Chapter 48
That was why Free waited until the woman drew near. And the moment she appeared before her, linked arm-in-arm with Ian, Free’s eyes widened in shock.
A beautiful woman. She resembled Free, but her golden hair gleamed more brightly, like the hue of honeybees. Yet the feeling she gave off was completely different—almost as though she were of an entirely different race. She looked healthy, strong, and wise.
And she was the same woman who had, on Free’s first visit here, walked arm-in-arm with Argent.
“Lady Free!”
Unlike Free, who stood frozen in hesitation, Ian recognized her at once and hurried over.
“Ian…”
“I couldn’t believe it when I heard you were already out here!”
“Ah…”
But more than that—wasn’t this woman… the one who had seemed to be Argent’s lover?
The woman Free had forgotten amidst the chaos of late.
“Let me introduce you properly. This is my mother.”
“It’s a pleasure. We met once before, didn’t we? I wanted to see you again after that, but Ian absolutely forbade it. Argent as well.”
She smiled softly, and Free lost her words for a moment.
“Ah…”
“Your Majesty the Empress?”
“Ah… It is my first time greeting you properly. I am Free Ezwan.”
At last, Irina smiled so brightly that her eyes nearly disappeared. That expression reminded Free oddly of Ian, and it gave her a strange sense of dissonance.
So much so that she even forgot to hand over the gift she had prepared. All she could do was blink.
“Now then, off you go, Ian. I’ll be spending some time alone with Her Majesty.”
“…Mother. I’ve told you countless times—absolutely no nonsense, all right?”
“Yes, yes, I won’t say a word. Not even that you’re rather fond of Her Majesty.”
“M-Mother!”
Ian waved his hands in alarm, but Irina only laughed with quiet delight.
“So, run along now. If you linger any longer…”
“Yes. Then please enjoy your time together.”
Perhaps afraid she’d say more, Ian departed faster than ever before. Irina chuckled as she watched her son’s retreating back.
“He’s really too pure-hearted.”
“Ah…”
“Well then, allow me to greet you again. We met when I was speaking with Al that day, didn’t we? I fear I was rather tactless then.”
“N-no. I… I only…”
Free, who had never lost her composure before anyone, now found herself flustered to the point of incoherence.
Hadn’t this woman been Argent’s lover? They had seemed so close that Free had felt she had no place between them.
And yet she was Ian’s mother.
For the first time, Free realized she could be struck utterly speechless when taken by surprise.
“I was truly delighted to meet you that day. I’ve been waiting eagerly to speak with you like this. But Al insisted it wasn’t possible, so I kept pestering my son instead.”
“Then… Your Majesty and Emperor Argent…”
“Oh! Argent? He is the son of a long-lost friend. To me, Al is like a son.”
“Ah…!”
“So yes, Al is very dear to me—like family.”
Al. Argent’s nickname.
Now that she knew Irina was Ian’s mother, her chest no longer ached as it had before.
With a single sentence, Irina had swept away all of Free’s doubts. What had she been thinking? What absurd suspicions had she entertained about this woman?
“Let’s sit and talk, shall we?”
“Ah—before that, please accept this…”
Free offered her the box before taking a seat.
Normally, a maid would have presented it, but she had dismissed everyone from the garden table to keep the atmosphere relaxed.
“Oh, my!”
“I didn’t have time to prepare something properly, so I chose the finest teas from my palace stores.”
“To receive a gift from Your Majesty… I’ll have to enshrine it as a family heirloom.”
At her gentle smile, Free suddenly felt embarrassed—perhaps from guilt at her earlier misunderstanding.
“I must apologize.”
“Pardon? Why would Your Majesty apologize to me?”
“At first, I misunderstood. I thought you and…”
“Ah, I did act in ways that could be mistaken.”
“I never imagined you could be Ian’s mother. You look about my age.”
“Why, thank you.”
Irina beamed and gazed at her in silence, which made Free flush and move toward the tea table.
“I had tea prepared. Please, have a seat.”
Free sat first to put her guest at ease, and Irina took the chair opposite.
