147. The Married Queen's Mother-Daughter Donburi
In the quiet air during the meal, Siu quietly observed Crimhilt.
Her appearance and figure made it hard to believe she was in her forties, a few years older than Queen Sharfria.
The Lubblestone Countess, a model for knights, had a body that was equally exemplary for a knight.
Not just her looks, which seemed barely older than her eldest daughter Hildear, but especially her figure—full where it should be, slim where it counted. And without her usual armor, dressed in a gown instead, it drew the eye even more.
'As expected, better than her daughter... I just don't get how MILFs with kids end up even sexier.'
The beautiful married woman Queen Sharfria floated into Siu's mind.
Sharina and Hildear might feel hurt if they heard, but it couldn't be helped.
Not only did the moms not look worn out, they exuded that unique mature allure and sexiness. Their figures outshone the daughters', overflowing with maternal charm that no red-blooded man could ignore.
"……."
And the countess was fully aware of Siu's gaze.
'He's... staring so much.'
Siu thought he was being discreet, but she was a powerhouse beyond even a master knight.
Having reached a realm several levels above him, there was no way she wouldn't notice.
Of course, it didn't bother her.
Instead, it worried her. A handsome man staring was flattering, but she couldn't read his intentions. With nothing obvious coming to mind, she grew cautious instead.
'Is the dress weird or something?'
The Lubblestone Countess saw armor as a knight's formal wear.
Even in her own mansion, she wore it most of the time. She rarely attended parties with dress codes, so Siu had never seen her like this.
Thus, the gown felt awkward, though she knew etiquette. Hosting Siu as a guest in armor would be rude, so she'd dusted off a dress for the occasion—but anxiety lingered.
'Shouldn't have worn it.'
Maybe sticking to armor, even if slightly impolite, would've been better.
Then, a single phrase dispelled her unease.
"It suits you perfectly."
"…Pardon?"
"The dress. It looks great on you."
"……!!"
Crimhilt's eyes widened at the sudden compliment.
"Oh, uh, really? Th-thank you…."
Siu wondered if she doubted his sincerity, given her awkward expression.
It wasn't polite lip service—it was genuine.
Not something she'd bought herself, the gown was stunning enough to make one marvel at whoever chose it.
It even flattered her enough to wonder if it was lingerie. The dinner dress hugged her figure just right—not overly revealing, but showing soft skin in all the right places to catch a man's eye. The subtle, well-defined muscles befitting a knight only added to the appeal.
'Where'd she get it? I'd love to get one for Hilde later.'
A risqué mother-daughter matching set.
The mere thought was enough to stiffen him, and sure enough, his cock twitched in response.
'Ah, damn it.'
Just hours ago, he'd spent a sticky night with the lovely princess.
Right next to her mother—the woman carrying his child—no less.
After unloading several times in that ultimate taboo setup, his stamina had recovered already.
'Ever since getting the holy sword, my recovery's been insane...'
Maybe it had that effect.
The idle thought seemed plausible.
From using it on missions, the saint's holy sword differed from a hero's—it wasn't for combat.
The saint from centuries ago was just a bit more proactive and diligent than average, lacking combat talent and mainly supporting allies. So his sword leaned supportive too.
A passive like boosted virility recovery wouldn't be surprising.
"Um, Siu?"
"Ah, yes. Sorry, I was lost in thought."
Crimhilt gave a small smile at his apology.
"It happens. You've finished eating, so shall I have dessert brought out?"
"Thank you."
"No trouble at all."
A bell rang, and maids cleared the table swiftly.
Soon, hot tea and pastries filled the empty spots.
"Mm…."
The countess sipped her warm tea and let out a soft hum.
Having invited Siu and shared a meal, she suddenly blanked on conversation topics.
Crimhilt had zero gift for small talk.
Siu quickly caught on from her fidgeting—it was just like Hildear. The family blood runs deep, he thought with an inward chuckle.
Suddenly, the countess bowed her head.
"M-Mother-in-law?"
"I should've apologized sooner. Too late now."
"Apologize? For what…."
Siu racked his brain but drew a blank.
