The Daughter of Evil - Volume 4 - Chapter 2.13

chapter 2, section 1-hometown of misgivings; scene 3
Praefacio of Blue, page 58-61

♣ Yukina ~The Country of Marlon, “Freezis Estate/Mikina’s Room”~

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As I got closer to my mother’s room, I came to hear the sound of pleasant harp music. She was probably playing it.

When I opened the door, the music stopped. Inside was my mother, who–like my father–hadn’t changed at all from how I remembered her.

Once she saw it was me, her face suddenly brightened.

“…Welcome home, Yukina.”

“Thank you, Mama.”

We hugged each other, and rejoiced at our long-awaited reunion.

“I think you’ve gotten a little taller.”

“Hm–I guess.”

“Did you enjoy your trip? Did you get any stomach aches from eating unfamiliar food?”

“No, it was fine. Hey, Mama.”

“What?”

“It’s been so long, I’d like to hear you play the harp.”

“Haha, alright. We’ll be having supper soon, so I’ll only play a little.”

I took a seat, Mom too sat at her harp, and she resumed her music once more.

My mother was a basically reserved woman, and modest despite continuing to support my father behind the scenes. I had heard from her own mouth that though she was originally the daughter of a prestigious family she had fallen so head over heels for my father that as a result of her passion she’d run away with him to Elphegort when they eloped.

Her sole hobby was playing the harp. Dad had encouraged her to play at his dinner banquets, but she’d always refused, claiming to be too shy. The only people who were able to hear her music were the members of my family.

Before, I would often listen to my mother’s harp while indulging in my reading. Hearing such familiar music, I finally felt the sense of having returned home well up inside me.

“Mama…I’m sorry.”

“For what?” she replied, continuing to play the harp.

“For going out on my own and making you worry.”

While I was saying that I remembered that I needed to apologize to my father properly too.

Mom didn’t say anything for a short period, merely smiling and keeping up the music.

Eventually, she reached a good pausing point and stopped playing. The moment that she opened her mouth to say something, someone opened the door and came into the room.

“Big sis, you’re home!”

A girl who looked a little older than I remembered was there.

“Thank you, Aile.”

Aile dashed to me, and innocently hugged me. She then started coughing violently, probably from being overexcited.

“Now now, all this running…”

My mother pat Aile’s back with a concerned expression.

Aile was my younger sister, under four years old. Perhaps because she had more strongly inherited my mother’s disposition, unlike me and Shaw she was a very meek type. She’d been a little sickly since she was a baby, and there were times when my mother had to nurse her back to health.

Mom took care of Aile herself, and wasn’t in the habit of entrusting her to the servants.

I didn’t know why that was, but if I were to put together all the rumors the servants exchanged, it had something to do with the incident that their caretaker had caused when Shaw was a baby.

I didn’t know the specific details on that, but I had always thought it was connected to the faint burn scars left on Shaw’s back, and my mother seldom hiring Elphe people as servants out of her unusual hatred for them.

Even mother’s reserved nature was for Aile’s sake too. I wasn’t around her much as a result, and there were times when that made me pretty lonely.

At times like that, my father would always treat me warmly. Even when he was busy, he would always take any spare moment he could to care for me. I was glad for that, and had always depended on him.

Since when had I started to feel adverse to my father’s affection?

…Yeah, I really should apologize to him later.

The door opened again, and Shaw peered inside.

“Everyone should head to the dining hall soon. I’m starving.”

Mom stood and clapped her hands.

“Yes yes, how about we all go together? It’s been so long since we’ve all eaten as a family–haha, Mama’s looking forward to it.”