It was about noon when the mansion’s doorbell rang.
“Yay! She’s arrived!” Urschel dashed to the doorway; Theodore followed suit. Both of them were dressed in attire suitable for the outside—fully prepared to welcome the guest. The maidservants reservedly opened the door and ushered the guest in.
Once the person entered, Urschel’s eyes twinkled while Theodore’s eyes… widened.
She sashayed in through the front door, her charming buns swaying in the breeze. But the lady who he expected to be as slender looking like Urschel was…
2.3m tall.
She was large enough that he needed to look up at her. She could practically reach the top of the three-metre-high door with her hand. Her physique was robust, rugged, and stout—her width was three times that of Urschel’s. To call her well-muscled didn’t give her enough justice; muscles gloriously adorned her body—her biceps alone were as large as a man’s head.
Her face was so deeply chiselled that it was hard to believe she was the mother of that Urschel. Her eyes and nose were clearly defined; her eyes were slitted and powerful, enough to kill a man with a glance. Additionally, her clothes weren’t feminine; she wore a rugged battle outfit like the conqueror of the century’s end1. At a glance, you would see that she had old scars all over her body. She looked nothing like a noblewoman.
Theodore was at a loss for words. He didn’t know how to react anymore–no, first of all, there were so many things to question that he was rendered speechless. He had a hard time believing this person gave birth to Urschel…
Next to Theodore, Urschel jumped up and ran over to that imposing figure. “Mother!”
The woman, who Urschel called Mother, noticed her son and smiled, the corners of her mouth lifting in a grin.
“Have you been well, my son?”
“Yes, I’ve been fine! What about you, Mother?”
“Hmm. I didn’t have any problems either. Nothing much happened. I was attacked backstabbed by about 50 wyverns. I took them out with my fists.”
“As expected of Mother! You’re so awesome!”
“As a souvenir, Urschel, I have harvested a hundred seedlings of Diamond Strawberries from the farthest reaches of the earth: a jewel that can usually only be tasted there. Hire some people to grow them.”
“Wow! Thank you!”
‘No, wait. wait. Wyverns? The farthest reaches of the earth? Isn’t this one person’s worldview completely different?’ Once again, Theodore could not believe that she was his new mother.
“Yes, yes. Mother, there’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”
At Urschel’s word, that person’s eyes flickered and she looked at Theodore. There was definitely killing intent in that gaze.
“This guy…?”
“Yeah. This is his first time meeting you, Mother, isn’t it? This is Theodore.”
“Theodore… So what’s going on between you and Urschel? …Don’t tell me, you’re not his boyfriend or something like that, are you?”
“No, he’s not! We’re family!”
“Family…”
It seemed that the lady misunderstood something. The corners of her mouth upturned into a smirk. Then, she approached Theodore, bent her huge body, and stared at him as if she were scrutinizing him.
“Ohh… hmm… already a family… in short, the dating period is already over, right? Hm, good face, high calibre, the muscle mass is a little on the small side but there’s still room for improvement. I see, Urschel took a good man as family. Urschel’s future is secure now. I am Isabella. You may call me Mother from now on.”
‘She has it absolutely wrong’ Theodore had a hunch, but Urschel didn’t seem to notice anything. Urschel seemed to have mistakenly thought that Theodore was accepted as a family member, and his face lit up.
“That’s right, Mother! Theodore is amazing! He’s not just cool!”
“Hmmm, are you flaunting your relationship? My son has reached that age… It’s still early in the day. Urschel, tell your mother how great he is as we walk to the reception room.”
Naturally, Urschel didn’t seem to catch the part where his mother murmured ‘Are you flaunting?’. Inwardly, Theodore felt flustered–like he was openly executed–Urschel told tales of his spectacular achievement in the Knights Order and the Ministry of Magic…NOT, instead, he talked about how Theodore gave him sweets, how kind and reliable he could be, and, additionally, how cool he was during sword practice or while performing magic. In short, he explained how Theodore behaved in private.
As for Urschel, he was genuinely hoping that his mother would love his little brother, someone who was important to him despite no blood relation… Meanwhile, Isabella had a different idea.
“I see. Urschel, you like Theodore, don’t you?”
“Yeah, I like him!”
“…I never knew that my family tree had grown during my long time away. If my new son2 is such a good person, and you like him, then Mother is happy. Geez, damn Papa. He could have written me a letter to tell me that Urschel had found such a man.”
Theodore didn’t feel like he could say anything else.
The fact that Urschel, of all people, had exposed and praised his personal life was already overwhelming, but Isabella clearly thought he was some kind of husband or something. Moreover, Urschel continued to exacerbate the ongoing misunderstanding. Theodore no longer believed he could rectify this situation.
“That’s why I’m having so much fun now, Mother.”
“I know. I can see that. Good for you, Urschel. You’re going to be happy from now on too.”
“You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, I think so, I really do.”
‘…It’s a wonder how they can happily converse when they aren’t even on the same page.’ It wasn’t just Theodore, anyone would think that when seeing these two. Sadly, no one could stop them.
Every time Isabella walked down the corridor, her steps would echo throughout the manor. However, the maids were accustomed to this; Even though the thumping earth shook the tea set placed on the tray, and the tea was about to spill out of the teapot, they calmly followed behind mother and son.