Chapter 90
It was Aiorin’s mistake to let her guard down upon seeing her mother’s gentle-looking face.
She relaxed for just a moment—and got hit dead-on with shocking ease.
No matter how adorable the great-grandchildren were, running away was still running away.
She should’ve known her mother would react exactly like this.
“…Huh? Huh?”
“What’s going on?”
“It’s nothing. Just something that happens all the time—don’t worry.”
Katrina and Brandon were flustered by the sudden turn of events.
Aiorin’s father gently reassured them.
“Ow ow ow! Mom, seriously?! That’s too much! I brought the grandkids and everything!”
“You little brat. Be grateful that’s all you got. Acting like a big shot when you were the one in the wrong.”
Aiorin’s mother stopped herself just in time before swearing in front of the great-grandchildren.
True, Aiorin had been shameless despite being at fault—but her mother was just as tough.
“Alright, dear. The kids are watching, so let’s stop here and go inside.”
Thankfully, Aiorin’s father worked hard to mediate, and the five of them entered the house in peace.
“Wow, so this is where Elves live?”
“It’s so pretty.”
“Is that so? I’m glad you like it.”
“I was worried it’d be shabby.”
Aiorin’s parents beamed proudly at their great-grandchildren’s awe.
It was almost reflexive. Really, what great-grandparent wouldn’t act this way when meeting them for the first time?
“But Mom, how did you know they were your great-grandkids?”
“Why wouldn’t I? I can still smell your soul all over them.”
“Oh, right.”
“Good grief. Of all things to forget. Unbelievable.”
Aiorin had identified Katrina and Brandon the same way herself—but had completely forgotten.
Well, she’d been too focused on dodging her mom’s frying pan… even though it didn’t help.
But right now, she couldn’t stay at home. Her husband had called her.
‘My love is waiting.’
According to the message delivered by Zephyr, he said he desperately needed her power.
So, of course, she had to go.
Still, it was hard to say she was leaving again right after coming back.
But what had to be done had to be done. She forced herself to speak.
“Um, Mom, Dad. I need to head back out again.”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Well, my hubby called for me—he says it’s a life-or-death matter. So I really need to go.”
“I see. Then don’t waste time. Hurry along.”
“Wait, really? You’re letting me go that easily?”
She was honestly shocked.
She had expected another long battle of persuasion.
Of course, she was glad she got permission… but still, she was curious.
“Well, naturally. You brought great-grandchildren—so your claim about having a husband must be true.”
“Wait, so you didn’t believe I was married until now?”
“Well, not exactly… But seriously, you little—You left home young, didn’t come back for ages, and then you show up saying you married a human—what was I supposed to think?”
Watching her mother suddenly start ranting about her life, Aiorin regretted asking.
‘Ugh, I should’ve kept my mouth shut and just left.’
But regrets are always too late.
She ended up listening to her mother’s grumbling while fending off the occasional flying frying pan.
Still, even venting ends eventually.
Though it left her mentally exhausted.
“Here, try this. My, you eat so heartily.”
“Wow, what’s this made of? It’s sweet but not sticky, and it’s really soft.”
“The texture is so unique, too.”
Meanwhile, Katrina and Brandon were being thoroughly doted on by Aiorin’s father.
They were completely captivated by snacks made with honey and flower pollen, a specialty of the Elven Village.
Even while Aiorin was getting scolded and pelted, the kids didn’t care at all. Heartless.
“Anyway, Mom. Can I go now?”
“Yes. Don’t worry about the kids. You said it was urgent, right? Go on.”
“Okay. Dad, I’m heading out.”
“Leaving again already? You just got back.”
“It’s an emergency. Ask Mom if you want the details.”
Of course, Aiorin’s father wasn’t the only one who reacted when she tried to leave.
The two children also looked quite flustered.
“Sis—no, Grandma? Where are you going?”
After being pampered by their great-grandfather in the Elven Village, it seemed they now genuinely believed she was their grandmother.
Indeed, numbers can be persuasive—even if something seems suspicious, people tend to believe it when enough others insist.
Besides, there was no benefit in lying anymore.
She had only tricked them on the road to make things smoother, but now that they were already at her home, what was the point?
