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Chapter 82 Part 2 – First Dance

Hey Bradd!! Get out of there. The honor student seat is mine!! At this rate, I’ll end up in the same group as idiot Arnold, who reacts indignantly and judges things just from what he sees!! My image of a cool beauty is in a pinch!!

In a hurry, I stood in front of Countess Rosenthal in order to not fall behind.

「Countess, tell me. Are you really my mother’s enemy ……!! Or are you ……!! The expression you have right now is the face of a martyr ready to sacrifice themselves for their beliefs. Not the face of someone who enjoys bullying others. I …… am well aware of that. If there is a reason as to why you’re doing this, please tell me ……!!」

The expression on the countess’s face now is familiar to me. It’s the same expression that my mother had as she tried to stop the demon dog Gallam by herself in order to let us escape. It’s the expression of someone who has made a heart-breaking resolution to give up her life for someone else.

I appealed to her earnestly.

The key is to blur the details of my words. This way, I could avoid having to argue to others that I didn’t think like that, and I could also add a hint of meaning to my lines. It’s a cunning trick I learned in negotiations during my time as a queen.

…… What is it, Bradd? That wry smile.

Do you have any complaints? You can’t make a living with just pretty words.

I guess I was right on target. Countess Rosenthal cast her eyes down as if she’d been caught.

Yes, yes, there are many things that happen in a person’s life. My mother seems to feel the same way as I do. After all, we are mother and daughter. I understand. Let’s let bygones be bygones. Although my grievances are not in this life, but in the previous 「108 times」.

The moon shines gently on us. The time for reconciliation has come. Now then, jump into the plump breasts of this large-hearted mother and daughter pair and cry.

However, Countess Rosenthal’s response was full of scorn, 「I haven’t fallen down so far as to be pitied by a little girl like you. Rather than worrying about wrong things, you should worry about the future of your own poor breasts.」

W-What a terrible thing to say ……!!

Look, my mother groaned, 「…… Uuh ……!!」. She held her chest and let out a cry!! Mother, I know you are in pain, but please endure it. I’m sure there is some profound reason as to why the Countess is doing this ……

「…… Umm, you know, Sca-chibi, she’s talking about your poor breasts. Her words are not directed to Cornelia-san.」

Bradd let out a sigh as I clenched my fists.

That’s absurd. My breasts should have a promising future ahead ……

M-Mother!? Your expression shouldn’t light up like you’re an innocent winner. We are supposed to be an intimate pair of mother and daughter that share our burdens with each other. Compared to me who’s still in the growth period, you whose breasts are in the A class even during the lactation period are the one standing on the edge of the cliff.

The wind whistled sadly.

…… Damn you, Countess Rosenthal. I never thought that you would resort to such a despicable move to drive a wedge in our mother-daughter bond. Don’t think it’s always gonna be moonlit nights. Should I let this resentment fester? I’m going to take those rocket tits of yours, pull them out, and turn your tits into saggy breasts.

For the time being, my anger was cleared by punishing that idiot Arnold with the iron claw together with my mother. That guy couldn’t read the situation and actually boasted about tiny breasts being the evolution of archers.

Alright, I’ve decided, Arnold will be my punching bag as the balancer of my heart from now on.

He’s a remark-making machine whose sentences are full of points that can be retorted, and above all, he seems a little happy about it. Even though this guy is a kid, he is so tough-looking that girls probably stay away from him, so maybe this unrelenting attack is fresh to him. …… Seraphy, why do you look a little envious? People are suited for different things. If even you go around as an idiot, I’ll have to retort them all by myself and it’ll be a lot of trouble, so please be quiet and stick to the committee chairman character.

…… In the meantime, under the guidance of Countess Rosenthal, mother showed off her transcendent archery skills and silenced the conceited red nobles.

Of course, that’s only natural. Melville’s arrows can go through crowds, avoid obstacles, and hit the target. On top of that, she possesses a deadly poison that can kill a person instantly just by being grazed by an arrow glazed in that poison. Messing with the current mother required as much courage as sticking their bare hands into a rattlesnake’s nest. The red nobles here do not have the guts to make such a determination and bully her.

However, some of the losing red nobles have revived in a strange way.

「As expected of Miss Cornelia!!」

「We have …… just witnessed a legend.」

「This is the endless possibilities of archery …… and I am …… just grateful to be present here.」

The trigger was that the members of the Hydrangea Imperial Guard, who had been holding their breath as they watched the confrontation between mother and Countess Rosenthal, surrounded mother in great excitement. They are expert archers themselves. That’s why I was so numb to my mother’s divine work. That was probably why they were so impressed by her divine feat. The momentum made it seem like they were about to toss her into the air in celebration.

「W-Wait a minute, everyone …… Please calm down a bit …… It’s a bit too late to do this. You guys are already well aware of my archery skills, right ……」

Overwhelmed by their enthusiasm, mother tried to calm them down, but this only added fuel to the fire.

Mother, that’s a bad move.

It is certainly true that the imperial guards and my family are comrades-in-arms and have a deep friendship. But the current imperial guards have come back to their state 14 years ago, in both mind and appearance.

「…… Everyone, did you hear that? This must be …… what it means that a hero can recognize another hero.」

「What an honor ……」

「How can I describe this feeling in words」

「If this place was a ballroom, I would keep asking Miss Cornelia to dance all night long.」

「That’s cheating!! I also ……!!」

You see, mother. Your words gave them the mistaken impression that you treated the imperial guards as special.

After cheering excitedly, they burned with a strange sense of rivalry and started quarreling with each other, thinking that they were the ones who were going to ask her to a dance. Ah, I’m sorry, but you guys aren’t allowed to enter the ballroom if you haven’t been officially invited.

However, there’s no way the women of the red nobility would have good feelings when they saw my mother being treated as an idol by the knights who are said to be the strongest in Hydrangea. In the past as well as now, it was considered the proof of status of a lady to be served by a first-rate knight. Jealousy drives out even fear. Even more so if you’re a woman. Unlike the men of the red nobility, whose eyes were dead after being shown my mother’s 「strength」, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy when I saw the ladies glaring at my mother with such terrible eyes.

Bradd and Seraphy seemed to feel the same way as me and we exchanged glances with each other. Countess Rosenthal’s face was partially hidden by the feather fan, but I caught a glimpse of her frowning brow, as if she was feeling troubled.