“Guns?”
“Yes.”
Mommy Elizabeth placed her cup of tea on the table and looked at me with a serious look. She replied, “To tell the truth, Son, I admittedly am very interested in your repeated-firing rifles. I never thought Lorana would be able to create that sort of rifle. Mommy understands that this sort of rifle will change warfare henceforward.”
“I can sell them to you… You are my mom, but I need money more, right now…”
“Hahaha.” Mom laughed, and then scrubbed my head: “Mommy understands. Family wise, you are my son and I am your mother, so we don’t need to worry about who profits and who loses. However, nation wise, you are the leader of the North, while I am the Empress of the empire. We need to discuss the welfare of our two nations. As such, don’t bring emotions into this discussion.”
Mom leaned backward into her chair. She folded her arms and spoke in a serious tone: “So, as I’m the Empress of the South, I should buy these firearms then imitate them, and then have my generals come up with new battle tactics, factoring in the weapons and train new soldiers. As your mother, nevertheless, I can’t buy your weapons.”
I picked up my cup of tea. I asked, “Why, Mom? I really need money right now. I wouldn’t sell them, otherwise.”
I actually had a rough guess as to why.
Tone still serious, Mom answered, “Because Mommy can’t be certain they won’t be used against you. We should’ve learnt a lesson from Luna’s misfortune. Son, Mommy loves you. You know that. Mommy would never do anything that would harm you, but Mommy can no longer say with absolute certainty that Mommy can keep you safe. Mommy wants to protect you, but Mommy can’t guarantee those around Mommy won’t harm you. Mommy has come to understand that your biggest threat isn’t a foreign enemy – and even less so the elves –but the people around Mommy. They are your biggest threat. Nonetheless, Mommy can’t kill them all. Consequently, Mommy can only prevent giving them an excuse to leverage against you.”
“Mom, I’m just selling a small portion, so there shouldn’t be a problem. Additionally, I should be respected by those around you now, right? I led an army and conquered the North. Isn’t everybody saying that I’m, without question, your son?”
Mom explained, “No, Son. You have to understand that what they want most right now is your North. Son, you used my army to capture the North. They consider you my son – the Prince of humanity. That’s why the land you captured already belongs to the Rosvenor Empire. Mommy doesn’t care. You’re Mommy’s son. That’s why Mommy absolutely trusts that you wouldn’t threaten us despite now occupying land and declaring yourself King. Plus, Mommy doesn’t care about expanding Mommy’s land anymore. Mommy thinks that the empire is perfect as it is with regards to its size. The more land you own, the harder it is to manage. Mommy knows how big Mommy’s appetite is.”
Mom then licked her lips before carrying on: “However, Mommy’s people may not yet be satisfied. From their standpoint, their authority and climb to power has just begun. To them, taking back the North for me is a political achievement that would grant them the stepping stone to ultimate power. For that reason, they all want to take the North from you. I told them that I want to let you establish a nation in the North, but alas, I’m afraid that they won’t listen to me. As such, Mommy doesn’t want for you to hand over your weapons for protecting yourself with. In Mommy’s opinion, being able to protect yourself is the best scenario.”
I picked up the tea kettle and poured Mom another cup. She watched me whilst wearing smile, and then looked to the west, where the sun was setting: “If you need money, just let Mommy know. The things in the Inner Court are Mommy’s personal belongings, so nobody will care if Mommy gives them to you. Son, you need money for your coronation ceremony, right? Consider it Mommy providing you with funds.”
“Wouldn’t I be too pitiful if my coronation ceremony was funded by somebody else?”
Mom stood up and stretched her back out. While gazing at the sun outside, she replied, “It’s no big deal. It’s a mom’s present for her son’s coronation. Will that do? It’s getting dark. Let’s head in. The breeze from the valley is still cold at night. Catching a cold isn’t fun and games.”
I nodded then gently took hold of Mom’s hand. In a soft tone, I said, “It’s all right, Mom. If you’re worried that somebody will try to bring harm to the North using the firearms, don’t worry. Mommy Elizabeth, I trust you, so if you want, I’ll sell them to you.”
I stunned mom. She took in a deep breath and, in a serious tone, said, “You’re still considering that even after what happened to Luna? Son, you’re always careful, unwilling to mention Luna’s misfortune, because it’s not a nice memory.”
I argued, “Yes, but I still trust you in spite of that. I was a little impulsive at the time. Luna’s misfortune had nothing to do with you. It was Alice’s fault. You’re my mother. I obviously trust you. If you were to hold a sword up to my neck now, I’d still firmly believe you wouldn’t stab me.”
A smile gradually crept up onto Mom’s face. She pulled me into her embrace, and I hugged her back. She gently stroked my back then giggled: “Mommy’s nightmare has finally ended. Mommy has always avoided recalling Luna’s incident, but Mommy has finally been relieved of it.”
“Mom…” I hugged Mom: “Mom, I won’t blame you, because you weren’t at fault. Alice was at fault. I still hate her. I’ll never forget it. That being said, I’ve always trusted you, for you are my mom. My mom.”
“Mm, mm… Son… Son…” Elizabeth tightly hugged me, and I reciprocated the gesture.
Mom was right. Once the sun went down, the chilly breeze from the snowy mountains was still cold despite it being summer. A slightly cold breeze blew Mom’s black hair similarly to a flag. I could feel the cold breeze graze my arms, back, neck and body… However, my chest against Mom’s chest was warm… Our hands holding each other had each other’s warmth…
I pondered, “Why do I feel an odd sense of nostalgia? Why do I oddly feel touched? Why do I feel as though I forgot something…? It had been a few months since I last felt this feeling…? Why am I… feeling this sensation again…? What exactly did I forget?”
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