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Theresia woke up in pain. Agh…
Everything ached. Her muscles felt like jelly and she struggled to rise.
“Yes… rise, my zombie!” a voice declared, laughing maniacally.
Theresia shook her head in confusion, finally managing to get her feet under her. Getting her bearings, she looked around, and to her shock she found herself surrounded by witch cultists.
“And now… you shall obey my every command!” the leader said.
“Like hell,” Theresia croaked, her voice sandpaper-dry.
For a moment, everything was dead quiet.
The witch cultist who had been speaking ago gave her a long, evaluating look.
“Kill her,” he said.
Theresia squared up as the witch cultists began to pull out blades. While she was known for her strength for a reason, she wasn’t confident in her ability to fight while her body was in such a sorry state, especially completely weaponless. What had they done to her?
Not to mention, she’d lost the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint while fighting…
t̷̬́͘ḫ̷͉͈̃̌̚ĕ̷̙̤̠ ̸͇͍̏p̵̮̽ļ̴̡̳̏a̶̡͔̖̓̀̚t̸̡̻̾͠i̶̛̻͒̏n̷̖͇̩̍ů̷̙̪m̷̻͒͘-̴͚͚̗̇ḩ̴̱͌͌̔a̴̞̖̓i̶͚̔͂ȓ̶̺̱e̴̫̐̿̽d̸̟͊̑ ̴͓͐̕͘g̴͈͙̏͝ȋ̵̹͎͚̓r̸̹̐̄͊l̶̪̱̫͛̓̃?̷̖̄̆
… the White Whale.
Regardless, she had little time to think about that now. She grit her teeth. It might be tough, but she’d rip these cultists limb from limb if it meant her survival.
For a brief moment, nobody moved. Then, the witch cultists lunged.
Theresia dodged all of the cultists’ initial blows, but quickly found herself on the backfoot. Theresia knocked out two witch cultists with precise and well-timed punches, but found a knife in her shoulder as a third unseen cultist lunged from the forest.
She elbowed one and kicked out his feet. With several cultists coming from the woods, Theresia was getting even more anxious about the uneven numbers. Just as she was about to turn tail and hopefully lose them in the woods, a guttural roar shook the battlefield.
A young blonde demihuman leapt forward, defeating witch cultists with ease.
“Die, bastards!” he yelled, gut-punching one of the stronger cultists.
“The mission has failed! Retreat!” the leader barked, before ducking into the trees. The rest of the witch cultists immediately began fleeing, though a few were knocked out during their retreat by the demihuman boy’s powerful strikes.
For a moment, Theresia felt worried as the boy turned to look at her. Did he recognize her? While he was just a kid, he seemed strong, and Theresia had made a myriad of enemies in the Demi-Human War.
Those worries all dissipated when the kid gave her a sharp toothy smile. “Are you alright? My amazin’ self fought ‘em but I was worried I was too late.”
“I’m… fine…” Theresia said, despite being hit by a wave of exhaustion. The adrenaline was wearing off, she would guess. “Where am I?”
“You’re in the Mathers domain!” he said. “And I’m Garfiel, the Shield of the Emilia Camp!”
“Emilia Camp?” Theresia questioned.
“Yeah! Oh, is that a knife in your arm? We gotta getcha to Miss Beatrice, she’ll fix ya right up!” Before Theresia could object, Garfiel picked her up lightly and started running through the forest.
Still, she couldn’t help but sigh in relief at no longer being in danger.
Garfiel arrived quickly at their destination, one she recognized as the Mathers Manor. She was in Roswaal’s domain for certain. Garfiel flagged down a black-haired man, who was wearing odd foreign clothes, and sitting next to a fancily-dressed small girl.
“You’ll never guess what happened!” Garfiel said, excited.
“A kidnapping, I suppose?” the little girl looked at Garfiel skeptically.
“Nah, this nice lady was bein’ attacked by some witch cultists! She’s hurt now!”
“Witch cultists?” the man suddenly looked alarmed. “Nearby? Garfiel, we’ll heal her. Can you go get Emilia and the others?”
“Of course!” Garfiel placed Theresia gently on the ground.
“Thank you for your assistance, Garfiel,” Theresia said, bowing her head.
