Alphonse opened the carriage door and asked, "Sophie, do you know how to ride a horse?"
Sophie was hiding under one of the benches when her brother opened the door. Seeing him made her feel more at ease.
"Of course I do!" She was astonished by such an obvious question. "But why?"
"It seems the coachman and the soldiers are either dead or wounded. It's just us and the horses now, and the carriage axle is broken," Alphonse explained.
The girl was shaken by the news about the soldiers, especially since it could have been them if they hadn't had someone protecting them.
As Sophie prepared to leave the carriage, Alphonse pushed the bodies down the hill, leaving only one of their daggers behind.
'You never know,' the boy thought. Even though he didn't fight hand-to-hand, having another way to defend himself didn't hurt.
His first use of the weapon was to cut the horses' reins, freeing them from the carriage. They would ride two horses while the other two were tied behind them.
Without difficulty, they mounted the horses and headed back toward Hohenberg.
Hours later, Sophie and Alphonse arrived at the mansion.
"I can't stand another second. I'm exhausted," Sophie commented.
"Finally, we arrived." Alphonse didn't want to say it, but besides being exhausted, he felt sore from the ride. "I'll report to the Baroness; you can rest."
Sophie nodded as she dismounted and returned to her room. Alphonse took care of returning the horses to the stable. As soon as he finished, he walked straight to his mother's office.
"You have until tomorrow to find these thieves, or you don't need to return to your post. This is the last chance you'll get. If necessary, I'll issue an official document at the Oracle," the Baroness roared from inside the room.
Alphonse was still climbing the stairs but could hear her. It gave him just enough time to hide in one of the corridors.
The Guard Chief stormed out of the room, visibly furious. "We'll see who loses their position," was the last thing Alphonse heard before the chief descended the stairs.
As soon as the commander was out of sight, Alphonse seized the moment to enter the office and lock the door. He didn't want any soldiers, especially those who might recognize him, to enter.
'This is a problem I'll resolve myself,' the boy thought.
"Who? Oh, Alphonse," Isabelle stood from her desk and approached her son.
Alphonse hugged his mother.
"Hi, Mom. We're back," he said.
"Tell me, tell me. How was the trip? And the ball?" Isabelle asked, pulling her son to sit at the table.
"It was great. Montfalco is small but impressive. The city is expanding rapidly, and they might soon become the commercial center of the empire, second only to the capital," Alphonse explained.
"Yes, I suspected as much," Isabelle said, furrowing her brow.
"Will this complicate our trade?" Alphonse asked.
"Possibly. Currently, we're the trade hub for the west—the Low Countries, the Aurellian Kingdom, and the west trade route passes through here," Isabelle explained, spreading a map across the table to show her son. "However, with sea trade becoming increasingly strong, we may lose part of that flow."
"I see," the boy observed the map while his mother pointed out the routes and their current state.
"And the ball? Was there any trouble?" Isabelle questioned.
"No. It was as disgusting as expected. Vittorio had to find a girl from across the sea to marry this time; she must be younger than Sophie," Alphonse commented with disgust.
"Expected. His recent wives' deaths have left him with a terrible reputation," Isabelle noted, understanding the feelings they must have had.
"We only had a small problem on the way back. Some bandits tried to attack the carriage; the soldiers and coachmen were killed. The carriage couldn't continue, so we had to return on horseback," Alphonse explained.
"B-bandits?! How dare they attack a carriage from House Hohenberg?!" Isabelle stood up, furious.
"I don't know either. When the fight was over, unfortunately, everyone was dead. There was no one left to question. I even checked their clothes and gear, but they seemed like ordinary thieves," Alphonse explained.
"Hmph." Isabelle sat back down. "Scoundrels. They must have been mere roadside thieves who didn't know what they were getting into. But the worst part is four trained soldiers dying to simple bandits."
The Baroness quietly cursed the commander and his inability to train the soldiers properly. She was stewing in her anger.
"But Mom, I'd like to discuss something else," Alphonse said, standing up. "I've been talking with Sophie and other nobles at the party."
The boy walked around the table and stood behind his mother, placing his hands on her shoulders. He then began to massage her gently.
"How nice. I've been so stressed. What were you talking about?" Isabelle asked, tilting her neck to give Alphonse better access.
Isabelle was wearing one of her dresses in the colors of her old house. It had a particularly beautiful neckline that Alphonse admired.
"Sophie and I are thinking about taking the admission test for the Imperial Academy," the boy explained.
