Beneath the Surviving Princess's Joyful Facade - Chapter 172

Hearing this, Miesa climbed down from the console and took a few steps closer to her.

“Mother, if that happens, I’ll just tell you I don’t like it.”

“I’m getting old. Soon I’ll only become more stubborn and less rational.”

The great madam closed her eyes tightly and muttered quietly, “A mistake made in the heat of youth can be forgiven, but the foolishness of old age is just ridiculous. And I care about you too much to show you that side of myself.”

“…Mother, please don’t say that.”

Miesa decided to rebel. To her, the great madam of Cladnier was more than just her husband’s mother.

“I’ll be upset if you distance yourself from me because you dislike me, but if you’re worrying about things that may never happen, I won’t listen.”

Miesa quickly spoke as she removed the dress she had been trying on, giving the great madam no chance to withdraw.

“Do you know about my birth mother?”

The conversation continued until late evening, after everyone had left.

“And that medicine they gave me back then—that was Finime! No wonder they fed it to me so carefully, spoon by spoon, as if it were precious. Turns out it was a rare poison from another country.”

“Bastards.”

Miesa was no longer surprised by the great madam’s coarse language. She just quickly added the outcome.

“After I found out, I sliced up Sellas and Namirea. Harfindel’s medicine kept them alive for quite a while.”

“Good. They deserved to suffer for as long as possible. How did they die?”

“Uh… Eirik disposed of them. They seemed fine, even spoke coherently, but Eirik said they wouldn’t last long—”

“Why on earth did he do that?!”

The great madam raised her voice in disbelief as she continued, “Did he think you’d forgive everything like a saint and smile like a flower? Where is Eirik now? Has he returned?”

As the great madam’s eyes widened in search of her son, Miesa tried to explain what had happened.

“Eirik said he couldn’t stand seeing me held captive by Sellas.”

“He really made a fuss, didn’t he.”

“I was rotting from the inside. Maybe…”

Miesa paused, wondering if her mother had felt the same when she lost Rosier, but she decided not to voice that thought. Now she knew when to keep things to herself.

“…I hated myself. Just when I had finally started living like a human being, I felt crazier than ever.”

The great madam didn’t say anything. Miesa raised her voice in the silence.

“Eirik cut the knot that bound me. He said he wanted my present and future to be filled only with good things, and he would handle all the dirty work.”

“…I see.”

The great madam, having quietly processed Miesa’s words, spoke again once she had somewhat calmed down.

“If you found peace of mind through that, then that’s all that matters.”

“Yes. Eirik really seems to love me.”

“…Huh?”

“No matter how ugly or horrible I become, he still likes me. It’s amazing.”

The great madam let out a dry laugh. Listening to Miesa’s story, she started to see the bigger picture.

“It’s wonderful that you two get along so well… But honestly, you don’t need to boast about how great your husband treats you.”

“Why not?”

“Well… Usually… Never mind. What does it matter how others live? As long as we’re comfortable, that’s all that matters. Go on, continue.”

Receiving the great madam’s permission, Miesa was delighted.

“From the beginning, Eirik respected and cherished me. I’m sure there were times when he was frustrated, but he never yelled at me. Even when he was really angry, he took care of me.”

“……”

“Eirik is quite rigid in some ways, but he’s always generous with me. Once—”

As Miesa went on, the great madam waved her hand. “It’s only because you don’t know each other well enough yet. No one is perfect.”

“Oh, I know. There was a time when I thought Eirik was flawless, but it turns out he’s not. And that makes me love him even more.”

“…Alright, let’s see how far this goes. Go on.”

“Anyway, if it weren’t for him, I would’ve died many times over. I’m living the life he gifted me.”

Miesa clasped her hands together as she spoke, her tone reverent, and the great madam burst out laughing.

“I’m glad. I’m happy to hear that you two are doing well.”

The great madam wrinkled her nose playfully and reached out, gently stroking Miesa’s platinum-blond hair as she smiled.

“So, will you spend this life your husband gifted you lazing around?”

The great madam looked at Miesa with even more affection. This young one had suffered hardships unimaginable to most.

“Yes. There is so much I don’t know and can’t do. I’ll be busy just learning.”

“I suppose so.”

“And I haven’t experienced the joys of the world yet. I’m going to indulge.”

Miesa whispered conspiratorially, and the great madam burst into laughter.

“Goodness, how indulgent do you plan to be?”

“I’m going to learn to climb trees, dance at parties, and find games other than chess.”

“You startled me with that word. I suppose you’ve only been talking to people for a few years. ‘Indulge’ isn’t quite the word for that.”

