Piece 9 (part 2)

"So, what was her teaching like?" Uncle Althorn asked after I sat down next to him on his table, and I noticed he was only buying drinks.

"She's really kind and straightforward, kind of like you, Uncle Althorn."

"Oh? That's a surprise. I thought for sure she'd be rather strict towards you, but I guess that's never the case."

"Why would Mom be strict? I know her personality is kind of stubborn at times, but I don't think she's the kind to be strict…" I said what I felt regarding Mom, but Uncle Althorn only opened his eyes widely.

He turned his terrified gaze to Mom who is currently at the kitchen with Dad, to bring the snacks we just bought to him. Dad seemed really happy that we still remembered him and bought him snacks.

"You really think a she-devil like her isn't strict…?" Uncle Althorn asked, and I just shook my head.

Mom isn't as strict as many of my teachers at school. The P.E. teacher who once forced me to ride a horse was the strictest teacher I've ever met. Compared to him, Mom is incredibly kind.

"Well, allow me to be frank with you. In the twenty three years I've known her, she is by far the second most horrifying person I've ever met." Uncle Althorn said with such a serious tone, and I opened my eyes widely.

"E-Eh!? You've known her for that long??"

"Yeah. Just a reminder, your mom may look like she's twenty seven, but she's actually forty."

Right… the ten years turning into stone still adds to her age. But, that still makes Uncle Althorn someone very close to her.

"I met her when she was only fifteen. At the time, she just escaped from her father's grasp, and she ran to the western part of the empire where she met many of her subordinates.

I was a high ranking mercenary. You've seen my sword skills. Your mom noticed my strength as well, and she decided that she wants me to join her party."

Uncle Althorn threw the story back many years ago when Mom was still fifteen. Technically she is only twenty seven right now, but time has moved so differently for her that her teenage days were twenty three years ago.

Speaking of Uncle Althorn's mercenary skills, he is incredibly strong. Mercenaries are split into seven levels, and he is ranked at the very top. A White ranked mercenary, and his sword skills are unfathomable.

"At the western dukedom, your mom gathered many capable individuals. People who are strong, skilled, intelligent, and capable. She added them into her roster, which then later on grew larger and larger until it became the western rebellion. I'm sure you've learned the rest through the history books."

Yeah, as a matter of fact, I remembered all of it. Mom's rebellion grew from just a party of really powerful people from different places. A high ranked mercenary like Uncle Althorn, an intelligent business merchant, and an artist who had a talent for espionage. 

Her newly found allies eventually gathered strength on their own, which later on became the 'Western Rebellion Force' that demolished all of the tyrant's power on the west side of the empire. From that western power, she pushed all the way until she reached the capital, where she beheaded the emperor who was also her own father.

What an amazing but grim story from such a snack-hungry lady like Mom. It's definitely not what anyone expected when they saw a young adult like her.

"Who were the other allies that Mom added?"

"You'll meet them soon. When they heard your mom and dad came back to life, they immediately stopped all their jobs and booked a carriage here. They should arrive either tonight or tomorrow morning." Uncle Althorn answered while pondering, and I only imagined what they looked like.

"Speaking of.… You said Mom was the second most horrifying person, right? Who's the first?" 

"Who else? Your dad."

Oh, come on.

"What? You don't believe me?" Uncle Althorn laughed when he saw how disgusted I looked, and I only turned my gaze to Dad at the kitchen.

The kitchen is completely viewable from the diner, and we are able to see who exactly is currently cooking at the kitchen. Dad is right there with his big smile as he cooks for the customers, and I just refuse to believe such an innocent young man like him can be so horrifying.

"I just don't believe it."

"Then, feel free not to. If I were you, I'd rather not know anything about that guy."

"But, I just wanna know. What exactly makes him so terrifying?" I asked Uncle Althorn, but the old man only turned older as he recalled his memory.

Uncle Althorn opened his mouth, but the sound of a carriage arriving in front of the diner caught our attention. Seeing the fancy carriage, it's clear that I have never seen this carriage before, and I don't recognize the family crest that is drawn on the carriage.

BAMM!!!

The door to the carriage was slammed open, and a rather short lady with big round glasses came out of the carriage. Her eyes studied the front part of the diner, but then her gaze eventually landed next to me.

"Oh… my… god!!!!" The short lady with the glasses suddenly started crying, and she stepped out of the carriage in a hurry.

