Volume 4, Chapter 20 – The Six Royal Consort Mothers

“So I’ve forgotten everyone’s names…”

After the words left her mouth, Fia felt like a person awaiting judgment, her chest tight with nervousness.

“So Prince Schain wasn’t lying?”

“Who did this?!”

“Do-Dofi, are you alright?”

Almost instantly, different people had different reactions, but they could generally be divided into two types. One was indignation towards the Milcandis Holy Kingdom, and the other was concern about whether Fia had any other lasting effects. The former were mostly the consorts who had some strength of their own, while the latter were the less powerful ones.

One of her hands was held tightly by the woman who called herself the Fifth Consort, making Fia feel a little embarrassed. Although the princess’s mothers were at least two or three hundred years old, as a long-lived race, even elves of that age had the appearance of human women between thirty and forty. They were very young, looking more like older sisters than mothers. The Fifth Consort was the one who had hugged her and burst into tears the moment she arrived.

“I heard from Prince Schain that you were injured by the Unsinkable Moon. Where is the wound? It didn’t leave a scar, did it?”

After the Fifth Consort’s words, almost all the consorts focused their gazes on Fia. The concern in their eyes left Fia momentarily unsure of how to react. She hesitated for a moment before answering cautiously.

“The wound is already healed. The only lasting effect is the memory loss… but if you give me some time, I should be able to remember everything.”

“I want to see if the wound left a scar.”

“It’s already fully healed.”

“Let me see.”

The Fifth Consort’s tone brooked no argument, making Fia freeze. The princess’s death was caused by a large hole being torn in her stomach by the Unsinkable Moon, but that wound had long since disappeared thanks to the nanomachines. Although there was no one else here, the act of showing her stomach in public still made Fia feel very embarrassed.

Her cheeks began to flush with shame, and her movements and tone became slightly stiff.

“Um… I had healing magic. The wound is already gone.”

“Healing magic can only treat simple injuries. How could it make a wound disappear? Dofi, although I’m very happy that you’re willing to talk to me, I won’t be fooled so easily. Let me see. If we apply the secret medicine made from the sap of the Holy Tree, it should be able to make the scar disappear completely.”

As she spoke, the Fifth Consort placed her hands on Fia’s shoulders, making Fia look directly at her. Her amber eyes were filled with a seriousness that was impossible to refuse.

Although she could have easily broken free from the grip on her shoulders, Fia felt as if another, immensely powerful force was binding her, making it impossible to escape.

Her gaze passed over the Fifth Consort’s shoulder to the other four consorts behind her. They were also looking at her with nervous and uneasy eyes.

This atmosphere… it made her want to lie, and yet not want to lie.

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Without a doubt, the princess’s mothers truly saw the princess as their own daughter. They were genuinely concerned for her, and even though she had lost her memory, that concern had not changed.

She didn’t know how the former princess had treated these consorts, her adoptive mothers, but for the current her, there was only one answer she wanted to give.

A positive, direct response, like a real daughter.

Admittedly, it was embarrassing and awkward, but she had already made her choice back when she first faced Anastasia. There was nothing to hesitate about now… If there was anything to hesitate about, it was probably the sense of unfamiliarity she felt from not having any memories of these consorts, which made it hard to be completely open with them. But everything had to be taken step by step. She would start from now, seriously and carefully nurturing this hard-won family affection.

Even so, it was still so embarrassing.

Not daring to look the Fifth Consort in the eye, Fia glanced to the side, her voice becoming a mumble.

“The wound is on my stomach…”

“Your stomach?”

“Mhm.”

As she answered, Fia undid the belt of her black formal dress. The dress, which had been cinched at her waist, instantly loosened. Then, she lifted the pleated and laced hem with both hands, revealing her snow-white, smooth abdomen underneath. Since she wasn’t wearing an undershirt, she strictly controlled the height of the hem. If her own mothers saw that she wasn’t wearing underwear, she might just have to flee Silvar overnight.

As for her lower undergarments, she was wearing puffy shorts similar to safety pants, so she wasn’t as embarrassed. Of course, “not as embarrassed” was relative. Lifting her skirt to show her stomach in front of mature ladies she had just met for the first time was not at all ladylike, and was even quite lewd. The whole thing made her feel extremely anxious, and she just wished it would be over quickly.

Fia’s action made all five consorts freeze. They looked at each other, their expressions growing complex. Two of the more delicate-looking consorts started to tear up again.

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

The sudden reaction left Fia completely baffled.

“Dofi… you really have lost your memory.”

It was the Fifth Consort who answered her again. Unlike most of the consorts, who came from families of civil officials, the Fifth Consort came from a military family and possessed the strength of a Fourth-Rank herself. Among the many consorts, she was one of the more authoritative ones.

