Episode 121

Walking down the corridor with Alicia, I couldn’t help but have my eyes drawn to the surroundings.

It really is an impressive mansion.

I thought the same when I went to the main residence—makes me feel out of place.

As I was idly thinking that, someone tugged at the hem of my clothes.

I stopped and glanced over; Alicia wore an apologetic expression.

“…Um, about my older brother from earlier…”

“Ah, you mean Sir Rigard? What’s wrong?”

When I asked, she bowed her head slightly.

“Sorry, my brother is pathetic.”

“N-no… well…”

Even hearing that, I didn’t know how to reply.

I was certainly a bit surprised, but the pressure of being a lord is something beyond my imagination.

I had some inkling of the feelings Alicia expressed, but it must be really tough.

“…Well, Sir Rigard must have his own struggles, so I don’t really mind that much, I guess.”

“If that’s the case then fine… but my brother’s always been like that. Kind of timid, a bit negative… And he still looks at me as a little sister or a child sometimes, so it’s a bit troublesome.”

Alicia puffed out her cheeks when she said it was a bit troublesome.

She looked angry, but since that anger wasn’t directed at me, it came off as cute.

“I see. Sir Rigard looked really pressured—will he be okay? In the dungeon, there’ll be fights with monsters, right?”

If anything, that worried me more.

Would Sir Rigard even come along to the dungeon we might tackle with Alicia?

But Alicia replied nonchalantly.

“When push comes to shove he just has to do it, so he’ll manage. Despite appearances he actually has pretty high combat ability.”

Isn’t that a pretty forceful way to look at it?

However, Lord Goral didn’t say anything in particular either, so that approach might be right.

“…Well, if that’s the case, then it’s fine, I guess?”

“Yeah. It’s the usual sight at home.”

Just as Alicia stated firmly and was about to turn the corner of the corridor.

A woman appeared from the other way. When we reflexively stopped, she noticed us and her eyes lit up with joy.

“Oh, Alicia! Long time no see!”

With a smile that seemed genuinely joyful, the woman called Alicia’s name.

Alicia looked surprised for a moment, but quickly smiled.

“Mother. Long time no see.”

…Stepmother.

Alicia’s words made me immediately understand who the woman before us was.

Apparently Alicia’s biological mother has already passed away.

Indeed, the woman in front of us was beautiful, but her aura was quite different from Alicia’s.

The stepmother approached Alicia, gave her a gentle, tight hug, and patted her back.

Alicia wrapped her arms around the stepmother’s back as well and returned the hug with a gentle expression.

Their relationship didn’t seem bad.

When Alicia stepped away from the stepmother, the woman’s gaze turned toward us.

Her eyes had an almost childlike innocence.

With her sparkling eyes shimmering, the stepmother stepped closer.

“Could you be Alicia’s beloved Faik?”

“I-I’m, um, probably, I don’t know if ‘beloved’ is accurate, but I’m that Faik…”

Hearing it put like that, I could only answer this way.

“Yes, ‘beloved Faik’ is right. Isn’t that so, Alicia?”

“M-Mother! Don’t say such weird things!”

Alicia replied, her face flushed, raising her voice.

However, the stepmother paid it no mind and smiled teasingly with a hand to her mouth.

“But you used to write in letters that you had a fiance, or you’d introduce your fiance, and it was always about Faik. That never happened before, so I thought you must really like him… is that not right? Maybe you actually hate him but are doing it out of obligation?”

“W-well… it’s not like I hate him or anything…”

“So, you mean you really love do him, right?”

I thought it wouldn’t come to that, but Alicia shouted, her face bright red.