episode_0014

After calming down a bit, Darin decided to visit the central hall where the improvement meal was being held.

Although not all of her seizures had disappeared, this place was meant for celebrating her treasure. She had made a fool of herself in front of others earlier, so as the mother of a hero, she shouldn’t show any more disgraceful behavior.

“Others may evaluate Bayoren Youngsik as a cold-blooded person, but judging by the way he treats Orange Yeongae, he seems like a true lover.”

“W-well, yes. How considerate is Kael?”

“Oh my, I’ve never seen someone of our age group address Bayoren Youngsik so casually! Most of those who do so are the heads of the families that have been with Bayoren and his family for a long time.”

“Um… I guess it’s just easier to call him Kael since we’ve always been together. I should have been more careful because of the vacancy…”

“No! What’s the use of status differences between people who love each other?”

“B-but I just think of Kael as a friend…”

“Haha~ Where can there be friendship between a man and a woman? Orange Yeongae, you make jokes so entertaining!”

“Hahaha…”

Darin was located in a relatively secluded area in the central hall, along with the women arranged by Kael. Although some other party members were curious and asked if they could chat, she declined.

“I shouldn’t leave my mother with such uncomfortable people. I will guide you to the side of the young ladies I am close with.”

She knew about the “uncomfortable people” who had been with the hero and shared a bed, but was that reason enough to treat them so harshly? Except for one person, they weren’t even nobles who valued purity. Kael’s manner of speaking seemed much rougher than before, and Darin felt uneasy in many ways.

She didn’t understand why her son had introduced her as a childhood friend and an object of unrequited love. However, if it was Kael’s will as the head of the family, Darin had resolved to follow it.

“After this, I won’t go out to social gatherings anyway, so it shouldn’t be a problem, right? Let’s quietly stay here as much as possible so as not to cause trouble for Yeongae, who will become Kael’s partner in the future.”

She left the follow-up to her son and now, it was best for her to converse with the young ladies as instructed. Since it had come to this, she should act as naturally as possible.

The girls conversing with Darin were all daughters of prominent writers and were connected to influential families. She herself was a writer, so she recognized most of the names she heard. It was only due to her husband’s objections that she hadn’t shown her face until now.

“Now that I see them in person, it’s quite nice…?”

They were people she had only known on paper, so it was both fascinating and pleasant. Though she received some disconcerting questions, she managed to navigate through them with her own social skills.

“I was worried if I could communicate with these much younger friends…”

It seemed her son’s endorsement wasn’t just empty words. Everyone sincerely showed consideration without avoiding her.

-Kwak.

Kael held his mother’s hand nearby, supporting her troubled heart. He did so to an extent that felt burdensome.

“Even if they are set as childhood friends, the distance seems too close.”

At first, Darin raised her voice, asking what he was doing, but she eventually gave in to Kael’s persuasion, realizing that if her mother’s heart didn’t calm down, neither would her son’s. Darin thought that if her son’s fiancée came into the family later, she should disclose everything to avoid misunderstandings.

“I’m a little hungry…?”

After some time of light conversation, Darin, feeling peckish, spotted a strawberry mousse cake topped with whipped cream.

But could she eat while surrounded by these young ladies? Although she couldn’t take her eyes off the strawberry cake, she couldn’t easily leave her seat.

“Sister, it would be nice to have a chat with some tea…”

“…Thank you, Kael.”

Fortunately, her son, who understood her feelings, handed her the cake and tea, allowing her to satisfy her hunger and save face at the same time. Although she felt a little resistance to the word “sister,” so what? For Darien, for the sake of her son, she could be not only a mother but also a younger sister or an older sister. Kael was a treasure that she loved more than anyone else.

– Yum yum yum.

Her lightly blushing cheeks were as cute as hamsters. Despite the contrast between her small stature and the large cake, she skillfully wielded her fork, quickly hiding any evidence of her indulgence. She had such a charmingly rustic aspect to her, like a noblewoman from the countryside.

“I’ll wipe it off for you.”

