It Must Be Nice Having Two Mothers - 2
Her breathing had grown shallow, and even her hands had begun to tremble slightly. But she could not afford to show any sign of nervousness. She would not become a host who trembled before her guest. She had to appear as calm and composed as possible, as if nothing were amiss.
She steadied her trembling hands and took hold of the teacup. As the cup drew nearer to her lips, the subtle fragrance that spread from it seemed to ease her heart just a little.
Just a tiny bit.
Billy.
Her grip on the teacup tightened of its own accord. How resentful she felt toward Billy, who was not present at this gathering.
Even if she was the Countess, it was Billy who held the title. As a titled noble, he was more than qualified to receive a duke—no, it would have been far more proper for Billy to step forward.
Though the Magic Lord had said she wished to see her, mother-in-law or father-in-law, it was all the same. The Magic Lord would not have minded either way.
Just you wait.
The cowardice of slipping away alone the moment he heard the Magic Lord was coming. She would never forget it. Once he returned, they would be taking their meals separately and sleeping in separate rooms for quite some time.
...That is, if she still had the mental energy left for such things.
"The fragrance is truly lovely."
At the soft voice that came from right in front of her, she quickly raised her head.
And there she saw the woman with white hair and white eyes. The pale woman holding the teacup wore a warm smile in her crescent-curved eyes. Anyone else looking on would surely think she seemed genuinely delighted.
"I'm glad it is to your liking."
As she opened her mouth with a smile in return, the pale woman—the Magic Lord—smiled even more deeply.
"Please, speak comfortably. I hold you in the highest respect, Madame, so hearing honorifics from you makes me rather embarrassed."
At those words she froze solid. Speak comfortably? What on earth did that mean?
It was already burdensome enough to be receiving honorifics from the Magic Lord. She had heard that the Magic Lord treated everyone as her inferior except for the Imperial Family and her fellow dukes.
In truth, when one considered age, career, and title, she stood above all others, so there was nothing strange about it.
"You flatter me too much. When Your Excellency shows me such respect, how could I possibly speak freely?"
She managed to move her stiffened lips and produce an appropriate reply.
Good. That answer should pose no problem. Since the other party respects me, I shall respect them in turn—what more irrefutable response could there be?
"Heh heh, is that so? How regrettable."
Fortunately the Magic Lord let it pass, but...
Is it just my imagination?
Somehow the Magic Lord's gaze seemed to say, I'll let it go this time.
Even as she tried to dismiss it as mere fancy, her instincts cried out. She might have been able to decline for now, but one day she would have no choice but to drop the formal speech.
Someone who speaks casually to the Magic Lord.
The dizziness that had subsided began to well up again.
There were even stories that His Majesty the Emperor treated the Magic Lord with formality in private settings. What brave soul would dare use casual speech? She, for one, absolutely could not. Never.
"Pffft—! We're family now, so speak freely! Should I call you 'young lady' too?"
Suddenly a memory from the past surfaced. The first duke she had ever met in her life, a meeting that had been far too dazzling. Even now, that pealing laughter seemed to linger in her ears.
Were all dukes like this? She had not met the other three yet, but she was starting to feel a little afraid.
"Madame, your cup is empty."
As she stared blankly down at her teacup, the Magic Lord reached toward the teapot.
For a moment she could not grasp the situation.
"Y-Your Excellency. Please, allow me."
Only when Laura, who had been standing behind, hurriedly stopped the Magic Lord did she come back to her senses.
Just now, had the Magic Lord tried to pour tea into her cup herself? With the head maid present, a duke was going to do it personally?
Karl...
Just as with Billy, her eldest son who was absent from this gathering came to mind.
It was not resentment. Unlike a certain someone who had cowardly slipped away, that child diligently fulfilled his own role in silence.
But still, but still—what on earth had he done to make a duke behave this way? How thoroughly had he enchanted her...
"Thank you, Head Maid."
When Laura filled both her cup and the Magic Lord's, the Magic Lord smiled gently and offered her thanks.
Of course, Laura's great agitation at receiving honorifics from the Magic Lord was only natural.
She's set her mind to it.
At that sight she nearly let a bitter smile slip out. Showing such a friendly attitude and even using honorifics toward Laura, the nanny who had raised Karl on her back.
Truly, truly, one could only call it thorough. Her determination to win over every person around Karl was plain to see.
About an hour later, they moved from the reception room to the garden.
"Even at a glance, this is a beautiful and refreshing place. Being something of an elf myself, I feel glad whenever I see a well-tended garden."
"I shall be sure to tell the gardener. He will be delighted to hear that Your Excellency praised it."
Still wearing the smile that had never left her face since their first meeting, the Magic Lord nodded and looked around the garden. As if she meant to commit every bit of it to memory.
Unlike earlier, her ears had perked up a little, her face slightly flushed. Did elves truly have a bloodline that loved nature?
"So this is the garden where the baby used to play."
At the softly spoken words, she quietly turned her head. It was not elf blood, but the blood of unrequited love.
And from childhood Karl had spent his time not in the garden but in the training grounds. All because of this immature, unmotherly mother.
She opened and closed her mouth a few times before sealing it again. It felt a little too burdensome to say something like "This is not the place" to the delighted Magic Lord.
"What about that tree?"
As she looked this way and that, the Magic Lord's gaze fixed on one side.
Following the Magic Lord's line of sight, she saw two trees standing alone and apart. Aside from the small stone monument in front of them, there was nothing particularly special about them.
Yet the Magic Lord had uncannily set her eyes on those trees. In this garden, she had found for herself the most precious things of all, without hearing it from anyone.
"They are commemorative trees. The one on the left was planted when Karl was born, and the one beside it when Erich was born."
Even as she spoke the words, a slight smile formed on her lips. The saplings that Billy had dug the earth for and she had planted. Now, just like those children, they had grown so large and sturdy.
"Once those children find their matches, I plan to send the trees to the mansions where they will live."
Since the trees had shared in the children's births, it was only right that they continue together with the children from now on. If possible, she would like to plant commemorative trees for her grandchildren right beside them as well.
In the warmth that filled her heart of its own accord, she ended up saying even words she need not have added.
Her gaze had been drawn with uncanny force to ordinary trees.
"They are commemorative trees. The one on the left was planted when Karl was born, and the one beside it when Erich was born."
She nodded at the Madame's words.
Indeed.
There was a reason her gaze had been drawn. Trees commemorating the birth of her baby—were they not the most precious trees in all the world?
It was as if the World Tree, said to have burned four hundred years ago, had returned to this land. From now on, those trees would be the World Tree of her heart.
"Once those children find their matches, I plan to send the trees to the mansions where they will live."
At the Madame's continuing words, her heart pounded.
Then that World Tree would come to her castle. She would have to tell the steward to prepare a place in advance. Since it was the most precious tree of all, it was only right to secure the finest spot.
Once the World Tree was planted, she would plant flowers around it as well. As many as the children who would be born between her and her baby, beautifully and splendidly.
"They are truly beautiful."
"They are my treasures."
At the words she had murmured unthinkingly, the Madame answered with a brighter smile than ever before.
A smile full of sincerity. A laugh that revealed just how much she cherished and loved her baby.
Someone who can smile like that.
A bitter feeling rose in her. Because of her own unreasonable visit, the woman who had been so restless and uneasy was now smiling so brightly—it made her feel as if she had done something wrong.
Still, it could not be helped. Her baby was tightly hidden away at the Academy, was he not? If she went to the Academy without warning, her baby would simply flee to some place she did not know.
So she had chosen this method. Not her baby, but relationships with those around her baby.
Someday.
It was awkward now, but with time it would become familiar. From a relationship of watching each other's faces to a comfortable one.
Step by step, steadily. If she did that, it would surely come to pass.
"Trixie. The awkwardness that comes from differences between races cannot be helped."
Words her mother had once spoken to her in the past.
"Even this mother of yours was awkward with your grandmother, you know."
"With Grandmother?"
She remembered being surprised by those words. Because her mother and grandmother had always gotten along so well.
"Yes. But if you meet often and grow familiar, the awkwardness disappears. Even if the races differ, we are the same intelligent beings, after all. You come to realize there is no difference from ordinary humans."
And then she had poked Trixie's cheek and chuckled.
"To that end, it is also important to hold the mindset that I am not an elf but a human. If you insist on elven ways of thinking in human society, it only causes trouble, does it not? In that case you might as well live in the elven district."
At the words of her mother, who had truly settled splendidly into human society, she had only nodded again and again. I see. No matter how much elven blood flows in me, if I live like a human, then I am a human.
"That is why this mother of yours discarded her elven age."
"...What?"
As a child she had not understood those words, but now she did.
The ages of elves, which were hundreds as a baseline. Bringing that into human society would only cause confusion. In that case, one need only adjust it to fit humans.
Her mother had chosen only ten percent of her age. That was how she had been able to become a daughter-in-law younger than the grandmother.
Me too.
Though she was not a pure-blooded elf and so ten percent like her mother would be insufficient, at least twenty percent should work.
Yes. Her human-style age was twenty-four. Three years older than her baby, and far younger than the Madame—twenty-four.
She should treat the Madame with that in mind. Then the Madame would also be able to erase her awkwardness toward her and grow closer.
...Mother.
Her heart swelled. Her mother always gave her such great insights.
The will that told her not to feel the same sorrow. With that will she had chosen the method of extending her baby's lifespan. Thanks to it, she had found a partner with whom to share the world.
The advice to discard elven age in order to integrate into human society. With that advice she had found a way to approach her baby.
"Your Excellency?"
When she remained silent, the Madame spoke as if puzzled.
"It is nothing, Madame."
She gently smiled and shook her head.
But she felt a little embarrassed. She had been too absorbed in her thoughts in front of the woman who would become her mother-in-law.
I must reflect.
Think like a human. It is not proper manners to let one's mind wander before an elder.