CH 26

“Absolutely not!”

“…Mother. Rin is an adult now, so wouldn’t it be alright if she explores places outside the mansion?”

Our meal tonight didn’t have the usual peaceful atmosphere, but I didn’t mind it and just went on to scoop up some stew with a spoon and brought it to my lips.

Seriously, what kind of recipe did Hans use for this? It didn’t look like there’s a lot of meat in here, but the flavor of the meat was not a joke at all.

“Ke-hum. Ke-hum. My dear, I’ll be sure to take care of our daughter.”

“I already said no!”

“Mother, so many members of the garrison will be there. She won’t be in any danger at all, that’s why…”

“And all of the garrison members there would be men! You don’t have to take Rin to that place. I’d rather that you go for a stroll at Golden Hill instead. Right, as you said, Rin is an adult now.”

“Ah, yeah, we should go bring a basket and have a picnic, Rin. You haven’t gone to Golden Hill yet, right? It’s really spacious there, so it’s nice to go horseback riding at that place.”

“Really?”

I learned how to ride on horseback when I was about fifteen years old, but since then, I only ever rode a horse along the riding course inside the mansion’s fences.

So, since I had never ridden outside at all, I wonder how it would feel to go for a run without any fences surrounding me?

It might be surprising to hear that my overprotective mother had allowed me to learn horseback riding despite prohibiting every other sport. But there’s a simple reason behind this.

It’s because every member of the household knew how to ride a horse. It was like an iron rule that’s been passed down to my father, grandfather, and our other predecessors.

I was told that, some decades ago, monsters suddenly broke through the barriers and entered the territory—such a phenomenon was called a ‘monster wave’, yet the cause for this phenomenon was unknown.

When it happened in our land, people were helpless to the wave, and many lives were lost in the process.

At the time, there was not enough manpower to guard the outskirts of the territory thoroughly—there was only enough to deal with the wave once the territory’s defenses had been breached.

In particular, it was the women and children at home who couldn’t escape, and so they suffered irreparable damage.

Ever since then, the Closch household’s predecessors made sure to open riding classes to the people of the territory, and from a young age, the children were also given colts to ride on.

That’s why it’s only natural that I, the daughter of the baron, was also taught how to ride on horseback.

“Mom, can I go there tomorrow?”

“…Yes. You’re an adult now, so you’re allowed to go out freely.”

That’s what her mouth was saying, and yet her eyes were still filled with so much concern.

The fire that had killed the original Irene when she was young must have left Mom with PTSD.

It’s an affliction that I had witnessed a lot amongst the members of the Special Forces, so I couldn’t help but notice the symptoms.

“If you’re worried, Mom, why don’t we go together? Let’s ask Uncle Hans to bake some cookies for us. With nuts, too.”

Mom’s expression brightened up at once.

“Shall we? Oh, really. I thought my daughter is now all grown up, but you’re still my baby. Sweetie, you can’t live without Mom, right?”

“Mom.”

“Yes, what is it?”

Mom’s hand, which was holding her spoon, stopped as she looked at me. I just know that it’ll be out of place if I said this now, but as her gaze was gentle now, I thought I should take this chance to get her permission.

“I really want to go to the garrison… Is it really impossible for me?”

“…What in the world is in the garrison that you want to see anyway?”

Well, I didn’t think for a second that it’s going to be easy, but Mom was proving to be a tough nut to crack, even after Dad and Brother were already on my side.

Setting down the spoon, I looked into the stew and stared at the bottom of the bowl.

“It’s Dad and Brother’s workplace. Shouldn’t I go and see it at least once? Even Mom has been there before…”

Dad and David felt bashful after hearing my words.

As Mom had also set down her spoon, which she hadn’t been using for a while now, she thought for a moment.

“Do you really want to go?”

“Yes, Mom. I also want to get to know our territory.”

That way, if things ever go south down the line, I’d be able to think about how we could respond properly to such an emergency.

Even if it happened decades ago, the monster wave was not just anything to think little of. Before I reincarnated, it was a phenomenon that I had experienced first-hand.

In Korea as well, the cause of the monster waves could not be determined. It was the same for the United States and the European Union.

“Hoho, of course! My dear daughter is a member of House Closch, so it’s only right for you to do so! Honey! I’ll make sure that everything’s safe for our daughter there! Wouldn’t that work?”

Dad let out a delighted guffaw as he said this, then he soon held one of Mom’s hands tightly, rubbing it with his thumb.

It’s one of Dad’s techniques. That is to say, his ‘endearing’ techniques.

Mom had cold hands, and so she very much loved Dad’s warm hands.

As if she had no choice, Mom sighed quietly and lifted her spoon once more.

“Then, alright. Take full responsibility and bring our daughter back in one piece.”

“Great! My dear, lovely wife, you don’t have to worry.”

Watching my parents’ lovely display of affection, I made up my mind again.

In this life, the man who’ll be my husband should absolutely be a man who’s like my father.