“The old you would never have done something like this.”

“Wuuu, my Dofi…”

“We must destroy the Holy Kingdom!”

This time, it was Fia’s turn to be stunned.

Her response had apparently been a bit too drastic. Her mothers had not wanted her to go to this extent.

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This was truly… mortifying enough to make her want to roll on the ground.

I’m such an idiot!

Screaming internally, a storm raged in Fia’s mind. Her cheeks, which had only been slightly flushed, instantly turned crimson. Even her hands became incredibly stiff. Fia suspected that if she were to turn her head now, her neck would make a creaking sound like a rusty machine.

“The last time I saw Dofi’s stomach was sixty or seventy years ago… she’s really grown a lot. Not an ounce of fat, and her skin is so fair. Although it’s not something a mother should say, this stomach makes even me, as a woman, feel envious.”

While Fia was in a daze, the Fifth Consort had already squatted down to examine her carefully. However, because the former princess had always kept a certain distance from the consorts, and that sense of distance still lingered in their hearts, the Fifth Consort did not touch Fia directly, but only pointed her finger from a distance, carefully inspecting her skin.

“There really isn’t a single scar. Unbelievable. It was an injury serious enough to cause memory loss, so why hasn’t it left a single trace?”

“Uh, about that.”

Fia repeated the explanation she had given the young nobles, while discreetly lowering her skirt and re-tying her belt. For some reason, after she lowered her skirt, she felt that the other four mothers had looks of regret, as if they were disappointed not to have had a closer look.

However, Fia’s explanation did not convince the Fifth Consort. Yulisha, whose figure was impressive enough to rival Renee’s, raised her eyebrows.

“That’s not right. If you’ve lost your memory, Dofi, how can you remember that being hit by the Unsinkable Moon was part of your plan? I heard Anastasia and Liti went to the military headquarters to plead guilty. You shouldn’t distort the facts just to cover for Anastasia.”

Facing the Fifth Consort’s piercing gaze, Fia used her pre-prepared excuse. She deliberately put on a hesitant expression and shook her head lightly.

“I don’t know either… I only lost my memories of people, not my memories of magic. I still remember that if I were hit by the Unsinkable Moon, I would gain even greater power.”

“Do you think I would believe that, Dofi? You shouldn’t sacrifice yourself to cover for Anastasia. If you do something wrong, you should be punished. That’s the law of heaven. Not to mention she’s a sinner you brought back. She should have been the one to get hurt for you, not come back without a scratch.”

“I am not covering for Anastasia.”

Although it was a lie, it was a necessary one. If she could, Fia wouldn’t want to lie to her mothers, but if she didn’t, Anastasia would be hurt. Lying was the way to protect everyone.

“Yulisha, it’s already a great thing that Dofi was able to come back alive. Don’t be so demanding of her.”

“That’s right. Let’s talk about the punishment later. Dofi has just returned to the capital, and her memories are still in chaos. It’s not the right time to discuss how to punish Anastasia.”

“Besides, the current Dofi has become more approachable than before. To be honest… I’m starting to think that her losing her memory might be a good thing. It lets her forget that incompetent woman, Veronica. If we start showing Dofi more care now, maybe she won’t be so cold and quiet all the time.”

The four consorts behind the Fifth Consort gently persuaded her. Seeing the hesitation on Yulisha’s face, Mizuki, who had not dared to interject until now, finally stood beside Fia and tentatively helped out.

“How about we start by introducing ourselves? When the Second Prince was here earlier, Fia also had them start with introductions. I don’t know what Fia was like in the past, but I spoke with her for a bit before you all came. This child can’t remember anything, so she’s interested in everything.”

Mizuki’s words were the deciding factor. The Fifth Consort finally gave up on pursuing blame. She let out a long sigh, and her face, as young as Fia’s sister’s, showed a look of helplessness and heartache.

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“Alright. It’s true I was too hasty. I find it hard to calm my anger without holding someone responsible for this. I shouldn’t have agreed to let Dofi go to the Holy Kingdom in the first place… My name is Yulisha. I am the Fifth Consort, and also your childhood swordsmanship teacher, Dofi. I spent more time with you than the other consorts.”

There was one thing Yulisha didn’t say: that she had, in fact, already come to see Fia as her own child.

Everyone in the palace already knew that the Elf King was only in love with Queen Veronica and had not the slightest affection for the other consorts. Yulisha had long given up hope of having children with him, and because she had invested so much emotion without any return, she had become resistant to contact with him.

Therefore, Fia, who had been placed in her care as a child, could be said to have been the recipient of all her emotions and hopes.

As for why the Elf King had seventeen wives when he only loved Veronica, it was because most of these were political marriages. Some of them, like the Second and Third Consorts, were women who had been married to him when he was still a prince, similar to Liti’s betrothal at birth. The rest were either “tools” used by great nobles to strengthen their ties with the royal family, or “tributes” sent by vassal states to secure peace.

