Chapter 290.2

Chapter 290.2. Mother

-Miu’s Mom POV-

“I see you’re not having a good time, so I’ll take my leave.”

I feel the exhaustion creep in. She nodded slightly and distanced herself from Kanna Noriko and the others. She glanced at the increasingly irritated noblewomen and began to walk through the venue, searching for her husband.

He also got surrounded by nobles. But he seemed to handle the situation more smoothly than I did. Unlike me, he was accustomed to attending parties even with many adversaries.

Letting out a sigh, I decided to freshen up and headed for the restroom. Aside from security personnel stationed here and there, it was a luxurious but otherwise typical hotel corridor.

“I wonder if Mii-chan is okay…”

I rested her hands on the sink, thinking of her daughter. I was worried. Aburage Viscounty had undoubtedly been abducted, and Miu had gone to rescue them. If only she had relied on us before going.

“Do you think Mama is not dependable?” n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

I knew about Miu’s strength. I’m still Miu’s parent.

Even though my daughter seemed carefree and thoughtless, she possessed an intelligence beyond her years.

She was decisive and didn’t hesitate to help her family.

And her inner strength was remarkable, probably even stronger than mine.

That’s why she tries to protect her parents instead of being protected by them.

Still, as parents, we were meant to protect our children, no matter how weak we felt compared to them. Parents were supposed to protect their children forever.

I knew something else—Miu was incredibly lonely. She always clung to us. When she went to sleep, she always held onto her stuffed animals.

“Miu… Miu!”

I looked at the mirror attached to the washbasin and was taken aback.

[Papa~ Mama~ Where are you~? I’m hungry~]

Miu was shown in the mirror, but for some reason, she appeared as she did in the past, with her small body. She was wrapped in tattered, dirty rags, sat in some abandoned building, and cried.

[Mii-chan! Mii-chan!]

Miu was crying! Mirei shouted desperately, her hand on the mirror. Her daughter, whom she had thought to be stronger than herself, was calling her with a sorrowful voice and tears in her eyes!

“Mii-chan, Mama is right here! Mii-chan!”

I desperately called out to the mirror. Whether it was magic or an illusion didn’t matter. My daughter was crying.

My daughter must have heard my voice. She looked around nervously.

[Ugh… Mama~? Mama, where~? Miu-chan’s hungry.]

Wiping away tears, Miu forced a smile on her dirty face, which made my heart ache despite her shabby appearance.

“Where are you right now? I’ll come to rescue you right away!”

[I don’t know. I’m in a rundown house with a fox.]

Where was she? Was she communicating through magic? Why had she become so small?

“Mii-chan, Mama will make a huge hamburger for you! I’ll even put two sunny-side-up eggs on it. But, Mii-chan, can you tell me where you are? Is there anything distinctive around?”

[Well… um… I don’t know… there’s a lot of stuff.]

And then, Miu’s image reflected in the mirror disappeared. Mirei’s face, full of panic, was reflected in its place.

“Mii-chan? Mii-chan! Miu!”

Mirei shouted, but Miu had disappeared from the mirror. She was frantic. Why had she vanished suddenly?

“Don’t go around hitting the mirror like a commoner. So uncivilized.”

I turned around to see the Kannanoriko ladies.

“…Kanna Noriko-sama…”

].

“Hitting the mirror and shouting your daughter’s name? Have you lost your mind? Perhaps your daughter has become a distant star?”

I now understood why Miu had disappeared. It was because this woman had entered the restroom.

She wanted to shout at her, but she held back. This was not the time. They needed to return to the inn quickly. There had to be a reason why Miu had appeared in the mirror.

“I’m sorry, but I have an urgent matter to attend to.”

“Oh, did I strike a nerve? Isn’t it true that Countess Takano is deceased?”

“Mii-chan is alive.”