Hilde placed her hand on one side of her chest, politely and elegantly expressing her regard, before sitting back on the single sofa across from us.
The estate’s maid, Mari, naturally brought over another teacup and set it before her, pouring black tea.
“Thank you for your hard work, Mari. I’ll take care of the remaining tasks, so you should go in and rest for today.”
Hilde issued a dismissal to Mari.
“Are you sure? Dinner is still not ready….”
Mari hesitated a bit before replying, her eyes showing concern if she could eat properly without her.
“I’ll manage. Don’t worry and just go.”
“If that’s the case… Yes, I will take my leave now. Esther.”
However, a servant can’t refuse their employer’s orders.
When Hilde firmly repeated the dismissal, Mari bowed her head in resignation and left the parlor.
Not long after, a creaking sound echoed from the end of the hallway as the main door of the estate opened.
So Mari’s place wasn’t within this mansion.
It looked like she had hired a local resident with money to serve as a commuting maid.
Click
“…Allow me to introduce myself again. Nice to meet you, Siegfriede of the Rhine. And… Brunhilde, if I’m not mistaken?”
Just after the door, which had been slightly ajar, closed again, Hilde, with her lips moistened by the tea, turned to me and spoke.
“Yes. I am Brunhilde, the knight of the Rhine.”
“I’ve heard everything from your lord. You need a temporary disguise, so you wish to borrow my daughter’s name.”
Her tone was rather formal.
The smile from when we first met was gone, replaced with an undertone of hostility and reluctance. Her blue eyes looked cold and piercing.
“Yes, that’s correct.”
I nodded slowly, feeling a bit awkward.
Well, thinking about it, it’s a natural reaction. A complete stranger just showed up declaring they would use the identity of her missing daughter.
What parent would accept that willingly?
Honestly, I was amazed that I didn’t get an outright shut-up insult in response. The politeness and warmth were astonishing enough.
“Just to clarify, the decision to use your daughter as a disguise was not mine, but Lord Argantir’s….”
“I know. It was written in your lord’s letter and the introduction.”
That was a sharp reply. I was left speechless. It was a tone that allowed no counterarguments.
“You had no choice in the matter. I understand. So, you don’t need to worry about it.”
Hah, saying that…it felt like a mistake.
“…Yes.”
I answered softly while lowering my head, avoiding her gaze. I acknowledged it, but my attitude clearly showed I found it hard to agree.
…No, honestly, it was true.
She was blatantly showing her displeasure, so how could I possibly not care? That was beyond conceivable.
Both my conscience and pressure were poking me, making it impossible to calm down.
“……Hah.”
After staring at me for a while, Hilde raised her head and let out a deep sigh.
It was a sigh filled with resignation.
“…Please lift your head. I wasn’t mature. I apologize for my rudeness.”
Then, she again lowered her face and looked directly at me. There was no longer any hint of hostility in her eyes.
Rather than having erased her hostility, she seemed to have suppressed it perfectly, but that alone made the atmosphere much better.
“Not at all. I should apologize. My request was indeed very rude, so it’s only natural for you to be upset.”
With a humble apology, I extended my hand to ask for a handshake.
“…What you mentioned differs slightly from what was written in the introduction.”
Hilde stared blankly at my outstretched hand and muttered something.
“What did your introduction say that would make you say that…?” I tilted my head in confusion, wondering what kind of evaluation Argantir had given me to elicit such a response.
“…It might be better not to know.”
This time, Hilde averted her gaze from mine. It was an attitude indicating she simply couldn’t tell me.
What’s this?
What on earth did that bastard Argantir write about me to get this kind of reaction…?
The question only deepened. In the end, I could never get the answer.
◆◆
“For now, I understand what you and your lord desire from me. To be honest, it’s a truly difficult request….”
Returning to the topic, Hilde clicked her tongue while tapping the armrest of the sofa with her fingers.
“Hah… What a difficult situation indeed. If it weren’t for the great debt I owe to your lord, I would have firmly refused…but I can’t do that.”
Come to think of it, Argantir said something like that. Hilde Esther owed him a significant debt and, therefore, couldn’t refuse his request.
I didn’t know what that debt was about, but judging by her reaction, it must have been a substantial matter.
“Who would have thought that debt would return in this way….”
Hilde let out another shallow sighing complaint.
“Indeed, it seems that Lord Argantir doesn’t understand people’s hearts.”