“It was no problem!” Garfiel said, before running into the mansion.
“Can you fix her up, Beako?” the black-haired man asked.
“Since you’ve asked so nicely, I suppose.” The girl lifted her hand, and Theresia felt a rush of healing magic enter her system. She sighed in relief as some of her pain was eased.
“What are… what are you two’s names?” Theresia asked.
“I’m Natsuki Subaru, Emilia’s knight!” the black-haired man said, striking a pose.
“I’m Beatrice, Great Spirit of Yin, in fact,” the little girl said.
Theresia’s jaw nearly dropped at that revelation. Good thing I didn’t call her a little girl out loud… she might have tried to kill me where I stood.
A moment later, Theresia felt significantly better.
“Your wounds have been healed, I suppose,” Beatrice said.
“Thank you, Great Spirit-sama-” as Theresia got up from the ground, black spots entered her vision. She stumbled a few steps.
“Woah, shoot, are you okay?” Subaru’s hands shot out to catch her. “What’s going on?”
“I’m just… so tired…” Theresia said.
With that, Theresia blacked out.
Her dreams were nothing but nightmares.
She stood in a foggy clearing, marching with her men. Then, they were gone. She saw t̶̼́h̸̨͗e̵̲͇̎ ̶͇̖̀̔̑̌̌p̶̘͛̓̇̚ĺ̴͈͎̠͖͔̉̀̕á̶̜̹͇̈́́͝t̸͔̘̀i̶͚̫̠̟̓̐͗ǹ̶̩̤̳͚̆̑͠ů̷̢̩̮̾̿̏͝m̶̡̜̃͛̕-̴̻͉̾̄͒h̴̰̼̭͂̂̉̄́ạ̵͉̈́ỉ̶̱̀͝r̴̛͖͊͐̋e̴̢͊d̸̺̳̎̊̈́̕ ̸͍͑̚͝g̴̨͓͔͕̝̈́i̸̘̦̩̯͋̀r̷͈̣͚̰̈̽̈́l̷͈̥̓. Then, she was powerless. Then, there was the Whale. The horrendous monster’s red eyes burrowed into her. She was going to die.
The Whale was coming for her.
She was going to die--
Theresia woke with a gasp.
“Ugh…” she rubbed her eyes. She found herself in a mansion’s guest room, and she quickly remembered what had happened. She’d been attacked by the witch cult and rescued by a young demihuman, a knight, and a Great Spirit. How lucky that they were all in the vicinity.
She got up, stretching, with no aches and pains. The healing must have been very effective. Her clothes were all torn up, but luckily, an extra pair (a nice white-and-purple dress, and a white cloak) had been laid out on the foot of the bed.
She changed quickly before opening the door, hoping to find the owner of this mansion.
“Guest-sama!” A yellow-haired demihuman woman with sharp teeth, baring particular resemblance to the demihuman boy who had saved her, gave a polite wave. “It is good to see you’re awake. If it would be acceptable, I could lead you to Emilia-sama?”
“Of course, thank you!” Theresia said, falling in step with the maid. “Does she work for Roswaal-sama? I noticed that this was the Mathers Mansion.”
The woman shook her head, a small smile playing on her face. “No, quite the contrary. He has sworn fealty to Emilia-sama. I would take you to him as well, but unfortunately, he is absent on a trip to the capital.”
Sworn fealty? Theresia was surprised. Roswaal Mathers was a very high-ranking noble. The Mathers line was powerful in general, top of the food chain outside the royal family. Who would they even swear fealty to?
Regardless, Theresia gave a polite nod at the information. Not to mention that Subaru had proclaimed himself Emilia’s knight, and Garfiel her shield. Whoever she was, she must be a very important person.
“I apologize if this is too personal a question,” Theresia asked. “But are you at all related to the younger blonde boy--Garfiel?”
“Ah, yes, he is my younger brother,” the maid said. “I should introduce myself, my name is Frederica Tinsel. He didn’t bother you, did he?”
“Oh, of course not!” Theresia said. “He rescued me, quite valiantly in fact. I should probably thank him.”
Frederica smiled, slightly relieved, and seemingly a bit proud. “Ah, that’s good to hear.”
