295. Siblings Ep – Choice

What crazy stunt is that loudmouthed lady going to pull this time?

Katrina, while rocking the two kids to sleep, periodically stole glances at the beggar boy she saw the day before and Ksenia.

The sun was setting.

Even though it was an inappropriate time to receive guests, the lady had seated the beggar on the terrace and served him tea.

Pouring tea herself felt as if she were treating a lover. Katrina couldn’t understand Ksenia at all.

It was already obvious that she was no ordinary weirdo.

The lady, who had run away from her family because she didn’t want to marry, had sent a request to find her daughter who had run away from Edlyn Peter, who was Ksenia’s mother and Ellen’s patron.

The lady hoped no one would find out that her daughter, who was of marriageable age, had gone missing, and had asked for help personally. Katrina, who had retired from the Knights due to giving birth to her first child, gladly accepted the request.

At first, she hustled around looking for her.

But leaving the child with Ellen and wandering around could only last a day or two; she couldn’t do that for months, so Katrina sought out a bunch of thugs called the Rauno Family, known for information gathering. Persuading… no, intimidating them, she was able to find Ksenia shortly thereafter.

The noble lady of the Peter family was hiding and working as an actress in the Arille Theater.

Upon snitching, Edlyn Peter stormed into the theater.

“Uh, Mother.”

Would she slap me or something?

Wow, you couldn’t pay to see this scene. ─ I was expecting a bit of drama, but Edlyn Peter burst into laughter upon seeing her daughter, who had become an actress.

She was quite the carefree woman herself.

Throwing around the wealth of the Count Peter family without a care, she was known as a big player in the arts scene of the Belita Kingdom.

She supported the livelihoods of the long-extinct bards and promoted unknown painters by hosting exhibitions.

Ellen, Katrina’s lover, was one of them. Although he was no longer an unknown now.

At the ticket booth in front of the theater, amidst the glances of the theater staff, Edlyn calmly persuaded her daughter after months apart.

“Do you really dislike the idea of marriage that much? If you really can’t stand it, I’ll talk to your father. Truth is, we’ve already had a huge fight about it. I almost took off on a trip myself.”

“…I’m sorry. There’s no one I like, and… I don’t want to get married and have kids. Not even for the family.”

‘Such a kid.’

Katrina thought to herself.

After all, she had made great efforts to have kids herself. She suspected her inability to conceive was due to her swordsmanship, so she mixed ‘leisure’ into her devious sword techniques. Only then was she able to have children.

But well, it’s not my life. The conversation continued between mother and daughter.

“Okay, then come home for now. Let’s talk to Dad.”

“No way!”

Ksenia shouted back.

“I can’t talk to him. He’s going to end up marrying me off to Marquis Tatian. Bloodline or whatever… I’m sick of it.”

“…You know your father’s past.”

“Then it should be even more of a reason not to do so.”

Edlyn shrugged her shoulders.

“Fine. How would you like me to help? Do you want to stay down in the territory without telling Dad?”

“No. I want to act in plays.”

“Plays?”

“Yes. I find it fun to do. Honestly, I like it just the way things are.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Edlyn said firmly.

Just as Ksenia was about to burst into tears and protest, Edlyn continued.

“If you’re going to do it, do it properly. Just by looking at you, I can tell which role you’re assigned to and how you’re living. You’re probably just taking on minor supporting roles to scrape by.”

“…”

“Call the theater owner. Try getting a leading role once; see if it’s what you really wanted. Reality might be different than you think.”

“…Thanks, but no thanks. I’m going to earn a leading role with my own skills.”

“Oh really? What do you mean by that? You’re already trying to earn a leading role with your talent as we speak.”

“?”

“You’ve been tainted by commoners. Being born in the Peter family is your power and ability, you know.”

Edlyn Peter held her head high with arrogance.

Her dark black hair, like Ksenia’s, flowed gracefully.

“Don’t waste your time. If you don’t like it, find another path. You have a choice, don’t you? Mom respects your choices.”

In the end, Ksenia nodded.

After that, Edlyn arranged for a modest mansion near the Arille Theater. Katrina was asked to keep an eye on Ksenia, but it was an offer too good to refuse.

Although being a knight was one thing, hearing that she would get a mansion rent-free was quite enticing. She had planned to have a second child, so after discussing it with Ellen, she accepted.

Katrina had no income since she had quit the Knights, and even if Ellen was doing well as a painter, it was clear how little a painter’s income really was.

“Waaah!”

At that moment, the second son started crying, clearly uncomfortable.

Oh my, how adorable.

Katrina, who was about to rock him again, noticed that her little boy had just made a terrible mess in his diaper.

Oh dear, I need to keep watch.

Even amidst the chaos, Katrina darted another glance at Ksenia and Leon. The two of them were…

‘What the heck.’

They were whispering closely together, their hands clasped. Seeing that, she shook her head disapprovingly.

[ Achievement: Man protected by Katrina – Gained great favor from Katrina. ]

That pretty boy beggar is actually living up to his looks.

Ksenia, that loudmouth never seemed interested in boys, so why the sudden change?

But it doesn’t seem dangerous. Or is it? Katrina thought she should report back to her employer and turned to leave, her little girl also beginning to wake up with a groggy, “Uugh…!”

“Oh dear, you two. Just sit still. Mommy’s coming!”

Katrina dashed across the yard.

Two homes sharing one yard with a wall torn down.

The left side, adorned with blooming white Liatris flowers, was Ksenia’s abode, while the right side, with a blue-painted roof, was Ellen and Katrina’s newlywed home.

Bursting through the front door, Katrina quickly looked for something to change into. While comforting her squirming daughter, she realized how healthy he was as she changed his thoroughly soiled diaper.

Even amidst the busy commotion, she didn’t call for her husband.

It would have been much easier if Ellen came to help, but he, once an unknown painter, had started to shine recently.

Perhaps having children had changed his state of mind. Ellen’s brush strokes matured, garnering much praise.

His paintings, which previously focused on landscapes, were now enriched with detailed depictions of children and individuals, so it was nearly impossible to buy one of his works. Edlyn’s decision to rent the mansion for free also intended to support the birth of a master who would mark an era.

After a flurry of chaos, things settled down.

Katrina rolled up the now-heavy, warm diaper and sat on the bed. A faint sigh escaped her lips.

‘…I guess I’ll have to do laundry again.’

At times, Katrina felt despondent about her situation.

After all, she was once a knight of the kingdom. But now, she’s just a mother changing diapers and hand-washing clothes multiple times a day.

Moreover, she had almost back-to-back kids, making every day a whirlwind of busyness, leading her to feel pitiful when suddenly confronted with the sight of herself holding a dirty diaper.

Katrina sat there for a moment.

But she couldn’t stay that way for long.

Her son, having been changed, wriggled about, crawling towards the corner of the bed, drooling as he went. Katrina quickly scooped him up.

She had already steadied her mind.

Is it because her children are so lovable?

Of course, that’s part of it, but to emphasize parenthood based only on that is the viewpoint of someone who has lived their whole life as a child.

Parents also want to escape the pains of childcare; it can be relentless.

Thinking about when this little one will grow up is overwhelming.

But… this is the life I’ve chosen.

Katrina resolved to care for these little squirmy beings until they could manage to take care of themselves. No, until they get married. Oh no, until the day I’m in the ground, she was determined to devote herself completely.

Katrina lifted her son.

As her daughter fussed, unable to sleep, she hoisted her onto her back, adjusted the wrap, and started rocking them, singing a lullaby she had never been taught but remembered somehow, a mother’s lullaby.

*

“I’ll be back.”

Leon left the mansion, waving goodbye to Ksenia.

Even though Katrina had intruded, and the Orange Theater had undergone subtle changes, one thing remained unchanged: Ksenia loved me, and I loved her too.

Today was just a reaffirmation of that.

Leon walked on with a faint smile. For a moment, Katrina popped into his mind, and he shook his head.

Let’s not think about Katrina anymore.

Just as we no longer remember Kasia.

She was free from her shackles.

What exactly those shackles were, he didn’t know, but he felt that the {Tracking Skill} not finding a person who completed the tether quest meant that they had accomplished their given task.

Furthermore, seeing her giving birth and living happily, he thought it would help to step away from her life.

But he couldn’t help the sense of unease that swelled up inside him, and it made his steps erratic. Before he knew it, he was headed toward the direction Kasia would be in, with a good enough excuse.

+ …One day, while teaching Katrina swordsmanship, as he went to meet Kasia, Leon encountered a beggar with a broken arm. Intrigued by his use of court etiquette, Leon followed him and took on the inquiry of investigating the Rauno Family, which had once served the House of Tatalia… +

That was the content at the end.

After receiving a call from Reb through the mirror, I woke up having acted independently several times, always visiting Kasia.

I probably just wanted to see how she was doing, like I do now.

The problem was that I met that ‘broken-arm beggar’ while visiting Kasia.

And on the 19th, during that rebellion, in the Childhood Friend scenario, Reb had once contacted me after I ascended the throne via the church’s communication, warning me back then.

/ Assisting him would lead to an encounter with Duke Astroth. I barely slipped away. It’s better not to meet him at all, so next time don’t go seeking out Kasia. /

So I had been trying to approach Astroth every time.

In that state, after Leon killed the Swordmaster, Count Hermann Forte, that’s when the trouble began.

Leon paused briefly in thought while walking.

The sun was nearly set, and a few thugs loitered around him in the alley.

‘How is it possible to approach Astroth, who’s holed up in the palace?’

“Hey, you skinny little brat! Come here.”

‘Why did I investigate the Rauno Family? What am I trying to uncover with Marquis Tatian?’

“Look at that kid. Ignoring me, huh? Stay right there! I’m taking you out today.”

It’s baffling.

I could learn something seeing Kasia again along with that beggar, but…

Leon hesitated, recalling the warning he had given about himself in the past. Just then, WHAM! A fist grazed his cheek.

“Ducking? You little… Ugh!”

Leon’s palm slapped upward, hitting the thug right behind the ear. The spot where the jaw meets the neck, the kind of hit that would make your head ring.

‘Since I know the situation, it shouldn’t be too dangerous… but if I screw up, this entire episode could go down the drain.’

Should I go or avoid it?

It seemed like important information, and while it would be prudent to find out, Leon thought he probably wouldn’t have left any warnings in most cases. He was mulling it over as he beat up the thugs, and he reached a conclusion.

‘Not now; I’ll consider it later.’

There was plenty of time, and he thought he’d check into it once it felt safer. Astroth would likely have a fit if he saw me or Reriana, so it might be smart to send a proxy to investigate.

If needed, I could always grab that so-called beggar and torture him for information… there were many options. Let’s think carefully and make a choice.

Leon turned his steps.

But amidst the thugs sprawled around, someone was quietly watching him and fading away.