After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 201
Chapter 201: Cornelia’s Situation
We woke up in a cheap inn in the downtown area. The guards didn’t have much money, so they could only bring me to a place that was just a step above a seedy inn. In this world, it’s customary to pay for lodging in advance, so I’m sure the guards had to make do with what they had. I really caused them a lot of trouble.
After a tiring workout early in the morning, both Cornelia and I ended up sleeping again. When we finally went down to the dining area for breakfast, the sun was already high in the sky. Michaela and one other guard were sitting there leisurely, drinking tea.
“Sorry, everyone. I’m sorry for causing you trouble… I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again,” I apologized.
“It’s fine! Thanks to you, it seems like the captain’s wish has been fulfilled!” Michaela responded with her usual cheerful voice. The other guard gave a thumbs-up sign, and Cornelia responded in kind. It seemed like my embarrassing behavior had turned into an opportunity for her.
“Yes, thank you. I’ve received something very important… now, I just hope it stays with me,” Cornelia said with a confident expression. Given her history, it seems that only Gretel hadn’t been hit by her charm yet.
“Don’t worry! I’m sure a child with wind magic, kind and strong like the captain, will be born. It’s something to look forward to!” Michaela said enthusiastically.
“I hope so. If that happens, I’ll make sure to train them well so they can be of use to Lord Lutz,” Cornelia added.
Hmm, these two are rushing ahead a bit. I know Cornelia signed a vow about this, but she’s already decided that her child will serve me. It’s somewhat scary, though it would be beneficial for Baden’s future.
“Well… anyway, I’ve caused you all quite a bit of trouble. Did we have enough for the lodging?”
“…It was close, but just enough,” Michaela replied.
“If Michaela hadn’t shown her usual appetite and bought skewers at the food stalls, we would have been fine,” the other guard added. “Because of that, Captain’s precious tourmaline brooch ended up at the counter…”
That sounded bad. I rushed to the counter in a panic.
The morning passed with us leisurely spending time in the central park of the royal capital. I figured that if I went back to the Freudenstadt family house, I’d be bombarded with questions about last night, and they’d give me those warm, knowing looks. Plus, now that I’ve become close with Cornelia in such a way, I thought it’d be polite for us to spend some time getting to know each other a bit more.
Michaela and the others seemed to understand this, and they gave us some space, standing guard from a distance. I thanked Michaela for her understanding and gave her a little extra pocket money… which immediately turned into sweets. It’s amazing how she never seems to gain weight.
“She’s a lively child. It’s fun to watch,” Cornelia said, smiling.
“Yeah. But today, I’d like to hear more about you, Cornelia, not just about Michaela,” I replied.
“My story…?” she asked, humbly blushing like a young girl.
She was much older than me, but I still found her cute. Maybe that’s just my perspective, since I’m an old man.
Finally, Cornelia began to talk about her past and the reasons she became a soldier.
Born as the second daughter of a baron family on the frontier of the Empire, she gave birth to her first child at the age of sixteen. It wasn’t because she had a husband, but because her family needed a spare to ensure the family line continued, in case her older sister didn’t have a male child. She hired a stallion for the job.
“It was fortunate that she was born a girl. If she had been a boy, I would have had to bear many unwanted children,” Cornelia explained.
In terms of continuing the family line, that made sense. It was a sad reality, but I suppose that’s how noble society works in this world.
“Even though she was a child I had reluctantly brought into this world for the family, my own bl00d was precious to me. Even though she was a spare for the family, she was an irreplaceable treasure to me.”
Yeah, I can imagine that’s how it must have felt. But I couldn’t help but feel uneasy because Cornelia spoke in the past tense. Perhaps she noticed my expression, because she exhaled deeply and continued.
“When my daughter was eight, she passed away. My sister’s daughter, playing around, accidentally hit her with wind magic… the injury wasn’t too bad, but the infection spread throughout her body. We were in the frontier, so there were no good healers, and after suffering from fever for two nights, she died.”
Tears began to fall from Cornelia’s eyes as she quietly spoke. I couldn’t find the words to say and could only listen to her story.
The incident with her niece, who had accidentally caused her daughter’s death, was hidden as a “child’s mistake.” The official story was that her daughter had been playing in the forest, had gotten injured, and died from the wound. After that, Cornelia spent years fighting monsters in the frontier, bearing resentment, but fulfilling her duties as a noblewoman toward the people.
“But three years later, I was exiled from the territory,” she said.
“…Why?” I asked.
“The head of the baron family changed. The new lord was my sister,” she replied.