Expressions of Affection for Mother
"It's about showing affection."
"...Showing affection?"
Lanihel's brown eyes shone with absolute certainty. She looked so confident that even words which would normally have sounded absurd carried a strange persuasive force.
"Show affection? To Mother?"
"Yes. I'm sure she'd love it. Why not try acting a little spoiled and cute?"
"...Ugh."
I stuck my tongue out, my face twisted in pure disgust. I wasn't a little kid anymore. A fully grown child acting spoiled toward a parent? Whether something that cheap would actually make her happy was highly doubtful, at least to me.
"Isn't there something else? Like a gift, maybe."
"Hmm... Young Miss, you can't exactly give the Baroness money, can you? Or do you happen to have something that would be of real help to her?"
"...No."
What could the daughter of a house that might collapse at any moment possibly have? Just as Lanihel said, there was nothing financial I could offer to win Artasha's favor.
"From what I can see, even a small gesture would be more than enough."
Lanihel wore a mature smile as she spoke without the slightest hesitation.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Oh my. I've worked here since the Young Miss was still nursing. I know at least that much."
"..."
I couldn't argue with that.
Besides, I had only been possessing this body for three months. When it came to what Artasha liked, Lanihel clearly knew far better than I did.
"But... isn't it a little too cringey at my age?"
"What does age matter? In the Baroness's eyes, you'll always look like a baby."
That was probably true. Thinking about it, Lanihel had a point. Personally I still felt resistant, but I had seen plenty of mothers and daughters exchanging affectionate gestures on TV and social media.
If it had been a son and father, it would have been thoroughly awkward, but between women the acceptable range for affectionate displays seemed fairly wide. Of course, I had no idea where the line actually was.
You'd have to live as a woman to know that.
And if I thought of it as an action to raise her favorability, it wasn't something I couldn't do. In fact, if a little affection was enough to win Artasha over, it would be an absolute bargain.
"Alright, I'll keep it in mind. Thanks, Lanihel."
"But why are you suddenly asking about this?"
Lanihel looked at me with puzzled eyes. Fair enough—considering Tina's usual personality, the question must have sounded rather startling.
"Mother looks so tired. I just wanted to be of even a little help."
"Oh... oh my."
Lanihel covered her mouth with both hands, her expression overflowing with emotion. Judging by the way she looked ready to cry, she must have been quite the sentimental type.
"I've been so worried ever since the previous head of the house passed... but it seems I no longer need to be. You've matured, Young Miss."
"...Have I?"
If this counted as maturing, then yes, I had matured. After all, the soul of an adult man was now inside a fifteen-year-old girl's body.
"If there's anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to tell me, Young Miss."
Lanihel smiled tenderly and gently clasped both of my hands. The gaze was rather burdensome, but I forced a smile onto my lips and answered.
"I will, Lanihel."
"Hehe... yes."
Hmm.
Showing affection, huh...
What would work?
I quietly opened the door and stepped inside. Calm air and the scent of paper drifted over me.
Less than a day later, I was back in the head of the household's study. Artasha sat at the desk in exactly the same posture as before, completely absorbed in her documents. I got restless after even an hour at a desk; in every way, she was an impressive person.
"What is it? I don't recall calling for you."
Artasha gave me a single glance, then returned her gaze to the papers without a shred of lingering interest. One could call it cold indifference. Tina would certainly have thought so.
Of course, I don't.
How could I dislike her? She was struggling so hard to earn the fortune that let me eat my fill; I was only grateful. If anything, having her pay attention to me and shower me with affection felt far more burdensome and unwelcome.
"I'm busy right now. If you have nothing to say, leave."
"You looked tired, Mother, so I brought you a cup of tea."
"What?"
Artasha's eyes flinched just as they had before—only more violently this time. As if she couldn't comprehend what she had just heard, she stared at me with pure incredulity.
"...You made tea? Yourself?"
"Yes. I asked Lanihel to teach me how."
Whether she was simply bad at controlling her expression or her eyes were just that transparent, I could read every thought running through Artasha's mind. A Tina who had spent all her time shut in her room reading books was suddenly showing filial piety; of course she was thrown off.
But one thing was clear: she didn't look displeased.
