The mother of the Greyrat family

My name is Zenith Greyrat.

I was born in the Sacred Country of Millis, a land characterized by its long history, great beauty, and strict moral code.

By birth, I was a member of the nobility, the second daughter of an earl.

Like most young women raised in "good families," I was a sheltered child.

I thought the small world I knew was all there was. I was clueless and naive. But I was also a good girl, if I do say so myself.

I never disobeyed my parents. My grades in school were excellent. I obeyed the principles of the Millis Church an learned to play the expected role of me in society gatherings.

Some people even called me the perfect picture of a Millis lady.

My parents were very proud of me, I'm sure.

If things had continued as they were, I suppose I would have been introduced at some party to a man my parents chose for me.

Probably the first son of some marquess, polite but proud, with absolute respect for the dictates of the Church of Millis.

I would have married this moral paragon, borne his children, and seen my name in the Millis peerage register as a perfectly respectable marchioness.

As a woman of the aristocracy, that was the path before me.

But of course, I didn't end up following it.

My life changed forever on my fifteenth birthday, the day I came of age.

I had a terrible fight with my parents.

For the first time in my life, I refused to do what they told me.

And I ran away from home.

I had grown tired of letting them control every moment of my life.

My little sister Teresa had always been a free spirit, and I think I was a little jealous of her too. These factors, along with many smaller ones, combined to push me off the path I'd been following.

It's not easy for a fallen aristocrat to find a new path in life.

But fortunately, I had learned healing magic at an academy for noble girls, and had even mastered Intermediate spells.

Millis was a country where Healing and Protection magic flourished, but it was still unusual to progress beyond the Novice rank in either.

Reaching the Intermediate level opened the door for me to work in the Church of Millis hospitals; it was an achievement that earned me much admiration at our school.

As a result, I was convinced I could make it on my own anywhere I went...

I really was hopelessly naive.

A group of dishonest people spotted me almost immediately, as I clumsily tried to navigate the unfamiliar process of taking a room at an inn.

Claiming they had been looking for a healer, they dragged me into their group, taking advantage of my complete ignorance.

The salary they offered was lower than what beginner-level mages earned, but they insisted it was higher than the going rate.

Being a complete fool, I took their superficial kindness seriously. I remember thinking,

"I guess the world has decent people."

I'm sure they would have mistreated me more if I'd stayed with them.

They probably planned to use me as a human shield in battle or force me to perform magic until I passed out.

Maybe even to demand sexual favors.

But they didn't get the chance, thanks to a young swordsman named Paul Greyrat.

After beating up my new "friends," he rather forcefully dragged me into his own traveling party. Until Elinalise, one of his companions, explained that he was convinced I'd been kidnapped by a violent thug.

In any case, that's how I met my future husband.

At first, I hated Paul. He was an Asura noble by birth, but his language was rude.

He broke his promises left and right, acted impulsively, wasted money, and mocked me constantly.

Still, I realized he wasn't exactly a bad person.

After all, he always came to my rescue.

He mocked my cluelessness, but in the end, he always sighed and stepped in to help.

We were complete opposites, but he was reliable, free-spirited, and handsome.

I guess it's no wonder I was attracted to him.

Of course, there were always pretty women around him.

And I was a follower of the Millis Church, which preached the virtues of monogamy. I could have run away from home,

but the teachings of my faith had been taught to me daily since I was a child, and everyone I knew in school had been a believer.

His commandments were deeply ingrained in my mind.

So, one day, I blurted out these words:

"You can sleep with me, but only if you never touch another woman again."

Paul immediately agreed with an easy smile.

I knew he was lying to me, of course.

But somehow, I didn't care once he broke his promise, I thought I could get over it.

But once again, I had been naive, careless, and foolish.

I never thought I could get pregnant after just one night with him.

I was so desperate, anxious, and scared.

I certainly didn't expect Paul to do the honorable thing and marry me the way he did.

