“Anyway! So why did you suddenly call me to come home?”
“Well… I had something to say, and I thought it was about time we saw each other’s faces.”
“Is that all?”
That was a pretty weak reason.
After all these years, I thought there was going to be some big reason.
“If not, why would I call you? Your letters seemed to suggest you were doing fine.”
That’s true.
In my letters, I didn’t say anything like how hard things were or that I felt like I was going to die.
The letters only contained typical greetings and asking not to worry.
I occasionally mentioned Kyle, but that was only when we were kids.
Of course, before I started working at the castle, I did write a lot of angry letters, but lately, that hasn’t been the case.
“I’m relieved. I thought you called me suddenly because something happened. Mom, who hasn’t said anything about me coming home in over ten years, suddenly does.”
“… Honey, didn’t I tell Sophia to come home last time?”
“Ahaha~ I must have forgotten to send it!”
“….”
“….”
“….”
Everyone, including Dad, looked at Mom.
Kyle couldn’t send a weird look to Mom since it was his first time meeting her, but Dad and I looked at her with a bit of disappointment.
We couldn’t help it.
“Mom… Even so, not saying that for ten years is a bit much, don’t you think?”
“Hey! A mom can make a mistake occasionally. Surely I wasn’t trying to keep my precious daughter from coming home just because I wanted to spend time with Dad!”
“….”
100% she did.
100%.
Mom definitely had a reason for not telling me to come home on purpose.
It was odd how she never spoke about home, but there was a reason behind it all.
“Uh, let’s all eat first, shall we? Kyle hasn’t eaten yet, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then I’ll prepare lunch!”
“….”
Mom suddenly got up and started to change the subject.
It seemed like there were quite a few guilty spots if we kept going like this.
“Mom, I’ll help.”
“Oh… Really?”
“Yeah.”
Even though it had been a long time since I returned home, I didn’t want to just sit there doing nothing.
With my parents working, I couldn’t just sit with Kyle.
“Dad? Could you talk with Kyle for a moment? Kyle, just hold on a sec?”
“…. Got it.”
“…. Yes.”
I left the two of them, who looked a bit awkward, in the living room and walked to the kitchen.
Since they were both guys, they would probably get along just fine.
In general, it’s easier and simpler for the same sex to become friends than for the opposite sex.
Because of that, I had never made friends with girls in my previous life.
“Mom, what should I help with?”
“Well, since you’re here, might as well do it properly.”
“Kyle can eat anything.”
“Anyway, I’m going to make a feast with a lot of meat because of someone. So, don’t worry.”
“Sure.”
So I helped Mom prepare the meal.
Most of the dishes were meat-based, and we filled the table with potato dishes and soup.
Then we set forks, knives, and plates on the table.
“All set~”
“Mom, be quiet. Kyle will think it’s weird…”
“Hey, I was just trying to show off my skills since I haven’t done this in a while, why are you reacting like that?”
“Ha….”
I was a bit concerned since I had brought Kyle over.
I mean, it was a low chance, but what if my family didn’t appeal to Kyle?
Since Kyle was not just any guy, but my boyfriend, I had those kinds of thoughts.
I had heard too many stories about couples breaking up if one side’s family didn’t like the other.
There were many women I’d met back when I was an adventurer who told me about that.
Recalling that reminded me of the smell of chicken.
“Kyle, what do you think? I worked hard to prepare this, at least it’s not as good as at the castle.”
“Sophia, I didn’t know you could cook. This is the first time I’ve heard that.”
“Uh, no, this is just basic stuff…”
I did help with Mom’s cooking, but I didn’t do much.
All I really did was cutting ingredients and cooking them.
Most of what felt like actual cooking was done by Mom.
What I did was simply the groundwork before she started cooking and waiting during the cooking process.
“Tsk tsk… You used to get angry just by touching a guy when you were little.”
“Mom! That was when I was a kid!”
“Right~ right~ Just sit down already.”
“…. Fine.”
Anyway, I sat down.
The table was filled with a variety of dishes, unlike before.
While it might not be as good as what we had at the castle, for a regular family, this was much better than usual.
Of course, it might be a bit awkward for our noble Kyle.
“Let’s eat and talk.”
“Yes.”
“Alright, Sophia. You eat too.”
“Okay.”
So, we started our meal.
This was basically my first meal with family since I suddenly went to boarding school.
But somehow… it felt incredibly familiar.
Not that Mom’s cooking hadn’t improved, but the atmosphere felt so cozy.
