Chapter 6: Duchess Eliana Liberica(2)

What situation is this!?

No, I clearly took the potion that makes you less noticeable, so how does she know!?

I stared at her in a panic, but upon closer inspection, it wasn’t like that.

The Duchess was looking towards the door.

‘Ah, if I don’t say anything, maybe she won’t know…?’

“Vigilante. Aren’t you going to say anything?”

“Haik!? A, no, that’s not it.”

‘…Ah, damn, I said it.’

“Huhu, you’re a cuter vigilante than I thought. So, did you come to help me again today?”

“Y, yes! B, because I am a righteous vigilante!”

With that, she grabbed my hand the moment I got close and handed her the medicine!

“Hiiiik!?”

“Your hands are soft and cute.”

“W, well, I work hard on hand care! Hands are important for a vigilante!”

“Huhu, is that so? More than that, how many more times do I need to drink it?”

“Today is the last day.”

“…Then, am I not going to see the vigilante anymore?”

She seems to not know my identity, because her voice is full of regret…

Because she’s regretting that she won’t be able to meet me again.

“If fate allows, wouldn’t we meet again someday?”

“That’s true. I was worried for nothing.”

“…Aren’t you going to ask what kind of medicine this is?”

The Duchess didn’t ask anything, even though a person she’d never met was giving her a medicine she didn’t even know what it was.

“You wouldn’t give me something bad, would you, Vigilante?”

“W, well, that’s true, but you shouldn’t eat anything given to you by someone you don’t know!”

“Ah, I’m scolded by the vigilante. I’ll keep that in mind.”

With that, the Duchess drank the medicine I gave her and then held the empty bottle as if it were precious.

“W, well then, I’ll be going now. Take care of yourself.”

“Huhu, I’ll cherish this in my heart forever, Vigilante.”

I didn’t hear the last words as I carefully walked out of the room.

“Mom is sorry. Instead of taking care of you, I’ve only been receiving from you. I love you, my daughter.”

The news that the Duchess’s illness had been cured spread throughout the house in no time.

The situation was nothing but a miracle.

It didn’t even take a week for the Duchess, who had been bedridden for five years, to start her activities.

Because most of the current servants of the Duke’s family have changed, anyone who sees the Duchess for the first time wouldn’t believe that a week ago, she couldn’t even get out of bed.

That’s how she skillfully handled the Duke’s family’s work that she hadn’t been able to get up for years.

As I entered the dining room to have breakfast as usual today, I couldn’t help but freeze.

Because the Duchess was there with Dad.

She was different from Dad, who had jet-black hair and sharp eyes.

She had a bewitching appearance with brilliant platinum blonde hair, gentle eyes, a straight nose, and beautiful red lips.

The moment she saw me standing still at the door, she approached me with a gentle smile and hugged me tightly!

“My lovely youngest. Do you know who I am?”

“…The Duchess.”

“Oh, no. Our lovely and smart youngest would know a better way to say it, wouldn’t she?”

“…Mom.”

It felt like my chest was tickling.

I had never called her Mom, not even in my past life or before I was regressed.

She gently stroked me, who was still unfamiliar, and sat me down.

“Um, even though we’re parent and child, we should formally greet each other first, right? Because it’s the first time we’ve met since the youngest was born.”

“…Yes?”

“Huhu, my name is Eliana Liberica, the Duchess. I’m our lovely youngest’s mother!”

Even after hearing that, the feeling that tickled my chest didn’t disappear.

More than that, I should introduce myself too, right?

“M, my name is Aria Liberica. P, please take care of me.”

With that, I bowed my head in an awkward way, and the Duchess…no, Mom was looking at me with shining eyes as if she loved me.

“…Ahem, my name is Adonis Liberica, the Duke. I’m our lovely youngest’s father.”

“…You’re still clueless.”

“……”

Um, it seems Mom is above Dad in terms of the family’s hierarchy…?

Then, the breakfast began, and Mom moved to the seat next to me and started to take care of my food!