The two arrived at a room. When Frederica opened the door, there were two people inside: Subaru, and a silver-haired elf.
Theresia couldn’t help but tense at the sight.
“Oh, hello!” Subaru said. “In case you forgot, my name’s Subaru Natsuki, and I’m the personal knight of the super cute Emilia-tan, who’s standing right here!” he gestured grandly to the half-elf. Theresia thought he might be trying to clear the tension.
“Subaru,” Emilia said, voice both fond and exasperated.
Theresia forced herself to relax, and bowed. “Thank you for your hospitality, Emilia-sama.”
“Oh! It’s no problem!” Emilia looked slightly flustered. “I’m glad you’re alright. Are the clothes fine? We don’t have many women’s outfits, so I just lent you one of mine.”
Theresia wondered absently how the elf or half-elf had managed to acquire a position of power. Even if born into a noble family as a bastard child, her resemblance to the Witch would mean that most high-ranking families would probably try to abandon the girl, or hide her and keep her away from ‘good society.’ Emilia surviving and even thriving must mean that the girl was not only lucky, but also shrewd and powerful. All in all, it would behoove her not to cause offense.
“It is more than serviceable,” Theresia assured her.
“You’re probably hungry,” Emilia said. “We should eat!”
Theresia had to admit that she was hungry. “Thank you, that sounds excellent.”
Emilia sent Frederica to ask Ram to start cooking. In the meantime, the three sat down.
“I don’t know if we ever caught your name,” Subaru said.
Theresia smiled, but it was fake. They had to know who she was--bright red hair, striking blue eyes, and the torn knight’s uniform they’d found with her in--that only pointed to one person. Perhaps they were just asking out of politeness. “You can call me Theresia.”
“Theresia?” Subaru’s expression changed, looking slightly befuddled.
Is he confused that I’m not callously insisting on formalities? Theresia thought derisively, before pushing the thoughts away. She shouldn’t think ill of her rescuers.
“...Someone I heard of had a similar name,” Subaru said thoughtfully.
“Oh, I see,” Theresia said.
“So Theresia,” Emilia said. “Do you have a place to go back to?”
“Of course, of course,” Theresia said. Is she trying to subtly offer me a place in her ‘camp’? She must know that I have my mansion. “Unfortunately, I should probably be heading back as soon as possible, though it’s a bit far away from the Mathers domain…”
“How far are we thinking?” Subaru said.
“It’s near the Capital,” she said.
“Ah, that’s definitely a trip to be taken on ground dragon,” Subaru said.
“I deeply apologize for the inconvenience,” Theresia said.
“It’s no problem!” Emilia said. “We were already sending Otto and Ram up to the capital for other matters later today, so they could just drop you off on the way… if you don’t mind heading out tonight, that is. Sorry, I know that’s very soon. If you need more rest, you could stay here a bit longer.”
“No, no, that would be perfect,” Theresia said, with a relieved sigh. “Thank you.”
“Oh, other good news!” Emilia said, clapping. “We chased the witch cult out of the Mathers territory! So hopefully, they shouldn’t be too much of a problem around here.”
“That’s good, that’s good,” Theresia said.
The three of them chatted until their food arrived.
Theresia waited idly for the carriage to be prepared, as Subaru and Emilia looked on, just out of her hearing range.
“She’s quite the character, isn’t she, Subaru?” Emilia said.
“Yeah. I wanted to ask more questions about where she came from, but she got this weird look on her face whenever I did, so I didn’t push,” Subaru said. “But she’s probably a knight. She was wearing that torn-up uniform.”
“Did you notice that she looks like Reinhard?” Emilia says.
“Yeah! And her name is Theresia. Otto told me that’s the same as Reinhard’s grandmother,” Subaru said.
Emilia looked surprised. “Do you think-”
“No, no,” Subaru said. “Reinhard’s grandma apparently passed away a long time ago, and she should be a little older. My guess is that she resembles her by coincidence, so when she was born, someone decided to name her after the then-Sword Saint.”
“Ohhh, that makes a lot of sense,” Emilia said thoughtfully. “Well, I’m glad she’s safe now! I’m sure she’ll be glad to be going home.”
“Definitely!” Subaru said.
