I Ended up Raising the Children of the Protagonists

The slightly squinted eyes became grimly crinkled. Not only did he call his master’s name carelessly, he called her a bitch.

 

‘How you dare, to the one with the name ‘Rainswain’.’

 

Roa Asette had to clench his hands into fists to keep from lifting the sword at his waist. Roa let out an angry voice.

 

“Count Tiye, my lord, she is another master of Rainswain.”

 

“You call me ‘master’, so you’re saying you won’t be able to guide me?”

 

“That’s not it…?

 

“Hey! I’m the head of Count Tiye! I’m a descendant of Ediya Tiye, who captured Eskaya long ago!!”

 

When on earth do you bring up the enemy story? Roa Azette sighed at the old story from over a thousand years ago.

 

“Count…”

 

“That’s it. I’ll find that girl.”

 

“Count Tiye!”

 

Roa tried to capture Count Tiye, but quickly withdrew his hand. You never know what might happen if you catch it. Finally, Roa Asette frowned fiercely and chased after him.

 

* * *

 

A corridor leading to the garden, with flowers blooming in abundance along the path.

 

“Marchen Tiye!”

 

An angry voice was heard. Rather than wondering how on earth I escaped from Ainz, I felt tired. I stopped in my tracks and slowly turned my head. The face of a young knight appeared behind Count Tiye. This is the knight who guarded the front of Ainz’s living room. Did they call him Sir Asette? The knight who bowed his head as if he was sorry was soon covered by Count Tiye’s angry face. The red, distorted face opens its mouth, not wanting to even look at it.

 

“Are you planning on watching with your eyes open as someone else’s brat takes over this mansion?!”

 

Even if they were strangers, they were the Marquis of Hawes and his wife’s children. This man easily insults people whose names he cannot even dare to criticize with the name ‘Tiye’. Swallowing the rising curses, the only thing that resembles Marchen is a man whose eyes resemble violet flowers… No, I opened my mouth, glaring at the eyes that were filled with greed and a withered flower.

 

“Count Tiye.”

 

‘I no longer have the name Tiye’.

 

I was another owner of this mansion with the name ‘Rainswain’.

 

“Please refrain from talking.”

 

“Marchen Tiye!!”

 

“This is Rainswain.”

 

Marchen hates what comes after her own name. But still, she kept the fairy tale until the end. With Rainswain’s name behind her, she lived in this mansion as if he were not there. I don’t know what she was thinking or how she felt. The only thing I could find in Marchen, who had sent the child away, was nothing, so I called quietly to the knight who was standing behind Count Tiye and fidgeting.

 

“Sir Asette.”

 

“Yes, my lord.”

 

The knight immediately bowed his waist and answered my call. He looked at Count Tiye mockingly and spat out his words.

 

“It looks like the Count has taken the wrong route. Please take him outside properly.”

 

“Yes, my lady, I accept your orders.”

 

“You are…!”

 

Count Tiye couldn’t help but tremble at the sight of me calmly continuing the conversation with the knight. I lifted one corner of my mouth and smiled. He must have recognized the obvious ridicule. “Count Tiye, do you need to respond?” A person who trembles at a name higher than mine and is anxious to have that name. I turned my head towards him with a sneer on my face. I didn’t think there was any need for a send-off. There seemed to be no need to greet him either, so I turned my head away from him.

 

“Even though you lost your baby and became useless, I waited patiently…!”

 

What stopped me in my tracks were words I shouldn’t have heard and words he shouldn’t have said. The sorrow of a person who has lost his child is overwhelming. A howl raises his head. The white hands holding the hem of the blanket tremble and scream at the children who cannot even walk. I’m suffocating as the memories come flooding back. An angry voice that I didn’t want to hear fell into my strained ears.

 

“How dare you insult me like this!!”

