"My son is watching with me tonight, so make sure you perform splendidly. Show us your best performance. If I don't see my son smiling at the end, not only will you not be paid, I'll take your lives too, got it?" The empress stood backstage and loudly warned the actors and actresses. Not one of them dared to raise their head. They just stood there and quivered. Perhaps they were feeling more nervous than their first ever performance. If they messed up in the past, it would just result in not earning anything. But if they messed up this time, it would be all over. Moreover, who knows what the h.e.l.l the prince likes? If they couldn't put a smile on his face, they were done for.

The actors and actresses replied loudly: "Understood!"

There's a theatre inside the palace, but it's not large. The largest theatre in the royal capital is called the Golden Theatre. It can hold an audience of several tens of thousands. That is the place where n.o.bility enjoys their night life. After they finish watching plays, they go to bath houses that operate twenty-four hours a day to take a bath before returning home to enjoy some wine. The empress doesn't usually come here. While the experience here is somewhat superior, the empress's appearance would cause a huge fuss, so mom rarely goes out to enjoy plays. Or rather, mom doesn't really like plays.

The theatre in the palace isn't large. Only close retainers are permitted to access it. However, there were only two people in the theatre of the royal palace tonight. The other people were all servants and Valkyries. I sat on the second floor in a daze, watching the stage. Nier stood behind me at the door with her hand on her sword handle. Next to her was the cute and pet.i.te Alice. Alice is really cute. She's pretty like a Barbie doll and she looks like a kid when she smiles. She held a folding fan and looked quite stylish too.

Unfortunately, I knew the loli could smash a boulder to smithereens with a single punch. And she's the same age as my mother……

Castell placed a plate of fruit on the table by my side. It's not very easy to find fruit to eat in winter. Castell then placed a pile of snacks on the table as well as potato chips. I don't know if the potatoes here are the same as the ones back home. But Castell then quickly placed a small plate of salt next to the chips.

"Is there anything else you want to eat, your majesty?"

Castell, who was by my side chuckled. I shook my head and said: "No, thank you, Castell."

"I feel that you have something on your mind." Castell's eyes were as brilliant as ever. He looked at me with a smile and continued, "If it is about the matter we discussed last time, my suggestion remains the same. You wouldn't have gone to the church to dig for information, have you?"

"It's not about the church. I didn't go to the church. I'm concerned about something else."

"If you are concerned about something else, you can speak to me about it. I cannot guarantee that I can resolve it, but I can provide suggestions…… Mmm, your majesty."

Castell cut himself off. I turned around and spotted mom sitting in a chair on the other side looking at me with a doting smile. She took some food and anxiously placed it in front of me. She then took the initiative to grab a bottle of wine, filled my cup with it and then excitedly said: "This is the first time I'm watching a play with you, son. What do you want to watch son? What do you want to eat? Just tell me and I'll see that it's done. Oh, right, do you want a roast chicken?"

"No, I'm alright, mom."

I raised my cup, looked at mom and then said: "Thank you, mom."

"Ah…… Oh…… Uhm, no worries!"

Mom cheerfully raised her cup of wine and clinked it with mine before finis.h.i.+ng it in one shot. Mommy giddily turned around and looked forward. The actors and actresses took to the stage to begin their performance. This play should be some traditional folk tale. In other words, one of those stories where the main protagonist achieves some grand feat, with a hero that never gives up and then the princess runs into his arms.

I've never seen a stage play. I used to only watch movies in the past so I'm not qualified to judge the quality of the play. However, I noticed that mom who was beside me, wasn't paying any attention to the play. She was stealing glances at me the entire time. Every time I smiled or looked relaxed, mommy would express her smile with her entire body. If I were to look gloomy, mom would look gloomy too.

I felt that mom was much more interesting than the play. But in all fairness, the actors and actresses did their best. At the scene where the princess looked at the hero and cried, she was crying for real. Right, I should politely applaud such a professional performance even if I don't really enjoy stage plays. Consequently, I did my best to concentrate on the play, but my mind kept wandering off.

I couldn't stop thinking about the thirty-thousand gold coins matter.

If I make mom happy and then talk to her about it, I might just be able to get thirty-thousand gold coins.

I continuously tried interacting with mom for the sake of that. Honestly speaking, the chances for us to interact were very few. That was probably because we drank non-stop. As a result of that, my head started spinning before I couldn't even finish watching the play. Mom was cheerfully drinking non-stop as if though she really enjoyed having me pour her drinks. Hence, I gave it my best to forcefully drink until my body turned to jelly in my seat.

Just as I was about to pa.s.s out, Castell stopped the empress who was about to pour more wine and whispered into her ear:  "Your majesty…… It looks like his majesty is drunk."

The empress looked at I who had flopped into his chair and elatedly exclaimed: "Hurry then! Hurry and take him to my room. My son is drunk so I need to look after him. Take my son to my room! Wait, no! I'll carry him myself!!"

Wait! Wait! Wait! Aren't the roles reversed in the wrong way here? Carrying someone drunk to the bedroom… The roles are reversed in the wrong way here, aren't they?!!

I didn't have the strength to resist though. Mom happily kicked the small table between us away, leapt over and hugged me tightly before picking me up, princess-carry style. You know, it was a little embarra.s.sing to be carried like that as a guy. However, my head naturally leaned onto mom's generous bosom. A fragrance that numbed my entire body persuaded my body to struggling.

"Haa…… Haa…… My son….. my son is sleeping in my arms…… Ah…… holding my son…… It's the first time… the first time I've been able to hold my son like this……"

Mom panted heavily. She couldn't possibly be any more excited than she already was. She stamped her feet and drummed with her hands like a kid that finally got the toy he wanted and while eager to play with it, was afraid of damaging it. Mom clumsily held me as though she were worried I couldn't sleep comfortably. Her body froze up. She then lowered her head and carefully kissed me on my cheek.

"Your majesty, do you wish to continue watching?"

Castell smiled helplessly as he looked at the performers on stage s.h.i.+vering in their boots. Because the empress smashed the table, they thought they were about to lose their lives. However, they didn't see how excited the empress was. The empress hadn't been so excited in a very long time.

Castell himself also felt that his question was pointless.

"What's there to watch? My son is much more interesting than them. Pay them and let them go. I have to go and take care of my son!" The empress cheerfully held her son and skipped out of the theatre like she was doing a small jog. She didn't wear her clothes. Instead, she covered me with it.

I have to say… mom doesn't really know how to look after children……