Chapter 222 I'm Fiona’s Mama
Ackerman Merchant Guild, Necronia East District Central Branch.
In a big store located on the main street, Alisa Ackerman was working hard in her office on the upper floor.
She was checking the sales of each product reported from various branches across Necronia. She needed to know which products were selling, why they were popular, whether this trend would continue, and if it would continue, whether they could increase their orders or find similar substitute products if they couldn't. Managing the purchasing and inventory of products was one of her jobs.
While she was busy with this important work, there was a knock on the door.
"Please come in."
A staff member entered and reported to Alisa.
"Madam Alisa, your daughter has arrived."
"Oh? She came to see me?"
"No, it seems she came for shopping. However... it looks like that man is with her, so I thought I should report it."
"――I'll go right away. My daughter is still in the store, right?"
"Yes."
Alisa paused her work and got up from her seat immediately.
This was because she had instructed them to report if "that man" came to the store.
While he might not be considered an important person for the Ackerman Merchant Guild, he was very important as her daughter's mother, and he also had a significant influence on the individual level that couldn't be ignored.
After all, he was the top explorer in Necronia and the Clan Master of the largest clan. Just a few days ago, he had achieved a big accomplishment related to the Stampede and she heard that the heads of the [Four Great Families of the Seals] invited him to their mansion.
Looking at his position alone, it was natural to treat him as a VIP. ...But knowing his personally, it was hard to believe that. Even just his well-known title made him someone that the big merchant guild couldn't ignore. ...It might be surprising, but that's how it was.
So, she hurriedly left the room and went downstairs to the store area.
Right away, Alisa found her daughter.
"Ah, Mom, you were here today!"
"!? ...Ms. Alisa, it's been a while."
Seeing Alisa, her daughter――Fiona Ackerman――called out, and then the man next to her――Aaron Gale――awkwardly greeted her.
"Fiona, Mr. Aaron, welcome――."
However, as Alisa approached the two, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Her gaze was fixed between her daughter and Aaron, on that one point.
"Huh...?"
A confused voice escaped her.
There stood her daughter and Aaron, holding hands with a young girl, one on each side.
For a moment, seeing the 3 of them together so happily made Alisa think,
(Huh? A child? Fiona's child? My grandchild? My first grandchild?)
But she quickly denied that thought, knowing it couldn't be true.
The appearance of the young girl was about that of a seven-year-old, and of course, that seemed impossible. Moreover, her hair and eye color were different from both Fiona and Aaron.
A young girl with silver hair and distinctive golden eyes, possessing an almost mystical level of beauty. From her hair color and eyes, Alisa immediately judged that she was the daughter of the Aron family, one of the [Four Great Families of the Seals]――but immediately after, a statement from the girl overturned that assumption completely.
"Nice to meet you, Alisa. I'm Lucia. I'm Fiona's Mama."
"!?"
"Wait! Lucia, what are you saying? Don't say things that make explanations difficult!"
Her daughter's flustered voice no longer reached Alisa's ears.
For a moment, she was so shocked by this introduction that her mind went blank, but soon her sharp intellect began to speculate on the meaning of the words spoken by the girl who called herself Lucia.
Naturally, Fiona's mother is herself. That is beyond doubt.
So, was Lucia's statement a meaningless lie or some kind of joke?
(No... she doesn't have the face of someone who's lying... If anything, it feels like she's just stating an obvious fact...)
"I'm Fiona's Mama." Lucia's attitude seemed to hold not a shred of doubt about that fact.
If what she said was indeed true... there was only one possibility left.
Alisa realized that there was one more person in this world, besides herself, who could claim to be Fiona's mother.
And so, Alisa muttered with a mix of dread and awe.
"No way... Mr. Aaron's mother is this young...!!"
"――Mom!?"
The spouse's mother! In other words, the mother-in-law! But she is still a mother!!
One might already understand, but――Alisa was confused!!
"Why is that!? No matter how you look at it, she's not Aaron's mother!?"
"W-Well, if she claims to be Fiona's Mama, that means she's a mother-in-law... So, she must be Mr. Aaron's mother, right...?"
"W-Wait, hold on!? We're not even married yet!!"
"...But it will happen eventually, so you're calling Fiona your daughter-in-law now, right...?"
"That's not true!! Besides, the hair color, the eye color, and more importantly, the age doesn't match!"
"She looks very... young, doesn't she?"
"There's a limit to trying to look young, you know!"
"Ah, Ms. Alisa. My mother has already passed away..."
Aaron awkwardly interrupted the mother-daughter exchange.
"Oh, is that so? That's... I'm sorry for asking something so difficult, Mr. Aaron."
"No, it's fine."
With Aaron's correction, Alisa seemed to calm down a bit. She understood that Lucia was not Fiona's mother-in-law――and tilted her head.
"But then, what was that comment earlier...?"
"That was――mgh!?"
Fiona covered Lucia's mouth as she tried to explain Alisa's question.
"This girl is Lucia Aron. As her name suggests, she's from the Aron family. For some reasons, she's going to live with us for a while."
"Wow! So you really are the daughter of the Aron family. ――Nice to meet you, Lady Lucia. I'm Fiona's mother, Alisa."
She decided to just accept that Fiona's Mama was probably joking or something.
Alisa is a member of the Ackerman family, which runs a big merchant guild, and she knows a lot of information that most people wouldn't usually hear.
She didn't know for sure, but she had a feeling that her daughters were aware of some secrets related to the 4 families.
It seemed like this strange situation of living with the Aron family's daughter happened because of those connections.
"So, did you just come here to shop today?"
"Yeah. I just came to buy cutlery, plates, cups, and stuff for Lucia."
"I see. Then I'll show you around."
Alisa guided Fiona and the others through the store.
While listening to Lucia's opinions, she introduced various cutlery and dishes, and Lucia happily chose what she liked.
During this, Alisa caught her daughter and asked something she had always been curious about.
"By the way, Fiona? How are things with Mr. Aaron lately?"
"...What do you mean by 'how'...?"
"When are you getting married?"
"Married!? N-no way!! ...Not yet. I-I'm really busy right now!!"
"Hmm... Well, I understand you guys are busy since the stampede just happened... so, what about kids?"
"Huh? K-kids!?"
"Yeah, kids. When can I expect to see my first grandchild? Are you pregnant yet?"
"Wh-what!? I-I'm not doing anything!!"
With her face bright red in denial, Fiona made Alisa let out a sigh. She was worried.
(I thought when I talked to Mr. Aaron before, he said they were having a baby, but it seems that was a misunderstanding...)
A while ago, when she and Aaron talked (check out the special chapter 100.5 (T/L: I'll include it on below)), Alisa was super excited that Fiona was going to have a baby. But, as time went by, Alisa realized that she was probably mistaken. It's been a few months now, and there's no sign of her belly getting bigger, so she's starting to think she was wrong.
(But, since they live together, it wouldn't be strange if they had a baby, right...?)
Alisa naturally knew that her daughter was living with Aaron.
And she knew they had been living together for several months already.
However, the idea that her daughter was still a virgin was beyond Alisa's imagination. She assumed they had already been intimate many times!!
"Fiona, I know you're successful as an explorer, but... shouldn't you be a little more anxious?"
"W-what do you mean...? Are you saying I'm going to be too late?"
"That's not it... If you're too relaxed, you might lose Mr. Aaron to another girl, you know?"
"Another girl...? Who are you talking about...?"
The light in Fiona's eyes disappeared!
However, even under her daughter's murderous gaze, Alisa continued without fear.
"It's not about a specific person. Anyone could be a possibility, right? Mr. Aaron is quite popular."
"Aaron is... popular...?"
A question mark appeared on Fiona's face!
When Fiona thinks of someone popular, she imagines Glen, but she had never seen Aaron being surrounded by women like Glen was.
However, Alisa lets out a deep sigh at her daughter's attitude.
"Phew... Listen, Fiona. What are you being so carefree about! Mr. Aaron is a top explorer and the master of the biggest clan. Plus, during this stampede, he not only captured the mastermind behind it as a hero, but he also did great work in the last stampede 2 years ago as the famous <<Extreme Sword>>! On top of that, he started a business (a wooden sword workshop) and it's successful! I've heard rumors that he's connected to the head of the Gridavor family and even to Margrave Lorentz from another country! Do you really think women would ignore someone that amazing?!"
"...? ...?? ...???"
Fiona was confused because the gap between her view of Aaron and how others saw him was too big.
However, she realized that everything Alisa said was not a lie. In fact, he had accomplished even more and it wouldn't be surprising if he was valued even higher――Fiona understood this.
"――!!"
"It seems you've finally noticed..."
Alisa felt weak from her daughter's carefree attitude, but she reconsidered that her daughter was still at a huge advantage.
She firmly placed her hands on Fiona's shoulders to motivate her.
"Listen! Before someone else takes him, you need to make your move and decide this!"
"Make my move...? What does that mean?"
Fiona was puzzled, and Alisa began to explain.
"Whether you have kids or get married first, it's all good with me. If you need it, Mother can get you a special medicine."
"A special medicine...?"
"It's a medicine that makes the night amazing."
The phrase "makes the night amazing" made the innocent Fiona blush.
Anyway, after being thoroughly encouraged by Alisa, Fiona and the others finished their shopping and left the store.
On the way home, Fiona started to think.
Even though there hadn't been "that kind of person" around Aaron before, it might be wise to be cautious about the appearance of a rival.
And maybe, like her mother said, she should feel a little anxious.
(A medicine that makes the night... amazing...)
Fiona's libido gauge went up!!
Side Story 100.5 => here
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