“Eat a lot, our youngest.”

“Tha, thank you.”

As I reacted, feeling a little shy because I was still awkward, Mom’s reaction was to look at me with the eyes of a cute little animal!

More than that, why doesn’t Mom have a heart above her head!?

This is the first time.

Among the people I’ve met so far, there was someone whose heart disappeared after having it, but there was no one who didn’t have it from the start.

After breakfast, I went back to my room to review my plans for the future, but Mom caught me.

“Shall we have some tea with Mom?”

“…W, well, I have an urgent matter.”

Even if it wasn’t an urgent matter, I was still uncomfortable and was thinking of avoiding the situation, but I had no choice but to follow after hearing Mom’s words.

“Oh, it’s a shame that I wanted to talk about ‘Vigilante’ with you, my daughter.”

“Hiiiik!? I, I’ll go!”

“Then shall we hold hands and go!? I’ve prepared some sweet desserts and fragrant tea!”

Dad, who was listening to the conversation, also said he wanted to go, but Mom firmly refused, and he returned to the office with a drooping posture.

‘Glass Garden’

It was Mom’s most cherished place, and no one had been able to enter it until now.

I’m also entering it for the first time in my life, and there was a reason why she cherished it.

I’d heard that a tremendous budget was invested to maintain the same temperature throughout the four seasons, but I didn’t know it would be this much.

There were many kinds of flowers blooming brightly, and it’s strange that they were all so beautiful when they were gathered together!

There are many cases where various flowers don’t match when mixed together, but how did they create such harmony!?

There was a table and chairs prepared in the center of the Glass Garden for tea time.

As I sat in the chair following Mom, Mom’s exclusive maid brought tea and desserts.

She was the one who took care of Mom before she passed away and then left the Duke’s family on the day Mom passed away.

She had a similar expression to my maid Anna, with a blank face and black hair.

But, the person who always has an expressionless face smiled as soon as she looked at me?

More than that, why are there so many hearts!?

They were more than 60% filled.

“Huhu, say hello. This is ‘Baroness Jenna Einspaener,’ the exclusive maid who always took care of Mom.”

“I’m glad to meet you, Miss.”

“P, please take care of me.”

With that, they greeted and left the garden.

An awkward atmosphere.

I sipped the tea and looked at Mom.

‘…Does she know I’m a vigilante!? More than that, why doesn’t she have a heart above her head!?’

I was thinking about it, rolling my head without rest, and Mom looked at me with a smile and then suddenly changed her expression.

She came to me and hugged me tightly.

“Thank you. You’ve been through a lot for a bad mother, haven’t you?”

“……”

It was strange.

Mom didn’t ask anything, even though her illness, which no one could cure, was cured by a five-year-old.

If you think about it logically, it doesn’t make sense, and I was worried, so I ended up poking the beehive.

“…Why aren’t you asking anything?”

“There must be a reason why I can’t say anything. It’s okay.”

“A five-year-old cured a disease that no one had been able to cure until now?”

“Wouldn’t our child be able to do that much because she’s a genius?”

“Eh? Tha, that’s…”

“If parents don’t believe in their children, who will they believe?”

I wanted to say something more, but I couldn’t.

Because Mom hugged me even tighter.

The complete trust I’d never received in my life.

I just realized what it means to understand without saying anything.

And the reason why Mom didn’t have a heart above her head.

It wasn’t that she didn’t have one. It was because her heart was full and disappeared, just like Anna’s.

While receiving love from Mom for a long time in her arms, which I had never received before, Mom carefully said to me.

“I heard you were having a hard time while Mom was gone, is that true…?”

“Ha, it wasn’t hard…”

That’s a lie.

But did she know that my words were a lie?

It had been a warm feeling until just now, but the chills ran down my spine.

“Our youngest, can you wait for a moment? Mom will go talk…no, have a conversation with someone.”

Looking at Mom leaving the garden, her back looked like a knight heading for the battlefield.