The carriage ride was long, and Theresia couldn’t help but be quite impatient. She was desperate to see her husband again. If she’d gone missing during the battle of the White Whale, her squadron might think she… deserted, or something! That would be embarrassing. At least they’d know she wasn’t dead, since because of her Divine Protection’s affect on her husband.
And she wanted to see her son and grandson. The Divine Protection of the Sword Saint had slipped between her fingers during the battle--so one of them had to have it.
“You fidget more than Otto does,” Ram said. The green-clad carriage driver wasn’t there to hear it. Theresia wasn’t sure if she appreciated or hated the dry wit. It wasn’t often that others would engage with her in such a fearless fashion, but she wasn’t really in the mood.
“I’m anxious to see my family again,” Theresia said.
Ram’s eyes softened slightly. “Hm. I see. Well, it won’t be long.”
Otto leaned back from the front of the carriage. “We’re getting close to the capital. Where are we dropping you off?” he shouted, above the noise of the ground dragon and cart.
“The Astrea Mansion,” Theresia responded.
Ram narrowed her eyes in mild suspicion. “Do you work for the Astreas?”
“You could say so,” Theresia said. Does she think I’m impersonating the Sword Saint, when in reality it’s actually me? Oh well, who cares.
Ram was clearly not pleased by her answer, but she didn’t say anything more.
Thankfully, they arrived at the Astrea Mansion within the hour, pulling into the stone courtyard. Theresia jumped from the carriage.
“Thank you very much,” Theresia said, with a quick bow. “I’ll be sure to repay Emilia-sama and Lord Mathers someday for the hospitality.”
Ram simply inclined her head in acceptance.
“Hello, may I ask your business-” a voice rang out across the courtyard, then froze.
Theresia turned to look at him. He had red hair, blue eyes, and the Dragon Sword Reid at his hip. His face belonged to someone who should have been much younger.
“Grandmother?”
“Reinhard?” Theresia said, in disbelief.
There were a few moments of silence. Theresia stared at Reinhard’s ashen face.
Then, Reinhard squared up, not pulling out his sword but entering a fighting stance. “Who-who are you really?!”
“I’m Theresia van Astrea!” Theresia pleaded.
“Tell me something only she would know,” Reinhard said.
“That… when you were a child, your favorite creatures were unicorns. Your father bought you a stuffed unicorn toy that you named Periwinkle, even though the store attendant said it was for girls,” Theresia said, quickly going through the words.
Reinhard’s arms went slack. “You… you’re actually her…?”
“Yes!”
“How?” he asked.
“I don’t know! One minute I was fighting the White Whale, the next, I woke up surrounded by witch cultists… Reinhard, you’re so much older. How old are you?”
“Nineteen,” Reinhard said.
“You were… you were five… it’s been… ” Theresia felt her heart seize. “No, it can’t be.”
“I’m sorry, grandmother,” Reinhard said, sincerely. “Otto and Ram, apologies, but I must ask you to leave.”
Theresia glanced behind her. Otto and Ram were listening in, utter shock on their faces.
“Of course! A-apologies, Reinhard-sama,” Ram said, only just barely stuttering over a word. She quickly ushered Otto into his place as the driver and hopped into the carriage.
“Thank you!” Theresia shouted as they began to leave. The carriage drove away, and Theresia wondered if the two would go to the capital as planned, or immediately turn around to share the news with Emilia and their master.
“Would you… come inside?” Reinhard asked.
“Of course,” Theresia said. “Heinkel and Wilhelm-”
“They are both away,” Reinhard said. “Grandfather is at the Karsten estate right now… as for Father, I’m unsure.”
“Everyone thinks I’m dead?” Theresia said, feeling a bit panicky. “But… my Divine Protection… Wilhelm should know…”
“Grandfather’s wound closed,” Reinhard said, voice welling up with guilt. “I’m sorry, grandmother. I couldn’t confess to my sins back then, I took the Divine Protection of the Sword Saint from you, and so I am responsible for your loss and presumed death against the White Whale.”
“What?” Theresia grabbed Reinhard by the shoulders. “No. No, Reinhard, you were five. You couldn’t possibly be to blame. The Divine Protection moves of its own will. It’s the furthest thing from your fault.”
“Thank you, Grandmother,” Reinhard said, sounding a bit unsure.
