While carefully collecting scattered fruit pieces around me, I had one certainty. The reason my father met my mother was undoubtedly based on her formidable strength.
Even for an ordinary adult, let alone a trained adult man, crushing fruit barehanded is extremely difficult. Again, I emphasize, not cutting but crushing.
It’s challenging for even the most skilled experts to make fruit burst out as if it were crushed by some press. Is it possible in a fantasy world? From what I’ve heard, my mother has never engaged in any training. According to my father, she was a simple country girl.
The hypothesis that my mother was influenced while sharing affection with my father seems the most plausible, but I didn’t bother to inquire. The most urgent matter was the 20th volume of Xenon’s Biography.
If I release the 20th volume without modifying the story, that fruit could become an allegory for my future. However, I can’t change the story like that. In the 20th volume, Jin is pierced through the chest by Beelzebub, but he doesn’t completely die. It serves as a foundation for the very common ‘awakening’ cliche.
Why? It’s a story where another presence within awakens in a moment of crisis and saves the protagonist. Especially since Jin is a hybrid of human and demon, different from other demons, I scattered hints throughout the Xenon’s Biography. So, Jin won’t die right away.
Although whether I can survive until the 21st volume is questionable. If my mother decides to target me, taking a brief refuge might not be a bad choice.
“What are you thinking about?”
Suddenly, my mother, who had washed her hands and sat back down, asked me a question. While gazing at the fruit pieces I had carefully gathered, I quietly opened my mouth.
I almost spilled the contents of the 20th volume that were in my mind, but I managed to suppress it.
“I didn’t know you were this strong, Mom. How can you burst fruit with just one hand?”
“It’s just the basics.”
“If that’s basic, I’m in big trouble.”
My not-so-serious joke made my mother cover her mouth with her hand and smile gracefully.
“I’m just kidding. Where I lived, there weren’t many people, so everyone helped with all kinds of work, regardless of gender. I had to do everything from milking cows to carrying hunted animals. Oh, I even moved a bear once.”
“…Didn’t you like writing when you were young?”
“That’s separate from work.”
Although she said that, talent doesn’t change. Some people work hard until they die, and their strength remains the same, since simply doing manual labor doesn’t increase strength.
Perhaps Nicole’s innate strength was not inherited from my Father.
I, too, underwent a belated transformation. Despite receiving only basic knight training, my stamina was exceptional.
Knock knock
“It’s Adelia. May I come in?”
Around the time when I was dwelling on mother’s past and talents, Adelia knocked on the door. It seemed like she had freshened herself up and changed into clean clothes.
When mother permitted her to enter, Adelia, dressed casually, revealed herself. Despite changing clothes, she still wore a shirt and leather pants. It seemed she hadn’t given much thought to what to wear, probably because she didn’t expect to meet my mother.
“Come in. Sit next to Isaac.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Adelia moved in accordance with mother’s instructions. I observed her expression as she approached. Her face seemed slightly tense, probably anticipating what the conversation might entail. It was evident from her tightly sealed lips.
I had provided enough explanation to mother, and Adelia had spoken as well, but it was inevitable for her to feel nervous. Even though she claimed to be satisfied just by watching from a distance, mother’s perspective might differ. Especially for Adelia, the biggest obstacle was none other than her status.
I feared that revealing Adelia’s true identity would lead to trouble. Sometimes, it’s better not to know, and I did it to avoid burdening Adelia. I was the author of Xenon’s Biography.
And Adelia loved me not because she loved Xenon, but because she held feelings for a person named Isaac.
Tick tock
“I’ve heard the story. You want to become Isaac’s concubine and his exclusive maid at the same time?”
When Adelia sat down next to me, my mother calmly began slicing fruit and went straight to the point. Adelia, though momentarily taken aback by the question, nodded heavily and answered.
“Yes.”
“Have you also received permission from Marie and Princess Cecily?”
“Yes.”
“Alright. Then, take good care of our Isaac.”
“Yes. About that… um, yes?”
Adelia replied confused, not expecting such an easy pass. She had no choice but to inquire. Mother easily accepted it, making the tense atmosphere feel foolishly unnecessary.
“Why are you making that expression? You’ve already got permission from Marie and Princess Cecily, what’s so difficult about it?”
“No, it’s just that, Madam. As you know…”
“That you’re a royal bastard from the Kingdom of Ters? Our family doesn’t care about such things. My husband was a commoner who later became a noble, and I, too, became a noble after marrying him. Since you’ve already confirmed your feelings for each other, there’s nothing I can say or do.”
In response to Mother’s relaxed answer, Adelia, still stammering, continued with more questions to satisfy her curiosity.
“But someday, there will come a day when a big decision has to be made, right?”
The day will come when she has to make a big decision. Judging by the fact that I haven’t heard those words before, it seems like it was something that came up in a personal conversation with my mother.
Upon hearing the question, my mother shifted her gaze to me and smiled faintly. Then, she neatly placed sliced fruits onto a plate.
“I feel like you’ve already made a decision, haven’t you? If the Ters Kingdom asks you to come back, will you go?”
“No. I absolutely swear that won’t happen. I realized that just because we share the same blood doesn’t mean we’re all family.”
Adelia grimaced at the thought, as if she felt repulsed even imagining it. She had already let go of any lingering feelings through her sparring with Hiriya. Besides, even if I revealed that I was Xenon, she wouldn’t return to her biological family. I had promised to make sure of that.
“That’s settled then. What more do you need? Make sure to excel in your maid classes, and don’t forget the duties of a guardian knight. I’ll leave the education to Dana, so study hard starting tomorrow.”
“··· ···”
Adelia, unable to grasp what to do in the conversation flowing like a snake over a wall, wore an expression of confusion. It was a perplexing situation even for me. When I picked up a piece of fruit with a fork, Adelia cautiously spoke.
