“How should I handle this…”

The sky in mid-May was clear and blue.
The room was filled with the sounds of butterflies and mountain birds, and the shining golden sunlight illuminated the green grass. (TN: Butterflies do make noise.)

Beneath the beautiful scenery of spring, I sat in the room, holding a letter in one hand, and gazed endlessly outside.

Viola Bronte.

The contents of the letter sent to me by Ania’s mother were quite lengthy, but to summarize briefly:
‘I’m coming to see Ania.’

In fact, more than the fact that she had sent me a letter or the content that she was coming to see Ania, I was surprised that Ania’s mother was alive.

When I visited the Bronte family, I vaguely thought that Valentine Bronte was alone because he had lost his parents when he was young.
After all, even Edward’s mother, Alice Radner, had passed away when he was young, so it wasn’t that rare.

But why did she send me this letter?

While pondering this, I asked Lorendel, who seemed to make strange remarks.

‘It’s a story that everyone in the imperial social circles and those involved knows well. Ania’s mother used to disappear to the East when and visited the estate once every few years.’

In short, it meant, ‘I sent a letter to you as it would be awkward for me to personally send a letter to my daughter.’

“Even if you say that….”

I didn’t have any appropriate means.

From the start, their relationship seemed quite complicated, and even if I put aside whether I could facilitate their meeting, it seemed wrong for me to meddle in Ania’s family affairs.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.
Even if she was a stranger to me, she was still Ania’s mother.

I quietly moved a pen from the desk, lifting it with a small amount of magic.

The letter paper on the side table near the window sparkled in the sunlight, and I slowly began writing on it.

「For now, I’ll talk to Ania first. We will discuss the matter first and then send a reply.」

After writing a brief letter, I neatly folded it, put it in an envelope, and stamped it with melted wax.

“Lorendel!”
“Yes, My Lord.”

I handed the letter to Lorendel, who was waiting outside.

“Send this directly. Don’t go through the post office.”
“I will do so.”

Though I maintained a certain formality, I had definitely expressed my opinion on inquiring about Ania’s intentions.

“My diplomatic skills have improved.”

When I first came to this world, I knew nothing.
Now, I have become a figure who can influence the Empire’s affairs.

Three years have passed.
It wasn’t a long time, but it felt incredibly lengthy.

***

Three days after sending the letter, Viola, as usual, was walking through the village on her way home when she found a letter wedged in the door crack.

“Hmm…”

Viola slowly pulled out the letter and held it in her hand.

Although there was no mention of who sent it, she could easily guess.
The stamp depicted a hawk soaring through the sky.

Like the master of the sky, the Radner seal symbolized guarding the Empire from the high heavens.

“It came earlier than I expected.”

Aside from Edward and Aria, everyone in the Radner family is either imprisoned or deceased, so naturally, it must be from Edward.

However, Viola unfolded the letter and narrowed her eyes.

“We will discuss the matter first and then send a reply….”

Initially feeling somewhat annoyed, Viola couldn’t help but smile.

The subtle joy stemmed from the fact that these children, who were mere youngsters not too long ago, had grown into adults.

“If you’re the CEO of the empire’s largest corporation, you should know how to politely decline…”

However, Viola had no intention of backing down.

“If I’m going to do it, I’ll do it. I’ve already committed to it.”

For Viola, who had lived that way regardless of what others said, it was an unyielding belief.
Even if it made those around her uncomfortable.

She had to leave a young child because of that belief.
Her desire to explore a new world surpassed her love for her daughter.

But Viola had also grown older.

It had been nearly twenty years since she left for the East, and her fanatical curiosity had gradually waned.

So, it was time to go back.

“It hasn’t been that long…”

But she had been gone for too long.
Her beloved daughter was already treating her as if she were a stranger.

“I was so young back then.”

Curiosity is a momentary impulse.
Love is also a momentary impulse.
If asked if giving birth to Ania was also a momentary impulse, she could say yes.

Yet, Viola often thought about Ania.

A daughter truly beautiful, resembling herself.
Now an adult, her brave daughter had broken her shell and ventured into the world.
A daughter who resembled her too much, stubborn and proud, inheriting her own flaws.

She loved that child.
That feeling wasn’t a momentary impulse.
If that were an impulse, there would have been no need to spend money to inquire about her child’s well-being while being so far away.

Without hesitation, Viola slowly moved her steps.

She wanted to go see her right away.

And so, she headed to the train station.

“One ticket to Radner Estate, please.”
“Here you go. Have a pleasant journey.”

But as she boarded the train and looked out the window, Viola couldn’t help but think:
What should I say when I meet her?

Even if a mother who had neglected her all her life were to seek forgiveness, would her daughter forgive her?

It’s unknown.
But it had to be confronted.
Because if it weren’t, nothing would change.

***

“I absolutely refuse.”

Ania, taken aback by Edward’s sudden visit, calmed her startled heart after she recoiled from his words.

“Still, your mother wants to see you.”
“But I refuse!”
“You should at least give a reason for not replying.”
“It’s not like I don’t have a reason.”

Ania pursed her lips stubbornly.

The relationship between herself and her mother was a frequent topic of gossip in social circles.

The strange and strong-willed mother-daughter relationship, where the mother raised her daughter as if she were abandoning her,
And the daughter, with her strong pride, didn’t even send a single letter to such a mother, which was a topic with many angles to discuss.

Knowing this well, Edward asking about it seemed cruel, so Ania curtly folded the received letter.

“But at least meeting and having a conversation…”
“I don’t even want to meet. She’s the one who abandoned me and left. What could she possibly say now? Asking me to think of a stranger’s face and voice as my mother and live like that? That’s absolutely impossible.”
“Alright, I understand.”

Edward surprisingly acquiesced easily.

“If you don’t want to see her, there’s nothing we can do.”
“Yeah, sure…”

Ania glanced back at Edward and felt a bit harsh.
He had tried to be considerate, yet she had needlessly gotten angry again.

Ania recalled past events.

It must have been when she was around five years old.
Edward, two years older than her, would have been seven.

It was a rainy day.

Given her young age at the time, she couldn’t remember exactly what had happened, but a clear image came to mind.

Alice Radner.

Numerous people were gathered, dressed in black, bowing their heads in front of a gravestone inscribed with her name.

And Edward was crying.

The image of him sitting in front of the gravestone, miserably sobbing, shoulders shaking as he struggled to suppress his cries, remained vivid in memory as if it had just been painted.

Although Ania couldn’t remember her mother leaving during her early childhood, Edward had also lost his mother during his young years.
At an age when they should have been receiving love.

Ania opened the door and called to Edward as he walked down the corridor.

“Edward!”
“Yes?”
“I… I want to meet her.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I’ll send a reply.”

Edward smiled softly.
Ania smiled too.

Though she wasn’t sure if she would have a good conversation with her mother.
Perhaps it would just be awkward sitting together.

But then, a loud commotion came from downstairs.

Edward turned his head to look downstairs where the noise was coming from.

“What’s going on?”

Ania nervously followed Edward’s side and looked down at the first floor.

“Wait a moment! You can’t just barge in like this!”
“It’s fine. He won’t get mad about this.”
“No! I’ll die! My Lord will kill me!”

And then, a sharp inhale.

Despite Lorendel trying to hold her back, a woman came swaggering up the stairs with a cheerful face.

Ania recognized the woman’s face.

“…Huh?”

Edward made a dumbfounded sound.
Ania let out a small sigh.

“Ania!”

And there, Viola Bronte, who had lifted her head from the first floor and spotted them, was waving with a joyful face.

Lorendel felt like dying.

Author’s Note

Like mother, like daughter.