The child I gave him was a son, and it turned out to be him.

Rudeus Greyrat.

My little Rudy.

...

At that moment, Rudy was crouching next to his little sister's crib with a very serious expression on his face, much like his father's.

Frowning intensely, he looked into the crib for a moment.

"Aah. Aah!"

Norn began to whine, and Rudy's expression hardened even further.

But a moment later...

"Blah-lab-wah!"

he stuck out his tongue and made a silly face.

"Ha, ha, ha! Baaa, baaaa!"

Nodding in satisfaction as Norn gurgled happily, Rudeus resumed his previous serious expression.

But as Rudeus left, Norn immediately began to sob, and he immediately turned to look at her, pressed his palms against his cheeks, and muttered, "Ajojobloblo."

Clearly amused, Norn let out a little joy: "Nhah, ahah!"

Once again, Rudy nodded with a smile of pure pleasure.

He'd been maintaining this little routine for quite some time.

"Heheh..."

Seeing Rudy's smile, I couldn't help but chuckle a little.

It wasn't something you saw every day, after all.

Rudy always wore the most serious expression; no matter how well things were going with his sword practice or his magic,

he never looked particularly satisfied.

He almost never let Paul or me see him smile.

And when he did, it was usually a forced, awkward smile.

But now, he was making silly faces to amuse his little sisters and smiling with genuine pleasure when it worked.

Just watching it puts me in a good mood.

We'd come a long way from how things were before.

I sighed silently, remembering Rudy's early years.

At first, I was overjoyed when we discovered his talent for magic.

But after a while, I started to feel like he was so talented that he secretly despised the rest of us.

I wondered if he loved his family. He'd never been that attached to me, to begin with. But I was wrong, of course.

"Ooh, you're so cute, Norn. You're going to be so pretty, just like Mommy, yeah?"

And now, here he was playing with Norn's little hands and smiling happily.

My always-serious little boy was calming his sister with baby nonsense.

He's so... reliable.

I'd been a little impressed by Rudy's talent for quite some time, but lately I was starting to appreciate his reliability as well.

Things had been really hectic after Norn was born.

My new daughter cried at all hours of the night, threw up half the milk I fed her, and pooped when we bathed her.

Lilia told me that all this was perfectly natural, that it was to be expected, but that before long, I was completely exhausted.

For days on end, I could barely sleep.

But then Rudy stepped in and started taking care of all sorts of things for us... without even being asked.

He was strangely skilled with babies.

It almost seemed as if he'd been given a baby before, although that couldn't be the case.

I suppose he must have learned a few things from watching Lilia.

That's our Rudy for you.

I wasn't particularly happy that my son was better than me at calming my own daughter, but he was still a great help.

I'd never seen a boy his age so helpful and reliable, or even capable of caring for newborns the way he did.

Watching him work sometimes reminded me of my brother, who presumably still lived in the Holy country of Millis.

Like Rudy, he was serious, diligent, and talented; my father always told us to learn from his example.

But he was also cold to his family, ignoring his younger sisters almost completely.

As far as nobles went, he was a good and honest man, but I didn't think much of him as a brother. Rudy was obviously going to be different. He was going to be a good older brother.

The kind who earned his sister's admiration.

That seemed to be his intention, at least. In fact, I'd announced to Paul, "I'm going to try to be the coolest, most perfect older brother ever," while looking at Norn.

I was already eager to see what the three of them would be like in a few years.

"Aah. Agyaaaah!"

At that moment, Norn, who had started crying loudly, surprised me.

Rudy's body jerked in surprise, but he quickly turned back to his crib to make more silly faces.

"Gyaa! Waaaaah!"

This time, Norn didn't stop crying.

Rudy touched her diaper to see if it was wet, then picked her up and checked her back for a rash, but the tears kept flowing.

If I'd been alone, I probably would have freaked out and called Lilia, only to panic once I remembered she was out shopping at the time.

