By Zephyria 
“Former Empress” referred to Kate Anti Sieron, Ruben’s mother and my future mother-in-law.
What reason could that woman, so proficient in etiquette and so particular, have for wandering the city streets in broad daylight and bursting into tears? I couldn’t believe it at all and asked repeatedly.
“Why would such a distinguished person be wandering without any escort?”
“The Former Empress was the joker of high society. I can tell if it’s her or not just by her face shape, body type, the way she walks, even a single eyelash. If I didn’t have that kind of discernment, would I have survived in this Sieron high society?”
“But.”
“Moreover, the jewel she was wearing under her robe, the Eye of the Violet Fairy from the Empress’s twenty-third collection, is unmistakable. Oh, she definitely went this way…”
“…Hmm.”
I stopped asking further questions and spread my Qi sense wide. In any case, all I needed to do was find the woman walking and crying alone.
Excluding those walking in pairs or threes, those too short or too tall, those too young or too old, those walking slowly, eating something, or conversing…
“She’s over there.”
“Huh? How can you tell without looking?”
“There are ways to know.”
Where had the person who had been walking so lightly disappeared to? Poplar Kiadris, holding the hem of her skirt with both hands, strode forward with large steps. Her shoulders didn’t sway, and her back remained straight. I marveled at how well she walked, even in high heels.
Poplar’s pace was faster than the crying woman’s, and thanks to my Qi sense not losing her, the distance between us rapidly closed. However, there was something I absolutely had to be careful about before meeting the Former Empress.
“By the way, Young Lady Kiadris.”
“Yes. Please speak.”
“When meeting someone who will be my mother-in-law for the first time, what would be a good greeting?”
“In this situation? Worry about that later!”
“No, because the person we are going to meet right now seems to be her.”
“Eek?”
Oh dear.
I caught the arm of the woman who was about to fall and set her upright. This was the most surprised I had seen Poplar Kiadris since being introduced to her. The woman, her face pale as a sheet, looked at me, then ahead, then back at me once more, and started walking again. Her strides were shorter than before.
“Why are you so surprised?”
“…No, are you perhaps planning to marry the Third Princess, Lord Ernhardt?”
“Me?”
“…No? Don’t tell me you’re marrying the Emperor?”
“Yes.”
Now she’s dropping all pretense of formality.
Seeing that she didn’t stop walking despite being so surprised, I figured there must be something to it and continued walking. Poplar Kiadris unfurled her fan to hide her face and muttered something, but her words were too fast and her pronunciation too slurred for me to understand.
Just then, the woman we were following stopped.
I sensed several presences in front of her.
“Hmm. I’ll go ahead.”
“Huh? Why all of a sudden?”
“It seems my mother-in-law is in danger, so I’ll go save her first. You can come slowly.”
“Huh?”
Poplar Kiadris was also without an escort. However, she was standing on the main street. There were many people around. I hoped she would wisely wait for me there and then I leaped forward with my Divine Body.
The thugs gathered in front of Kate were all insignificant Black Road ruffians.
I struck the one standing closest to my mother-in-law with my scabbard, sending him flying. He got up, bewildered, and seeing me, trembled greatly in surprise.
Were they planning to rob her of her money or valuables? The bag she held in her hand looked very expensive.
It was common for such petty alley thugs to get into serious trouble for coveting a noble’s possessions, but as soon as I looked at the woman’s face, I understood why.
She had cried too much. She looked incredibly sorrowful and frail. As if she couldn’t even let out a single cry.
Seeing the thugs mumbling “I’m sorry, I was wrong” like a mantra, I felt drained. It would be easy to crush these insignificant fellows without wasting time, but what was the point of showing a brutal scene in front of the woman who was already frozen with fear?
I nudged them and told them to leave, and they fled in a hurry. I didn’t bother chasing them. Later, I could just mention to Ruben that there were petty criminals roaming the capital.
Only then did I turn back and ask about the woman’s well-being.
“Are you alright?”
“…Yes.”
“The road to the right is narrow and blocked, so it’s dangerous.”
The dazed woman, as if it were natural, extended her left hand, so I immediately offered my right arm to support her. She seemed accustomed to being escorted.
The woman, Kate Anti Sieron, touched her lips with her empty hand, then pressed them shut and began to shed large tears again.
I felt extremely awkward and didn’t know what to do. Hesitating, I took out a handkerchief with my free left hand and offered it to her.