Well, I think so too.
If Argantir had even the tiniest semblance of humanity, he wouldn’t have thought of creating a fake daughter for Hilde.
Telling a grieving parent that they could have another child is no different.
Only a cruel psychopath, devoid of blood and tears, could come up with and carry out such an idea.
“Hah…….”
Hilde kept sighing for a while as she sipped her black tea, holding her forehead with one hand.
I too, amid the creeping feelings of guilt and burden, was sipping my tea absentmindedly.
During that time, Friede stuck herself to my left arm without even touching her teacup. As if marking her territory.
Of course, it didn’t mean anything. Hilde seemed too distressed to even notice Friede’s actions.
In due course, after a sufficient amount of time had passed to finish a cup of tea, Hilde finally opened her mouth again.
“If you happen to meet your lord later, please tell him that this debt is now cleared.”
“If that’s the case….”
The debt was settled. Though she phrased it softly, the meaning was clear. She was tacitly allowing me to impersonate her daughter.
“…Yes. I agree. There are a few conditions, though.”
Hilde frowned slightly while nodding and then proceeded to present me with three or four conditions.
Avoid interactions with the village residents as much as possible.
I will not tolerate any actions that tarnish the reputation or honor of Fernhilde Esther.
If Argantir eventually finds the ‘real Fernhilde,’ alter the guise to something else.
Please don’t call me ‘mother’ in the house, even though I am her mother.
Since those conditions were quite reasonable for a mother to mention, I swore to fully accept them without any rebuttals.
…Ah, wait. There was just one thing I needed to ask.
“I hope it’s not too inappropriate, but what should I call you inside the estate? Should I just call you… Lady Hilde?”
“…Lady?”
A flicker of surprise crossed Hilde’s brow, and she shot a sharp glare at me.
Was there something wrong with the title “lady”? I thought it was a respectful way to refer to a married middle-aged woman…?
“Just call me Baroness Hilde.”
Hilde commanded in an unequivocally stern tone. Forget the lady title, just call her “Baroness.”
There was an air of invisible pressure in her words.
“……”
Friede’s mouth opened slightly, mumbling silently.
– Auntie’s making an effort.
Though I couldn’t quite catch it since her little mouth moved too quickly, it seemed like she was roughly saying that.
…Nah, that can’t be right. Surely, our Friede isn’t the kind of rude person to say such things about someone who graciously accepted my shameless and embarrassing request.
That must be an absurd misunderstanding.
Friede wouldn’t be so rude as to utter such invective at someone who had reluctantly accommodated her indecent request. She wasn’t that kind of kid.
…Right?
◆◆
Anyway, I ended up acquiring a new alias: Fernhilde Esther.
I was 18 years old.
I had inherited black hair and blue eyes from my mother, and I had run away from home rebelling against strict family values but returned years later as a foolish girl.
That was my new identity.
“This will be your chamber. You can use this room. It’s not my daughter’s room, but…you should be comfortable enough.”
Finishing her explanation, Hilde gave me a room. It was a personal bedroom equipped with a fireplace, bed, table, single sofa, wardrobe, and storage.
It wasn’t Fernhilde’s room but was a newly opened room that had once been her ex-husband’s personal space.
It seemed the maid, Mari, occasionally spent the night in this estate, so they had replaced the old furniture with new ones.
“Yes. Thank you, Baroness.”
Well, it was a decent room. Just looking at the quality of the bed and sofa, it was leagues ahead of a cheap inn room.
Honestly, if I had been given the actual daughter’s room, I wouldn’t have been able to sleep at all due to the pressure.
“…I asked you not to call me mother, but you don’t have to be that stiff in your manners.”
Hilde, standing next to the door, glanced back at me and spoke.
“Since we’re staying in the same house, I won’t think it rude if you speak a little more comfortably.”
She was saying I needn’t be too formal, so no need to be overly cautious.
“Is that true?”
“……Just don’t speak too freely.”
Hilde looked bewildered for a moment, staring at me, then sighed lightly, shaking her head.
“Ah, yes. I’m sorry.”
I bowed my head slightly, clearing my throat in awkwardness.
She said to speak easily, but as soon as I did, she instantly became serious. So, what is it I should be aiming for? Finding that balance is honestly the toughest part.
She seemed like a grateful person, but it also appeared her personality might be hard to match up with in various aspects.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.