Click.
The carriage door swung open, and two middle-aged women stepped out.
I had never seen either of them before.
But…
That hair color…
The two women preparing lunch had noticed them as well.
“Casey.”
“Telma!”
“M-Mother…? Why are you here in the Margrave’s territory?”
“What happened?”
As I’d suspected, the two women were Casey-san’s and Telma-san’s mothers.
The sudden appearance of their mothers left both Casey-san and Telma-san frozen in place, still clutching their ladles.
“Hm. I was hoping for a touching family reunion. But it seems the surprise was a little too effective.”
The Margrave spoke with a satisfied nod.
“Well, that’s natural. Their mothers were supposed to be in the Royal Capital. Anyone would freeze if they suddenly appeared right in front of them.”
Thud!
“Guh…!”
Just then, the Margrave and Emilia-sama stepped out of the carriage.
So this surprise reunion had been the Margrave’s idea all along huh.
Emilia-sama’s merciless elbow drove straight into his ribs, and the Margrave doubled over in pain.
“Shun, Sue, Toria—I’ll leave things here in your hands.”
“O-of course. Shiro, could you help serve the food?”
“““Okay!”””
I’d already planned to take care of serving lunch anyway, so Emilia-sama hardly needed to ask.
The moment I called for Shiro, Fran and Horn—who had already finished eating—hurried over as well.
Well, all they had to do was carry the prepared dishes to everyone, so even the two of them could manage that.
“Mother… thank you for coming all this way.”
“We were told someone connected to the royal capital would be visiting, but… I never imagined it would be you.”
“How could I stay away? When I heard my daughter was in trouble, my feet carried me here before I even realized it.”
“And we’ve already heard most of what happened. You two have been through so much.”
““Mother…””
The two women could no longer hold back their tears. Watching them, I couldn’t help but think just how comforting a mother’s embrace could be.
Their mothers quietly wrapped them in warm, reassuring hugs. There was no doubt they had countless things they wanted to say to one another.
Sensing that, Emilia-sama gently ushered the two families toward the carriage, giving them a private place to catch up.
“The reinforcements from the royal capital arrived a little earlier than expected. (Munch, munch). Since they were already here, we thought it would be a good opportunity for everyone to meet sooner rather than later. (Munch, munch).”
The Margrave explained between mouthfuls.
“Sir, I think I understand the situation now… so could you please stop helping yourself to my food?”
As he casually sampled the bowl of soup I’d served for myself, the Margrave explained why he’d come.
From what I could gather, the situation had grown far beyond a dispute involving a few nobles. With a criminal organization now implicated as well, it had become a major incident—serious enough that the Royal Capital had rushed additional forces to the frontier.
“In any case, we still need to discuss what comes next. But for the time being, nothing changes for you and your companions. This is a matter for the Margrave of the Western Frontier, House Naska, and House Franz to resolve. (Munch, munch).”
“Which is exactly why, Sir, you can stop looking so pleased with yourself… and stop stealing my lunch.”
Watching the Margrave proudly finish off his second bowl of my soup, I could only slump my shoulders in defeat.
Still… I sincerely hope things would turn out well for all three noble houses.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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