Episode 158

Rustila sighed as she tossed and turned in bed.

“I can’t sleep.”

This was unusual for Rustila, who typically fell asleep instantly after her intense daily training sessions.

“My mind is wide awake. Could it be insomnia…?”

Her sponsor, Vega, chuckled.

Rustila nodded silently.

“They’ve been living together for two months now. Surely something must have happened between them… ahh…”

The mere thought made her face flush. For someone like Rustila, who became flustered at even the slightest physical contact with men, imagining anything beyond that was overwhelming.

Unable to find rest, she left her room.

Tap, tap.

The sound of barefoot steps echoed down the hallway. Rustila immediately went on alert.

She silently jogged forward to catch up with the figure ahead. From the height, presence, and build, there was no doubt - it was Zelnya.

Watching Zelnya’s trajectory, Rustila quickly realized where she was headed. She had to intervene.

“Ugh, eek!”

Zelnya, who had been walking unsteadily, bumped into something soft. Her unfocused amethyst eyes gradually cleared as she made eye contact with Rustila.

“Uh, wha, what…?”

“Why are you trying to enter Aidel’s room in the middle of the night?”

Rustila asked sternly. Though Aidel had mentioned Zelnya’s sleepwalking earlier that evening, something felt off.

“Are you really sleepwalking?”

“Yes, it’s sleepwalking. But…”

Rustila eyed her suspiciously. This seemed too precise to be coincidental.

“This isn’t your room. Go back.”

“Ah, alright. I’ll go. I’ll go.”

Zelnya’s unexpectedly compliant response caught Rustila off guard.

“……”

This revelation made Rustila question her judgment. She had sworn to help those affected by the Outer God, and here was Zelnya, clearly a victim. A twinge of guilt crept in.

“Ugh, no, I’m not sorry.”

Rustila shook her head vigorously, her loose ponytail swinging like a pendulum.

Still wary of the cat-like thief potentially returning to Aidel’s room, Rustila, unable to sleep, positioned herself by his door.

Just then…

“Madam Reinhardt is coming in.”

The IoT monitoring the dock informed her.

Startled, Rustila heeded Vega’s advice and quickly retreated to her room.

“Young master, the Madam has returned.”

“…Ceti’s mother?”

“Yes.”

Sonia spoke from where she lay on my bed, idly kicking her legs in the air.

“Even without a blood relation, a mother is still a mother. It would be proper to go and greet her.”

“Of all times…”

“It would be wise to heed my advice, young master.”

Sonia’s words made sense, but I was in the middle of an important conversation with Professor Stranov. I needed a moment to consider my options.

“I apologize, Professor. My mother has just arrived. I’ll need to step out briefly to greet her.”

The fact that she had arrived at dawn rather than during the day suggested something significant might have happened. After ending the call, I slipped on my shoes and shuffled toward the door, with Sonia quickly jumping up from the bed to join me.

I pulled on my coat and made my way to the dock entrance, where I could hear the clicking of heels approaching. A woman with white hair came into view.

Her appearance was concerning. Her hair was in disarray, her face was smudged with what appeared to be soot, and fresh blood stained her medical coat.

“Mother!”

At my call, she lifted her head. Her usually bright lavender eyes were now almost black, drained of their typical color.

Rejane von Adelwein Reinhardt.

Ceti’s mother finally broke her silence.

“Thank you for meeting with me. Android, and… who might you be?”

“I’m the third son, Aidel. Mother.”

“The third, ah… from the first wife?”

Rejane’s eyes narrowed as she spoke.

“It’s been a long time, Mother. How have you been?”

“…….”

“Mother?”

“Nothing worth mentioning. Except for working myself to exhaustion on the southern front.”

Her voice was heavy with bitter emotions - a mixture of annoyance, discomfort, anger, sorrow, and various other negative feelings. Even a disgruntled professor’s outburst would pale in comparison to this tension.

“You must have endured much. You must be tired from traveling. Would you prefer a bath or perhaps some tea?”

“No tea.”

Rejane’s response was curt. While she wasn’t intentionally harsh toward me, she clearly had no desire to become familiar.

Her expression remained so detached that she probably had no idea about Aidel’s former life as a wastrel.

“I should bathe and rest.”

“I’ll have the android bring you fresh clothes.”

I decided to accommodate her needs - she was, after all, Ceti’s mother.