If anything, he owed her an apology—from their first meeting, about Hildear. He'd had little direct contact with the countess otherwise. He couldn't fathom her reason.
"If you don't remember, that's a relief… I suppose."
"……?"
"At least our Hilde's doing better than expected."
"……Ah."
Then it clicked—the reason for her apology.
Their first meeting less than a year ago had started with Hildear pouncing on him mid-masturbation.
'Come to think of it, that caused a huge fuss...'
A distant memory surfaced, feeling ancient now.
Unimaginable compared to today, but back then, Hildear had been in dire straits—dismissed from the royal guard, stripped of her knighthood, facing possible family exile.
Sharfria's overreaction stemmed from recognizing his value early, but Hildear's act was a grave crime. Without his forgiveness, she'd have suffered greatly.
"Haha. No need to apologize, Mother-in-law. I rather enjoyed it, after all."
"Mm. W-Well… thank you."
Crimhilt blushed and looked shy at his words.
"Still, I must apologize. Her behavior was partly my fault."
"Mm…."
This time, Siu understood immediately.
"It might sound like an excuse, but with the kingdom's poor state, I raised my daughters harshly. Very harshly, really."
"……."
Without waiting for a reply, the countess launched into her lament.
"Hero summons are too unpredictable, so the social trend was training top talents to join foreign hero parties. Mainly targeting the four nations around Palania."
Those four had been poaching nobles to erode the kingdom.
Legitimized talent drain via policy.
They weren't attracting heroes—instead, their own were leaving.
"To stop that, I pushed my girls to the brink, leading to that mistake. So my eldest's fault traces back to me…."
She wore a bitter expression.
An undeniable blunder.
Without Siu, a bigger disaster would've hit eventually, she believed.
"I won't say 'I understand' or whatever. Better if you talk it over with Hilde yourself later. I can arrange it if you like."
"…Hehe. Thank you, Siu."
A smile finally returned to Crimhilt's face.
Siu was endlessly grateful to her.
Reviving her kingdom, pleasing her queen, taking her eldest to secure the family line—a wonderful son-in-law. Plus, his broad-minded comfort and forgiveness.
'No wonder the queen and Hilde are head over heels... Huh?!'
Her fond gaze on her young son-in-law froze as she shuddered.
His pants were bulging noticeably.
"……."
'H-He's hard? Why?'
What had excited him?
As she reeled in confusion, Siu continued.
"Personally, I'm more worried about Hilde's… sister, than Hilde."
"Ah… You know, then."
"Yeah, well… Hilde's weak to alcohol, right? Heard it over drinks a few times. If that's rude…."
"No, not at all. You're already family—our son-in-law. You should know."
"Haha."
Siu laughed at the pleasant words.
But Crimhilt's worry didn't fade.
His comment pierced her heart.
Claudia Rubelstone.
The second daughter, who came of age last year.
Crimhilt's daughter, Hildear's little sister.
The Lubblestone blood was diligent, honest, loyal—but not everyone fit. Claudia was the glaring exception, a total delinquent.
Yet a skilled knight to boot.
"Sigh. The second one's twisted partly because of me. Honestly, she'd probably be that way anyway… N-No, I'm not defending myself."
Siu smiled knowingly.
"It's worrying. Last year, when I visited for her coming-of-age prep… you can't imagine the shock."
"Did she cause trouble?"
"She'd tanned her skin pitch black."
"…Pardon?"
Even Siu looked baffled.
In this pale-skin era, a noble deliberately bronzing her natural complexion? Definitely unique. Brown skin wasn't shunned, but headache-inducing for a mother.
"That must worry you."
"Exactly. Can't scold her over that alone, and Dia knows just how far to push without real punishment. Makes disciplining her tough."
Crimhilt vented about her second daughter with a fretful face.
Siu nodded sympathetically but couldn't suppress a grin.
Sorry Hildear, but this was the most mom-like expression he'd seen on her mother. Not that she hadn't mothered Hildear similarly.
'This is fun.'
That day, the budding conversation flowered into various topics, stretching through lunch.