- Hadrian Pov -
"What kind of nonsense are you talking about, brother!"
The first thing that went through Alice's mind was irritation, and she shot back an immediate rebuttal, whereas her mother simply raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Why don't you see your mother first after you get back to your house? Is there something else that's more important?" My mother spoke to me in a soft tone and with a questioning expression on her face, but all I did was respond with a wry smile and say something.
"It goes without saying that nothing is more important than mother, but before I come see you, I just wanted to make sure about something."
I walked over to the sofa in the room that was vacant, and without giving it much thought, I sat down and made myself comfortable there.
The absence of excessive decoration in this room gives it a very clean appearance, but it does not take away from the splendor on display.
There are many books on the shelves, some ornamental plants with lovely flowers, and only a few piles of paper and letters on my mother's desk.
My attention was then drawn to a map hanging on the wall that depicted the continent of Heilig, which was ruled by seven empires and one large kingdom.
On the map, the location of every empire and kingdom that surrounds it can be seen very clearly, right down to the cities that are already there.
There is also a symbol that indicates a mystery that has not been revealed in a particular location, and there is also a symbol of an ancient creature with the same appearance as the one found in history books.
In most cases, the existence of ancient creatures or other peculiar symbols on a map is attested to by legends that have been passed down from one generation to the next. Because of this, one must exercise heightened caution when traveling through the area in question.
Because of all the specifics and information, it includes, the map that belongs to my mother is undoubtedly unique and is most likely the only one that exists anywhere in the world.
Even I can sense the presence of magic on the map, and I think it's so old that it's entirely possible that a legendary character who has a very high level and has traversed the entire continent was the one who drew it. This character would have an excellent understanding of this continent's ins and outs.
"Have you gone to question the man that you have detained?" I was brought abruptly out of my daydream by the icy voice of my mother asking me a question.
"Yeah, he just mentioned the Raupe family," I responded in a curt manner while maintaining a relaxed expression and leaning back comfortably on this comfy sofa.
My mother went into an instant hush after hearing my response, and all of a sudden, the atmosphere in the room turned icy and heavy. Even Alice, who had been sitting still on the chair, appeared to be trembling in fear.
All those auras seemed to emanate from my mother, and it appeared that she did so unintentionally whenever her feelings were out of her control.
And I could see that right now, she was furious, almost to the point where she was going to explode, precisely what I anticipated.
"How dare they try to harm my children! I will never forgive them..."
The woman standing in front of me has a face almost identical to mine, Alice's, and Emilia's. Even though she has delivered three children, my mother's face still looks beautiful and lovely.
If Emilia were here, people would immediately say that "these three sisters look very similar and beautiful" because my mother looks very young, which surprised me when I was a little kid.
But then I learned that increasing your level makes you live longer and maintains your youthful appearance. This was very interesting to me.
Her feelings may be spiraling out of control, but her appearance as a female emperor remains magnificent and dignified.
Since my mother is currently at home and there are only me, Alice, Emilia, and a few maids, she is only wearing casual clothing and does not have a crown on her head.
I could see that her chest was going up and down because of her erratic breathing, which caused her large breasts to move around as well.
After that, I couldn't help but stare at her, first at her curvy hips, which are very alluring, and then at her large and very enticing ass. I just couldn't take my eyes off of her.
Therefore, it should be no surprise that Emilia and Alice have assets many other women aspire to have.
I said to my mother, "Calm down, isn't this a good opportunity to train someone to gain a lot of experience?" in an effort to calm my rapid heartbeat.
After that, the eerie aura gradually faded, and I began perspiring without even realizing it, while Alice appeared to be losing her strength and was on the verge of passing out.
"huff...what are you trying to accomplish?" My mother said this as she took a deep breath, attempting to regain control of her emotions, but all I did was give her a gentle smile and continue with what I was saying.
"My intention is to hand over control of this situation to Alice."
My mother's expression remained serious as she continued to look at me and say, "keep going."
"Alice will have the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of this empire during this time, from the people at the top to the people cleaning up the dirt at the bottom," And I finished off my long explanation with a big grin directed at my mother, while Alice, who had heard it, appeared as though she wanted to argue against it.
"what are you two talking about, of course I don't want to do such a tedious and tiring thing," Alice uttered her response with a feeble voice and an irritated expression, despite her body still appearing weak.
"There's no rush, and I've also ordered Sascha to accompany Alice however, if you're still worried, you can send your confidant as well."
"Hmm, I agree with your plan, Hadrian. however, I'm concerned about Alice's ability to select the best option," Said my mother as she tried to reassure herself, for I'm sure that she also knew that this was a perfect fit for Alice and that for security reasons, she could send as many guards as she wanted, so it wouldn't be a problem.
"If I have some time on my hands, I might be able to lend her a hand in this matter," I said it in a soft voice and with a slight smile on my face as I looked at Alice, who was becoming aggravated at the fact that she was being ignored.
I was unaware that so much time had already passed until I looked out the window and noticed that the orange light of the setting sun was reflected in the glass.
"You two can go back to your room, but don't go to bed right away because you haven't eaten since this afternoon, so I'll be waiting for you in the dining room in a little while."
After that, Alice and I were kicked out of the room, and Alice, who had been utterly silent for a considerable amount of time, simply turned and walked away while ignoring me.
When I saw her behavior, all I could do was smile, and after that, I followed her around while I muttered something, "Why are you still being so pouty? despite the fact that I have fulfilled your request."
"What do you mean?" Alice had finally turned to face me and asked with a perplexed expression on her face.
I got closer to Alice's ear and whispered softly, "You don't want to be far from me, right? that's why I'll be watching you closely on this task."
Alice, who was frowning at the time, had her ears and cheeks turn bright red almost immediately, and she responded timidly, "Who wants to be close to you... I can do it on my own... humm."
And with that, Alice picked up her pace and left me in the dust as she walked away.
But at that point, I halted what I was doing, turned around, and retraced my steps to my mother's study. When I got there, I opened the door without first knocking.
"There's something I need to talk to you about, mother."