Rosalie von Ris, Twenty-Eight Years Old, Tenth Month of 948
“No fair! You shouldn’t flicker when we’re just playing!” Felicity’s ears gave an angry twitch as she accosted Rosial.
Rosial stuck her tongue out as she retorted, “You’re just mad that you can’t catch me!”
“…Wait!”
The voices of my three children called out as they played energetically around the rooms we had been given, under the watchful supervision of myself and Jacqueline, though the latter was only here because in her own words “my room is rather dull without anything to focus on.” When first arrived, I had been concerned that the noise produced would prove a bother and tried to calm them. It was my other daughter, who was presently absent, that had assured me there were no problems.
“Come now you two, think how Rosin feels! The two of you are running circles around him.”
Felcity’s ears twitched the way I was beginning to realize they did when she knew she was doing something wrong. Frankly, I could only be impressed at how expressive those things were.
I can’t believe that some people would have them removed.
“Well, then he should learn to speed up!”
Contrary to Felicity’s guilty attitude, Rosial was as blasé as ever. Not that I really knew what she was normally like, we had only just been reunited.
She used to be so kind and cheerful… always running after Stahlia…
“Come now Rosial, Rosin is your little brother; you need to be nice… what would Stahlia say?”
For better or worse, Rosial seemed to have at least retained her infatuation with her elder sister; merely invoking my first daughter’s name was often enough to get her to calm down… though it made my mother’s heart weep that I had to rely on my child like that.
To be honest with myself, I think that the notion that Rosial had come back to me, had been returned, had yet to fully set in. My husband and I had some inkling of what might have happened; that Rosial had been taken. All of the high nobles did, and as the former spare to a duke my Fynn had knowledge well above his present station.
It was easier then. When Rosial was just dead, any suspicions to the contrary were just that; suspicions. Now… confronted with the reality that it was the very kingdom I was so proud to be a part of… And Stahlia… She’s involved with the very people that took my other daughter from me.
It made my heart ache just thinking about it. Any other mother would be beside herself with joy to be the parent of the next queen. I couldn’t bring myself to be happy.
Fynn says that everything is fine, but can it really be? I doubt that things are so simple.
“Lady Ris, you are doing that thing again; you will get wrinkles.” Jacqueline’s chiding voice cut in, “What would your daughter say if she saw how you are right now?”
“And you? What would Stahlia say if she knew you were still running yourself like this? I do believe that she all but ordered you to take things easy.”
Jacqueline’s face twitched but she ignored my comment, “My lady made her choice, and she does not regret it… If she knew how you were fretting now she would be upset.”
I wanted to retort, but before the words left my mouth, Rosial began to tug at my arm.
This is new, she’s shied away from my touch the past days…
“Yes dear, what is it? Can mommy help you with something?”
Rosial’s face crimped up; despite knowing she did not like it, my voice had invariably gone back to the doting-mother speech I had used before she was taken. Still, she did not pull away.
“Rosin can’t keep up; carry him.”
I blinked.
This is, she is asking me to join them in their game, right?
I smiled, “I would love to! Just tell mommy the rules please, I am not sure I understand what it is you are playing.”
My daughter frowned at me, “We’re playing ‘Botched Job!’ the assassin messed up and now the target is running away!”
So… They are playing tag.
By this point, after spending a week with her, I had grown somewhat desensitized to the… unique mannerisms that Rosial had picked up. It was troubling, but I had to tell myself it could be so much worse.
“Alright, who is… the assassin?”
Rosial smiled, “Rosin is this time!”
Ah, no wonder he can’t keep up… Should I just be glad that the two are letting him join in? Or should I be worried that it will be a bad influence on my son…?
Despite my misgivings, I got up from my chair and made my way over to Rosin. Rather than be upset that he couldn’t catch either of his sisters, he just seemed happy to be included at all. Picking him up, I turned to face the two girls, “Are you ready Rosin?”
“Aya Aya Mommy!”
“Aya aya…?” Before I could ask, I noticed Felicity looking away pointedly.
Ah, some demi-human term. As long as he does not say it in public there should not be a problem…
“Well, then let us get your sisters!”
The game started immediately after the words had left my mouth, both Felicity and Rosial took off and began to keep a distance from me.
They’re fast!
Felicity I understood somewhat, being a demi-human, she was naturally stronger. Though how she was this fast despite being a child was a mystery. Rosial was the more surprising, and the more worrying. Unless my eyes deceived me, she was actually a bit faster than Felicity. Not that I would have any trouble catching them if I really wanted to. Though, doing so would not be very motherly of me; letting the children run around until they got tired was best.
“Hurry mommy! They’re escape!” Of course my son did not see it that way; in his mind, me and him were on a team and we had to catch the girls.
“Alright, make sure to hold though, alright sweety?”
“Ya!”
Rosin clung excitedly to me, and I picked up the pace a bit. Still, the two of them were quite fast and had evidently been holding back. When I accelerated, they did as well until the three of us were almost sprinting.
“Alright! That is quite enough, slow down before you break something.”
My husband’s call brought me back to my senses.
What was I doing!? What if a servant, or worse, some member of the nobility came to call!
“I am glad to see you were bonding with our daughters, but we need to get ready for tonight’s event. Fynn’s apologetic tone reminded me of why we were here in the first place, and I did my best to calm myself down.
“Felicity, can you get my chair please?” Jacqueline, timely as she had ever been, provided an excuse for the three to leave my husband and I before the whining about why they couldn’t come as well started. Fynn and I retired to separate changing rooms to dress for tonight’s big event, before reconvening to make our way to the venue.
“That really was terrible of me… Our daughter must be going through so much, and here I am acting a fool.” My mutter was really only meant for myself, but my husband was close enough to hear.
“True, but you know what? I think Stahlia would be beside herself with happiness if she had seen you just then; do you remember how you used to go after her when she would run around with Rosial?”
“Perhaps, I just wish that things could have worked out differently… If only I had done this or that, then maybe our family wouldn’t have been torn apart like it was.”
My husband grimaced, “Rosalie, stop it; the past is the past, and you can not change it now.”
“…Perhaps you are right, though seeing her tonight is going to be hard.”
Fynn laughed dryly, “Do not mistake my words, it will be hard for myself as well. But you know what? It will be even harder for her. Everyone seems to think that our daughter is special, some miracle. But do you remember when she came home? After the disastrous mission? She cried just like any other girl her age should. We cannot change the past, what is important now is that we be there for her in the present.”
My husband’s words rang in my ears even as we went to the table provided and took our seats.
I wish it was that easy for me Fynn, but I cannot help but worry. Somewhere down the line, I forgot, but she is my little girl all the same.
Wow, seeing an MC's parents be capable of being both empathetic and mature, while also struggling with things in their lives is really rare. Especially in isekai it's not common to see parents written like real people instead of some archetype or trope. Truly heartwarming!
I'm glad they're somehow adjusting bit a bit
This was a nice and sweet chapter. It's good to see scenes of parents just trying to be the best they can for their kids.