“Even if you heard that, how did you manage to get all the way there…….”
However, it seemed my mom was shocked by something else entirely.
“Did having to go through something like this make our Vivi grow up way too early? What was I thinking, saying those things in front of you…….”
I smiled bitterly.
Of course, because I was an old soul who remembered my past life, I had grasped the situation quickly. But even if I hadn’t remembered my past life, I probably would have figured out the general situation anyway.
Children are surprisingly quick at catching on.
Though confused, my mom hugged me tightly.
“You don’t have to worry about a single thing. Mom will protect Vivi. Vivi, Mom will…….”
Mom suddenly whimpered softly. I was quite surprised. Was this really something to be this distraught over?
‘Mom has been having a really hard time too.’
Uncle Dietrich’s disappearance, Grandfather’s death, Uncle Pascal’s betrayal.
Perhaps Mom was barely holding on for my sake when she wanted to give up on everything. She had been trying to smile and not show her pain in front of me so that I wouldn’t get hurt.
But now that she found out I knew everything and had just been pretending not to, she might have felt like her world was collapsing.
‘I’m sorry, Mom.’
But from now on, I will protect Mom.
Mom and I held each other like that for a long time.
After finally calming down, Mom looked at Marcus and asked.
“So you are saying you asked that gentleman to be your stepfather?”
“It wasn’t a request, it was a commission…….”
My voice naturally grew smaller as I answered. It was because I only now realized, with a fresh wave of realism, what kind of trouble I had caused.
‘From Mom’s perspective, it must look like an absurd situation.’
Of course, I had made a thoroughly cold judgment and put it into action.
If Mom still had to enter a contract marriage until Uncle Dietrich returned, I still believed Marcus Elden was the right partner for it.
But to Mom, wouldn’t it just look like her young, naive daughter had caused an accident?
“A commission? Not a request?”
“Yeah. To marry Mom and become my stepfather!”
“Where on earth did you meet that person to…….”
“Ahem.”
Marcus, who had been listening silently until now, cut in.
“Before we proceed, I should formally introduce myself. I am Marcus Elden, and I run the Hawk of the New Moon Guild.”
“I am Rayna Arno. As you can see, I am Vivi’s mom.”
“From what I can see, it looks like you are searching for someone to play the role of a temporary husband, just as Vivi said, and our guild will serve you properly.”
“That…….”
“The man you brought earlier seemed to be a member of the Etam Guild, is that correct?”
“How did you know that…….”
“I do not know if you are aware, but our Hawk of the New Moon Guild is famous for having the best intelligence network in the Empire. We can find out that much in no time.”
Marcus grinned.
“If you leave the commission to us, we will reward you with belief and trust.”
Then he looked at me. I sighed quietly and shook my head.
That line was a bit off.
Mom, who had been looking at Marcus with a bewildered face, managed to control her expression.
“First, please have a seat, as it seems this conversation will be long.”
Marcus, who had been standing until then, sat down next to me. Mom asked Karen, her personal maid, for some refreshments and then smiled at me.
“Vivi, would you mind going outside for a moment and playing with Dean?”
“Huh?”
“Mom will give you some pocket money, so buy yourself something delicious to eat.”
“No, I want to stay too…….”
I intended to listen to the conversation between Mom and Marcus. However, perhaps because she realized I wasn’t an ordinary child clueless about the world, Mom was firm.
“Vivi, it’s Mom’s request.”
It seemed she was worried that if I stayed here, I would understand everything they were discussing.
Just then, Marcus gently pushed my back.
“Come to think of it, there is someone outside who wants to meet you, why don’t you go out and see?”
“Who is it?”
“You’ll find out when you go out.”
He winked at me from an angle that Mom couldn’t see. I figured I could just hear about their conversation from Marcus later anyway.
“Okay, Mom. Then I’ll go out and play!”
I waved to Mom and walked outside. As I did, someone greeted me warmly upon seeing me.
“We meet again, kiddo.”
“Huh?”
I also brightened up after confirming the person’s face.
“Anya sister!”
“Oh my.”
Anya smiled, her eyes crinkling beautifully.
“An older sister, it’s been a while since I’ve heard that title.”
