𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟗: 𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐚 𝐒𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐭 𝐓𝐨𝐨𝐭𝐡
I entered the room, locked the door, and placed my bag on top of my chest.
Cid placed the basket containing sandwiches on the table and sat on the bed, his gaze lowered.
Outside the window, it was getting dim, and the darkness of the night was about to fall. I turned on the lamp and placed it on the table.
The room was filled with a soft, bright light and Cid’s shadow was cast heavily on the wall.
“Cid.”
“. . .”
He sat on the bed, looking absent-minded, appearing empty devoid of any joy or sadness.
Not knowing what to do, I stood right next to Cid and hugged his head tightly.
“Your mother probably didn’t recognize you because you’ve become so cool, Cid.”
“. . .”
“Besides, She was working! she’s a diligent person. It’s a third-rate shop to stare at customers like that.”
“. . .”
“Ah, could it be that she noticed but felt jealous? Maybe because she thought I, a noble beauty, had taken her son away, she couldn’t find the right words to express herself?”
Damn it. I can’t come up with clever words! Despite studying so hard from morning till night to become the future crown princess, but it’s useless!
I wouldn’t mind erasing all the knowledge I acquired about foreign languages, cultures, histories, music, and fashion if I could just have the skill to provide comfort!
Feeling powerless, I leaned against Cid’s head, and he raised his face slightly and muttered softly.
“Vi-sama, are you comforting me?”
“No, I just expressed my thoughts. It’s not comforting.”
It’s not comforting at all. I can’t say that I comforted him.
After a moment of silence, Cid chuckled and started speaking in a slightly brighter voice.
“It’s okay. It’s probably better if she didn’t recognize me. To be honest, there was a part of me that wanted her to notice, but I believe the most important thing is for her to be happy and forget what she lost.”
“Cid. . .”
Even though she didn’t abandon her child, is it possible for her to forget? Maybe it’s just because he grew up and she couldn’t recognize him immediately.
But I’m sure she still wants to see him. . .
Unfortunately, there is no way to prove it.
Does he intend never to reveal his identity?
Is it okay to leave it like this after coming this far?
“Won’t you go see her again?”
I asked hesitantly, and Cid wrapped his left arm around my back.
“No, it’s fine. I have Vi-sama. And. . .”
“And?”
“It feels good in my heart, so I don’t want to go out anymore.”
“What?!”
Startled, I quickly moved away, and Cid smiled as usual. Then, he pleaded and clung to me.
“Let’s stay together? Just for today, forever.”
When he pleaded with those eyes, I couldn’t refuse. Of course, the answer was okay.
His black hair swayed in the wind coming through the window, and his face, smiling weakly, made me feel a pang of sadness.
“. . .Just for today, don’t say that.”
In response to my answer, which I squeezed out with all my strength, Cid widened his eyes in surprise.
“Because I’ll always be with you.”
I stood in front of Cid, who was sitting, and firmly grasped his hand. As I squeezed his cold fingertips, he responded by gripping even tighter.
“Vi-sama.”
“What?”
“May I kiss you?”
“What the. . .?!”
I was taken aback by his shocking statement.
Who says something like that and expects a response of “Sure, go ahead!”? I wish he would just do as he pleases without saying anything!!
In my flustered state, I quickly sought help from the sandwich on the table.
“C-Come on, let’s eat quickly! Should we get some soup or drinks from the dining hall? Or is it fine like this? Don’t you want to devour it right away?!”
Seeing me rambling, Cid let out a small sigh.
“Is it still too soon? I thought maybe we could go with the flow.”
“Stop saying stupid things and eat! Give thanks to the Sandwich God!”
I took out two sandwiches from the basket, and it was immediately clear that they looked different.
The one I chose with spicy sauce had an orange-colored meat and seemed to be seasoned with spices.
“Cid, you made it sweet after all. That’s what I thought.”
Cid has always had a sweet tooth and a childlike palate.
As I handed him the sandwich, Cid furrowed his eyebrows for some reason.
“What’s the matter? Were there other options?”
“Huh? But they asked me when I bought it.”
Whether I wanted it sweet or spicy.
Indeed, I was asked that.
“They asked only me and not Cid?”
Perhaps. . .
We exchanged glances and fell silent.
Then, as I checked inside the basket, I found a wooden tag under the cloth. I thought it must have been placed together with the sandwich when I put it in.
“This.”
The wooden tag had “Open for Business” carved into it. It was something that should have been placed on the shop’s counter. The rectangular tag, small enough to fit in the palm of my hand, had smeared characters on the back made of black charcoal fragments.
[Welcome back.]
The hastily written characters were recognizable as scribbles.
The reason they didn’t ask Cid about the sauce was probably because this taste was one that young Cid liked.
Cid looked at the wooden tag in astonishment. I stood beside him, tears welling up as I smiled.
“Oh, you noticed, Okaa-san.”
In those few tens of seconds, he realized that she was his mother and she secretly entrusted this message. Perhaps she refrained from revealing herself due to some circumstances on their side. .
“Haha. . ., writing on something like this. It would have been enough to say just one word.”
Cid closed his eyes and said in a tone of disbelief. He mocked himself for not realizing and felt sulky inside.
“Well, I’ll have to return it tomorrow morning.”
The shop is probably closed by now. Tomorrow morning, I’ll go back to Okaa-san’s place and this time. . .
“Anyway, we should share our impressions after eating this.”
“Yes, it’s been sixteen years since I had homemade food.”
Cid put the wooden tag in the inner pocket of his robe and started eating the sandwich. His chewing face, munching away, was that of an ordinary boy, not a reliable guard nor a cheerful mage with many inappropriate remarks.
“It’s delicious, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it’s delicious. Very much so.”
A heartwarming atmosphere filled the room with just the two of us.
The taste of the sauce lingering in my mouth was slightly sweet. . .Huh? Sweet?
“. . .Cid.”
“Yes?”
He took a sip from a bottle of water, already finished with his meal.
“This is much sweeter than I expected. It was supposed to be the spicy sauce.”
Did I make a mistake? But the color was different from what Cid had. I shouldn’t have made a mistake.
Curious, I looked at him, and he smiled and said,
“Mother also has a sweet tooth, I suppose. Within Mother’s perspective, it might be the spicier one.”
What’s that? Aren’t both of them sweet sauces?
After finishing the sandwiches without leaving a trace, we went downstairs to the cafeteria because we suddenly felt hungry again. We added stew and simmered dishes to our meal.
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