Soon after, all the women who were being kept prisoner in the secret room of the Victoria were safely rescued.

Even though the captain had given the signal to depart, the engineers held off due to a boiler malfunction. Thanks to that, the rescue operation was completed easily.

The women were taken to the hotel where the Duke of Lancester usually stayed. A doctor was arranged for them, and they were all givens clean bill of health.

As expected, it seemed that women from Myrtle Town weren’t the only ones abducted. Passports were arranged for all of them so they could return home, and those without relatives like Lynn were quickly arranged for as well.

It took about a week to complete the whole thing. However, the next morning, after finishing the preparations to go home…

Avril bent down a little, staring into Lynn’s eyes.

“So, Lynn is going to an orphanage in her home country, right?”

“Yes. I actually wished to work at the Duke of Lancester’s mansion, where Avril lives… but I don’t understand the language. The handsome duke over there also turned me down. He said I’m still too young.”

“…You don’t need to work right now. If the orphanage doesn’t suit you, you can come to our house. But first, try your best on your own.”

Dylan’s words sounded cold, but they were kind. Hearing this, Avril stroked Lynn’s head and smiled.

“Hehe. The duke is only thinking about Lynn’s future. You can spend your childhood a little more leisurely, and come to our house when you grow up.”

“Avril sounds a bit like my mama.”

“…Mama?”

Avril blinked at the unexpected words.

Avril, of course, had memories of when she had a mother. But the memories of her stepmother after that were so overpowering, she didn’t really understand Lynn’s words. Avril tilted her head in confusion, and Lynn innocently explained.

“That’s right… I don’t have many memories of my mama… but she’d tie my hair, compliment me on the weird things I did, and was very caring… Kind of like an older sister…”

It seemed like Lynn was calling her eccentric in a roundabout way, but she knew that Lynn wasn’t weirded out by her. To Avril, who had few memories of her mother, it felt like the best compliment she could receive.

This is the end of a very strange voyage, being treated like a villain and a mama. But I’m happy.

Thinking that, she thanked Lynn. At the end, as if Lynn had just remembered, she added, “Ah, but I still think that having such an unusual mom is a bit… You’re cool in many ways, but I’m still a bit worried. You’re a villainess, after all!”

“…Thanks?”

Even though Lynn called her a villain, why didn’t she feel praised at all? Feeling somewhat strange, Avril watched Lynn’s back as she returned to her country on the voyage.

As Lynn’s back got smaller, she heard Dylan chuckle lightly.

“Mama Avril?”

“…Lord Dyan, you laughed a little, didn’t you?”

Dylan gently put an arm around Avril’s shoulders as she looked off into the distance.

“No, it’s not that you aren’t cut out for it or anything. I just thought it interesting since it feels like you’d be a slightly different type of mother from the usual.”

“…I agree. I also think that Lord Dylan would be a father that slightly deviates from the standard.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”

The whistle rang out, signaling the departure of a ship into the harbor.

The smell of the sea breeze that fluttered her hair was something that she couldn’t find in the royal capital. Avril waved as the cruise ship slowly moved across the sparkling blue water.

The ocean I’ve always wanted to see… For the first time, I felt like I could gaze upon it with peace of mind.

Thus, Avril’s honeymoon came to a close.

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***T/N: Without them actually enjoying the cruise x’D I won’t be so okay with such a workaholic behavior

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