Volume 5 Chapter 230, Women’s bath_3 (:Lavender)

Translator: Nonon

Proofreader: Silavin

 

POV: Violet

 

“A child… a child between me and my Disciple? My Disciple and I are of different genders…”

 

Apricot was questioning Cyan’s words, trying to understand what she meant by repeating the words over and over.

Apricot was usually quick-witted, but she was mentally lagging, as if she could only think about what she was saying.

 

“Cyan, you can’t just say that.”

“Yeah, I understand your point, Io. You might be worried, but I don’t think Cottie would fully realize it unless I said it this way, and while dealing with sexuality is tricky, you can’t separate it from romantic relationships between men and women.”

“That may be true, but…”

 

I tried to warn Cyan that she was taking things a bit too far, but she replied in a light-hearted tone. Although she phrased it that way, Cyan was quite serious in her own way. I can’t say that I don’t understand why she felt like she had to be this explicit for Apricot to get the message, but couldn’t a different phrasing, something along the lines of asking her if she wanted to be in a romantic relationship or get married, have worked better?

 

 

“I suppose you might be worried that your son will progress faster than you and Clo, and that he’ll beat you to it, making you a Grandmother before you’re ready…”

“Wait Cyan, that’s not the kind of anxiety I’m feeling!”

 

 

What an unusual situation it would be if it actually happened. But it’s not… entirely impossible?

My Son beating me to it and me becoming a Grandmother at this age… oh no, I’m getting a headache. I will certainly become a Grandmother earlier than others, but I hope they’ll wait until Gray reaches adulthood (15 years old).

 

“By ‘want a baby’ you mean, between my Disciple and… me… me?!”

 

Apricot seemed to finally grasp the meaning of Cyan’s words, piecing it together from what had been said earlier.

At first, I thought she’d deny it strongly, but Apricot’s face turned red and she mumbled something for a while. As we watched her, Apricot suddenly realized we were there and hastily spoke. Seeing this, Mary subtly used [Space Preservation] to block out the sound so the voices could not be heard in the men’s bath (next door).

 

 

“N-no, my Disciple and I are Master and Disciple! It’s absolutely unacceptable for us to have that kind of relationship!”

“Well, you’re only 4 years apart, so it’s not strange for a romantic relationship and a Master-Disciple relationship to coexist, is it?”

“Um, t-that’s right! My Disciple and I are of a different social status. Surely a carefree traveler (Commoner) like me wouldn’t be accepted!”

“In terms of our social status, Lord Clo and I are actually of different social standing, but now we’re happily married. It shouldn’t matter, and I’m sure Lord Clo wouldn’t mind it either. In fact, if you love each other, he would happily give you the go-ahead. I don’t mind it either.”

 

In the past, I wouldn’t be too pleased about a Baron marrying a Commoner, but now I did not mind it at all. On the contrary, rather than some shady character marrying Gray, I would feel more at ease with Apricot, who could teach him things like cooking and Magic. It might be rude to say this, but she does have an unexpectedly polite side to her.

 

‘Also, look, Apricot! Here’s Mary, who, if all goes well, could rise from Commoner to the Third Prince’s Wife and possibly even become Queen! Looking at her, don’t Commoners and Baron Families seem like an insignificant obstacles?!”

“Um, Kriemhild? That phrasing is…”

“Kuh, you’re right..!”

“Please don’t agree to that reasoning!”

 

… Indeed, if Mary were to Mary anybody other than Silva, she would become a Viscountess at least. Depending on her choice, she could even become the next Queen. Mary looked somewhat conflicted, as if she wasn’t fully convinced, but she couldn’t deny it, so she hung her head.

 

“I-I am someone who aspires to one day slay a Dragon and earn the title of Dragon Slayer. And I am also continuing my quest for Magic. Is it really alright for your Son to marry such a rootless wanderer, Ms. Violet?! There’s the matter of Heirs too!”

“ It’s alright, Cottie. Ray will follow you, and with love, everything will be just fine. Even though Clo might be lonely, he’s the type to be happy about his growth.”