 

The memories I had been trying so hard to suppress finally burst out. I don’t even know how to exhale, so the stuck breath blurs my vision.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

What made me breathe was the cold voice that enveloped me. Only then did my hands, with my fingernails digging in, start to feel sore. A face without any emotion was visible, and behind it, a person covered in a white robe was standing as if protecting Ainz. I turned my head away from Ainz and lowered my eyes. Should I not have met Count Tiye? Or should I have walked a little faster and returned to my children? No, no. That person must have found me somehow. And I would have shouted the same thing. I am relieved that the children weren’t here. The memories that have been torn apart make my heart ache.

 

“Are you still here, Count?”

 

“Les… Marquis Rainswain.”

 

“Roa Asette, I know you don’t know the geography of the mansion, so can you tell me why the Count is still here?”

 

“I’m sorry, master.”

 

I took a slow step when I heard a voice coming from behind me. I don’t want to hear the ending of that voice. I don’t even want to know. It’s like any other day. When I heard his quiet, negative, and carelessly subdued voice, I felt like he and I were in a different space. Memories that I had tried so hard to ignore and bury have been lifted up, and I am taking trembling steps like a person who has lost where to go.

 

* * *

 

Did you say that the name of those flowers bathed in the evening glow was ‘Cineraria’? Flowers with a deep blue color and flowers with a deep purple color all have the same color when bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

 

“Marchen!”

 

Liev, who was busy doing something else in the flower field, smiled brightly at me and stood up. The dress he was wearing was a mess. Hannah quickly tried to shake off Liev’s dress, but the child was faster than her, running towards me.

 

“Here! It’s a gift from Liev!”

 

What the child was tying was a flower. What was presented to me was a flower crown. A wind full of warmth blows past. I had the illusion that the rotten me that had dug into my heart was mixing in with it and disappearing. The fragrant scent of flowers tickling the tip of my nose makes me smile.

 

“Liev.”

 

“I thought all flowers would be pretty in Marchen!”

 

Liev smiled brightly. I bent down on her knees and made eye contact with the child. The child put a wreath on my head with a smile on his face. Yes, whenever I went out to the garden with my children, they always gave me a wreath. That reminded me about my past memories, when we used to play like this every day with our parents. I was fortunate to have happy memories with my parents. I lost my parents at a young age, just like my younger siblings in my previous life, but I still have more memories in the past 5 years. Really, I’m glad.

 

I smiled, caressing Liev’s cheek.

 

“I have this.”

 

Before I knew it, Josef was standing next to Liev and was holding out a bunch of freshly cut flowers to me.

 

“Thank you, Josef.”

 

Liev and Josef, now ‘younger brothers’, words like that did not come out easily. Blue and purple eyes are folded curved. I smiled, holding the bouquet that Josef had brought me in my arms. All you have to do is fill the stench that comes from a heart that has been torn apart with scent.

 

“Thank you, Liev, Josef.”

 

I hugged the two children in my arms and buried my face in their hair. A loud, bright laugh is heard from close by.

 

“I want you to be happy.”

 

I want to ask the woman who wants my happiness. Are you really right in wanting my happiness? If you truly wanted my happiness, you should have erased Marchen’s memories and let the children have memories of me.

 

“I’m hungry…”

 

I hear a whining voice. Josef said, slightly squinting his eyes at that voice.

 

“What if you ate a snack earlier? Liev is really going to grow sideways.”

 

“No!!”

 

Liev pulls Josef’s cheek tightly. Children often fight. When my children fight, I reach out and hold their hands.

 

“Well, it’s early, but shall we go for dinner?”

 

Yes, like this. I held out my hand holding the bouquet. Liev smiles and takes her hand. He must have thought I wouldn’t see him turn his head and stick his tongue out at Josef, so he looks up at me and smiles. Josef tries to take Liev’s hand with a sulky face. Maybe it’s because I’m holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand. But Liev shook off his brother’s hand.

 

“Hey!”

 

“Liev hates Josef!”

 

The children started bickering again. I handed Hannah the bouquet of flowers that Josef had brought her, then called Josef over and held his hand. Only then did the children stop fighting.

 

“Marchen, Marchen! You know, when Marchen wasn’t there, Joseph…!”

 

“Liev!! You decided to keep it a secret!”

 

The sound of children chatting fills the corridor.