But Rudy remained admirably calm.

Working by process of elimination, he carefully reviewed the potential problems. After a while, he clapped his hands and turned to me.

"Mother, I think it's time for your milk."

Come to think of it, it was about that time of day, wasn't it? The hours really flew by when I watched Rudy play with his sister.

"Right. Of course."

"Here, sit down."

I sat down in the chair Rudy brought me, opened my blouse, and took my crying baby into my arms.

Norn had clearly gotten quite hungry, just as Rudy thought.

She immediately clamped her tiny mouth against my nipple and began to suckle eagerly.

The sensation

made me ever so intensely aware of my own motherhood.

"Hm?"

After a moment, I realized Rudy was watching.

It was nice to see him do something so similar to what Paul did... but if Rudy was already like this at his age, there was probably going to be some trouble down the road.

The last thing I wanted was for him to go around breaking women's hearts left, right, and center, like his father had.

"What's wrong, Rudy? Do you want some too?"

"Huh?!"

Startled by my little joke, Rudy shook his head and blushed a bright shade of red.

"No, it's not that. I was impressed by how much she drinks..."

"Heheh."

It was kind of cute to see him flustered.

I couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Sorry, but I need my milk for Norn now. You had plenty when you were a baby, so don't be greedy now, okay?"

"Of course, Mother."

Maybe I'd tease him a little more.

"Hmm. Well, if you're desperate... once you get yourself a wife, why don't you ask her if she'll give you some?"

"Good idea. I'll have to try it sometime."

I expected him to get grumpy and defensive at that moment, but he stopped my comment with a calm expression. I guess he realized I was just playing with him.

It's no fun. But that's Rudy to you, I suppose.

"Don't force it, keep that in mind."

"Yeah, I know."

It always made me feel a little melancholy watching him act like a grown-up.

I turned my attention back to Norn, who had satiated her hunger.

After patting her back until she let out a small burp, I gently placed her back in her crib.

Whoever marries him might have a tough time.

Sylphie seems to be the prime candidate right now... and that girl tends to do everything Rudy tells her to do.

She might not be able to say no, even when she wants to...

Very well, then. Worst case, I'll have to straighten him out.

After all, I was Rudy's mother.

Paul could teach him how to seduce women, but I would teach him how to treat them well.

"Goo..."

Norn seemed quite satisfied now that she had something in her stomach. It didn't take long for her to start falling asleep in her crib.

"That's right," I murmured softly, stroking her little head.

"She drinks a lot of milk, sleeps a lot, and grows up nice and healthy."

Rudy watched from afar, his gaze warmer than usual.

"Hey, Rudy."

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Do you mind if I stroke your head a little?"

"You don't need to ask my permission. Feel free to stroke me whenever you want..."

After slowly sitting down beside me, Rudy tilted his head toward me invitingly.

I bent down and began to stroke him gently.

Rudy was our first child, and he never needed much from us.

Most of the time, I didn't feel like a mother to him. But recently, that had started to change. I truly was this boy's mother.

And he truly was my son.

Feeling a little warm, I turned in his direction. The spring sun streamed through the window.

Outside, golden fields of wheat stretched as far as the eye could see. It was the picture of a peaceful spring afternoon. As I gazed at him silently, a feeling of happiness washed over me. For some reason, I felt completely content.

"I wish this moment could last forever."

"Me too," Rudy murmured, nodding his head. I guess he also found this little homey scene pleasantly peaceful.

But it was only thanks to him that I could feel the same.

Thank you, Millis, for Rudy.

If I weren't such a wise and intelligent child, I would never have experienced this moment of happiness.

"Rudy..."

"Yes, Mom?"

"Thanks for being born."

Startled, Rudy looked at me.

After an awkward pause, he scratched his head and replied in an adorably shy tone of voice.

"Well...thanks for having me."

My only response was another amused chuckle.