Was the problem that she had eaten too hastily? Strawberry mousse stained the lips of the red-haired woman. At that moment, as Kael moved to wipe it away…

“Kyaah~ Hehe, doesn’t your mother look like a vampire?”

Darien, grateful for her son’s kindness, playfully whispered in his ear. If their relationship had been that of lovers, this would have been an unwittingly flirtatious act, but they were mother and son. Therefore, Darien’s display of affection stemmed from truly pure intentions.

– Gulp.

However, in Kael’s fantasy, Darien, who had spread her legs and offered her ample bosom, was preparing to embrace him. It was as if she were saying, “Would you like to go back where you came from?”

‘It won’t be long before he wakes up, so there’s no need to be impatient.’

Darien probably couldn’t even guess this.

The light conversation on various topics came to an end, and finally, the banquet began. Darien held her son’s hand tightly, exchanged greetings with the nobles, and walked to her assigned seat.

Soon, hundreds of soldiers wearing expensive armor appeared in the central hall. They praised the achievements of the heroes who had defeated the demon king while performing various feats. Darien, Kael, and the other nobles sat and watched this unfold.

“Wow…”

It was a splendid and grand ceremony that could never be seen in the remote borderlands. It wasn’t a simple festival held in the city, but a true nobles’ investiture where resplendent metals and ornaments sparkled, leaving one speechless.

Kael was one of the protagonists of this investiture, so he was scheduled to give a speech along with the heroes. It was said that among the party members, he had achieved remarkable feats just after the heroes. Darien was moved to tears by the fact that his tiny baby, born with difficulty, had achieved such a feat.

“I need to pull myself together!”

But for now, he had to keep his eyes wide open and concentrate. Part of it was because it was his son’s investiture, but the members of the hero party usually fastened the golden brooch handed to them by the emperor on their chests before receiving rewards from the king.

And traditionally, the person’s lover would attach the golden brooch. If one didn’t have a lover, the Emperor, who was like a father of the empire, would attach it himself.

Therefore, Darien might not have known that this moment could be the only chance to meet his son’s lover. Kael, who didn’t know how to lie, had said that the woman who loved him would attend here. There was no room for doubt.

Until just now, she had said that she was the one he had marked, but considering this moment, it might have been a nasty joke.

Soon, he would ask his future daughter-in-law to attach the brooch. Would this red-haired girl confess that she was actually my mother? If a man like Kael did it, even this could end as a small mishap.

His husband’s words about other nobles targeting her lingered in his mind, but if his war-hero son protected her and proudly declared her as his mother, there would be no threat to her safety.

“Come to think of it, most of the party members are girls…?”

The hero was alternatingly putting brooches on several female party members. Looking at their appearances, it did seem like a kingdom of animals as his son had described. There were strong male lions and several female lions who worshipped him, but occasionally, a dominant male setting up a harem was not unheard of. Above all, it was someone else’s business, so there was no need to meddle.

Darine turned her head towards her son with an eager expression, only to find someone standing right in front of her. She thought it would be the woman who would soon be her daughter-in-law, but to her surprise…

“Sister.”

For a moment, Darine thought her son had left to be with his lover, but he was standing right in front of her, presenting a golden brooch he had obtained from somewhere.

“…”

“Sister.”

In an attempt to alleviate her rapidly rising anxiety, Darine looked around, hoping that the “sister” her son was calling for was not herself, but rather his lover. Yes, if it was his older lover, that would be even better. Then, the term “sister” wouldn’t sound awkward either.

And if he handed the brooch to his true fiancée, declaring that everything had been a joke and shouting “surprise,” then perhaps she could end today, which had been agonizing and somewhat embarrassing, as just another difficult day.

As mentioned just now, considering Kyle’s position, a little rudeness might not be a big problem, right? Darine tried to escape the reality she didn’t want to acknowledge and unfold her delusional wings in this way, but…

“Darine.”

Just because of that last word he uttered, even her small hope was shattered. She couldn’t deny that the person her son was calling for was her.

“…Kyle, where is your lover? You should quickly put on the brooch.”