In moments like this, the approach was simple. After a brief internal calculation, I let my eyes droop sorrowfully and lowered my head.
"...I was thoughtless. You must have disliked it."
"What? Wait."
"I'm sorry, Mother. It's my first time making tea, so of course it must be bitter and taste terrible. It's nowhere near good enough for you."
Her wide blue pupils trembled as if an earthquake had struck. I fidgeted awkwardly with the teacup in my hands and turned weakly toward the door.
"I'm sorry for disturbing you... I'll take my leave."
"S-stop right there."
A hurried voice called me back. I turned my head as slowly as possible. Before I knew it, Artasha had risen from her seat and come right up to me.
She took the teacup from my hands, immediately took a sip, and then forced an awkward smile onto her lips.
"I thought you only liked books, but it seems you have a surprising talent for making tea. It's quite drinkable."
"...Really? Thank you, Mother."
Hmm.
That was a lie.
She truly couldn't hide her expressions at all. The pure, unguarded reaction didn't suit the cold, serious woman I had always imagined. I had no idea how she managed to survive high society like that.
After staring at the tea for a while, Artasha spoke in a low voice, her eyes complicated.
"Go on and say it. It probably won't work, but... I'll at least listen."
"Pardon?"
"You must want something. That's why you're doing this."
I blinked blankly at the unexpected words. She couldn't even accept something this small as genuine goodwill. Just how unfilial had Tina been for her to react like this?
Poor Artasha.
"Mother, the truth is..."
"Yes. Tell me."
Artasha nodded, her eyes faintly subdued. I chewed on my words for a long moment, then looked up at her with the most harmless expression I could manage.
"I only just realized it. How hard you've been working."
"....What?"
A dazed voice slipped past her red lips; clearly she hadn't expected those words.
"I read a book about a mother's love. Only after reading it did I understand how much you've lived for my sake."
Of course, in my previous life I had hated books. But considering Tina's bookworm setting, I spun the story in the most plausible direction I could.
"Y-you... read a book... like that?"
Judging by the violent trembling of Artasha's expression, this had been the correct answer.
"Yes. I really was so childish, wasn't I? I'm sorry... I was too clumsy to express it properly."
"..."
"From now on, I want to be a source of strength for you, Mother. But I don't have much ability... so this is all I can offer."
"N-no. You've already been a great help."
The way Artasha hurriedly waved her hands was rather adorable. I hadn't expected her to be this much of a doting mother; at the same time, a twinge of guilt rose in me.
I wasn't really her daughter, after all.
In a way, I might even be the villain who had stolen her daughter's body.
The guilt was there, but I decided not to dwell on it too much. In the end, they were all just characters created from someone's imagination inside a game.
Besides, it wasn't entirely a bad thing for Artasha either. Even if I was a fake daughter, she would receive the filial piety she would never have gotten otherwise.
In the game, Tina remained buried in the Imperial Library even after becoming an adult, and by the ending she simply took a bureaucratic post in the Empire. Once she had a job, there was no chance she would suddenly turn around and start being filial to her mother.
People don't change that easily.
My guess was that Artasha would have spent the rest of her life alone and lonely in this barony.
"Is something as small as tea really all right?"
"Y-yes. You're welcome to bring tea anytime."
So this was a transaction that fulfilled both our needs. I would give Artasha the filial piety the game version of her never received, and she would supply the food, clothing, and shelter necessary for my unemployed lifestyle.
"Still... I want to cheer you on even a little more."
I gently took Artasha's hand. It was quite cold. The saying that people with cold hands have warm hearts seemed to be true.
In that case, my hands must be warm.
I really don't know if something like this will make her happy, but...
I just hope it gives her even a little encouragement.
Looking into Artasha's startled eyes, I rose onto my tiptoes. Because of the considerable height difference, I had to lift my feet higher than expected.
Chu—
I gently pressed my lips to Artasha's pure white cheek. Soft skin and pliant lips met with a faintly embarrassing sound. After leaving a long lip-print on her cheek, I lowered my feet again.
To Artasha, who was staring with unfocused eyes as if she couldn't believe what had just happened, I offered a clear, bright smile and spoke.
"I'm always cheering for you. Do your best, Mother."