And Yulisha was not the only one to have poured the affection that should have been given to her own offspring onto Fia. With the exception of a few who were still in love with the Elf King or still held out hope of having his children, almost all the remaining consorts were the same. Among them, the five standing before Fia were the most devoted.

On the one hand, they no longer held any illusions about the Elf King. On the other, the contrast between Veronica abandoning Fia and Fia’s own clever and well-behaved nature had turned their initial pity into a stirred maternal instinct, and they had begun to take care of her seriously.

Now, they had long considered Fia their own daughter—although the princess’s cold personality had prevented them from being too close to the grown-up her, that very fact made them feel even more that she needed their care, because all of this was the creation of her mother, Veronica, who did not know how to cherish her.

It didn’t take long for Fia to memorize the names of her five mothers. Then, just as she had with the young nobles, she began to recount her experiences over the past month. However, unlike the young nobles who were interested in powerful enemies like the Moon Dragon and the Despair Demon General, the moment she mentioned Claire, the Fifth Consort, Yulisha, stopped her.

Her amber eyes reminded Fia of a predator that had just scented its prey. And not just Yulisha, but the other four consorts, and even Mizuki, were all listening with deep attention, their expressions full of interest.

“Dofi, you… have someone you like?”

“Ho ho~ To think that the Dofi who spent all her time in the library could have someone she likes. I thought it would be another hundred years before Dofi awakened to the desire for a partner.”

“Eh?”

Fia was momentarily stunned.

She clearly hadn’t mentioned her relationship with Claire, and had even deliberately skipped over that part. How had her mothers heard it?

She quickly blushed and explained.

“N-no, it’s not what you’re thinking, Mother Yulisha.”

“Ah…”

This time it was Yulisha’s turn to be stunned. For some reason, her eyes visibly reddened, and a crystalline glint of tears appeared. Yulisha quickly turned her head away and covered her mouth with one hand, but the abnormality was obvious to everyone. Fia, thinking she had said something wrong, asked frantically.

“Mother Yulisha, did I say something wrong?”

“No, I’m just a little emotional…”

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Because she was covering her mouth, Yulisha’s voice sounded muffled, and there was a clear sob mixed in.

“I… it’s the first time you’ve ever called me Mother, Dofi…”

“I… never called you that before?”

“No, never. And since you grew up, Dofi, we’ve rarely seen each other.”

The Sixth Consort’s reply was full of resentment. She looked away and said in a very deliberate tone.

“How nice. I want Dofi to call me Mother too.”

“Then…”

Although it was a bit embarrassing, just a single “Mother” was nothing. Fia tried to say it.

“Mother Beverly?”

“Ho ho, as expected of my little Dofi, so good~ Tell me, what do you want? I can get you almost anything in the kingdom.”

Although she didn’t lose her composure and cry like Yulisha, the Sixth Consort still showed considerable joy. She patted Fia’s head vigorously, making Fia feel like she was being treated like a child.

Although in front of her mothers, she really was a child—wait, so does this mean that even if she acts a little spoiled now, she won’t be seen as unladylike or immature?

Once she thought that, Fia’s sense of shame lessened a great deal. She even found the head-patting quite enjoyable and comfortable.

“Then what about me? It’s too unfair for it to be just Yulisha and Beverly! I clearly doted on Dofi a lot too! You even drank my milk when you were a child, Dofi!”

“Me too!”

“Don’t forget me!”

The scene quickly evolved into the consorts demanding that Fia call them “Mother” one by one. Of course, Fia couldn’t refuse and had to go through them all.

As a result, the consorts were completely convinced that the current Fia was quite different from the past. They no longer had to maintain their distance as they had before. The result was that Fia was soon surrounded by the five consorts like their own daughter, being chided for not combing and maintaining her hair properly, being pinched here and there, and the topic even developed into how the current Fia was too thin and needed to eat more to get bigger breasts and a bigger butt—comments that left one at a loss for how to react.

But it was precisely because of this that Fia felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction, as if from the moment she had called them “Mother,” she had truly connected with them. She had truly become an elf with mothers. Whether it was concern or scolding remarks, everything transformed into something that made her feel warm all over, something she didn’t want to leave.

Although it wasn’t to the point where she couldn’t help but cry, as she had with Anastasia, she couldn’t suppress a heartfelt smile. Even though the whole process lasted less than half an hour, it had become an inseparable part of her heart. Her mothers’ feelings for her were sincere, an undisguised care. There was no doubt about that.

It was just that this love was a bit too heavy and thick, making it hard to breathe—so thought Fia, who was being held tightly in the Fifth Consort’s embrace.