 

—————————————————————

Translator Note:

The slightly squinted eyes became grimly crinkled. Not only did he call his master’s name carelessly, he called her a bitch.

 

‘How you dare, to the one with the name ‘Rainswain’.’

 

Roa Asette had to clench his hands into fists to keep from lifting the sword at his waist. Roa let out an angry voice.

 

“Count Tiye, my lord, she is another master of Rainswain.”

 

“You call me ‘master’, so you’re saying you won’t be able to guide me?”

 

“That’s not it…?

 

“Hey! I’m the head of Count Tiye! I’m a descendant of Ediya Tiye, who captured Eskaya long ago!!”

 

When on earth do you bring up the enemy story? Roa Azette sighed at the old story from over a thousand years ago.

 

“Count…”

 

“That’s it. I’ll find that girl.”

 

“Count Tiye!”

 

Roa tried to capture Count Tiye, but quickly withdrew his hand. You never know what might happen if you catch it. Finally, Roa Asette frowned fiercely and chased after him.

 

* * *

 

A corridor leading to the garden, with flowers blooming in abundance along the path.

 

“Marchen Tiye!”

 

An angry voice was heard. Rather than wondering how on earth I escaped from Ainz, I felt tired. I stopped in my tracks and slowly turned my head. The face of a young knight appeared behind Count Tiye. This is the knight who guarded the front of Ainz’s living room. Did they call him Sir Asette? The knight who bowed his head as if he was sorry was soon covered by Count Tiye’s angry face. The red, distorted face opens its mouth, not wanting to even look at it.

 

“Are you planning on watching with your eyes open as someone else’s brat takes over this mansion?!”

 

Even if they were strangers, they were the Marquis of Hawes and his wife’s children. This man easily insults people whose names he cannot even dare to criticize with the name ‘Tiye’. Swallowing the rising curses, the only thing that resembles Marchen is a man whose eyes resemble violet flowers… No, I opened my mouth, glaring at the eyes that were filled with greed and a withered flower.

 

“Count Tiye.”

 

‘I no longer have the name Tiye’.

 

I was another owner of this mansion with the name ‘Rainswain’.

 

“Please refrain from talking.”

 

“Marchen Tiye!!”

 

“This is Rainswain.”

 

Marchen hates what comes after her own name. But still, she kept the fairy tale until the end. With Rainswain’s name behind her, she lived in this mansion as if he were not there. I don’t know what she was thinking or how she felt. The only thing I could find in Marchen, who had sent the child away, was nothing, so I called quietly to the knight who was standing behind Count Tiye and fidgeting.

 

“Sir Asette.”

 

“Yes, my lord.”

 

The knight immediately bowed his waist and answered my call. He looked at Count Tiye mockingly and spat out his words.

 

“It looks like the Count has taken the wrong route. Please take him outside properly.”

 

“Yes, my lady, I accept your orders.”

 

“You are…!”

 

Count Tiye couldn’t help but tremble at the sight of me calmly continuing the conversation with the knight. I lifted one corner of my mouth and smiled. He must have recognized the obvious ridicule. “Count Tiye, do you need to respond?” A person who trembles at a name higher than mine and is anxious to have that name. I turned my head towards him with a sneer on my face. I didn’t think there was any need for a send-off. There seemed to be no need to greet him either, so I turned my head away from him.

 

“Even though you lost your baby and became useless, I waited patiently…!”

 

What stopped me in my tracks were words I shouldn’t have heard and words he shouldn’t have said. The sorrow of a person who has lost his child is overwhelming. A howl raises his head. The white hands holding the hem of the blanket tremble and scream at the children who cannot even walk. I’m suffocating as the memories come flooding back. An angry voice that I didn’t want to hear fell into my strained ears.

 

“How dare you insult me like this!!”

 

The memories I had been trying so hard to suppress finally burst out. I don’t even know how to exhale, so the stuck breath blurs my vision.

 

“What are you doing here?”