“Hahaha…”

In front of his mother, who was breaking out in a cold sweat, her son began to smile broadly. It was a clear and clean smile, but for some reason, Darine couldn’t bring herself to laugh. In a split second, her tense body stiffened like a stone.

“Sister, there are many eyes watching. Please hurry.”

Sure, there must be many curious people wondering who the woman is who is attaching a brooch to the center of the hero’s party. Among them, it even included the hero Lucas and the emperor of the empire.

“This, this is strange, Kael. There was no talk of this happening. It’s too sudden…”

The girl’s pupils vibrated incessantly as if an earthquake had occurred, not knowing what to do. Even the hands that received the brooch began to tremble.

Although it was set up that Kael had a crush on her, in the end, if they did not marry, it would end in a small scandal. However, attaching this brooch was nothing short of publicly announcing their relationship. Even for a noble, let alone because she was a noblewoman, she could not rashly request an engagement annulment. The engagement of nobles was almost like an act of possession.

As it was a traditional ceremony performed in front of the emperor, there was no turning back when their names were later recorded in the noble registry as a married couple. Since Darien was already listed as a noblewoman, it was clear that even if it was Kael, the aftermath of such an act would be tremendous.

To cover this up, as a noblewoman and as the fictitious Lady Orange, the only way was to never visit the central capital for the rest of her life.

Perhaps the only alternative was to never escape from the Bayorin territory until death. Even so, if the nobles or the lord of the Northern Duchy in the central capital wanted to see her, it would be exposed.

“How did this happen? How could this…?”

Darien felt like she was losing her mind because of the thousands of eyes looking at her. Her son had clearly mentioned that there was a woman who had marked her. And that woman said she would attend the inauguration ceremony. But why on earth was she handing her a brooch…? Nothing made sense.

“Not me, go to someone else, to the beloved who loves you, quickly!”

Darin tried to ramble on and escape this situation, but one of her hands was restrained by Kael, so she couldn’t break free. Thinking about it quietly, she felt that rejecting a nobleman’s proposal was an enormous disgrace, so what was the point of rebelling?

But if she didn’t accept, whose honor was her son defending? Perhaps the woman who rejected such a man might attract even more attention.

“Mother, it’s okay. It’s okay, so please trust me and put on the brooch.”

Kael whispered gently in her ear, unheard by anyone. In the end, Darin could do nothing but reluctantly attach the brooch, shedding tears. To others, she might seem like a woman moved to tears by a romantic proposal, but that wasn’t the case.

“Ah…”

Because her hand trembled so much, she couldn’t even properly fasten the brooch. Tears kept clouding her vision. She started feeling not just embarrassment but also guilt, as if she were committing a great sin behind her husband’s back. No matter how much she despised her husband, they had spent over 30 years together. There had been affection. So, she couldn’t help but feel self-loathing for sneaking out and causing trouble.

“Stop crying and be careful, you might prick yourself with the pin.”

Her son gently held his mother’s hand, which was holding the brooch, comforting her with soft words. He was helping her fasten the brooch. While I was crying, Kael seemed to be smiling. So, in the end, is this a good thing? Now, I don’t know anything anymore.

“Well done.”

It was somehow like consoling a child. The tone was polite, but somehow it made Darin feel emotionally complicated, as if the positions of parent and child had been reversed.

After finishing dressing up, Kael stood tall, exuding a grand and confident air. With no hint of shame, he truly looked dignified. A man in a white suit with a golden brooch attached would undoubtedly appear heroic to anyone.

For the final farewell, Kael embraced the trembling woman tenderly and whispered in her ear.

“Thank you.”

Strangely, it sounded like a tone for parting. Even though they would always be together from now on, why did he say such words? Darrin felt as if he had lost the son he knew.

The man who released his mother from his embrace began to ascend the platform slowly, following the heroes and party members.

“Sob, sniff…!”

Darrin shed tears, gazed at his son standing firmly on the platform, wearing the brooch she had fastened.

Kael smiled brightly at the inauguration ceremony, more than anyone else present, and met the tearful mother’s gaze.