"Right. So, you're Elys, whom Annie kept talking about."
At an outdoor table, Annie, Annie's mother, and I took our seats. A person, who seemed to be a guard, stood behind Annie's mother, Emma Klein.
Of course, I bowed my head as if I were going to bury it in the table.
"Yes. That's correct. I'm really sorry."
"No need. I'm used to this situation, so there's no reason to be sorry. When I was young, if I heard something like that, I'd be quick to beat people up, but now that I'm an older woman, it's actually kind of fun."
Emma said that, then picked up a fork and took a small piece of the chocolate mud cake in front of her, which was exactly the same as the one I had ordered.
Emma had a chocolate cake in front of her, I had a chocolate cake, and Annie had a chocolate cake in front of her too. For reference, each of us also had a double chocolate shake. Chocolate here, chocolate there, it's driving me crazy.
…Usually, when several people order together at a café, they avoid ordering the same thing, but it was my fault for ordering based on Annie's recommendation.
If Annie recommended it, it meant Annie liked it too. Annie is the kind of person who confidently orders what she likes without worrying about what others think.
"Really, don't worry. Just relax. I'm sure you two have a lot to talk about, so go ahead and chat."
"Haha…"
Even though she said that, as the one who had just committed an offense against a friend's mother, I couldn't help but be mindful of my behavior. Whether Emma noticed my discomfort or not, she spoke again.
"Is it uncomfortable because this little old lady is here? Sorry. I'll just get up…"
"No! It's not like that at all!"
I hurriedly stopped Emma, who had actually started to stand up, and took a sip of the chocolate shake in front of me. As I sucked it through the straw, the rich chocolate shake filled my mouth, yet I couldn't taste any sweetness…
Emma chuckled as if she found my reaction amusing, and took a sip of her own chocolate shake. Seeing that made me understand how Annie's personality had developed. I thought that if Annie grew older and became a little more laid-back, she might turn out like that.
I glanced over and saw that Annie was busy eating the cake and shake. Annie's face looked incredibly happy, showing no concern for her friend's uncomfortable situation.
Feeling a bit annoyed by that, I took my fork and, instead of eating my cake, I took off a corner of Annie's cake and popped it into my mouth. I wasn't sure if it tasted bitter because of my situation or because the combination of too much sweetness made it taste off.
"Hey! Elys!"
Seeing Annie's devastated face after I stole a piece of her favorite cake made me feel a little better.
"Take that!"
But Annie quickly retaliated by grabbing a fork and taking a huge slice from my cake, much more than what I had taken from hers, but I didn't feel like stopping her.
Seeing Annie's smile return, I couldn't help but laugh a little.
"You two look great together. Watching you reminds me of an old friend. We don't see each other as much now, but they used to complain about getting more wrinkles."
It was a story I couldn't exactly relate to, but I could understand it.
"I was hoping to meet some of Annie's other friends too, but oh well. Dylan? Could you pack up about four chocolate cakes?"
At Emma's request, the man standing behind her answered and headed inside the store. Just before entering, Annie grabbed his sleeve and asked for two more, but that's just a minor detail.
I wondered if there were that many people at the mansion to eat all the cake, or if Emma just planned to eat it all herself. I didn't bother asking.
"After a battle, it's important to replenish sugar."
But since my curiosity was apparently written all over my face, Emma answered the unasked question.
It became clearer that Emma and Annie were mother and daughter. Annie's obsession with sweets must have come from her mother.
"By the way, Miss Elysia? I heard you can handle a sword?"
"...I'm sorry. Please stop teasing me."
How embarrassing. My face was probably as red as Annie's hair right now.
"No, I'm asking seriously. Annie already told me, but I wanted to hear it from you directly."
"...It's hard to show you here, but I suppose I could manage to fight off a high level monster."
Though I said it casually, high level monsters are no joke. Even experienced knights struggle with them, so it's not something an academy student should be saying lightly. But what can I do, it's true. There's even someone stronger than me, Cilly, after all.
"That's impressive. So, Miss Elysia, would you be interested in joining the subjugation tomorrow?"
"Mom?"
"Annie, today I only took Ian with me because Elysia was coming, but tomorrow, you're joining us too."
So, that's why I didn't see Ian at the mansion.
"It's not a big event or anything. Occasionally, monsters crawl out of the Forbidden Forest and get too close to the city, so we take care of them. It just happens to be around this time of year."
Emma finished her shake and spoke again.
"We have plenty of people, but I'm curious to see how today's kids measure up. Besides, you're Annie's friend."
"Well, with Annie gone, there's no reason for me to stay at the mansion, so I'll join you."
"I appreciate it."
Just then, Dylan returned with the packed cakes and approached the table.
"Shall we get going?"
Before I knew it, all the cake plates and shake cups were empty. While I felt like I had consumed more than enough sugar from just the shake, Emma and Annie had scraped every last bit of cake off their plates. In fact, when I didn't touch my cake, the two of them naturally reached over with their forks and finished it off.
Since I had already given up on eating the cake after experiencing the combination of shake and cake, I didn't mind at all. If anything, I was grateful they took care of something I didn't want.
Dylan, burdened with carrying a massive sword in both hands, couldn't hold the cakes, so Annie and I carried them instead.
As we walked back to the mansion, Annie and Emma were chatting, and I trailed a few steps behind them. Watching them walk side by side, I couldn't help but notice that they looked more like sisters than mother and daughter. They were both short, but Emma was just a little taller, making Annie look like the younger sibling, which was at least some consolation.
While I was lost in those thoughts, both Annie and Emma stopped talking and turned their heads toward me. Their gazes locked onto me at the same time.
...
"Miss Elysia? You weren't thinking anything rude, were you?"
At least Emma asked. Annie, on the other hand, seemed certain and was already glaring at me with an accusing look.
No need to copy each other in that regard…
* * * *
"Hey."
When we returned to the mansion, Ian greeted us. I shook his hand lightly as he offered it.
"It's strange seeing you outside of the academy. We always see each other there."
"I'll be staying here for a while."
Meanwhile, Alec had come out to greet Emma and was chatting with her.
"I brought this for you, so let's eat it together later."
"Sure. You must be tired from the subjugation, so go rest. I'll serve the cake later."
Emma handed Alec one of the cakes she had taken from Annie. Alec, seeming used to this, gave the cake to another servant and welcomed Emma warmly.
When I saw Alec and Emma standing side by side, I noticed the stark contrast in their physiques.
...
"When it's dinner time, we'll send someone to get you. Miss Elysia, you should go up with Annie…"
Alec was talking while looking at us, but when our eyes met, he stopped mid-sentence. My face must have given away what I was thinking, as Alec gave a wry smile. Realizing my mistake, I quickly hid my expression, but Alec didn't make an issue of it and instead explained.
"I know what you're thinking, and it's probably pointless to say this, but it's not me, it's my wife- Ugh!"
"Haha. Miss Elysia, we'll head up first. Have fun, and I'll see you at dinner."
Emma pulled Alec inside the mansion. The sight of tiny Emma dragging Alec's huge frame was almost impossible to describe.
I thought I saw Emma stomp on Alec's foot earlier, but that must have been my imagination.
But then, I could hear their conversation as they walked inside.
"Hey, it was you who made the first move…"
"Are you crazy? Talking about that in front of the kids…"
...It must have been my imagination.
"My father and mother were childhood friends. My father was a commoner, but my mother pushed him so hard that he ended up becoming a live in son in law without much trouble."
I didn't need that explanation, Ian.