anyone else in the world.

“By the way, what’s the child’s name?”

“That one is Ubix, and the other is Fiore!”

Louise beamed, delighted that someone was showing interest. She hadn’t had the chance to talk about them before, and to think her child’s fussiness would finally provide an opportunity.

“Fiore? Where is Fiore?”

“Fiore is currently with His Majesty…”

“With His Majesty?”

Glen tilted his head at Louise, who was suddenly blushing in embarrassment. As his curious expression drew closer, Louise hesitantly whispered with a flushed face.

“He’s… uh… feeding.”

“…Feeding?”

“Yes! Since I’ve started drying up, His Majesty has been helping with nursing… Oh dear, what am I even saying!”

“Ah, I see.”

“For the record, Ubix is His Majesty’s child, and Fiore is mine!”

“Understood.”

Glen nodded while unconsciously glancing toward Louise’s chest. Compared to the Emperor’s, her chest was significantly larger, making it surprising that she was drying up.

And at the same time, he felt relieved.

“At least they have two mothers.”

For someone with such a modest build to even consider nursing, Glen found it oddly admirable of the Emperor.