Even after ten years, home-cooked meals were still home-cooked meals.
“So, did you two have a good talk?”
“Well, somewhat.”
“?”
Oh right, I left them alone in the living room while I was preparing food.
I realized I had forgotten about that while enjoying my meal.
What was I supposed to do if I forgot to check on them?
“Kyle, how was it? He might be a bit grumpy, but he treated you well, right?”
“Yes, Father… We had a good conversation.”
“Really?”
Listening to Kyle talk to my parents made me feel a bit strange.
Hearing him call them ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ felt odd.
While it was only natural to call them that, it felt very couple-like when I heard it directly.
Oh sure, we were real lovers, but calling my lover’s parents ‘Mother’ and ‘Father’ gave off that vibe.
I might be feeling that more because I always called the Duke just ‘Duke.’
“Kyle, is the food okay? Most of it is Mom’s doing.”
“It’s delicious! Much better than the sausages I had outside today.”
“Glad to hear that.”
I was a bit worried he might not like it.
After all, Kyle was used to high-end meals at the castle.
And when we dated, we often went to expensive restaurants, so it was inevitable that I’d worry it might not suit his taste.
“…. ”
After a short conversation with Kyle, I turned back to see Mom looking at me with a strange expression.
What was it…?
Proud?
“Sophia.”
“Yeah?”
“I think you truly are my daughter.”
“Suddenly?”
“Yeah.”
Why would she say something like that while eating?
What else would I be if I wasn’t her daughter?
She wasn’t the type to have an affair, nor was Dad the one who didn’t give birth to me.
I didn’t understand why she was saying something so obvious.
“But… Mom, why do you and Dad look so exhausted?”
“Ah.”
“Cough!!”
“No, I had that thought the first time I saw you today; you didn’t look this haggard before.”
“Haha… That’s…”
“What is that?”
“It’s just your imagination!”
…?
Anyone could see they looked a bit tired.
Or was it just me feeling that way?
Was it only my eyes that saw Dad as tired?
Though, it was hard to say that when his face clearly looked unwell.
He looked better than when I first opened the door, but he still didn’t seem quite right.
“Dad, you don’t have any diseases or anything, right?”
“I’m still healthy, so just enjoy your meal.”
“Okay.”
At least he said he wasn’t sick.
So I quietly continued eating.
*
“Mom, how’s Kyle? Is he okay?”
After finishing lunch, I started talking to Mom while doing the dishes.
Even now, Kyle and Dad were having a conversation in the living room, so it was a good time for some girl talk.
Truthfully, I wanted to be by Kyle’s side more than doing the dishes, but still… I should play the role of a daughter.
“He’s fine. Handsome, tall, and seems to have a good personality.”
“Right?”
“And also… He looks strong.”
Hmm?
Strong?
Well, Kyle was relatively strong.
He had trained in swordsmanship and magic.
It was normal for him to be strong in combat.
I had very rarely seen Kyle fight, though.
“But… I don’t understand why a guy like that would like you. You didn’t do anything weird to blackmail him, right?”
“Of course not!?”
I momentarily stopped washing the dishes and shot a glare at Mom, who was lounging behind me.
“First of all, I couldn’t possibly blackmail Kyle…”
If anything, I would be the one getting blackmailed.
If Kyle used his power and wealth to pressure me, what could I do?
I suspect he could even make me a slave if he wanted.
After all, the slave system still existed in this country.
If Kyle had a mind to…
“….”
Wait, why am I suddenly thinking about this?
Is it because I keep dreaming about seeing Kyle naked lately?
Maybe, like Louise said, I really am frustrated.
It’s ridiculous to keep having sexy dreams and thoughts, something I never did before, especially now that I’m in my mid-twenties.
“Well, I’m just glad you’re treating Kyle well.”
I was worrying about both sides.
Would Kyle view my parents badly? Would my parents view Kyle badly?
I was genuinely stressed about both sides, but thankfully, everything seemed to pass without any issues.
“I never thought you’d bring a guy like that home. How have you changed in that regard?”
“All because I take after Mom~”
I casually responded to Mom while continuing to wash the dishes.
I wanted to finish quickly so I could chat with Mom and then be with Kyle.
Spending time with my parents was nice, but being with my boyfriend was even better.
“Oh, Mom. Is my room still there?”
“I just dusted it off and left it as it was.”
“Thank goodness.”
If they had cleaned my room or filled it with other stuff, I would have to book an inn.
Of course, I wouldn’t mind staying at an inn, but if I had a room at home, I wouldn’t need to.
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