Isabelle froze at her son's words for a moment, but she soon relaxed again. She had expected this conversation to come up eventually and had already prepared herself for it, though it was still difficult to think about being separated from him so soon.
"What made you think of that?" Isabelle asked.
Before continuing the conversation, Alphonse took the opportunity to connect with his mother's mind. He needed to understand her thoughts better before proceeding.
[Mind Connect]
'At some point, they would want to leave home and see the world,' Alphonse saw Isabelle's thoughts.
"Mom, I don't need training to know that war in the South is just a matter of time. If Kaiserstadt falls, the entire south will be overrun with barbarians wanting to pillage the empire," Alphonse explained. "I believe that time at the academy will help me strengthen connections with other families and prepare myself for when I need to return and take my place in this battle."
'Hmm, it's very mature of him to think like that. It's exactly what the territory needs,' Isabelle thought. 'Unlike Alexander, who only cares about fighting on the front lines.' Alphonse could hear her thinking again about the problems his father had caused by being away from the territory.
"Son… I have nothing to complain about. Your reasoning makes sense, but there's one thing. If this war breaks out while you're at the academy, I want your word that you'll return to your post. That means you will leave the academy," Isabelle asked firmly.
"Of course, Mom. The whole point of going is strengthening myself for that moment," Alphonse confirmed.
"In that case, you have my approval. I'll prepare a letter of recommendation—each family usually does this for their children, and it will help both of you. However, don't forget to prepare yourselves. The admission test for the next semester is in three months," Isabelle explained. "When you arrive in the capital, you can stay with your grandmother. She will be pleased to see you both again."
The baroness spoke with a hint of sadness in her voice. Alphonse knew that his grandmother rarely came to the southern part of the empire, so they had few opportunities to see each other.
"Thank you very much, Mom," Alphonse said, continuing the massage.
[Mind Influence] You should let him massage you more often.
[Mind Influence] He's so good with his hands.
[Mind Influence] I feel so relaxed.
While Isabelle wrote the two letters, the boy channeled some of his mana to influence her.
When she finished the letters, she leaned back in her chair and rested against Alphonse's chest, savoring every second of the massage.
The boy used his hands to apply pressure to every stress point, moving from her neck to her shoulders. He alternated between points several times until he saw that his mother was utterly relaxed.
[Mind Influence] I want him to continue. I want to relax more.
Putting more mana into his suggestion, he decided to take the next step. His mother's dress was tied in the front but quite light and loose. He took the opportunity to move his hands towards his mother's shoulders and 'accidentally' pulled the dress up to her shoulders.
He took a deep breath and moved, holding his breath for a second. However, the baroness did not move to fix her dress.
The boy celebrated inside, now having a view and access to the upper part of her breasts.
'Maybe he's seeing too much. He can see my breasts. No, no. I have a dirty mind. My son would never see me like this.' Isabela scolded herself while Alphonse observed her thoughts.
[Mind Influence] It would be so good if he kept going. He could massage my breasts.
'What am I thinking?' Isabelle scolded herself once more, this time with her face turning red.
"Mom, you've been so tense. Is this the job?" Alphonse asked.
"Hm, partly," Isabelle replied shortly while still almost in a trance with the massage.
"I don't think it's just that." Alphonse also began to massage her collarbone and some parts closer to her breasts. He was going back and forth to more 'safe' areas.
"And what would that be?" Isabelle asked.
'If there is a god or a demon, I need your help right now.' Alphonse thought.
"When was the last time you exercised? This is putting pressure on your back." As soon as the boy finished explaining, he put both hands on his mother's breasts and lifted them.
"Hmmm." Isabelle moaned as she felt her son touching her breasts.
'He's just worried about my health. That's all.' She fooled herself, trying to appear normal.
"See? Now that you have more support, your back hurts less." Alphonse commented in Isabelle's ear.
[Mind Influence] He's right. You should let him massage you more.
"Y-yes. That must be it." Isabelle replied.
Alphonse was already at his limit, both his mana and his body. He knew he was so excited that he would soon be unable to control himself.
He massaged her breasts through her dress for a few seconds before stopping.
"Hmmm," Isabelle moaned a little more before opening her eyes and seeing that her son had removed his hands from her body.
"I hope you enjoyed it, Mom. I think massaging you at least once a day would be good. It will help you with your work and make you healthier." The boy commented, already preparing to leave the room.
"Y-yes." His mother replied.
"See you later. I love you." Alphonse quickly left the room. He had a smile on his face.
'It's not every day that someone dominates the Baroness.'