I noticed that she was running straight at me, so I quickly stood up from my chair. The lady then proceeded to hug me tightly right after I got up, and my butt accidentally bumped into the table which caused Uncle Althorn's tea to get knocked off.

"My tea--"

"Oh my goddd!!!! I can't believe you turned into a child!!!! I've missed you so much, my ladyyy!!!!!"

U-Uhm…

I think there's a misunderstanding…

"I was so saddened that you've diedd…. I can't believe it, you really shouldn't have married that white haired bastard!! You should've just married mee!!!!!"

"Uhm… Excuse me--"

"Don't tell me!! You don't even remember who I am anymore!?" The lady let go of the hug to stare at my face, and I'm only smiling at her softly.

For a while, she became silent as she realized something was wrong. My eyes were not what she expected, and she turned to Uncle Althorn who was next to me.

"Is this not her?"

"That's my daughter, you stupid f***."

The lady then quickly turned her gaze towards the diner, where Mom is standing with her hands folded. Her cold stare was kept straight to the lady that just arrived and immediately assaulted me, and the said lady quickly started crying even harder.

"Lady Elizabeeettthhh!!!! I've missed you soo muuccchhh--"

"Sit."

In an instant, the short lady fell on the floor on her knees. Her entire body was forced down into the ground, and she looked like she was having problems trying to get back up.

"M-My lady…" The short lady only turned her confused gaze up, and Mom unfolded her hands.

"I've missed you too, Noire. How have you been?"

"I-I've been great!! W-What about you, my lady?"

"I'm doing fine. I'm just worried why you assaulted my daughter like that."

"I-I was just--"

"No excuses, Noire. You knew how much I hated being touched. No more touching my daughter, you hear me?" Mom said rather coldly to her subordinate, but the short lady looked rather happy instead of annoyed.

"Yes, ma'am!"

Mom then turned her gaze back to the carriage, and she noticed another person who was stepping down. The next to step out of the carriage is a short lady as well with long orange hair. Her stern face made me realize how much she looked like Mom, and she landed her cold stare on me.

"A copycat?" The orange haired lady asked after seeing me, but I just chuckled hearing her comment.

"No way… Is it Vermillis? Has it really been that many years?" The orange haired lady turned to Uncle Althorn, and the office man nodded.

"It's been ten years, Fiona." Uncle Althorn said softly to her, and the lady called Fiona landed her feet on the ground inside the diner.

"Dear me, children grow up so fast. It's nice to see you, Vermillis. You look exactly like your mother." The orange haired lady was quite polite compared to the one kneeling on the floor

"And you look so different than I remembered, Fiona." Mom said as she approached the orange haired lady, and the two shook hands while trading smiles.

"And yet, you don't look like you aged even a day."

"Because I didn't age."

"I wish I could be turned into stone like that. My beauty from my twenties has faded away…"

"If you ask me, you're still beautiful, Fiona."

"Thank you, your majesty. Or can I call you Elizabeth again like in the past?"

"Well, I'm not an empress anymore, so feel free."

The two conversed quite calmly as they greeted each other. I realized that since ten years have passed, many of Mom's friends have already aged. On the contrary, Mom's age was still the same as before.

I wonder how she felt. All the people she has known for a while have turned above thirty, while she herself is still around the mid twenties.

From the kitchen, Dad brought a tray with a bunch of drinks on top of it. He carefully navigated past the tables and placed down the tray on the table where me and Uncle Althorn sat.

"Who's tea is this?" Dad asked when he noticed the fallen tea cup on the floor, and Uncle Althorn lifted his hand with sadness.

"Right. A little introduction to Milly, perhaps? This is my daughter, Milly. She's twelve years old this year." Mom turned to me and allowed the newly arrived guests to know me, and I bowed my head slightly at them.

"Nice to see you, Milly. My name is Fiona. I work as your mother's advisor during her ruling." The orange haired lady introduced herself, and I nodded firmly at her. I turned my gaze to the glasses lady that is now already standing up again, and she lifted her hand to salute at me.

"And I'm Noire! I don't exactly have a 'Big Shot' role in the empire, but I work as the information gatherer for your mother, ever since she was the leader of the western rebellion force many years ago!" The short lady with big round glasses introduced herself, and I recognized that her role might not be so simple.

This is Mom's allies. The strength, Uncle Althorn. The intelligent Fiona. And the skilled information gatherer, Noire.

Now that they are present… For sure, they will be working towards one singular goal in mind. The revival of our beloved empire, Veldonia.