Swift Heartbreak
That’s right.
There’s something I forgot to mention. In truth, the master of Darin Castle—Viscount Bayorn—has been away from his seat for quite some time.
Having received an urgent imperial summons, he led hundreds of barbarian warriors out of the territory. Their goal: the suppression of demonkin remnants.
I might seem rather carefree about it, but judging by my husband’s usual habits, this was nothing to fret overmuch about.
The campaign had been projected to last roughly two months from the outset. Thus the period of his actual disappearance amounted to no more than a single month.
When campaigns drag on, or when situations grow urgent, there are often cases where no letters can be sent. It doesn’t happen all that frequently, but it certainly does occur.
More than anything, my husband, Viscount Bayorn, is one of the North’s greatest warriors. The spirit of a berserker swinging a massive two-handed axe is not something mere demonkin grunts can handle lightly.
Some minor variable must simply have given him reason to linger a little longer. I don’t merely believe it—I am certain he will return.
Besides, the viscount’s house has already dispatched an investigation team, so we should hear news soon enough. Well, the fact that I do not love my husband might also be why I worry less. I won’t deny it. Kael or Piel would have been stomping their feet in anxiety even if he had only been missing a week.
“I don’t think anything has happened to your father.”
It isn’t that I wish him harm. No matter how much I resent him, after so many years together some affection has inevitably taken root. He’ll come back alive, of course. That man always has.
“But this time, doesn’t your premonition feel off? If there were a reason, they’d normally send a single soldier to report the situation.”
“Perhaps he judged that putting that soldier into the fight would be better than sending him as a messenger. You know how much of a battle maniac he is, don’t you?
And premonitions…? Kael, your mother believes nothing until she hears it and sees it for herself.”
Kael stroked his chin with an expression hard to read. Looking at that, he really did take after his father in some ways.
“Hmm, I see. Understood. If Mother puts it that way, I won’t bring it up again.”
But was the three years the problem? The Kael who returned felt a little like a stranger.
“But thinking about it carefully, remarriage from Mother’s position doesn’t seem entirely bad.”
“…?”
I made a puzzled face. Of course I did. Up until just now it had felt like a child fretting over his parents’ infidelity. But suddenly remarriage isn’t so bad? Wasn’t that too quick a change of stance?
“Suddenly? No, I have no intention of meeting any other man at all.”
“Isn’t it true that you never know until you’ve experienced something? Mother has never loved a man before, after all.”
“…Experience or whatever, I have no particular interest in the opposite sex. Kael, I’ve told you before, haven’t I? As long as I have you two, that’s enough for me.”
“It might be that way for now. But as time passes, your thoughts might change. If your heart ever does change, please feel free to tell me. I know a truly excellent match nearby.”
An excellent match that Kael knows… Then wouldn’t it usually be someone around his age? Or has he already formed connections with nobles who could help the viscount’s house? In any case, Kael is a boy full of filial piety, so he must be bringing this up for my sake. In that case, reacting sharply wouldn’t be good.
“Yes, thank you. But I have no such thoughts right now, so let’s drop this topic.”
When ending an uncomfortable subject, one had to be gentle yet firm. Whether my intention got through or not, my son’s acceptance was quick.
“Understood, Mother.”
With those words a brief silence settled. I offered a slightly bitter smile and met Kael’s gaze. It was meant to say that while Mother might not fully understand your feelings, if something is bothering you, please let me ease it.
Because to me Kael was the most precious existence, I didn’t want to fall out of his favor. And I was also grateful that he had allowed me this outing.
After looking at me a few times, he flushed and hung his head low. Look at that. Huhu, if he gets that embarrassed around his parent, how is he going to handle marriage later? I heard most of the noblewomen in the capital wear fox masks, after all.
Hmm…?
Marriage?
Wait.
Come to think of it, shouldn’t Kael be getting married soon too?
And with the suppression campaign, it’s been delayed a bit. Since he only ever looked at his mother growing up, there’s no fiancée arranged either.
“Kael, now that I think about it, whether your mother is having an affair or not wasn’t the important thing.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re already twenty-three, aren’t you? Then you should start preparing to take a wife.”
“…Hahaha.”
Kael stared at me with a momentarily blank expression, then laughed a beat late and continued.
“That’s right. It’s the marriageable age, so I should take a wife. Your son’s thoughts aren’t much different from Mother’s.”
“Kael, you’re surprisingly quick to agree…?”
