As the ducal couple began walking affectionately again, the owner of a restaurant who had been watching carefully handed two glasses of lemon-colored liquor to Dion. Dion passed one glass to Clementina and took a sip from the other.

“Then you must have been alone since then.”

“No. Since then, I wasn’t alone.”

After walking just a few steps, a young girl with many freckles stood on tiptoe and handed Clementina a branch with white jasmine flowers.

Clementina accepted the jasmine branch with a bright smile. Then she thoroughly tousled the girl’s brown hair.

“What do you mean by that?”

“I met Leon then.”

“But you have siblings.”

“His Majesty the Emperor. His Majesty cares for me greatly, but I can’t really remember if there were moments when I could call us family.”

“True. Not all siblings get along well.”

Clementina’s latter words sounded quite lonely. She smiled bitterly and brought the jasmine branch to her nose. It had a sweet scent strong enough to dispel her gloomy mood.

Small gifts continued along the ducal couple’s path. The gifts contained the villagers’ hearts, who didn’t want to disturb them but wished to congratulate them.

Clementina suddenly thought this moment of welcome felt like eternity. But at the same time, it was a moment that could never be eternal. After leaving this place in a year, she would probably remember this night for various reasons.

“Here it is!”

Dion stopped in front of a house. Next to the red main gate was a window through which the interior could be seen. Even at a glance, the inside was filled with small ornaments arranged in balance. It looked like an ordinary home by all accounts.

Clementina pointed at the house with a dubious expression.

“Is this where I have duties to perform as the Duchess?”

“Yes. A very important duty.”

Dion replied seriously while looking at Clementina and knocked on the gate vigorously. Soon, a middle-aged woman with a deeply furrowed brow roughly opened the door.

“What?”

She was a woman with a large build, tall height, and loud voice. Her arms were impressively packed with muscle.

Dion raised his arm, pointing to the middle-aged woman as he spoke to Clementina.

“This is Aiba Seches. Dimint’s mother.”

⁕⁕⁕

“Hmph! There’s not a single thing I like about this.”

Aiba Seches grumbled continuously with Dion and Clementina before her. Her face was deeply furrowed with wrinkles as she wore a severe expression.

“I truly don’t like a single thing from top to bottom. My goodness. It’s absolutely frustrating.”

The house was filled with a mixture of sweet and herbal scents. Aiba bustled about, lighting all the candles in the house, then went to the kitchen and began noisily taking out various dishes and food ingredients.

“I’m certain they’re not feeding you properly. You must be hurting somewhere. Tsk, tsk. Ah, tsk, tsk.”

Though Aiba’s complaining voice grew louder, Dion calmly walked around the kitchen, finding and taking out the alcohol Aiba had brewed.

“Aiba. Dimint may have lost consciousness, but he’s eating well. And though it’s broken, I tell you he’s fine.”

“Who’s talking about my son? That boy will wake up soon after a good sleep.”

Dion found a reddish-brown alcohol and poured it into wooden cups. Then he added a piece of cinnamon, ginger powder, and two spicy cardamom seeds. He handled everything from the alcohol to the spices with great familiarity, as if it were his own home.

Dion handed one cup of Aiba’s alcohol to Clementina and held another as he sat down in front of her.

Thud!

Aiba placed a plate full of bread, fruit, and cheese on the table.

“You won’t leave this house until you finish everything, you hear?”

“Aiba, listen. We just came from Madam Falcon.”

“How dare you compare with that garbage food! No wonder you’re so thin! What have you done to your wife to make her so skinny? It’s a wonder she can even walk. I’ll serve spiky chicken stew too, so don’t even dream of leaving before you finish everything.”

Aiba made cuts in the spiky chicken meat, put it in a clay pot, and placed it over the fire. While the meat cooked, she instantly created a sauce mixed with various seasonings, herbs, and spices.

After placing the sauce on the well-cooked meat, she threw a piece of wood into the fire.

The once-empty table became abundant in an instant. All kinds of herbs piled on spinach with edible flowers on top. A tangy tangerine sauce was sprinkled over the vegetables.

Asparagus and stir-fried pork, spicy spiky chicken stew, and even a stew made with lentils and chicken. Every single dish stimulated the nose.

It felt like all the fatigue from Madam Falcon had completely disappeared.

“Eat more, eat more. Still not enough. Tsk.”

Aiba Seches sat across from Clementina and continuously placed food on her fork. Clementina couldn’t refuse the food offered by the elderly mother, so she continued eating.

Despite her rough manner of speaking, Aiba clapped her hands with delight whenever Clementina ate her cooking. Occasionally she would grab Clementina’s slender wrist and grumble, and later even smacked Dion on the back.

“So, does the Duke treat you well?”

Aiba tore apart the spiky chicken with her hands and placed the meat on Clementina’s plate.

“Ah, yes. Of course.”

Though some awkwardness remained, it wasn’t something to bring up in front of Aiba.

“Oh my! As if! We should be thankful if the Duke doesn’t pour oil on a burning house. Hey, Duke!”

Aiba repeatedly thumped Dion’s shoulder. A lentil from the stew in Dion’s mouth popped out with a plop.

“This man has never been in love before, you see. Please understand, Duchess. Just don’t abandon him. He may have grown physically, but his heart is empty. Just think of him as a child and be generous.”

“My heart is actually quite full. Not empty.”

Dion rubbed his chest with his hand. Aiba stroked the back of Clementina’s hand and spoke kindly, addressing only her.

“But his face is worth looking at, isn’t it? Not that a man’s face has much use. But you’ll find that’s not always true in life. Sometimes, even when you’re furious, seeing a handsome face can make your anger melt away like a spring breeze.”

Even though Clementina felt like her stomach would burst from eating so much, when Aiba brought out a tart topped with apples and figs, her hand reached for it automatically.

“Duchess. Do you know how cold-hearted the Duke was as a child? It was unspeakable. He gathered all the knights and trained them day and night without sleep. I thought he was a monster.”

Clementina took a sip of Aiba’s alcohol. Her mouth was so full of spiky chicken that she had to moisten it with alcohol to swallow.

“I don’t think I’ve seen him sleep even now.”

“He’s still like that? Goodness! How does he live? No wonder he’s so pale. A proper man should have some meat on his bones and a bit of roughness to him. I wonder if he properly fulfills his duties as a man. Tsk, tsk. You must have a hard time living with him. Yes, I understand.”

Aiba took Clementina’s hand and patted the back of it.

“Um, you know, I’m sitting right here.”

Clementina happily finished her meal. Strangely, she couldn’t easily put down her fork.

Though the chef at Aeskis Castle was excellent, Aiba’s cooking skills were truly fantastic.

Perhaps this is what it means to miss home-cooked meals. Ironically, Aiba’s son who should be eating this home cooking was lying in Aeskis Castle.

Wasn’t Aiba curious about Dimint?

Knock, knock, knock.

Very late at night, there was a knocking sound at Aiba Seches’s door.

“Seems they’ve come to escort the Duke.”

Aiba pressed her knees firmly as she stood up to open the door. Lillian entered, wearing a black cloak.

“Have you eaten?”

Aiba’s attitude toward Lillian was comfortable. The dragon riders seemed close like family.

Your mother is my mother. Your family is my family. You are my brother.

Lillian took Aiba’s hand.

“Dimint has woken up.”

The strong woman who had seemed uninterested in her son suddenly sat down.

“Aaaah! Huhuhuhu, oh thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.”

The wrinkled mother knelt down, praying to God and crying loudly like a child.

⁕⁕⁕