Dance With the Nightingale - Chapter 50

Sitting in my study, I read through a few pieces of information that I had ordered, to confirm a few facts that I knew and wrote.

In other words, I was idle.

It was a rare instance.

Me sitting idly.

Not exactly idle, but still idle enough.

And as one can expect, I wasn’t idle without a cause.

Actually, crafting my sword was the next thing in my to-do list and for that I needed to be in my topmost condition, full in both Mental Power and Mana, which I had…just spent in my previous spar with Syrus…

So, in a way, I was recuperating.

Yes, I could always use Potions to recover, as they were almost as good as resting.

But my point was that they were ‘almost’ as good as resting, meaning, they were not the same.

So, during this rare instance where I was slowly enjoying being basked by the evening sunlight, a not-so-rare thing happened.

-Knock

-Knock

“Rayne? Are you there?”

I knew who it was as soon as I heard that tender voice, and then I sighed, deflating like an unfastened balloon.

-Haaaahhh

‘Just how many times, does this make it?’

I thought, as I answered.

“Yes, I am here. You can come it.”

Long supple legs, perfect figure, and a face that was far better than most supermodels.

Maybe the last woman, I would like to be my mother, if I was on Earth. But here…

“Good evening, Mother.”

…I greeted without feeling anything.

Another thing that had changed after coming into this world, my sense of beauty had completely broken down.

It wasn’t like most people were beautiful, but most magic users were.

“Good evening, Rayne. It’s rare to see you here.”

My mother, the Countess Latina Von Ellsworth said, as she sat beside me.

When was mother visiting me a not-so-rare thing?

-Since the last three days.

What was actually happening was thanks to my dear maid. Expectedly, she leaked ‘the talk’ that I had with the trio three days ago, to my parents.

And the result, was this…

“Have you reconsidered your decision?”

But I didn’t blame her. She was just doing her job and it was not something that I was going to or could hide…

But still, that reveal made my life a lot more tiring.

It was like her 12th time visiting me, in the short span of three days!

And believe me, as much as I liked being accompanied by a beautiful lady, even if that lady was my mother, it got tiring after the first day.

“Yes, I have reconsidered my decision, thought about deeply, but I am not going to change my decision. I still am going to follow my plan, you’ll have to tie me up and confine me, if you don’t want me to do so.”

I stated, directly and resolutely, without beating around the bush.

Breathing in sharply at my response, the Countess took a moment to organize her words before proceeding to question me.

“Do you know the consequences of your actions?”

“Your actions would be seen as the actions of the faction, and if they find out what you are doing, which they will somehow, then you will be engulfed in a political storm.”

“Our faction which was always neutral suddenly starts consolidating power. What message do you think it will send?”

“Maybe we are trying to join the struggle of power?”

“Maybe we are going to take a side?”

“Or maybe we are even breaking our neutrality?”

“These and many more, there will be all kinds of political interpretations and inclinations. And many of them will want to prevent this change. In their schemes, kidnapping you, torturing you, or even murdering would be just a choice, a choice that they won’t think much to take.”

“So, even after knowing this you won’t change your mind?”

She asked finishing her speech, as her eyes look at me in worry.

To such a mother, who looked at me so tenderly, so worriedly, refusing her…was tiring, just so tiring…

“No. I won’t. Even after knowing this, I won’t.”

But I had to refuse anyways.

The political shit-storm she expected, or the schemes she talked about, they are all going to happen anyways, she doesn’t know, but I do.

Even if I don’t stir a storm, she will, and the fragile balance will crumble.

This was destined to happen, there was no way that I could stop it. Even knowing all the things that I did, I couldn’t think of one.

So, rather than waiting, and acting passively, only to be engulfed by the storm, I would aim for the eye of the storm.

‘If I do that, then maybe, I can control it a bit?’

“I see…”

The Countess said falling silent, probably thinking something, something to convince me otherwise, I guessed…

But boy, I was wrong, so wrong…

Cause after a moment of silence, she dropped a bomb.

“Then do as please, we will back you up.”

No, a nuclear warhead.

That fell on my brain with such precision that the only thing I could say was.

“Huh?”

Hearing my unintelligent uttering and looking at my silly expression, the Countess laughed merrily.

“Why are you so shocked? Did you think that we would leave you on your own, while you do this?”

“You didn’t think us to be so heartless, did you?”

So, she said, finally giving my brain the chance to catch-up, as I asked the first big question that came on my head.

“But! Won’t that cause a conflict in the faction!?”

“Won’t that be going against the rules?”

I asked freaking out.

“Oh! So, you do know that we have to follow some rules, and yet you decided this? You know what, Rayne Von Ellsworth you are being a real troublemaker now.”

“But no matter how much of a troublemaker you are, we can’t just abandon you, we can’t just stop supporting you…”

“Yes, this maybe be against the rules, but between you and some rules, it is obvious what we chose.”

“We choose you, Rayne.”

“Remember this, we will always choose you…”

She muttered softly; her gaze still so tender that I couldn’t bear to look into her eyes.

How can she say something like this during an argument?

“That’s weird, you know?”

“That’s parents for you.”

Closing up on me, she said.

“Then, are all parents weird?”

I asked looking up to her, my mind really not in the mood to argue anymore as she closed up even more, making her intentions quite subtle.

“Maybe, maybe not. Maybe yours are just weirder?”

“That’s a low blow…”

I whispered in a small voice as I gave in to her ‘intentions’, naturally tilting my head as it softly landed on her shoulder.

Silence descended in the room again, but it wasn’t awkward or uncomfortable, rather it was quite heartwarming.

…

The silence continued for a while, for how long I don’t know, but for half an hour or so?

“What about dad? Will he agree to this?”

“Hmm, don’t worry about him-”

Mother said, but was cut half-way,

“Yeah, don’t worry about me.”

By a voice that came from my right, a voice that came so abruptly, that it scared the shit out of me.

Shocked, I jumped up from the couch, my armor covering my body, along with various protective shields that came from the many artifacts that I owned.

But before my head could get a love-tap from the ceiling, I was stopped, I was intercepted.

By a powerful telekinetic force, and a familiar voice that I heard almost every day.

“This kid, he always overreacts…”

‘Father!’

“Sorry to disturb your moment Latina.”

‘Yes, who else it could be, stupid!’

I berated myself while I was sat on the couch again.

‘Wait! Why is here?’

And-

“What do you mean by, ‘Don’t worry about me’?”

I asked as I placed my armor back, and deactivated my artifacts.

It was then, that a thought suddenly struck my head.

“Asking that as soon as you landed, even before a greeting? You really must see this plan of yours importantly.”

He said while I continued glaring at him, my mind running at high speeds, as I connected some dots.

-Chop

“Oww.”

‘That hurt.’

I grimaced rubbing my forehead

“Don’t glare at me, I mean what I said. No matter how good you are, you are, in the end, a kid. If you try something as grand as you said, then you will really need the faction to support you, without it your plan will crumble before it starts.”

“So, you are saying you will make the faction support me?”

I asked the obvious, while in the background my brain was still spinning furiously.

“Yes, did you forget? Your father is still the co-faction leader, if I pull some strings and add some more plans along with yours, I’m sure I can do so.”

“I see…”

I said my tone naturally getting lower, as I finally connected them.

And I facepalmed as soon as I did.

“You guys, why do you have to be so crafty!?”

I asked almost feeling frustrated.

“What do mean, Rayne?”

The Count asked.

“Ughh!!, You already did all this, correct? You already asked the faction for their support, right? Everything you just said you already did all this, correct?”

“What are you-”

“Wait!, dad, I’m not done yet.”

I said as I tried to figure out why they did this.

“…and you did all this…for what…?”

“…For ‘that’…?”

My mind stopped for the umpteenth time today as I reached the conclusion.

“Really for ‘that’?”

I asked, disbelieving my own answer.

But the way that the Countess cheeks reddened and the way she averted her eyes gave me all the confirmation that I needed.

“Mother, you visited me 4 times a day.”

“Yes.”

“You spent hours trying to convince me.”

“Well, I knew how stubborn you are…”

“You gave me all those explanations.”

“Well, they were genuine.”

In the end, I just moved.

Moving forward, I closed the distance between us, reached my arms around her, and just gave her a hug.

A long, warm and tight hug.

My sudden move surprised her, but after a few seconds her hand landed on my head, as she rubbed it tenderly.

The hug lasted for a minute before I finally moved back, calling her out as I did.

“The next you want a hug, please, don’t go scheming around and just ask upfront, okay?”

“…okay…”

Though I got an belated answer, I accepted it, and told them to leave, which they promptly did.

Though, I heard some disturbing voices saying- “See, see, he said that he will hug me whenever I want!”, I ignored them and headed to my lab.

For it was time, to make my new sword!