“Um… Lady Baroness.”
“Yeah, speak up.”
“Is it really… possible? I have nothing like those two do…”
Adelia lowered herself, using Marie and Cecily as examples. However, at the same time, it was realistic. Unlike the mentioned two, she only had a trained body.
Marie is a daughter of Duke Requilis, and Cecily is both the princess of Helium and the next demon king. From Adelia’s perspective, she must feel endlessly plain. That’s probably why she asked such a question.
In response to the question that contained deep meaning, mother answered with a characteristic warm smile.
“Even if you don’t have much, you can still help Isaac. Our Isaac is smart, but his body is relatively weak.”
“It’s not that weak, though.”
“Keep your mouth shut. Learn to read the atmosphere.”
“··· ···”
I tried to intervene to lighten the mood, but ended up getting scolded. I should just eat some fruit.
“But Princess Cecily can also help Isaac.”
“But that child isn’t with Isaac every day, is she?”
Instead of Cecily, a knight dispatched from Helium protects me. However, Adelia doesn’t know this fact, so let’s move on.
“But you are different. As a dedicated maid, you can watch over Isaac closely. Moreover, you can protect him right away in case of an emergency. Why do you say you have nothing?”
“··· ···”
“Don’t lower yourself too much. It’s not that you have nothing, you just don’t know what you have. Just remember that.”
“···Yes.”
Adelia choked up in response to mother’s warm kindness. I lowered my head slightly and examined Adelia’s face.
Tears were on the brink of falling as moisture gathered in her sharp sky-blue eyes. Despite her outward cheerfulness, she was a delicate and tender person on the inside.
It was a characteristic shared by many who had endured deep wounds. Adelia had carried countless scars in her heart since childhood, and even a slight touch could trigger tears.
‘I haven’t revealed everything yet, but…’
While Adelia was calming her emotions, I exchanged glances with mother. Mother just smiled and nodded, indicating that it was enough for now.
Even if I revealed that I was Xenon, it didn’t seem to matter. I pondered over it while idly picking at the fruit.
From the current situation, it was evident that Adelia had no intention of returning to the Kingdom of Ters. I could be sure of that.
She had fallen for me, and with mother’s approval, there was no longer any reason to hesitate. This would likely remain the same even after I disclosed my true identity. If anything, being cherished by someone like Xenon might make her feel a sense of superiority.
However, it’s just my opinion, and considering Adelia’s personality, as I mentioned earlier, she might find it burdensome. The status of Xenon’s Biography is soaring as if it would pierce through the sky.
So, if I don’t want her to feel burdened…
‘…There’s no choice but to make it official.’
I must stamp the proof of my ownership on it. If that happens, Adelia should be able to relieve some of the burden little by little.
Of course, it won’t be possible right away. There’s also the issue of the exhibition, and during the vacation, Marie and Cecily will be teaming up, leaving little room for Adelia to intervene.
If one of them were to “yield,” it might work. However, their greed for me is so overwhelming that it’s not an easy task. Even if I want to persuade them, it seems difficult even to come up with something to say.
While I was silently contemplating useless thoughts, my mother spoke to Adelia.
“Then it’s better to start taking maid lessons from today. You’ll need to schedule knight training too. And plan your working hours.”
“Huuh. Um, isn’t a personal maid supposed to be by one’s side from morning to night?”
“Huh? What are you talking about? Even for a personal maid, there are strict working hours. Usually starts from 7 in the morning until dinner time. There are also breaks for personal meals, so it won’t be too difficult.”
“But, but in the books, it says they work through the night…”
“…”
At Adelia’s bombshell statement, my mother blinked her eyes a couple of times, then tilted her head with an expression of confusion, wondering where she got such knowledge.
Adelia, too, shifted her gaze towards me, perhaps sensing something strange from the reaction. Why are you looking at me? You self-taught from the book you received from Marie, right? Despite my feelings, Adelia spoke quietly with a skeptical tone.
“Oh, no? In the book, it said to take the night shift to relieve the owner’s fatigue. The owner should be very satisfied…”
“…”
“Hmm… Isaac.”
Mother, exhaling a sigh filled with complex feelings, called me. In response, I awkwardly smiled and replied.
“Yes, Mother.”
“Wait outside until I call you again.”
Following Mother’s instructions, I silently got up from my seat and went outside. It seemed like the intention was to instill ‘common sense’ and ‘manners’ in Adelia.
During this time, Adelia looked increasingly uncomfortable, as if wondering if she had done something wrong. She resembled a golden retriever on the verge of being scolded by its owner. Still, I ignored it because it was necessary.
After a while outside, Mother instructed me to come back inside. Upon entering, I immediately checked Adelia’s condition.
“Adelia noona, are you okay?”
“…”
Not really, huh. Adelia, with both hands buried in her face and her head bowed deeply, caught my eye.
Along with that, her ears were flushed red. I don’t need to see her face to know how it looks.
Even though it was incorrect knowledge, she even said she would listen to my night requests, so the embarrassment must be overwhelming. She’s someone with a refreshing personality, but in moments like this, she subtly shows a clumsy side, adding a charming twist.
“By the way, why did Marie recommend that book to you?”
“Probably because of Marie’s personality, she wanted to tease Adelia noona. But since Noona doesn’t know her well…”
“That could be it. We should talk about it when we meet later.”
“What are we talking about?”
In response to my question, my mother, still looking at Adelia who couldn’t lift her head, smiled broadly.
“She recommended a really good book.”
“Ugh…”
This was the first decisive blow.
“So, Noona, when will you listen to my night requests?”
“Ugh… You…”
With this, I delivered the second decisive blow.
There’s nothing cuter than Adelia being embarrassed.
Translators note:
