episode_0025

“Hey, first of all, please calm down⋯.”

In the parlor of Algaet’s mansion, a new constable with short, light brown hair and freckles grabs the arm of the still-groaning coachman, who is dripping with sweat.

“I told you, you’re not as bad as Mom thinks… I’ll explain everything. Okay? ”

Ray stood in front of Mila, who was sitting politely with her knees together, and spoke. However, the sight of her son defending an outsider woman had the opposite effect, and the mother’s furrowed brow did not show any sign of loosening.

“I will definitely be responsible for your son and⋯.”

“Don’t shut your mouth!”

“Wow! Don’t do that! Let’s talk it out!”

“Mom!”

As soon as Mila opened her mouth, Ray’s mother tried to swing her fist again, and the officer who was holding her arm was dragged away, but he managed to hold on with great difficulty. Mila was shrunken and cowered against the coachman’s right arm, which had been trained through whipping.

“Responsibility? I heard the whole story from my colleague from Julep. How can you talk about responsibility after seducing a boy and doing terrible things in the carriage and in the inn room?”

“That’s a misunderstanding, Mom⋯.”

Algaet, who was watching this scene from afar, opened her eyes wide and muttered faintly.

“Then that’s right. There’s no way I wouldn’t have touched it.”

Holt, with a calm expression on his face, brews some calming, fragrant tea in the kitchen for the guests who suddenly arrive, and places the teacups on the table.

“You really have something wrong. You would never⋯⋯.”

“Misunderstanding? Ray. Has this woman ever touched your body?”

“Ah, um⋯.”

“⋯⋯.”

Both Mila and Ray are silent for a moment and then look away. Mila, as if the smell of the vegetable warehouse is still lingering on her clothes, puts her nose to her collar and sniffs for no reason. A few seconds of silence. In that awkward gap in conversation, Ray’s mother’s face, who had been holding on to a sliver of hope, gradually turns ashen, and the officer, sensing something ominous, holds her tighter.

“This is real⋯⋯!”

Despite the policeman’s efforts, Ray’s mother rushes to Mila, and the chair she was sitting on falls over backwards. Holt grabs the teacup that was about to spill and pushes it far away, and Algaet, who was watching his trick, lets out a short “Oh.”

“Please don’t do that! I’ll arrest you!”

It seems like only yesterday that she became a public security officer, a long-time dream, and was assigned to a work location, and more than ten family members gathered to congratulate her. This morning, she was humming and energetically going to work, but now she is sweating profusely and struggling to get rid of a strong coachman.

“Sigh, sigh… I’m sorry… I’m sorry… ”

“Ughh …

Mila and Ray, who are both very scared and keep apologizing while being strangled, are caught between the two women and suffer as they suffocate on four lumps of fat.

The new officer barely managed to separate the two and secured Ray’s mother to a chair with a rope before straightening his disheveled clothes and taking out a piece of paper from his bosom.

“Oh, huh?⋯⋯Excuse me, do you have any writing utensils or something?”

She fumbles with her trouser pockets and speaks to Holt, who is standing next to her, with an embarrassed expression. Her expression doesn’t change, but she clears her throat as if she is still bewildered, and then takes out Algaet’s invention from the drawer.

As the officer who received the object with black charcoal-like substance on the end of a long wooden stick looked puzzled, Holt accepted it again and wrote something square on the paper himself.

“You can write it like this.”

“Ah, that’s really unique. Thank you⋯. Ahem, just tell me the truth when I ask you questions. First of all, who’s the perpetrator? What’s your name⋯.”

“⋯⋯.”

“⋯⋯.”

As both Ray’s mother and Mila remain silent, the officer turns his attention to the mother.

“Me? Me? The perpetrator? That guy who molested my son must be the perpetrator!”

“Um… I’m sorry. It’s my fault. I made a mistake with the title. Could you tell me your name?”

“Carlin Enel.”

“This is Ray Enel.”

“Mila⋯⋯Arshul.”

And the gazes of the police, Carlin, Algae, and Holt are turned to Mila.

“⋯Not direct.”

Mila adds. Ray, who has not yet learned the word for direct descendants in this life, decides to just ignore it.

“⋯I originally worked in this city, and by chance I met your son and his lover at this mansion. Is this it? Mr. Arsul, no, no. Mr. Arsul⋯? You said you are not the owner of this mansion, so why are you here?”

The officer asked cautiously, feeling as if the name Arsul should be treated with some sort of honorific title.

“That’s not necessary. I came here to escape the chaos that broke out on the streets yesterday. I’ve been a bit acquainted with the owner of this mansion for a while now.”

“Ah⋯.”

The officer becomes a little more cautious when the incident is mentioned.

“Trouble? What trouble?”

This time, everyone’s attention is focused on Carlin, who has a bewildered look on her face.

“I also only found out what was going on in the middle of the night. Until then, we had restricted access from other Earths.”

Algae intervenes.

“Soldiers indiscriminately kill and loot people⋯.”

“Ahem! Hmm! Enough with yesterday’s story, let’s talk about today.”

The officer interrupts Ray’s words and responds urgently.

“That happened? Ray. Are you hurt?”

“I’m okay. Mila was watching over me the whole time.”

Carlin’s gaze quickly turned to Mila, and she looked her up and down. Mila, slightly embarrassed, straightened her back, but Carlin quickly made a tsk sound and turned her eyes back to her son.

“I’m just a little surprised, nothing more. It doesn’t even sting anymore⋯ oh my!”

Ray covers his mouth as he tries to talk about his lower abdomen without thinking.

“Oh, I told you we talked about it yesterday!”

The officer stamps his feet, wondering what he is so cautious about.

“Well, I think you both thought there was a slight misunderstanding, and it wasn’t like you made a fuss on the street, so I’ll leave it at this point and go back. If anything comes up in the future, please call me!”

Ray, who had a fleeting thought that he would never be a child again and that he had to go this far with his child’s love life, did not readily harbor any feelings of resentment toward his mother in this life, as he had also raised a daughter at one point and had suffered from having to watch out for men before becoming a father-in-law.

“It seems like only yesterday that I said I would live with my mom forever.”

After the commotion died down and the police returned, the silence of the living room, where only the sound of tea being sipped, was broken when Carlin spoke.

“Ahahaha⋯.”

Ray laughs awkwardly. The sense of betrayal must be really great. He feels like his heart would be torn apart, so he hugs his mother’s arm for no reason. He also knows that neither he nor Ray’s mother can guarantee from the beginning that their young children’s words will be kept forever. But what can you do? It’s a pity, it’s a pity.

“That’s weird. I was pushing her back and telling her to hurry up and find a partner and leave. The people in my family are a bit weird, aren’t they? ”

Algaet tilts her head and speaks to Holt. When she doesn’t respond, she scratches her head and decides to go back to looking at the guests who came unexpectedly.

“I think it’s time to start preparing dinner. Husband. Do you have enough ingredients?”

Holt thought about it for a moment, nodded, and went back into the kitchen.

“Hey.”

“Yes⋯?”

The glaring eyes that Ray must have inherited stare at Mila. She relaxes slightly, then flinches again and straightens her back.

“Would you like a drink?”

“You mean alcohol? Hmm… I know how to drink.”

“Go out. Let’s talk just the two of us.”

At those words, Carlin suddenly stood up.

“Hey, hey. If we go out alone, we’ll fight again⋯.”

Algaet was muttering, while Ray’s face brightened.

Mila, who was hurriedly putting on her clothes, and Holt, who was taking out ingredients from the kitchen, came out of the living room.

“We are planning to prepare meals for our guests, so would you like to take them with you?”

“Oh, it’s okay. Right. I originally came here to return this, but here it is. Please take care of my son.”

Carlin hands Holt the bullets she brought him that morning, says goodbye, and turns around to walk away. Mila follows her.

“Milla⋯!”

Ray grabs her hand and calls her softly.

“Huh?”

When Mila looks down, Ray gestures for her to lower her head a little more. Mila bends down and puts her ear close to him.

“Do your best. Don’t make any mistakes!”

“Oh, I got it⋯. Gulp.”

Mila, who may have thought it was encouragement in her own way, felt even more burdened and followed Caroline out of the mansion on shaky legs.