Chapter 7: I Tried to Amae on a Mother’s Love
Several more weeks passed after the mother and daughter’s new life began.
Liveliness returned to the Mansion, and the previously quiet corridors now echoed with Liese’s voice as she struggled to instruct Fina, and Maria-san’s soft laughter.
One such afternoon, as I was looking through the ledgers in my Office, I heard a knock on the door.
“Come in.”
When I looked up, Maria-san was standing there modestly.
Although she had a slightly hesitant expression, she entered the room with a determined look.
“Lord Serios, might I have a little of your time?”
Seeing her serious expression, I put down my pen and leaned back in my chair.
“I don’t mind. What is it?”
Maria-san was silent for a moment, then, as if she had made up her mind, she spoke.
“I was talking with some others, and something came to my attention… Lord Serios, is it that you don’t have parents?”
I was a little surprised by that question. It seems she heard from the other retainers that my parents had died. Even living in the domain, I wonder if Maria-san was so preoccupied with her own difficult life that she didn’t even know the lord had passed away.
Maria-san’s expression was serious, and I immediately understood she wasn’t asking merely out of curiosity.
“That’s right… They passed away when I was young. I don’t have many memories of them.”
In reality, as Serios, I have no memories of my mother.
“Is that so… I’m sorry for asking such an impolite question.”
“No, it’s fine. It was a long time ago.”
I said that, but deep down, I realized this topic was stirring a slight pain in my chest.
It’s a kind of worry that not only Serios, but I myself, carry.
“Even so… wasn’t life without your parents difficult for you?”
Maria-san’s voice contained a Kindness, as if a mother were worrying about her child. Caught off guard by her tone, I answered honestly, though a little bewildered.
“Well, I got used to it. Arnaud also took good care of me.”
“I see. But… Lord Serios, even now, aren’t there times when you want to Amae on someone?”
At that question, I was momentarily at a loss for words. Amae… that word itself was unfamiliar to me.
“Me, Amae?”
“Yes. Lord Serios, you always admirably support the Mansion, but you seem to be pushing yourself too hard somewhere.”
“I’m pushing myself too hard?”
“Yes!”
Maria-san’s eyes, just like Liese’s, were surprisingly direct.
“So what if I am pushing myself too hard?”
I know I’m just acting tough. But what am I supposed to do about it? In my previous life, and as Serios, I don’t have parents.
There’s no one for me to Amae on.
“May I?”
“What is it?”
Just then, Maria-san quietly came to the side of the chair I was sitting in.
“I am also a mother who raised Liese. If it’s alright with you, won’t you let yourself Amae on me?”
Saying that, my head was enveloped by her large, rounded bosom. A sweet scent and gentle Warmth.
It happened so suddenly, I couldn’t understand what was going on.
But once I understood, I suddenly became embarrassed, and my face grew hot.
“Wh-! What are you doing!”
“I apologize. This is the only way I know how to let someone Amae. I believe feeling a person’s Warmth can bring peace of mind. Lord Serios, when you feel lonely, when you want to Amae, please let me hold you.”
I thought about her offer for a moment.
I had never even considered relying on someone like this before. But the moment I felt Maria-san’s Kindness, a sensation welled up within me, as if filling a small void deep in my chest.
“Do as you wish.”
“Yes!”
At my words, Maria-san smiled happily.
For a while, Maria-san held me. When I was released from that Warmth, I felt a little lonely.
“Please excuse me. Please, call for me anytime.”
I couldn’t help but smile at Maria-san’s words.
“Yeah, I’ll be counting on you.”
When I said just that, she smiled with satisfaction.
As I watched her leave the room, I let out a quiet breath. I had never even thought about relying on someone like this.
But today’s event carved a warm memory into my heart.
Maria-san, who treats me like a mother. But somehow, I see her less as a mother and more as an older sister or a woman.
It was on this day that I first truly realized just how significant this was to me.
When Liese grows up, she will be known as the kingdom’s number one beauty.
Being the mother of such a Liese, there’s no way Maria-san isn’t beautiful. Her adult charm and motherliness enveloped me.
It was a Warmth I had never felt before, and I didn’t know how to interact with it.
“Haaah~ I’ve reincarnated, and I’m supposed to be an adult, but maybe I’m being dragged along by the young Serios.”
From my eyes, reflected in the window, hot tears inexplicably fell.
Perhaps I remembered my parents.
Or perhaps, Serios’s heart was crying.
“I shouldn’t be seeing her as a mother, and yet…”
My heart had grown warm.
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Afterword
Hello, this is the author, Iko.
That’s all for today.
Thank you for your support (๑>◡<๑)