While she bathed, I requested clothes from Sonia and quickly cleared the table. I set the water to boil and prepared tea bags.

Shortly after, Rejane emerged with her hair wrapped in a towel, looking visibly exhausted.

“I’ve made chamomile tea.”

“…You have good taste. It’s well-known for its benefits to women.”

Mother gently stirred the tea bag, a subtle smile playing across her lips.

“If you’re finished, you should retire for the night. It’s quite late.”

“No, I’m fine for now. I’ll wait until I see you go to bed first.”

She stared blankly at me before shifting her gaze to the teacup. To keep the conversation going, I naturally changed the subject.

“How are things in the South?”

“It’s hell.”

She replied without hesitation.

“Even months after the war ended, soldiers are still getting injured and falling while clearing out the remaining monsters. My husband and I have been helping with the rehabilitation of wounded veterans.”

“I thought Father returned first.”

“Yes. Shamelessly.”

Those few words dripped with condensed anger.

“He’s been that way since the day we met - like a block of wood, mistaking bluntness for dignity…”

My mother’s voice trailed off. I didn’t press her about her criticism of my father. I knew well enough that my father and Ceti’s mother were in an unwanted marriage.

I should probably change the subject. Something we both care about…

“About Ceti.”

Of course - her daughter.

“Today- well, yesterday now. Ceti took the entrance exam for Stellarium College.”

Life returned to Rejane’s eyes.

“Did she say how it went?”

“She seemed very confident about passing.”

“Of course, she’ll pass. Naturally…”

A slight smile curved her lips.

“Is she here now?”

“Yes, in the room to the left… Probably sleeping.”

“I see.”

Mother continued her questioning.

“Do you know when your father will return?”

“He’s been coming more frequently lately, but still not often. Perhaps this weekend.”

“Then I’ll stay for about three days before leaving.”

“Where are you going?”

“To work.”

By the time our conversation ended, Mother had finished her tea. Sonia escorted her to the master bedroom. After making sure she was comfortably settled on the bed, I checked that she was alright before returning to my room.

The discussion continued through the night.

Damn, another late night.

She had returned after a long absence, choosing a time when her husband would likely be at his busiest and away from home.

When Rejane slipped in like a thief, it was an unexpected person who greeted her - Aidel, the child of the first wife. They said he was the third son, though her memories were hazy. She didn’t recall him being particularly kind.

Truth be told, she hadn’t paid much attention. Always buried in work, she had no reason to care about a child who wasn’t her own. Yet this child had called her “mother,” greeting her as if she were his real mother, carefully brewing her favorite tea, and even bidding her goodnight before leaving.

It felt strange, unsettling even. Upon her return, she had prepared herself for a very different reception.

“What brings you here?”

The Reinhardt family had never been welcoming. Her relationship with her so-called husband was strained, and the council elders constantly tried to keep her in check. The first wife’s children had never bothered speaking to her.

For over a decade, Rejane had been isolated. Neither the Adelwein nor the Reinhardt family stood by her side. Only her daughter remained loyal.

Rising from her bed, Rejane opened the door and searched for Ceti’s room. Having visited rarely, she found the layout unfamiliar. There wasn’t even an android around to assist.

• Inside the room over there, if you turn left… She might be sleeping.

Remembering Aidel’s directions, she carefully moved forward. But here, she encountered confusion - Aidel had said “the room over there,” not “the innermost room.”

Opening a door, she turned on the mood light and saw a girl sleeping, covered by blankets, her back turned. The white hair was unmistakable.

“…My daughter.”

Rejane approached quietly, settling gently on the bed. After a moment’s hesitation, she cautiously reached for the girl’s head.

Feeling the soft hair beneath her fingers, she whispered.

“You are my last card.”

Remembering her plans for revenge, she stroked the girl’s head softly.

“Let’s show them. Let’s deliver a crushing blow to the Adelwein family. We will become the direct line of Reinhardt. Yes… so that no one in the world can look down on you and me…”

These were truths she’d always kept hidden, only speaking them now before her sleeping daughter, who couldn’t hear.

“Sleep well, see you later.”

Rejane composed herself, returning to her usual demeanor. As the door closed with a soft scraping sound, Zelnya suddenly sat up, staring blankly at the door.

“…Ah, it was a nightmare.”

She shuddered, her skin crawling.