The great madam chuckled, stood up, and fetched a bottle of liquor from the tray in the corner of the parlor, expertly pouring it into a glass.

“Here, indulgence approved by your husband’s mother.”

The drinking session went on until midnight.

“I don’t want to have children.”

Miesa’s words caught the great madam off guard, her face flushed from the alcohol, and she paused to consider before asking, “Have you talked to Eirik about it?”

“Yes. He says it’s fine.”

“Alright. Then the two of you should handle it.”

Miesa hadn’t expected the great madam to nod so readily, and with her flushed face, she asked, “Really? What about my position?”

“Thanks to the fertile farmlands of Flamtia, we no longer worry about food shortages. Why should you worry about your position?”

The great madam sounded incredulous.

“Is there a reason you don’t want children?”

“I don’t think I’d be a good mother.”

“A good mother…,” the great madam repeated her words, then shook her head. “I don’t think being a good mother is about whether you think you can be one or not. Oh, I’m not trying to convince you, so take my words lightly.”

“Okay.”

Miesa waited, but the great madam said nothing more. Unable to contain her curiosity, Miesa pressed, “I’ll take it lightly, but please tell me why you think that.”

“Well, I thought I was a decent mother. But looking back, I didn’t do much for my children.”

“……”

“Of course, having the right mindset as a mother is important, but things don’t always go as planned.”

The great madam let out a heavy sigh.

“Rosier was such a sweet and gentle child, yet she caused me the most pain. It’s the same for parents. Even with good intentions, one can still be a bad parent, or the opposite could be true. Ultimately, you never know.”

Miesa fell into thought. She, too, had once resented her mother—a mother who, in truth, was kind and gentle.

“People say I have an extraordinary son, but I probably spent less time with Eirik than I did with the maid who cleaned my room.”

The great madam gave a bittersweet smile.

“That’s just the rambling of a drunk. You’re the one who asked me such a question, knowing I simply gave birth and he grew up well on his own—so you’re to blame.”

“Mother, I didn’t expect you to be this stubborn.”

“How do you know the word ‘stubborn’ but not ‘indulge’?”

The great madam laughed heartily, and Miesa looked at her intently before asking, “Mother, if Rosier were alive, what would you like to do for her?”

The great madam’s hand, which had been reaching for her glass, paused in mid-air.

“I often wonder what it would be like if my mother were alive.”

Miesa continued in a quiet voice, “I’d want to just look at her face all day. I can’t remember her face well anymore.”

“……”

“Vermel destroyed all the portraits, so there’s nothing left. I vaguely remember her smiling whenever she saw me.”

The great madam remained silent, just listening.

“If my mother could come back for even one day, I’d want her to keep talking, non-stop, about anything. I’ve even forgotten the way she spoke.”

During the war with Sidate, when Eirik wasn’t around, Miesa had often cried while imagining conversations with him. She longed desperately for her mother’s voice, which had faded so much that she couldn’t even mimic.

“And I would sleep in her arms, breathing in her scent… My mother always smelled so nice.”

The great madam slowly turned her head. Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Miesa.

“Poor thing.”

Seeing the tears in the great madam’s eyes, Miesa’s eyes also grew wet.

“Mother, you are also pitiable. Can I say that too?”

Instead of answering, the great madam reached out and pulled Miesa into an embrace. Held in her arms, Miesa quietly sobbed, and at some point, her face twisted as she broke into loud sobs.

“This soup is good for a hangover.”

Eirik alternated his gaze between his mother and his wife, offering them breakfast.

“Neither of you looks well. Are you alright?”

“You’re asking if we’re alright when we don’t look alright—what kind of answer do you expect?”

The great madam, clutching her head from the hangover, groaned in response. Beside her, Miesa, frowning in the same way, also held her forehead and groaned.

“I see.”

Eirik began eating, though he had many questions on his mind.

Why had they drunk until dawn? Why, when he had gone to check on them, had they been holding each other and sobbing loudly?

The smell of alcohol emanating from Miesa as she was helped back to her bedroom by the maids at dawn had been amusing and cute, but still—why, with his mother?

“Mother, are you sure my head isn’t bleeding? It feels like someone drove a nail into my skull.”

“Eat the soup first and then stay in bed until lunchtime. Wait, have you ever had a nail driven into your head?”

“No, I haven’t. I’ve seen it, though.”

Eirik could somewhat imagine the conversation from last night as he listened to the two exchange words, while he quietly continued eating. The great lord also frowned but, under his wife’s stern gaze, didn’t dare say a word.