Viscountess Mandarin
The northern lands, edged sharp as a blade, lay shrouded in a blizzard that raged like a storm. The cold was so bitter it could shatter a hand to pieces, and not even a single bird took to the skies.
And what of those cliffs, honed as if by a whetstone, and the barren, desolate earth? Yet the castle perched at their summit cut a truly imposing figure.
This was Darin Castle of the Bayorn Viscount family. My husband's domain, and my home as well.
My name is Mandarin. I am the Viscountess of the great House of Bayorn.
Isn't that a bit much pretension for a mere viscountcy, you ask?
Oh, is it?
Still, with the true master of the North—the Grand Duke of the North—as our liege, I wonder if we have any right to bandy about words like "great." The truly great one is the Grand Duke himself, after all.
But no matter where one's house sits in the hierarchy, shouldn't a noble lady carry a certain pride?
Bayorn had once been a small kingdom of barbarians who stood against the Empire. Its scale? No more than a hundred thousand souls at best.
Even so, we carry the blood of kings. Though we have since submitted to the Empire and been absorbed as a viscountcy, that noble lineage does not simply vanish.
In truth, for all my proud speechifying, not a drop of Bayorn blood flows in my veins.
In my previous life, I lived as a man and met an ignominious end from a tangerine allergy. Pitying me, a goddess bestowed upon me a crude cheat ability—"You will not die no matter what tangerine-related crop you eat. And you will live a long, healthy life"—and cast me into this bleak medieval world as an outsider.
After that, I was reborn in a neutral zone beyond the Empire's borders. Born into a prosperous commoner family that made its living from tangerine orchards, I led a peaceful life. My parents named me Mandarin, meaning "tangerine." It might have seemed a slapdash name, but as a newborn I had no say in the matter. As time passed, I stopped caring.
If not for those damned Bayorn barbarians' raid, I would have spent my remaining days on that tangerine farm. But my parents' heads were severed, and I was kidnapped and forced into marriage with my current husband. Looking back, it wasn't even a forced marriage. It was simply rape with a foregone conclusion.
How old was I then? Seven when I was kidnapped. Fourteen when my husband first took me? They say that was the marriageable age in Joseon times. In this world that styles itself after the Middle Ages, early marriage is apparently the norm. But that was their affair. It wasn't mine.
Anyway, let's leave those grim tales behind. I don't particularly want to dwell on them either. What others might find puzzling is why I, a victim of the Bayorn family, fully melted into them—and why I take pride in these barbarians.
Well, there's no special reason. I simply love my children with all my heart. For the first time, I felt the emotion called love toward those two angels with snow-white hair.
The first was a boy. Akael.
The second, a girl. Apiel.
Having lived over thirty years as a woman in this life, I no longer think of myself as a man. Anyone who still considered themselves male after all that time would be the real madman. And accepting that I was a woman was also a resolve to become a good mother.
My children's veins run with the blood of northern barbarians. It would have been wonderful if they had been born into the great house of our liege, the Grand Duke of the North, and lived flawless, perfect lives—but things turned out this way, so what can one do?
Even so, it was far better than inheriting the blood of a commoner like me who had nothing. No matter how much the imperial nobles look down on House Bayorn, a viscount is still a viscount—and once, that bloodline had been kings among the barbarians.
And so, wanting to pass on the best to my beloved children, I decided to accept this family. The common subculture tropes of pregnancy escape or fleeing with the kids—I considered them when my resentment toward my husband ran high, but when it became reality, I realized it was nothing a sane person would do.
As a commoner woman, I'd be lucky not to get gang-raped by beggars on the roadside. And what of my children, who would inherit poverty? What could I do with a trash ability like "doesn't get sick from eating tangerines"? I didn't love my husband. But for my children's sake, settling here was the right choice.
Decades have passed since then. I entered my thirties long ago, and the children have grown into proper adults. And today was a rather special day. For one of my treasures, the eldest son of House Bayorn, had returned after defeating the Demon King.
"Kael, have you grown even taller since last I saw you? Somehow you look bulkier than your father."
A rough-hewn handsome man with snow-white hair like pure snow and jewel-like blue eyes. Moreover, he stood over two meters tall, his muscles bulging and flushed like massive boulders. My son truly cut the flawless figure of a hero.
"I must have inherited good genes, being whose son I am."
"Heh. And whose son are you?"
"Mandarin Bayern. The eldest son of the noble Viscountess."
"What's so noble about your mother? The noble blood is your father's."
"That isn't so. Mother is the greatest woman I have ever known."
"Honestly, the fuss you make…"
The worship was excessive. What was there to elevate so highly about a mother who was nothing more than a commoner?
Still, it felt good.
A soft, ticklish warmth bloomed in my chest. My child, who respected me so sincerely, was far too precious. We had embraced when we first met, but it hadn't been enough to ease the longing. In the family's private chambers, with no one watching, couldn't I show affection a little more freely?
But I had to restrain myself.
He was a grown man who had long since come of age, and I, as a noble lady, had to maintain my dignity. Any improper behavior on my part would only stain the family's honor.
Besides, even among family, if a mother showed too much affection, he might find it burdensome.
Come to think of it, it had been three years since I last saw Kael's face. I was simply overjoyed, but the boy would need time to grow accustomed again, so restraint was the wiser course.