“It’s been quite a while since I became an adult. And Mother has said it repeatedly, hasn’t she? Continuing the bloodline is a noble’s duty.”
Since my son’s reaction was positive, it was welcome from my position as well. The child who used to stubbornly refuse to leave his mother’s side had, before I knew it, matured in heart as well.
Or perhaps the long period of abstinence focused only on the campaign had made him open his eyes to women without realizing it. In any case, for me who wished for the child to form a happy family, it was quite good news.
“I’ve already decided on the woman who will be my bride, after all.”
“Huh…? Really?”
But this was an unexpected statement. Because Kael treated women like wood and stone, I’d even drawn up a bride list intending to somehow marry him off once he returned from the expedition. Was all of that about to become meaningless?
My flustered expression must have looked a bit amusing. Kael gave a faint smile and replied in a tone full of conviction.
“Yes, I’ve had my eye on her for quite some time.”
“Wh-who on earth is it?”
Rather than answering my question, the boy rolled his eyes and made a playful smile. That was the gesture he’d used since childhood meaning “Mother, try to guess without me saying it.”
“No particular young lady comes to mind near you… Is it one of the noble young ladies in the imperial capital?”
“No.”
“Oh, could it be one of the members of the Hero’s party?”
“Not that either.”
“Then Mother has no idea?”
“As a hint, she’s a provincial noble.”
A provincial noble, not from the capital? Even though Kael is the heir of the viscount’s house, considering his achievements as a member of the Hero’s party and as a noble, there shouldn’t be any need to pursue a match with a provincial noble. Ah, of course, if it were a great power like our liege the Northern Grand Duke’s house, it wouldn’t matter.
“Then, are you talking about Lady Diana, the daughter of our liege?”
“Not her either.”
Then who in the world could it be? I’d brought up Lady Diana because I’d heard she had some interest in Kael, but there was no one else I could guess. There hadn’t even been any connections between other provinces and here.
As Kael’s marriage partner grew more and more distant, and my attitude of failing to produce an answer must have frustrated him, Kael opened his mouth first.
“The woman I’ve chosen as my marriage partner is, in fact, Mother.”
The boy’s blue pupils, reflecting the light, were clearer than usual. His tone seemed filled with great conviction, but once I realized the object of his gaze was me, a hollow laugh couldn’t help but burst out.
“Pfft, ah, what! Kael, are you really joking?”
“I am truly sincere.”
If it weren’t me, his mother, showing such an attitude, it would look like the pure-hearted man from a romance novel. Isn’t there some fine noble young lady somewhere? I’d love for someone to snatch up such a good man.
“Well, thank you for saying so, at least. Huhu.”
Is there anything happier than the child you bore in pain expressing his love for his mother with such wit? But the behavior of a fellow throwing such a line at a woman in her late thirties was so funny that a light laugh slipped out. If I were a commoner with no need to keep up appearances, I wouldn’t have been able to hold back and would have burst into roaring laughter.
“……”
“…Hmm?”
However, my laughter didn’t last long. Because I sensed a bit of hurt in Kael’s expression. Had I failed to consider the child again and acted rashly?
“Kael, why suddenly? Your expression looks so bad.”
“…It’s nothing.”
“Why, why? Did I do something wrong?”
“It’s not that, but…”
As the boy drew circles on the table again with a worried expression like before, I could only show a bewildered reaction. Having met my son after so long, it was hard to understand his feelings.
“But Mother, haven’t you said so since I was little?”
“Hmm? What did I say?”
“That marriage should be with the person you love.”
“…I did say that, didn’t I?”
It was something I’d often told Kael when he was young, but it was such a cliché everyone knows that I didn’t know how to respond.
“Then shouldn’t the woman I must marry be Mother?”
“…Eh?”
The unexpected answer flowed out so smoothly that I reacted with a foolish blank expression. For a very brief moment I didn’t understand what my child had said…
“Pwahaha!”
Belatedly understanding the boy’s words, I burst into laughter even harder than before, even clapping my hands—completely forgetting my status as a viscountess. Good heavens, how can my son be this adorable? That seemingly hurt attitude of his must have been the foundation he’d laid from the start to bring out this joke.
“Haha, Kael, how do you come up with such jokes…”
It was funny, and on the other hand so happy that I laughed for several minutes until tears welled in my eyes. Just as I barely wiped the tears and was about to express my gratitude to my treasure—
—Bang!
The boy roughly slammed the wooden door shut and stormed out of the annex.