“Good,” Theresia said, giving him a pat on the shoulder. It still felt so odd to know that this older person was her grandson. He was still young enough, though, that she thought she could still probably provide some grandmotherly guidance. Hopefully, she could still be a big part of his life, like her grandparents had been for her.
“You’ll have to send a letter to Wilhelm and Heinkel,” Theresia said. “Maybe Wilhelm will know. Oh, no. Wilhelm must be devastated. Is he alright?”
“He became… very angry,” Reinhard recalled. “In your absence, he slew the Whale that killed you.”
“He did what?!” Theresia did a double-take.
“With an elimination force at his side, of course, but he was the one to land the killing blow,” Reinhard said.
“The Whale is dead?!” Theresia gaped. “And Wilhelm… Wilhelm he--” Theresia felt a sudden sense of affection for the man. “Oh, that’s just like him. I’ll have to kiss him, and tell him off for being irresponsible,” Theresia said, a dreamy smile appearing on her face. He’ll be fourteen years older too, won’t he? Thereisa thought. The years themselves didn’t bother Theresia that much--a fourteen year age gap mattered a lot less when she herself was pushing fifty-- but she was very worried that his personality might have changed fundamentally with him being gone so long. Especially if he thought she was dead. And he would have had to cope with her dying horribly.
“Sorry Reinhard, it’s just all so surprising…” Theresia said.
“I understand completely,” Reinhard said.
“Hey, Rein, what’s been taking ya so long?” a voice complained.
“Lady Felt-” Reinhard started.
“Now who’s that, your aunt or something?” A blonde-haired and red-eyed girl pointed at Theresia.
“She’s my grandmother,” Reinhard said.
“Wait, isn’t your grandma dead?” Felt asked.
“She was thought dead, but that was incorrect. She is alive,” Reinhard said.
“Oh, wow. Sup, Grandma Rein!”
“Hello, young lady,” Theresia said. “Now who might you be?”
Felt puffed out her chest. “Felt, just Felt, no last name. Don’t forget it!”
Felt stuck out her hand, and Theresia shook it.
“I’m sponsoring Lady Felt in the Royal Selection,” Reinhard said.
“The Royal Selection?” Theresia questioned.
“Yes. After the deaths of the Royal Family--”
“The Royal Family is dead?!” Theresia couldn’t help the shocked interjection.
“Unfortunately so,” Reinhard said. “They were killed by a sickness. The Dragon Tablet has chosen five maidens to run for rulership of this country, Lady Felt being one of them.”
“Yup, he’s my knight,” Felt sighed.
Theresia was shocked at the deaths of the royal family (a sickness? There had been so many of them--Was there truly no foul play involved?) and yet she also felt a sudden sense of pride in her grandson. “The personal knight of a Royal Candidate--that’s lovely!” Suddenly, something clicked into place. “Wait, then Emilia-”
“Is also a Royal Candidate,” Reinhard said.
“Of course!” Theresia said. “That’s why Lord Mathers swore fealty to her!”
“You met with Big Sis and Big Bro?” Felt questioned.
“Indeed. Grandmother arrived in a carriage bearing the symbol of the Mathers domain,” Reinhard said.
“And that’s why you’ve got Big Sis’ clothes!” Felt said, snapping her fingers.
“Do you mind telling me why you were with the Emilia Camp in the first place?” Reinhard asked.
“Oh, of course. My last memory… was being attacked by the White Whale. Then, I woke up in a field, surrounded by witch cultists. It seemed like they were attempting some kind of dark ritual on me, but I don’t think it worked… I started fighting them, but my body felt strangely weak. Thankfully, partway through the fight, a young man named Garfiel assisted me.”
“Garfiel, I see,” Reinhard said. “I’ve heard of him in passing.”
“Upon seeing I was injured, he helped me back to the mansion, where I was healed by a knight and his great spirit. I borrowed Lady Emilia’s clothes, since mine were all torn up. Then they offered me a ride back here,” Theresia said.
A soft smile appeared on Reinhard’s face. “Indeed… that sounds like Subaru and Emilia. They rarely hesitate to do things for others.”
“Hell yeah,” Felt agreed.
“They were quite nice,” Theresia said.