It was sad, but the days of clinging to each other and strolling through the tangerine orchards as we had when he was small would have to remain a page in the book of memories.
"Well, anyway, you've worked hard. But is the Hero's eyes really golden? I've never seen them, so I'm curious."
"Of course. Ordinarily they are a plain gold, but when he swings his sword they flash brighter than the sun."
"Really? I'd love to see that for myself. Since he defeated the Demon King, he must be incredibly strong, right?"
"When he swings his sword, mountains split, valleys form pairs, and thunder rains down from above. Lucas is probably a being on an entirely different level from the rest of us."
"Lucas? Is that the Hero's name?"
"Haha, it slipped out without me realizing. Yes. Lucas means 'light,' he said. Considering his presence, it's a rather fitting name, don't you think?"
"Wow…"
My son was truly remarkable. How could he address the strongest human alive, the Hero himself, so familiarly? Then again, as a member of the Hero's party, it was only natural. Wait a moment…
"Kael, did the Empire or the Grand Duke's house mention any small reward for defeating the Demon King? Something like succession to a count's title…"
"I haven't heard anything yet, but a triumphal ceremony is scheduled soon, so they might announce it there."
"Really? Then just in case, I should head up to the capital myself."
"Mother?"
Hmm…? The moment I finished speaking, his eyes suddenly sharpened. Kael, why are you glaring at your mother so fiercely? Is my going to the capital that displeasing?
"What's wrong, Kael? I want to congratulate you, and I also want to see the Hero who defeated the Demon King."
"…Now that I look at it, Mother seems quite interested in the Hero."
"Of course. He's a fellow outsider like me, isn't he?"
"He could be a human from another dimension entirely."
"Still, you never know. A few conversations would tell. Ask about kimchi stew or doenjang stew, or if he's a foreigner, just ask if he knows McDonald's."
"…Ha."
What was that? Did he just sigh? In the three years we were apart, Kael seems to have grown a little prickly. Or is there some reason…
"Hey, Kael. Do you hate the idea of your mother visiting the capital that much? Are you embarrassed by your commoner mother?"
"Absolutely not. You know how I feel about you, Mother. How can you say such a thing?"
"Then why did you sigh?"
"…That… I'm sorry."
"No, if I just know the reason you're acting this way, I'll be fine. Can't you stop hiding it and tell me honestly?"
"……"
Kael looked at me several times, then began drawing circles on the table. It was a habit he had always had since childhood whenever his worries deepened or something troubled him. Seeing that, I knew without a doubt that this was still my unchanging child.
"You know, don't you? The way those noble bastards look at Mother."
Ah, so that was the reason? But this boy really was making a fuss. I know perfectly well that I'm pretty. Why else would my husband have made a commoner like me his official wife? The reason is obvious enough.
But the nobles casting those lecherous gazes at me was a very long time ago. How old was I then? Late teens to early twenties, I think…
Anyway, there was no longer any need to worry. In a noble society where the average marriage age is seventeen or eighteen, someone my age is not a spinster but practically an old hag.
More than anything, from that time on I had been under my husband's gag order of house arrest. So attending my son's triumphal ceremony would be my first outing in decades. How could I possibly let an opportunity like this slip away?
"Look, your mother is well past thirty, you know? That sort of thing only happened in my late teens. No one will even glance my way now."
"On the contrary, since your appearance hasn't changed at all, you're certain to draw even more attention."
"Kael, stop making such a fuss. Mom's starting to feel hurt. Are you going to act just like your father?"
"N-no, that's not it… Mother, still…"
"And what do you mean my appearance hasn't changed at all? That's just you looking at your mother through rose-colored glasses."
"It's not rose-colored glasses. It's the truth."
"Enough! Stop with the embarrassing compliments. Fine, I understand why you're worried. It feels like overkill, but I'll even wear a mask, so can you stop opposing me? I really want to go out for once…"
"…Haa, all right. But you must stay right by my side the entire time."
Huh? Even with a mask, I have to stick right next to my son? That's far too embarrassing… And for Kael, who's a full-grown adult, it wouldn't look good either.
"I think you'd be the one getting criticized. A member of the Hero's party who can't leave a woman's skirts."
"I don't care. However those people judge me is none of my concern."
"Aren't you restricting your mother a bit too much?"
"Then you won't go?"
"N-no! I'll go, I'll go! I'll stick right to you, so please allow it!"
"You must not mention which house you belong to either."
"Wait, that's really going too far. And wouldn't you like to receive congratulations from your parents at the triumphal ceremony?"
"I can receive congratulations right here, can't I? Your son won't feel the slightest regret if Mother doesn't attend the ceremony."
"…You've grown cold in these three years."
"I have always been the same. The one who has changed is Mother. Why are you suddenly forcing yourself to go out?"
"Why is an outing that everyone else does considered forcing myself when it's me? What has your mother done so wrong that you're scolding me like this?"
"Wait. Mother, could it be……"
"…?"
Why did he suddenly trail off mid-sentence? And why is his face hardening so fiercely again? He may be my son, but with that massive build, when he scowls it makes me tense. What on earth is he about to say with that serious expression…
"Surely you aren't searching for a remarriage partner?"
Huh?