“Good morning, Sir Reid. It’s time to get up.”
“Morning...”
“Hmm? Is something wrong?” Danae stared at me, perplexed.
I’d been shocked by the fact that I’d opened my eyes to a woman in a maid outfit waking me up. I couldn’t tell her that I’d been enamored with her maid uniform, so I bashfully looked away. Danae just tilted her head in confusion at my behavior.
Once I got out of bed, she offered to help me get dressed. That would have been much too embarrassing, so I declined. Unfortunately, I’d never seen clothes like these before, so I didn’t know how to wear them. In the end, I had to ask her to help me after all, and my face flushed bright red.
“There’s no problem with asking for help,” Danae reassured me, but that just made me want to cry.
After getting dressed, I headed to the dining hall for breakfast, where a long table had been set. I took my seat, and one after another, dishes were brought out. Nobles live so extravagantly.
Garren, the butler who’d introduced himself yesterday, was standing off to the side. I scanned my surroundings as I ate and found that I was the only one there.
“Where is everyone else?”
“Sir Reiner is visiting the capital,” Garren responded. “I believe he will be returning in the next few days.”
My—Reid’s—father was Margrave Reiner Valdia. He governed our family’s mark, which shared borders with several neighboring countries. As the head of the household, he would visit the imperial capital from time to time to handle administrative tasks.
I nodded in acknowledgment. I see. My father’s away at the capital.
“What about mother?” I asked next.
“Lady Nanalie is feeling unwell and resting in her room.”
“In that case, I’ll go check on her later.”
“I think that will please Lady Nanalie very much.”
I continued chatting with Garren and managed to get through breakfast. I’d been worried about whether I could conduct myself with proper etiquette, but it seemed that there hadn’t been any issues. I was about to return to my room to start planning my course of action, but for some reason, I felt incredibly concerned about my mother’s well-being.
I found Danae, who’d been waiting nearby, and asked her to take me to my mother’s room. She seemed confused by the request, because I should have known where my mother’s room was. I told her that I was embarrassed to visit her on my own, which made Danae giggle and immediately show me the way.
I should mention that Nanalie Valdia’s name had never been mentioned in the game. What is she going to be like? I wondered as I made my way to her room. I felt a strange mix of excitement and nervousness swirling within me, and my heart began to race.
“Here is your mother’s room,” Danae said.
Now that I was standing in front of her room, I suddenly felt overwhelmed by anxiety and held my breath. It was as if my body and mind were denying me entry, insisting that I never set foot in my mother’s room. Danae noticed my behavior and spoke to me with concern.
“Perhaps you’re still feeling unwell, Sir Reid. You look a bit pale.”
“What? Oh, no, I’m fine,” I assured her. “I’m just visiting my mother, yet it feels like I’m going to see her for the first time in a while.”
Danae looked bewildered by my response. She appeared to be searching for a reply before finally speaking again, carefully choosing her words. “Sir Reid, are you sure you’re feeling all right? Not long after Lady Nanalie fell ill, you began avoiding her. You used to visit her every day, but recently, I don’t believe you’ve stopped by her room at all.”
“Huh? Really?!”
“Yes. Every member of the staff was pained to see you like that.” Once she finished talking, Danae adopted a sorrowful expression.
“I see...”
Why did Reid stop visiting his mother? I tried to search for the answer, but I could sense only fear coming from his memories. Rather than finding answers, I should see my mother first.
I choked down all the anticipation and anxiety I was feeling and knocked on the door. Several moments later, a quiet voice responded from within.
“Come in.”
I steeled myself and entered the room. Inside was a slender woman with long, red hair and purple eyes. She was sitting up in bed, reading a book. The moment I laid my eyes on her, I felt a deep thump in my chest and all sorts of emotions began filling me up. It felt like my life was flashing before my eyes.
“I want to be doted on. I love you. You’re precious to me. I want to protect you. I want you with me always. Why? How? I’m frustrated. I’m sad. I can’t forgive them. Who? Me? Don’t leave...please.”
A wave of indescribably complex emotions washed over me, bringing along a mountain of memories. Unable to process these feelings, I just stood still. My eyes suddenly felt hot for some reason, and tears rolled down my cheeks. I quickly realized what was happening, and I wiped them away with my sleeve.
My mother had noticed me crying, and she raised her voice in shock. “Are you all right, Reid?!” She leaned forward in an attempt to get even the slightest bit closer to me, but she immediately began coughing and leaned her hands on the bed to keep herself propped up.
“Mother! Are you okay?!” I ran over to her side and rubbed her back. Now that I was seeing her up close, my mother’s spirit seemed dull, and I reflexively began rubbing her back harder.
She looked at me with concern, then pulled me into her arms. “Thank you, Reid,” she said in a gentle voice. “I heard that you collapsed in the garden. I wanted to visit your room, but my body just wouldn’t listen to me. I’m so sorry. Garren told me you were better, but are you truly feeling all right?”
My mother’s embrace was warm and full of love, and I felt the storm of emotions that had been stirring inside me settling down. Though her presence was calming, her voice was shaking.
“Yes, I’m fine now,” I replied. “I was wondering how you were doing. I’m glad I got to see you, mother.” I spoke to her in a soft tone with a smile, trying to ease the trembling in her voice.
“Really? Well, I’m glad to hear that. I’m sorry for causing you all so much pain.”
My mother looked apologetic, and I shook my head at her. I firmly grasped her hand with both of mine, trying to ease as much of her concern as I could.
“I’m okay, mother,” I confidently responded. “After all, you’re my mother, and my father is a margrave!”
She seemed pleased with my response and gave me a smile. After that, I spent some time having a friendly conversation with her. “I’ll visit again,” I said before leaving her room. I thought back to all the emotions and memories that had washed over me when I’d first seen her and mumbled to myself, “I wonder if those emotions that filled my chest when I saw my mother were Reid’s memories that were lying dormant inside me.”
My beloved mother was slowly withering, but no one could do anything about it. As one of the people closest to her, how had I felt when I had been by her side? She was an affectionate woman who hid the pain of her sickness. She worried about me, treasured me, and loved me. I had probably been in incredible pain—the kind of pain that made you want to scream and cry because it tore your heart to shreds. I felt like I had been keeping those feelings bottled inside, unable to tell anyone about them.
That realization led me to make a vow: In order to lead an honest life, I was going to cure my mother’s sickness, no matter what.