I quietly watched the top of her head as she obediently wiped her tears and suppressed her sobs. Seen like this, she had a surprising number of resemblances to Rubel. Ruben’s straight nose and sturdy chin were like his father’s, while his perfectly drawn eyebrows and red lips were like his mother’s.
Perhaps her tendency to cry a lot was also like her mother’s.
After letting her sob for a while, I asked carefully.
“…Madam. Are there no escort knights nearby?”
“….”
Is this how I should address her? It was regrettable that I hadn’t asked the etiquette teacher beforehand. I hadn’t had many occasions to deal with unfamiliar ladies before.
After a moment of silence, the woman slowly shook her head. Perhaps she didn’t know who I was.
If Poplar Kiadris came here and made a fuss, it would only lead to an awkward situation. Resigned to being scolded later, I avoided Poplar’s presence and slowly moved towards the main road on the opposite side. The woman, still accepting my support, followed me out.
Once we reached a brighter area, I asked again.
“If you don’t mind, I can escort you home.”
“…No. I’m fine. I’ll rest for a bit and go on my own.”
After crying like this, could she even see where she was going? It was a long way to the Imperial Palace, more than thirty minutes even by carriage. I couldn’t possibly leave her like this. Trying my best not to frighten her, I cleared my throat again.
“Would you like me to arrange a carriage to take you home?”
“…I have somewhere I need to go nearby.”
“Nearby?”
“I left something there. It’s fine, I can go alone.”
When she couldn’t even stand up straight on her own?
I squeezed my eyes shut and opened them again.
I made eye contact with Poplar Kiadris, who was frowning deeply, from a distance. She really did have a good eye, didn’t she? No, that wasn’t it. I was a head taller than most people, so if she had eyes, she could easily find me.
Seeing her rush towards Ikyun, I quickly used Sound Transmission to stop her.
[I apologize, Young Lady. Just a moment.]
Poplar, startled, stopped in her tracks. I read her lips as she moved them.
‘Did Lord Ernhardt just speak?’
[Yes. The Former Empress seems quite distressed right now, so I intend to attend to her. I am truly sorry, but today…]
Poplar, after a moment of thought, nodded once. She glared at Ikyun for a moment, then turned away abruptly. Still, my mother-in-law must have left quite a good impression on Poplar. Or perhaps it was simply that Poplar was accustomed to showing respect to elders.
In any case, now that the person I was most concerned about had left, I felt much more at ease.
“Then, may I at least escort you to where you left your belongings?”
“….”
The woman looked up at me.
If she saw my face, she would know my identity. If she was Ruben’s mother, her information-gathering skills would be formidable. Hadn’t she already found out that I was the thief who proposed to her son? I swallowed nervously, unable to even swallow properly.
The woman, still leaning on my arm, nodded once.
“I’m going to 58th Street, Number 2.”
“I will escort you.”
It was quite a distance from our current location. Was she planning to walk this far?
After some thought, I hailed a carriage. My mother-in-law made good use of my arm both when getting into and out of the carriage. She didn’t say anything during that time, so I didn’t try to make small talk either.
And then I regretted it. I should have at least asked what she was going to find.
58th Street was far from the center of the capital. It wasn’t exactly a slum, but houses that showed signs of disrepair and age stood side by side.
Following Kate’s elegant nod, I knocked twice on the door of the building at Number 2 in her stead. A middle-aged woman with a bright smile opened the door wide. I received the knitted item she offered in place of my mother-in-law.
I didn’t feel offended at being treated almost like a servant. It was due to extreme surprise.
“Thank you again, Lady Grace. …Did something happen today?”
“It’s almost his death anniversary. I was just returning from leaving a single flower at his grave.”
“Oh my… I don’t have anything else I can offer you, but please wait a moment. I baked cookies this morning. I’ll give you some.”
“No, it’s alright. I don’t think I can eat anything today.”
“Still! They’re shaped like candies and are shiny and pretty. Even if you can’t eat them, just looking at them will lift your spirits! I’ll be right back!”
Melatia… Melatia Floyd? There was no room for doubt. She bore a striking resemblance to the First Prince Richard.
I looked back and forth between the scarf with its elaborate embroidery, Kate Anti Sieron, and the beautiful woman who had run into the old entrance with a cheerful laugh.
Kate, without looking back at me standing still, murmured.
“Lord Ernhardt, do you think he cheated? Or do you think she endured it well?”
“…What?”
Goosebumps prickled my spine. This was the first time since defeating the Ninth God.