Reborn As Noble

Marcellus blinked as he watched the two women set the table. Bowls of simmering stew, roasted root vegetables, and fresh fruit were carefully arranged. The scent was amazing, warm and rich, nothing like what he was used to from high-class noble kitchens. This was homemade, earthy, filled with care.

And yet…

"Darling~ dinner's ready. Come sit at the table," Harny's gentle voice rang out with an almost seductive melody.

Marcellus stood up cautiously.

"Mom!" Lithia snapped with a deep blush, puffing her cheeks. "He's not your darling!"

Harny simply smiled and tilted her head. "Why do you need to be jealous, Lithia? If I were some random woman outside, I would understand... but we're family, right~?"

Lithia looked like she was about to combust.

"But—!"

"Now, darling~" Harny patted the seat with a smile too sweet to be innocent. "Sit and eat, okay?"

Lithia huffed, her face red as a beet. "Mmph!!" She plopped herself down beside Marcellus, arms crossed, looking sideways at both of them.

Inside her head, a storm raged.

Mother never acted like this before… even when the village chief's son tried to court her for months, she didn't show the slightest interest. She always stayed cool, distant—just like me. So why now? Why is she suddenly acting so… different?

She glanced toward her mother, who was humming softly as she served the stew to Marcellus with a smile that could melt stone.

Lithia narrowed her eyes.

Something wasn't right.

She could feel it in her bones.

This wasn't just teasing.

Her mother was serious.

Dead serious.

Meanwhile, Marcellus sat stiffly between the two beautiful dark elf.

"…So, uh… delicious stew," he said, trying not to choke.

"Oh my~ I'm glad you like it~" Harny purred.

Lithia's spoon bent.

Then she heard a knock on the door.

Lithia was about to rise from her seat, but Harny gave her a gentle smile and waved her down.

"I'll get it. Probably the shopkeeper."

"Umm… okay," Lithia replied, unsure.

Knock knock.

"Wait, I'm coming." Harny's voice remained calm as she approached the door. She opened it without hesitation.

Then Lithia heard it—that shift in tone.

"You again?"

A man's chuckle followed, far too casual for comfort.

"Aw, come on, don't be that cold."

Harny's voice sharpened. "Sorry, I'm not interested. How many times do I need to tell all of you? Stop coming here. I'm not looking for marriage."

Inside, Lithia paused. Marcellus tilted his head slightly, picking up the tension.

Her mother's tone had dropped, colder than usual. A tone she hadn't heard in years. Firm. Sharp.

Outside the door, a man's voice chuckled awkwardly. "Aw, come on, Harny. Don't be that cold. We used to talk all the time back then—"

"That was because you were my neighbor. Nothing more." Harny's voice cut like a blade. "I've told you—and the others— I'm not interested in marriage. Not now. Not ever."

There was a pause. The man on the other side seemed caught off-guard.

"…Still playing the widow role after all these years? You've been alone for—"

SLAM.

The door shut hard.

Lithia flinched slightly, while Marcellus sat quietly, spoon frozen over his bowl.

Moments later, Harny returned, smiling gently as she dusted off her hands like nothing happened.

"Sorry~ It was just another persistent neighbor. Some people never change," she sighed, walking back to the table with perfect grace.

But Lithia's eyes didn't leave her.

"Mom… you didn't have to be so harsh," she said softly.

Harny smiled, but her gaze was firm. "Darling, there are only two types of men in this village—those who want convenience, and those who want property. I don't have patience for either."

Then, turning toward Marcellus, she smiled more sweetly than before.

"…Unless it's someone who already has my daughter's heart."

Lithia nearly choked on her drink.

"M-Mom!"

Harny only giggled and sat back down beside them.

Marcellus stayed quiet, gaze subtly flicking between them. The pieces were clicking in his head now.

So this was the real reason Harny never remarried.

She wasn't just waiting for Lithia to come home.

She had standards.

And maybe… just maybe… her eyes were already set on someone.

Someone very, very close.

"So Lithia," Harny said, casually.. "You should sleep here tonight."

"But Mom—" Lithia's voice shot up an octave, flustered. "We only have one bed in this house!"

"Hm? It's a big bed," Harny replied with a smile that was far too innocent. "We all can share."

"M-Mom!!" Lithia pouted, cheeks puffed in that rare expression Marcellus always found adorable.

Inside her mind, though, Lithia was spinning.

Why… why is Mother like this today? She was always calm, reserved, serious. Gentle, but never this… teasing.

She pressed a hand against her temple, trying to make sense of her mother's sudden change in behavior.

She tried to recall the past. Back when she was still a little girl, ten years old, living quietly in this very tree house. Her mother was only around twenty-eight then, though she looked the same as now. Beautiful. Unchanging. Kind.

There was a memory.

A nobleman. A Dark Elf with high status who came with fancy clothes and gifts, seeking her mother's hand. She remembered the way he spoke to her mother, confident, charming.

And she remembered herself. At that time,she was still small, frightened.

Standing behind her mother, clutching her dress, and crying.

"Don't marry him!! I don't want another daddy!!"

Her mother had knelt down. Held her. Comforted her.

"I won't," Harny had said softly, brushing her tears away. "As long as you don't want it… I promise."

From then on, Harny rejected everyone. Never even considered dating. Not once.

Did I… bind her to that promise all this time?

Lithia's chest tightened with guilt.

And then… another flash of memory.

She was a little older, twelve. Still shy, still clingy. Harny had just finished braiding her hair.

And she remembered saying something so casually, without thinking:

"If I get married one day, you'll be alone forever… So… just marry the same person as me, okay?"

She had laughed.

She had meant it as a joke.

But her mother… had paused.

And just smiled.

"…Okay."

"Mom…" Lithia whispered aloud, eyes wide as the realization washed over her.

Beside her, Harny tilted her head. "Hmm? What's wrong, sweetheart?"

Lithia looked at her mother again. At that ever-youthful, elegant woman who never changed. Whose eyes had a new warmth today, not the polite detachment of before, but something alive. Bold. Playful.

And maybe… waiting.

Did she really… remember that promise? After all these years?

Marcellus blinked at the two women staring silently at each other across the room, feeling like he'd stepped into something far deeper than teasing.

"Um… should I sleep on the floor?" he asked hesitantly.

"No," Harny said smoothly. "We'll all share. Right, Lithia?"

Lithia's face turned bright red.

"Y-You're unbelievable, Mom…"

( End Of Chapter )