“Ch-Children, you say?” Morgana asked in return.
“Uh…” Liang Lai glanced around.
“W-why wouldn’t you count as children?”
Anyone younger than her was obviously a child! Even if some of these kids were about the same height as her, or even taller… but still, they’re children!
“I want to try the wine too. I’ve never tasted any wine from here before!” Motifiel raised her hand like an excited puppy.
If she had a tail, it would be wagging at lightning speed right now.
“Liangcai, I’ve never had wine either. Why don’t you bring some out for us to taste?”
This time, Dolosa actually agreed with the other two for once.
Liangcai’s face froze in shock.
Great! The kids have all grown up, their wings are strong now, and they’re even starting to make demands of their mother!
“But, but you’re all still so young…”
She stayed stubborn, refusing to give in.
There’s a kind of ‘young’ that only mothers can see in their children.
“I think a little bit won’t hurt anyone.” Delucia grinned mischievously.
“Mom, I remember, um… I saw you secretly drinking wine a few days ago~”
Liang Lai suddenly felt embarrassed and at a loss for words.
She thought her sneaking skills were pretty good—how did she get caught?
“That’s because I’m an adult! Adults can drink, but children can’t…”
Liang Lai was still trying to argue!
“But, Mom…” Asterys gently tugged at the corner of Liangcai’s clothes.
Liang Lai looked around helplessly, only to find all the children staring at her with expectant eyes.
That look, those pitiful puppy eyes, it was… too much to bear! Her heart was already starting to soften; if she kept looking, she’d really give in!
“…Fine, just a little then.”
She agreed without even needing to keep looking. Damn it! These kids had her wrapped around their little fingers.
How did they think to use such eyes on her?
There was nothing for it.
Liangcai could only accept her fate and headed to her stash to dig out two bottles of Light Honey Wine that weren’t very strong.
If she’d known it’d end up like this, she wouldn’t have sneaked a drink before.
Now look, she’d even been seen!
Liang Lai brought out two bottles of Light Honey Wine and carried them back to the dining room.
“Everyone gets just one cup, okay? Once you finish your cup, you can’t have any more. The alcohol content is low, but still, since this is your first time drinking, you’ll definitely get tipsy…”
Saying that, Liang Lai began pouring wine for everyone.
“Gulp~”
Motifiel swallowed hard, her eyes sparkling so much her mouth was practically watering.
“You little glutton.” Liang Lai gently poked Motifiel on the forehead.
“Hehe~” Motifiel giggled foolishly, feeling especially happy at that moment.
Look, Mom even patted her on the head just now (right?)!
And there were so many sisters around her… what a happy family! The most important thing was that she’d made a new good friend, Morgana! Before, aside from Villeres, she didn’t really have any other friends…
Uh, wait.
When she thought of Villeres, Motifiel suddenly realized she hadn’t seen that girl in over three months.
“Wonder how she’s doing, did she manage to sneak in…” she mumbled under her breath, suddenly looking a little sad.
Sigh, she was living the good life now, but Villeres was still wandering outside.
Who knew if she was getting bullied by other Darkspawn, or if she’d get punished for failing her mission… uh, as for herself, she guessed she did complete her mission, but, but, but, she hadn’t sent out any useful intel…
Well, she did send out a couple of reports, but what she sent was:
“I think the Church food is really good. I hope Anyi can have food like this too—better food helps with mental health.”
“I think the environment in the Divine Court is wonderful. When will we get to live in a place like this? If we did, we’d all work so much harder.”
“I think the Third Saintess is a really kind person. The children she adopts are all great too. If we take over the Divine Court, can’t we keep building big families?”
“Today I made a pot of soup. Try it and see if you like it.”
And she sent them a pot of mysterious soup—pitch-black, looking so polluted the Darkspawn were worried they’d mutate if they drank it.
If it weren’t for the heavy Church defenses, those Darkspawn, noses bent in anger, would’ve charged right into the Immaculate Court and torn Motifiel to shreds.
“Damned Traitor!”
That’s what the others called Motifiel.
Motifiel could imagine what they all said about her, but she didn’t really care.
She even told herself, “They’re just jealous, jealous that I get to live the good life, jealous that someone cares about me.”
And then, feeling smug, she sent a few more irrelevant, trivial reports.
After half a cup of wine, the atmosphere at the table started to liven up.
“Let me tell you…” Morgana, who could hold her drink, got a bit excited after half a cup and began chattering nonstop.
“If it were up to me, I’d choose Illucy as the next Pope.”
As soon as these words left her mouth, the entire table fell silent.
Everyone’s gaze fell on Morgana, faces—Liang Lai included—staring at her in shock.
Morgana, seeing everyone like this, suddenly felt afraid.
She felt a chill run down her spine, shrank her neck, and forced a nervous smile as she looked around the table.
“Why are you all staring at me like that? I was just speaking my mind, that’s all. I-I wasn’t trying to force my opinion on you, really!”
Liang Lai didn’t scold Morgana. Instead, she asked, “Nana, why do you think that?”
Morgana looked left, then right, but finally swallowed her words.
“I-I just said it on a whim, really. Nothing more.”
Yeah, right.
If she said what she really thought, these people would probably tear her apart! Especially Dolosa and Dexilensi—those two looked like they could kill with their stares.
She wasn’t about to provoke them…
Since Morgana didn’t want to say, Liang Lai didn’t press further.
After all, a thousand people, a thousand Hamlets.
Still, when it came to the Pope’s successor, Liang Lai felt Dolosa had the best chance.
First, Dolosa was the daughter of the current Pope Alphonse VII, and he clearly favored her.
Second, Dolosa was extremely talented.
Although in some ways she was a little behind Illucy and Dexilensi, she made up for it in other areas.
Most of all, Dolosa was the hardest-working child…
People always say talent matters more than hard work, but in Liangcai’s heart, diligence makes up for shortcomings.
That was Dolosa’s greatest talent—she worked so hard, and Liang Lai liked her very much.
But, since Morgana thought Illucy might become Pope in the end, Liang Lai did take that seriously.
After all, Morgana was the Witch she’d picked up herself, and there was always a sense of awe when it came to the words of Witches.
In every story, whether Witch, Priestess, or Oracle, they always had the power of Prophecy…
Even if, in this world, Witches didn’t seem to have it.
This little episode quickly passed as Morgana fell silent, and the lively atmosphere returned to the table. The kids all finished their half-cups of wine.
“Mama, Mama, I want more!” Motifiel held her cup up, eyes pleading as she looked at Liangcai.
Liang Lai covered her face.
Pour more? Or not? But looking around, the kids’ faces weren’t even red, and they weren’t acting out, so it seemed none of them were drunk yet.
Giving them another half cup wouldn’t matter.
So, everyone got another half-cup of Light Honey Wine.
Liang Lai thought, We can’t just drink and snack!
She’d gathered the kids to help them bond, so they’d stop being so hostile and cold with each other.
She racked her brains for a moment, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
“Ahem!”
She stood up, clenched her fist, and coughed into it.
The chattering children all stopped talking and turned to Liang Lai.
For a moment, Liang Lai felt like a teacher, with a group of kindergarteners as her students.
“Uh, since everyone’s eating cookies and drinking wine, isn’t that kind of boring?”
She raised one finger, acting mysterious.
“How about this—Mom will teach you all a game, okay? It’s a game my own mother taught me. See if you like it. If you don’t, you can suggest something else.”
“Okay~” Asterys and Delucia, as always, were the most enthusiastic.
Motifiel frowned and thought for a moment before asking, “Mama, do you just want us to play with you?”
Liang Lai: “…”
Seeing the kids’ eager eyes, Liang Lai still nodded.
“Yeah, I want you to play games with me.”
“Liang Lai Mama, you’re kind of childish,” Morgana said.
Liang Lai: “…”
Rejected by her kids for being childish… wuwuwu… It’s so hard being a mother!
A trace of sadness flashed across Liang Lai’s face, and all the children saw it.
The kids started to panic, and Dolosa and Dexilensi even glared at Motifiel, blaming her for speaking out of turn.
Motifiel panicked too. She jumped up from her seat and racked her brains, trying to fix what she’d just said.
“It’s okay, Liangcai Mama! Even if you’re childish, we’ll still play with you!”
Hmm, that was the best she could manage… It might have been better to say nothing.
Liangcai’s eyes filled with tears. “It’s okay, Mom is just childish.”