 

What made me breathe was the cold voice that enveloped me. Only then did my hands, with my fingernails digging in, start to feel sore. A face without any emotion was visible, and behind it, a person covered in a white robe was standing as if protecting Ainz. I turned my head away from Ainz and lowered my eyes. Should I not have met Count Tiye? Or should I have walked a little faster and returned to my children? No, no. That person must have found me somehow. And I would have shouted the same thing. I am relieved that the children weren’t here. The memories that have been torn apart make my heart ache.

 

“Are you still here, Count?”

 

“Les… Marquis Rainswain.”

 

“Roa Asette, I know you don’t know the geography of the mansion, so can you tell me why the Count is still here?”

 

“I’m sorry, master.”

 

I took a slow step when I heard a voice coming from behind me. I don’t want to hear the ending of that voice. I don’t even want to know. It’s like any other day. When I heard his quiet, negative, and carelessly subdued voice, I felt like he and I were in a different space. Memories that I had tried so hard to ignore and bury have been lifted up, and I am taking trembling steps like a person who has lost where to go.

 

* * *

 

Did you say that the name of those flowers bathed in the evening glow was ‘Cineraria’? Flowers with a deep blue color and flowers with a deep purple color all have the same color when bathed in the glow of the setting sun.

 

“Marchen!”

 

Liev, who was busy doing something else in the flower field, smiled brightly at me and stood up. The dress he was wearing was a mess. Hannah quickly tried to shake off Liev’s dress, but the child was faster than her, running towards me.

 

“Here! It’s a gift from Liev!”

 

What the child was tying was a flower. What was presented to me was a flower crown. A wind full of warmth blows past. I had the illusion that the rotten me that had dug into my heart was mixing in with it and disappearing. The fragrant scent of flowers tickling the tip of my nose makes me smile.

 

“Liev.”

 

“I thought all flowers would be pretty in Marchen!”

 

Liev smiled brightly. I bent down on her knees and made eye contact with the child. The child put a wreath on my head with a smile on his face. Yes, whenever I went out to the garden with my children, they always gave me a wreath. That reminded me about my past memories, when we used to play like this every day with our parents. I was fortunate to have happy memories with my parents. I lost my parents at a young age, just like my younger siblings in my previous life, but I still have more memories in the past 5 years. Really, I’m glad.

 

I smiled, caressing Liev’s cheek.

 

“I have this.”

 

Before I knew it, Josef was standing next to Liev and was holding out a bunch of freshly cut flowers to me.

 

“Thank you, Josef.”

 

Liev and Josef, now ‘younger brothers’, words like that did not come out easily. Blue and purple eyes are folded curved. I smiled, holding the bouquet that Josef had brought me in my arms. All you have to do is fill the stench that comes from a heart that has been torn apart with scent.

 

“Thank you, Liev, Josef.”

 

I hugged the two children in my arms and buried my face in their hair. A loud, bright laugh is heard from close by.

 

“I want you to be happy.”

 

I want to ask the woman who wants my happiness. Are you really right in wanting my happiness? If you truly wanted my happiness, you should have erased Marchen’s memories and let the children have memories of me.

 

“I’m hungry…”

 

I hear a whining voice. Josef said, slightly squinting his eyes at that voice.

 

“What if you ate a snack earlier? Liev is really going to grow sideways.”

 

“No!!”

 

Liev pulls Josef’s cheek tightly. Children often fight. When my children fight, I reach out and hold their hands.

 

“Well, it’s early, but shall we go for dinner?”

 

Yes, like this. I held out my hand holding the bouquet. Liev smiles and takes her hand. He must have thought I wouldn’t see him turn his head and stick his tongue out at Josef, so he looks up at me and smiles. Josef tries to take Liev’s hand with a sulky face. Maybe it’s because I’m holding a bouquet of flowers in one hand. But Liev shook off his brother’s hand.

 

“Hey!”

 

“Liev hates Josef!”

 

The children started bickering again. I handed Hannah the bouquet of flowers that Josef had brought her, then called Josef over and held his hand. Only then did the children stop fighting.

 

“Marchen, Marchen! You know, when Marchen wasn’t there, Joseph…!”

 

“Liev!! You decided to keep it a secret!”

 

The sound of children chatting fills the corridor.

 

—————————————————————

Translator Note: