66. Reading Romance Novels with Mom (3)
66. Reading Romance Novels with Mom (3)
[Episode 66] - Romance Novel Read with Omma (3)
That night, I had a dream.
It was a dream featuring an adult Titania.
Her hair was shorter than it is now, reaching her shoulders, and her eyes were slightly sharper. And her ruby-red eyes, which used to sparkle, looked shadowed and dark, unlike now.
In the dream, I was sitting on the bed, intently watching Titania standing beside me. Perhaps noticing my gaze, Titania glanced over and looked down at me. Unlike the face that always smiled at me, there wasn't a hint of a smile on Titania's face.
In the dream, I tilted my head up and asked Titania,
"Could you smile for a moment?"
"Why?"
"Just... I realized you don't smile much anymore."
Titania, who had been looking at me in the dream, fell silent for a moment, then widened her eyes and lifted the corners of her mouth into a smile. Seeing the spitting image of young Titania, I in the dream started laughing out loud, wondering what was so funny.
"Hehehe, yes, that's the expression. You used to smile like that so often when you were little."
"...Do you like the younger me better, Mother?"
Titania, sitting next to me, tilted her head and asked. In the dream, I rested my chin on my hand as if pondering for a moment, then gazed steadily at Titania sitting beside me. Although Titania was making her childhood expression, it looked awkward enough to tell she was forcing it.
In the dream, looking at that expression of Titania's, I rested my chin on my hand and replied,
"No, I just miss it, that's all. No matter how you grow up, there's no way I could dislike you, is there? It's just..."
Clank-
As I crossed my legs, the chain attached to my right ankle collided, making a loud noise.
Perhaps because it was a dream, I didn't feel the weight. However, the sensation of the cool chain against my skin felt cold even though I knew it was a dream.
In the dream, I showed Titania the chain tied to my ankle as if to make a point, and smiled bitterly. I shook my ankle, making a loud jingle-jangle sound, but Titania just stared at me.
"It would be better if you let me out of here."
Titania, looking at the shackles on my ankle, smiled faintly for some reason. Unlike the bright smile of a ten-year-old Titania, she answered me with an adult's smile, gently curving her eyes. There was even a sense of composure in that smile.
"That, I cannot do."
*
"...I really don't understand kids these days."
"...? Pardon?"
The next afternoon.
After finishing lunch, I decided to have tea with Lady Serina. Originally, I had intended to spend time with the Princess in preparation for the hunting competition tomorrow... but because the Princess had suddenly started sneaking away from me since this morning, I had no choice but to spend time with Lady Serina.
I pondered deeply, wondering if I had done something wrong last night, but I truly couldn't remember anything. Surely, hadn't we fallen asleep exhausted after playing together? I only remembered the Princess giggling happily; I couldn't for the life of me figure out what I had done wrong.
'Did I talk in my sleep or something when I had that dream?'
I felt like I had dreamt something today, but I couldn't remember what it was. I only assumed I might have had a nightmare because I was sweating slightly and my heart was pounding when I woke up. Could I have hit the Princess while sleep-talking back then...
I set down my teacup and continued, looking at Lady Serina as if to complain slightly.
"Sometimes she hugs me saying she likes me, and other times she avoids me saying she hates me."
"...Are you talking about the Princess?"
"Yes. The child who was trying so hard to sleep in my arms just last night is avoiding me today for some reason. I have no idea what the problem is... Sigh."
Saying it out loud, a long, sighing breath escaped me. The image of the Princess running away from my side the moment I woke up today seemed to flicker before my eyes. Even when I asked why she was angry, she wouldn't answer, just glaring at me with haughty eyes.
'What on earth did I do wrong...'
As I kept sighing like that, Lady Serina, who had been watching me, let out a chuckle. When I pouted slightly and looked at her, she covered her mouth with her hand as if trying to suppress her laughter and continued.
"Hu, hehe. Your Majesty the Queen must have many worries. Hehehe. A child's growth always makes parents agonize."
Perhaps because she was choking on her laughter, Lady Serina sipped her tea, set down the cup, and smiled at me.
"Isn't it natural for a child to try to distance themselves from their parents as they grow?"
"But the Princess is only ten..."
"Ten is certainly old enough for that. Even my daughter Viola tried to leave my side at nine. At some point, the way she addressed me changed from Omma to Eomeonim..."
Lady Serina gave a bitter smile, saying it was bittersweet that her daughter had left her side. Is ten already that age? Isn't it still an age where they should be acting cute to their parents? I thought for a moment, staring blankly at the black tea in my cup.
"The Princess has also started hitting puberty. Haven't you, and I, both gone through it at least once when we were young? That fiery period where you wanted to talk back to your parents for everything, and nothing was ever good enough."
"......"
Puberty...
Certainly, the Princess's puberty existed in the game as well. But how should I describe the puberty in the game? The puberty in the game was the Princess's rebellious phase that naturally began at age fifteen if you raised her normally.
A period where she wouldn't attend scheduled classes and would sneak out of the royal castle to play whenever she had the chance. A period where she would get scammed after claiming she was going to learn magic from a strange old woman living in an alley.
The Princess going through such a turbulent period was more of a headache than I could imagine.
Of course, the Princess's puberty didn't only start at fifteen. Sometimes, the turbulent puberty started when she was just around ten.
Anyway... since this is reality now, setting aside the game content, the idea that the Princess might already be hitting puberty gave me a bigger shock than I expected. I had anticipated it would come someday, but the thought of hearing "I hate you, Omma! Go away! Don't cling to me!" already made my heart ache.
"Hoo... Puberty..."
As I let out a deep sigh, Lady Serina clapped her hands to change the subject and began talking about the hunting competition.
"Oh, right. Are you and the Princess really not planning to attend the hunting competition tomorrow? I've already arranged for you to accompany the scholars, but..."
"I'm not. Do I look like I could pull a bowstring with these arms? The Princess and I intend to sightsee in the forest. Rumors abound that there are many fascinating animals... I hope it leaves the Princess with happy memories."
"I see..."
Before arriving here, I had already clearly stated my position to Lady Serina via letter that I would not be participating in the hunting competition. I told her that after following the scholars to sightsee in the forest with the Princess, I would enjoy a picnic with her. I replied that I would visit the hunting competition but would not directly participate.
It was inevitable that Lady Serina would look a bit disappointed and glum. After all, as the owner of the forest, her hobby was hunting. She had mentioned wanting to hunt with me, but...
"I'm sorry for acting as I please when you went to the trouble of inviting me to the hunting competition. I just think it's still too early for the Princess to see animals being killed..."
"Oh, no! Your Majesty the Queen has no reason to apologize to me!"
When I apologized, Lady Serina was startled and waved her hands. Seeing her tone become stiff for a moment because she was so surprised, I let out a chuckle.
Well... I said that, but I had a different purpose. When enjoying the picnic with the Princess, I planned to dismiss the knights who had followed as escorts for a while, then ride a horse into the 'mist' deep in the forest.
I had memorized the path through the mist endlessly in the game, so I wasn't worried. My plan for tomorrow was to quickly enter the mist on horseback while the knights were away and talk to the dwarf in the 'hut' inside the mist.
Even if it were different from the game and I got lost in the mist, it was a mist where fairies don't get lost, so if push came to shove, I could just get help from Ainsel.
"You said you would be participating in the hunting competition, right? I'll look forward to some magnificent game."
"Hehehe, just leave it to me! I'll catch such amazing game that even Your Majesty the Queen will be left jaw-dropped!"
Lady Serina raised her arm and struck a bicep pose, showing me her arm muscles. I hadn't noticed when she was in a dress, but when she flexed, the fine muscles bulged out, showing just how much she had trained her muscles to shoot a bow.
Even though this was a world inside a game, women hunting was still something frowned upon here. Yet, Lady Serina even built up arm muscles just to hunt... I thought that she was indeed an interesting person, just as Vin Chaud had recommended.
And so, the next day arrived.
Finally, the day of the hunting competition had come.
From the carriage heading to the forest, I could see the colorful autumn forest through the window. An autumn forest beginning to be dyed with yellow and red fallen leaves.
And, deep in that forest, I could see a hazy mist settled in place. To the point where it felt bizarre, the mist stayed in one spot, rejecting the intrusion of everything.
"We have arrived! Your Majesty the Queen!"
As the coachman shouted, the knight who had followed as an escort opened the carriage door. As the door opened, a cool autumn breeze brushed against the back of my neck, and seeing the hazy mist in the distance, it finally felt real. The realization that, finally, the Princess would be able to meet the 'dwarf' of the hut.