“I’m going to go write letters and have it sent to Father and Grandfather,” Reinhard said. “In addition, I’ll request that Grandfather bring Felix, who holds the title of Blue and is also sworn to the Crusch faction, with him. I’d like for you to be checked over. The mention of a dark ritual worries me.”
“Oh, of course,” Theresia murmured. “I did feel a lot better once I got some rest after waking up. Or maybe it was the healing magic. Either way, I feel fine.”
“That’s good, that’s good,” Reinhard said.
“Felt, could you show Grandmother to the dining room so I can write the letter?”
“Alright, alright! But you better not be late to dinner!”
“I will endeavor not to.”
Wilhelm sat across from Crusch and Felix. They had been in the middle of discussing the logistics of capitalizing on the newly-granted mining rights they’d received from the Emilia camp, when there was a knock on the door.
“Come in?” Crusch said.
The door creaked. Wilhelm recognized the person there as one of the Astrea family servants. “Ah, hello. I have a letter for Sir Wilhelm? Sir Reinhard said it was quite urgent…”
“I see,” Wilhelm said. He wondered what could have inspired his grandson to send him a letter. Typically, they had very little contact. He opened the letter, quickly scanning its contents.
Wilhelm paled. He had to put a hand against the wall for support.
“This… this can’t be…”
“Wilhelm?” Felix tilted his head.
“My wife… is alive?”
“What?” Felix and Crusch both said, in shock.
“Apparently, a woman with an exact resemblance to my wife appeared at the Astrea Mansion earlier today. She knows things that only Theresia would know, and she claims that she simply woke up in the woods after fighting the White Whale. Apparently, she hasn’t aged a day…” It was clear that saying all this was causing Wilhelm great pain.
“Do you think it’s her?”
“I don’t know,” Wilhelm said. “It can’t be real. It’s too good to be true.” He shook his head frenetically. Felix could tell he desperately wanted to believe the letter.
Of course, one point in the letter’s favor was that not long ago, Wilhelm’s wound had reopened, but that wasn’t something that either Crusch or Felix had been told.
“Whether it’s true or false, I’ll confirm it,” Crusch said. Her Divine Protection of Wind Indication would allow her to do so.
“I want to come too!” Felix said.
“Okay,” Wilhelm said. “Okay.”
He slid the letter over to Crusch. Crusch looked it over with sharp eyes.
“Whyat do you make of it?” Felix asked.
“I’m not sure,” Crusch said. “I think it merits further, and rapid, investigation. We’ll leave tonight.”
Felt liked Reinhard’s grandmother. She was sweet and good-natured, and didn’t lecture Felt all the time like Reinhard did. She reminded Felt of Old Man Rom, in some ways.
That said, Felt couldn’t help but be a little (just a tiny bit) worried about Reinhard. He was clearly very antsy, and his eyes glazed over with guilt and self-loathing when he looked at Theresia for too long. Theresia didn’t appear to have the social grace to notice this, just seeming happy to be interacting with her grandson.
In addition, Reinhard had told her that they might be having guests, since he’d sent letters to all his family about Theresia’s reappearance. Felt wasn’t excited to see Heinkel again, nor was she excited to see Wilhelm. From her perspective, it really seemed like all of Reinhard’s family were real jerks, except this new grandma person.
After a few hours of catching up and excited questions from Theresia about the new state of the world, Felt could tell Theresia’s energy was starting to drop off, even though it was early in the evening.
“The Great Rabbit too?” Theresia said. She yawned involuntarily. “So you’re telling me… while I was gone… two Great Mabeasts got defeated? And not only that, but the same guy was involved in both?” She rubbed her eyes. “Geez, I’ve missed so much.”
“You seem tired, grandmother,” Reinhard said. “Would you want to retire to your room? You’ve been through quite the ordeal today.”
“No!” Theresia said, trying to perk herself up. “I’ve been gone for so long… I’m not going to spend another second shirking my responsibility as your grandmother!”
“You’ll have plenty of time,” Reinhard said.
After a little more wheedling, Theresia agreed, and ambled off to change into something more comfortable. Reinhard seemed to be recovering from his conversation with his apparently-resurrected grandmother through staring at the wall.
And that’s when Heinkel showed up.