Uh oh, did I act too familiar?
“I’m sorry. Should I call you Miss Anya?”
“No, I like the title ‘sister’. You can call me that.”
“Okay, sister!”
“Do you like crème brûlée? I know a great place.”
“I love it so much.”
“Shall we go then?”
With a slightly heavy heart, I took Anya’s hand and left the inn.
☆☆☆
Rayna Arno was currently in a state of immense confusion.
‘To think Vivi knew everything…….’
Eight years ago, when she gave birth to Vivi alone without a husband, Rayna had made up her mind to protect this small, fragile daughter by any means necessary.
She had tried to love her twice as much so that she wouldn’t feel the absence of a father.
As if understanding her heart, Vivi grew up to be more lovely and bright than any other child.
She had asked about her father once, but perhaps realizing Rayna was troubled by it, she never asked again after that.
Yet this disaster had struck.
She wanted to give her only the best things in the world, but far from giving her good things, they were now in a position to be kicked out of the mansion immediately.
‘On top of that, even Pascal…….’
It would have been a better situation if Pascal had simply tried to kick Rayna and Vivi out without a single penny.
But he wanted Rayna. If Rayna did not do as he wished, in the worst-case scenario, he might even threaten her using Vivi.
Therefore, she had to use any means available to protect Vivi.
Even so, she had tried her best not to show how hard it was in front of Vivi. But it seemed Vivi, who was mature and clever for her age, had already figured everything out.
‘Not only that, but she even went so far as to commission an information guild. I am truly a pathetic mother.’
She didn’t know how Vivi had managed to find an information guild and make a request to the man in front of her.
But regardless of how that process went, Rayna could not forgive herself for causing Vivi to have such thoughts.
“Vivi, was it? She is an exceptionally pretty child.”
Rayna, who had been sorting through her thoughts for a moment, suddenly raised her head at the voice coming from across from her.
“And intelligent, too.”
Rayna smiled weakly.
“Right? Our Vivi is a bit mature for her age. That is always a worry for me, though.”
Muttering bitterly, Rayna straightened her back and brought up the main point.
“Mr. Marcus. To be honest, it is not easy for me to trust you. The name Hawk of the New Moon is also unfamiliar to me.”
“That is likely the case. Our guild operates as a small, elite group, so we selectively accept only carefully chosen commissions.”
“But you are saying you will accept my commission?”
“Seeing Vivi made my heart soften. Well, the content of the commission is quite interesting as well.”
“Yes, I see……. It is also a mystery how Vivi found out about you, but we can talk about that later.”
Rayna sighed.
“As soon as I arrived in the capital, I sought out a famous information guild to find the right person. I asked them to send someone with good swordsmanship skills in preparation for a potential violent situation. But as soon as I brought that man to Vivi, Pascal appeared as if he had been waiting, and he even resorted to violence.”
Rayna’s complexion turned pale in an instant. She tightly gripped her trembling hands.
“I do not know if Pascal is that skilled, or if the man I tried to hire was less skilled than I thought, but the situation has become quite serious.”
“It is likely both.”
Marcus recited what he had gathered during that brief moment.
“The man named Pascal is quite skilled. On top of that, he does not hesitate to cut people down. On the other hand, the man you attempted to hire uses a sword, but he seems to lack actual combat experience. If you hired him to protect the young lady and Vivi, I can tell you for certain that he was not the right person.”
“How could such a thing happen…….”
As Rayna placed a hand on her forehead, Marcus continued speaking.
“Looking at all the circumstances, it is highly likely that Pascal made a commission to the Etam Guild. The Etam Guild took on a double commission.”
“Is that even possible?”
“It goes against business ethics, but there are always bastards who will do anything for money. It seems they preferred receiving a large sum as an advance payment from Pascal rather than waiting for a postpaid commission fee from the young lady.”
Marcus’s eyes flashed with a brown glint.
“And that bastard Pascal might possess more influence than the lady thinks. Even if you go to another guild, there is a high probability that he will use some sort of tactic.”
“Then what about you, Mr. Marcus?”
“……Pardon?”
☆▪︎▪︎▪︎☆
