When Lewis arrived at the Count of Westmont’s mansion—Kingston—who was waiting for him at the gate, rushed over to hug him.

“I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Are we really going to practice here?”

Until he did arrive, Lewis wondered about it over and over again. At first, he was fine, but when he left for the mansion, he suddenly became weak.

“Of course. We won’t attract any attention here.”

“I guess that’s true…”

Lewis recognized he was an uninvited guest. Moreover, what would happen if Mareena suddenly appeared?

A white-haired old man, who seemed to be the butler, stood in front of the door.

“Does your mother know I’m coming?”

“No, she doesn’t.”

Somehow, Lewis was both relieved and somewhat disappointed at that.

—Why would I be disappointed? What an unnecessary feeling…

Lewis struggled to not be distracted.

“Come with me to the mansion.”

“What, I’m going inside?”

“That’s right. Also, please don’t refer to me so formally, for you’re my instructor.”

“But—”

“—An instructor shouldn’t use such words in front of his disciple.”

“Well, that’s…”

“At least, Johan said so.”

“That Super Grandpa again?”

“Look, that’s him.”

Kingston pointed to a white-haired old man standing in the distance.

I see, so it’s indeed him.

10 years ago, Johan went to the guild to pay the bill. He was also the one who notified Lewis that the request had been fulfilled.

When Kingston and Lewis arrived in front of the mansion, Johan respectfully greeted them.

“I’ve been waiting for you. I’ve heard about the situation rom the young lord. Let me escort you to your room.”

With that said, Johan guided the two to the guest room.

The interior of the mansion was well-maintained while the furnishings were antiques. Overall, it had a serene atmosphere. The solemn architecture befitted the character of the Westmont Family.

“My mother cherishes antiques, so we don’t buy anything new all that much.”

“Is that so.”

“—Master. “

“…M-Master?”

“Yes, that’s how I’ll be referring to you. So, stop being so formal.”

“O-okay…”

As he led the way, Johan almost burst with laughter when he heard the exchange between the two.

Standing side by side, Lewis and Kingston resembled each other a lot. Surely, everyone could tell at a glance that they were a parent and a child. Whenever they passed by a servant, the servant would do a double take. Afterwards, they’d nod in understanding.

Upon reaching the guest room, the maid began to prepare tea.

“What would you like to drink? Would you prefer something sweet or bitter?”

“I don’t like sweets all that much…”

“Then, what about cake with plenty of dried fruits? The fruits are soaked in rum!”

“No thanks…”

“I see.”

Kingston seemed crestfallen.

“Since my mother loves it, I thought Master would, too…”

“Unfortunately, I don’t really enjoy cakes.”

—Wait, I’m getting sidetracked…

“What time would you like to start?”

“Master.”

“Right now?”

Kingston pleaded.

“We will once I eat this.”

…He’s going to have cookies and tea before practice?

But when Lewis saw his smile, he didn’t have the heart to interrupt the boy.

Instead, he kept watching Kingston. The boy truly resembled him from when he was young. But did Lewis ever look so happy back then? Ever since his older brothers started to shun him, he became so preoccupied by his emotions, he never enjoyed his food. He was pinning for his siblings’ love and didn’t want to suffer that strainned relationship any longer.

As Lewis began to ruminate, there was a knock on the door.

When he lifted his face in surprise, Mareena appeared from behind the door.

“I heard you hired a swordsmanship instructor—”

Upon seeing Lewis, Mareena froze.

“…”

“Mother.”

Kingston approached her and took her hand.

“This is my instructor, Sir Lewis.”

“Eh, uh, okay…”

As Mareena sat on the sofa, Kingston didn’t fail to notice the tears beginning to form at the corners of her eyes.

“Master, this is my mother, Mareena.”

“…I’m Lewis.”

“I’m his mother, Mareena. I’m sorry, my son must’ve insisted that—”

“—It’s alright.”

“Mother, did you know that master won the tournament?”

“I-is that so? How dependable…”

“Of course, he’s my master, after all!”

“—Like I said, that was decades ago.”

“Master.”

“…Never mind.”

—What kind of expression am I making?

“Alright, I have a lot to prepare! I’m going to get changed, prapare my sword, and get something to drink. I’ll leave for the time being!”

Kingston suddenly went to the door.

“Huh, Kingston…”

“Mother!”

“Huh?”

“I’ll take my sweet time, so please talk properly, okay?”

“Wha…”

After reminding Mareena of such, Kingston left—of course, with the maid.

“What is he saying…”

Mareena blushed as she pondered the meaning of Kingston’s words.

—How much does he know?

“Maree—no, Countess of Westmont.”

Unlike ten years ago, Lewis was more formal.

“Yes?”

—Countess of Westmont.

…Don’t call me that?

“How have you been?”

—No, this isn’t it… I don’t want to hear that…

“Well, every day has been busy…”

“Is that so.”

““…””

She didn’t know what to say.

“…Is Kingston the child from that time?”

“…Yes, he has lustrous silver hair, just like you.”

“But with the eyes of the Westmont.”

“He really takes after you in terms of appearance.”

“Yes, but that stubbornness is definitely from you.”

“…That child. He must’ve known.”

“I think so too.”

A relationship that no child would understand.

“I still regret it from time to time. Every time I saw a glimpse of you in Kingston, I felt pain.”

“…”

—As I thought, I shouldn’t have come here.

Lewis regretted complying to Kingston’s request.

He hung his head and bit his lip.

“—At that time, I couldn’t bring myself to report the completion of the request to you, so I asked Johan instead. Now, I regret it. Why didn’t I propose to you at the time?”

—What?

---

***T/N: Thank god 10 years later Lewis is still saving himself huh.

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