Any other time, it wouldn’t be a shock. Heinkel pretty much just came and went from this place whenver he wanted. But now, of all times?
The red-haired man didn’t even seem pressed, yawning and then suddenly scoffing when he spotted Reinhard.
“Apologies, Reinhard-sama, I wasn’t able to stop him from entering,” Carol said, bowing to Reinhard.
“What the hell are you apologizing for? Of course I can enter my own damn house!” Heinkel said. He held a bottle of something in his hand, seeming more than a little tipsy. “This f’cking cup better not be a bust… gonna have to drag my ass all over the country to find it…”
“Father,” Reinhard said. “There’s something… important, that we must discuss.”
As Heinkel tried to walk forward, towards the part of the house Theresia was in, Reinhard physically blocked him with his body, hoping he could explain the situation.
“Hah, get out of my face, useless runt,” Heinkel sneered.
“Father--”
“Always so self-righteous,” Heinkel said. “Well what is it this time? What? I hope a monster like you has good reason to disturb me.”
“How dare you talk about your son that way?!”
Heinkel turned towards the doorway Reinhard was attempting to block. One Theresia van Astrea shoved herself through it, giving Heinkel a very unimpressed look.
“M-Mom…?”
“Well? What do you have to say for yourself!?” Theresia asked.
“I’ve… I had too much to drink, this is too much,” Heinkel said, shaking his head. “Mother… she’s dead… because of him…”
“Don’t you dare blame your son for this,” Theresia said. “It was my choice to go. And your recommendation, if I remember right!”
Heinkel’s lower lip quivered, and suddenly his eyes filled with tears. “Even if you’re not real… I’m sorry mom… I’m such a disappointment…” Theresia couldn’t object when Heinkel wrapped his arms around her and sobbed into her shoulder, mumbling incomprehensible apologies and clutching the back of her dress.
Felt stood still, shocked. Heinkel was messy, and mean, but Felt had never seen the guy cry, let alone cry for his mom like a little kid.
Eventually Heinkel cried himself out, and Theresia laid him on the couch. She took off the white cloak that she'd borrowed from Emilia and placed it on top of him, tucking him in. Even if he had a lot to answer for, Theresia couldn't dull her instincts as his mother.
“Hopefully he sobers up,” Theresia said. “Is he always like this… No, I hope not… Ah, where did Reinhard go?”
“He snuck up to his room,” Felt said. “He didn’t want to interrupt your moment.”
“I’ll have to go see him,” Theresia said.
“Reinhard,” Theresia said.
“I hope I didn’t disturb you and Father,” Reinhard said diplomatically. “I understand seeing one another after so long is very emotionally fraught.”
“Does your father treat you poorly, Reinhard?”
“Father treats me just as I deserve.”
Theresia frowned. She sat next to Reinhard on his bed.
“I’m sorry,” Theresia said.
“--But for what?” Reinhard asked.
“I must not have… I must have raised him wrong,” Theresia said. “For him to treat you that way.”
A phrase like don’t apologize was on the tip of Reinhard’s tongue, but he didn’t say it. He heard such phrases often from his friends, and yet he still always felt responsible. He kept quiet.
“You have become such a respectable and lovely young man,” Theresia said. “I really am proud of you, you know.” Such a simple phrase, said with such care and sincerity. So unusual, it felt surreal. Was this what it was like to have a loving grandparent?
“Thank you, Grandmother,” Reinhard said. “I’m glad you’ve returned.”
“Me too,” Theresia said. “And I’m glad, even if Heinkel was cruel to you, that you would have had Wilhelm to take care of you and be good to you.”
Something cracked deep inside Reinhard.
“You would have… wanted Grandfather to take good care of me?”
“Of course!” Theresia said. “You’re my treasured grandson. And his, too.”
“--Even if, it was my fault that you--”
“It wasn’t,” Theresia insisted, grasping Reinhard’s hands. “But yes, even then. No matter what.”
Grandmother, all along, she would have wanted… and Grandfather still...
Reinhard looked at Theresia’s hopeful face.
“Grandfather has always been very kind and understanding,” Reinhard said. "I'm glad he was there for me."
Theresia beamed.
Reinhard couldn’t find it within himself to reveal the lie.