“But Grandma, you just got home!”
“Yeah. But something urgent came up. Where I’m going is… somewhere you know well—Silbrenoa Royal Palace.”
Hearing a familiar name, the two children were visibly surprised.
It wasn’t a place that held fond memories for them, but it had still been home for a long time.
Naturally, they couldn’t help but be curious.
“Huh? Why there?”
“Is something serious happening?”
Aiorin thought about explaining it to them but changed her mind.
She didn’t want to worry them.
“No, it’s really nothing serious, so don’t worry. I’ll be back soon. Just behave here, eat lots of good food, and wait for me.”
“Really? It’s really nothing?”
But Katrina was persistent.
Hit by her sharp gaze, Aiorin gave in and decided to soften the truth.
“Yeah. You know Muriela, right?”
Of course she did.
She was the one who stopped Katrina’s clumsy attempt to assassinate the crown prince.
From Katrina’s point of view, she was a benefactor who had prevented the worst-case scenario.
Although Muriela was technically her half-sister and they weren’t exactly close.
“Oh… she’s one of my sisters. We’re not very close though…”
“She’s the one who called me. That’s why I’m going.”
“Did something happen to Muriela?”
“No, no. It’s nothing bad at all, so don’t worry.”
“…Okay.”
Only after wrestling with the kids for quite some time was Aiorin finally able to leave the house.
Whew. That was exhausting.
* * *
“To have the Lord of the West on our side—it’s as if we’ve gained a heavenly army. Send him my sincere gratitude.”
On the road from Livia to Solineum, in the middle of the military encampment lined with soldiers,
Inside the central tent surrounding the war table, the man seated at the head smiled and spoke.
“Yes, I’ll deliver the message at once.”
At his command, the messenger quickly exited the tent and mounted his horse.
“Heaven is truly on our side. Hahaha!”
“Indeed. Just as you said, Lord Frederic. I can’t wait to see the look on the capital’s faces when we strike from both sides.”
“They’ll be in utter chaos once attacked on two fronts.”
“Still… is the western lord’s army even worth anything?”
A fat lord asked.
And indeed, the western region of Silbrenoa was sparsely populated and economically underdeveloped.
It was only natural that their available forces would be few.
“Of course. But even a little is better than nothing.”
“Yes… but surely they must want something in return for joining. That country is poor as it is—we hardly have enough to divide among ourselves, and now there are more mouths to feed…”
Saying fat people are greedy may be a stereotype—but in his case, it fit.
Right now, securing victory should’ve been the priority. Yet here he was, already calculating shares.
Lord Frederic—the leader of Livia’s noble alliance—seemed to share that sentiment.
“You misunderstand. What exactly do you think we’re giving them?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Do you think we owe anything to someone who sends less than 2,000 soldiers and still expects a reward?”
“But if you say that…”
“According to our intel, the eastern nobles are bringing elite troops. We’ll be throwing the western forces at them.”
The so-called “eastern nobles” referred to the remaining royalist lords, led by Hadwin.
Hadwin was bringing about 3,000 men, and the other eastern lords added another 1,500—around 4,500 in total.
Among them, Hadwin’s 3,000 were some of the finest troops in all of Silbrenoa.
Though smaller in number than Livia’s army of 10,000, they couldn’t be underestimated.
If they reached the capital first, it would be extremely difficult to dislodge them from defensive positions.
That’s why Livia’s forces were now rushing to reach it first.
According to their calculations, they would occupy the capital two days before the eastern army arrived.
Though… this was a grave miscalculation.
“Then, you intend to use them as sacrificial pawns…”
“Exactly. While the western rabble buys us time, we’ll use the capital’s supplies to prepare our defense.
And even if Hadwin was once the Grand General, he won’t be able to do anything then.”
“Brilliant. I’m in awe. And by that point, the western army will be wiped out, so there’s no need to listen to the western lords’ demands.”
“You understand perfectly.”
Truly, a vile and cowardly scheme.
But their secret conversation… wasn’t actually secret.
That night, a man disguised as a soldier near the tent melted into the darkness.
It was Sylvius in disguise.
—
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