“Allow me to pour the tea, Lady Irina.”
“Oh, no. I couldn’t possibly let Her Majesty serve me. And for all appearances, I actually brew tea quite well.”
She had already lifted the porcelain teapot. The soft clink of the lid against the pot broke the stillness of the garden.
“You’re far kinder than I expected.”
“Pardon?”
“You, Your Majesty. Al never spoke a word about you. But Ian did—he boasted about you so much I thought I’d go mad with curiosity.”
“He… said nothing at all about me?”
“Not a word. Quite the opposite of Ian.”
Free found it strange. To her, Argent was the one always asking questions, while Ian simply waited in quiet patience. Yet here, the roles seemed reversed.
Irina smiled as she poured the steaming tea into white porcelain cups. The rising vapor softened the air between them.
“I see.”
“Yes. It was the first time Ian had ever spoken to me about a woman.”
“That was because I was his knight…”
Irina shook her head.
“But when you were Al’s knight, he said nothing.”
“Ah… Then… what exactly did Ian say?”
“He praised you endlessly. That you were gentle and good. But he also said you seemed sorrowful—burdened by a grief no one could approach.”
Free hastily sipped her tea to hide her embarrassment.
To be described that way… It made her self-conscious. Had she truly seemed so lonely that she had caused Ian such worry?
The warmth of the tea spread through her chest, soothing her. Perhaps it was also because the woman before her was so kind. Free set her cup down and looked at her.
“Gentle and good… Ian always speaks kindly of me.”
“That’s because you are you, Lady Free. And because you are Her Majesty.”
“Perhaps… Yes. In any case…”
Unusually, Free let her words trail off.
“In any case?”
“I wanted to thank you, which is why I asked to meet.”
“Is that so?”
“Ian is truly a good person. So kind, so considerate. I wanted to thank the one who raised him, and ask that you continue to watch over him.”
Free bowed her head lightly.
“And I wanted to tell you the same. He’s my son, but Ian is still clumsy. So I ask that you take good care of him.”
“Yes…”
“And Lady Free…”
Suddenly, her tone shifted.
The warm “Your Majesty” was gone, replaced with something more solemn. Free swallowed the sip of tea she had been holding.
“Yes?”
“As the mother of a clumsy son, I have but one request. Please trust him, even just a little.”
“…That is…”
“I don’t know the details, but lately Ian seems troubled. He hasn’t spoken of it even to me, but I know it has to do with you.”
Free stared down at her half-empty cup, feeling the weight of her words. Silence stretched between them.
“I have long worked alongside Argent’s mother to build this nation. This country is precious to me, and so is Al, whom I raised like a son.”
“It’s a wonderful country. Better than any I’ve seen. And yes… he must be a good ruler to his people.”
“And surely he has been good to you as well.”
Free did not answer. She only looked back at Irina.
Argent had never been a good man to her. Not once. But she knew it was useless to say so to someone who believed in him wholeheartedly.
“But I am a mother, too. And when I saw my own son care for you, my heart changed. Even knowing that your presence brought stability to the empire and to Argent, I realized that to me, my son mattered more than the nation—or even than Al, whom I raised like family.”
Free knew she should correct the misunderstanding about her relationship with Argent. But something in her heart told her she mustn’t.
“…Lady Irina.”
“And so I must say this, though it may drive you farther from Ian. My son has made many difficult choices—because he wants his future to be with you.”
Perhaps that was why she had been unable to accept Ian’s feelings, despite knowing them well.
Because she was still Argent’s wife.
Because misfortune seemed always to follow those who stayed by her side.
“Being with me will not bring him happiness.”
“But he has already chosen.”
“But still…”
“I only wish for my child’s happiness. When he was little, I wished he’d be clever, or athletic. Then, when he fell ill, I only wished he’d grow up healthy. And once he became an adult, I wished he’d build a good family and live in joy. But not everyone can live that way, can they?”
Though this was the first true conversation they shared, Free clearly felt the sincerity in her words.
And so, she could not give any reply at all.