“As for the successor, that’s something Vi and Mr. Clo will deal with from now on, so there’s no problem! They have the power of love on their side too!

“…”

“Violet, what good does it do for you to be embarrassed?”

 

Shut up, Mary. I’m not embarrassed. I’m just red from being in hot water. I just suddenly had an urge to cover my face with my hands, because I didn’t want people to see me.

 

“I-I’m not even an adult yet, and my Disciple is still quite young, isn’t he?”

“But I don’t think it’s unusual for somebody to have children at your age, Cottie.”

“That’s true, but…”

 

While neither sexes can marry legally until they reach adulthood (15 years old), it’s not like such acts between them are specifically prohibited. Anything non-consensual is naturally a serious crime.

For nobles, the basic expectation is to formally get married after graduating from the academy and have children by the age of nineteen. Although, it’s a different story if they are affiliated with the military.

 

“Oh, that’s true. My Mother is around 30 now, and I was already born when she was about my age.”

“That’s about right for people who don’t attend the academy.”

 

As Kriemhild said, among people in rural areas who don’t attend schools, there are families who rear children and raise them at our age. It is certainly not common for people our age to have children, but it’s not like there aren’t any.

 

“Um, in other words, this is…”

“Is anything wrong, Mary?”

“… No, it’s nothing. I was just checking my own sense of morality…”

“A sense of morality…? Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine. Please don’t worry about me. [Right, it’s not strange at all… it’s like Lord Toshiee and Matsu or Hikaru Genji… but I also feel like that’s not quite right?…]”

“?”

 

Seeing Mary unusually troubled, with her finger on her forehead and her eyes closed, I asked her what was wrong, but she kept repeating questions to herself in a slightly trembling voice. Her expression was like Silva’s that I had seen recently, as if her common sense had been overturned. Towards the end, I couldn’t even hear what she was saying.

I had some questions about Mary, but now Apricot was a higher priority. Her story led to the possibility of me having a Daughter-in-law. Let’s focus on that for now…depending on the circumstances, my Daughter-in-law might be only a year younger than me. It does happen among Nobles, but I never thought it could happen to me.

 

“Well, it’s a bit too early to talk about having children, but Clo is very proper in those kinds of matters, so don’t think it will happen out of nowhere.”

“Y-yeah, you’re right, Ms. Cyan! Mr. Clo wouldn’t allow to even think about such things while we’re not independent!”

 

Apricot stood up and strongly agreed with Cyan’s words. Maybe it would better to conceal it a little for now?

Certainly, Lord Clo would probably say that it’s too early and disapprove. That much is undeniable.

However, Apricot doesn’t realize that while Cyan skillfully changed the subject, she hasn’t denied the important point that she wanted to make clear.

 

“But Cottie, you didn’t deny that you had feelings for Ray as a boy, did you?”

“…“

 

Yes, Apricot has not denied that she likes Gray as a male. Even though she pointed out various issues, when asked the question ‘Do you want to have a child with Gray’, a question designed to confirm her romantic feelings, she has not denied having those feelings.

When confronted with that point, she started trembling while standing. Judging from her reaction, the fact that she ‘liked him as a man’ seemed to be something Apricot took for granted and had no intention of denying.

 

“Uu…”

 

I thought we had pushed her too far and was worried that Apricot might’ve started crying, so I tried to offer a helping hand.

 

“Shut up, you cowardly, inexperienced maidens! Even though you have someone you like or someone who’s pursuing you, you don’t even have the guts to make a move or even get closer!”

““Agh?!””

 

Apricot’s words stabbed us right in the heart. Cyan, in particular, seemed to be the most affected.

Indeed, neither of us were in the kind of a romantic relationship that allowed us to criticize somebody else.

 

“Hehehe… Apricot, that’s completely off the mark. Actually, I—“

“You don’t have any.”

“Yeah, I don’t!”

 

And for some reason, only Kriemhild was brazenly showing off.

 

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TL/N: Both Hikaru Genji (fictional protagonist of the ‘The Tale of Genji’) and Matsuda Toshiie (real person under the Oda Nobunaga’s command) married little girls as adults.