Episode 2: My Mom and the Three Men

“So, the protagonist was a maid who helped out with the mage’s chores. But she was beautiful.”

[Oh my, I spilled tea on the mage’s clothes by mistake… I’m so sorry! Let me clean it up for you.]

“Right, that went well? The protagonist successfully seduces the mage. But the protagonist is not satisfied with only this.”

[You’re the CEO of Ervil Corporation? Even so, you shouldn’t treat a servant like this.]

“Even a wealthy tycoon doing magic business, said that she was the first woman to treat him like this, and he immediately fell for her. But!”

[I’ve been waiting for this day. The moment I dance with His Majesty the Emperor at the ball.]

“The tycoon was played. The protagonist, once she got her royal banquet invitation, immediately started a new romance.”

[You say all three of you love me? But I can’t choose any of you. Oh, but please don’t become obsessed! Don’t look for me.]

“After playing with the three men to her heart’s content, when their obsession grew too much, the protagonist runs away. And that’s it. There’s no sequel. It’s… a bit lacking in plausibility, right? But still, it’s enjoyable for passing the time with the visuals. Ah, but definitely don’t watch it with your family.”

The voice of this YouTuber was the last one I heard before I died.

The next thing I heard was the sound of a screech—bang, something like that.

Anyway.

The story of a woman who manipulates the master of the mage tower, the richest tycoon on the continent, and the emperor who rules the empire—putting them all under her control.

To summarize, that was the plot of The Red-Haired Girl and the Three Men.

And the protagonist was none other than my mom in my second life, Lorelei Monati.

‘It seems like she gave birth to me after running away from those men.’

Was it embarrassing that my mom was the protagonist of an adult novel?

No, actually, I couldn’t be more grateful.

‘If my mom wasn’t the Lorelei Monati, she wouldn’t have had the abilities she did.’

Healing power.

A special talent of my mom’s that was more incredible than any magic and more sacred than any saint’s prayer.

That was the second secret my mom had used to keep the power players of the empire from breaking free from her.

The first, of course, was her beauty.

I muttered, poring over the daily newspaper article.

“The last trace of her was found by the riverside…”

The river was about a 20-minute run from our house.

Even if she had caught on fire, as long as she had managed to put it out, mom would have been able to heal herself in no time. She could hold her breath underwater for a long time, and she swam like a mermaid, so she wouldn’t have drowned.

But why hasn’t she returned yet?

The only answer I could think of was one.

“She must have been swept away by a strong current and floated far downstream.”

My mom… she probably can’t find her way back home!

It was a relief that she didn’t seem to be dead, but I was worried whether she’d be able to make it home safely.

“…She probably won’t find her way back.”

Mom was terrible with directions, even when going to the grocery store that was only 30 minutes away, where she had visited every week for years.

What should I do? Could the investigation bureau find her? Was there anything I could do…?

Nothing good came to mind. In this world with no internet, a 9-year-old couldn’t do much.

Then, I suddenly remembered the three letters that had arrived with the newspaper earlier.

Since the incident had caused such a stir, maybe these were messages of help directed at me?

‘Maybe there’s a child relief organization here, too?’

I spread the three envelopes on the floor with some hope.

The first envelope was yellow and stiff. It had a gold-trimmed border and was sealed with what looked like molten gold. Inside…

“…The royal seal?”

I gasped, holding my breath for a moment.

It took me a second to recognize the sender.

My mom’s ex, the Emperor.

“Then, the next one…”

A jet-black envelope. It was unusually long, with an odd ratio. There seemed to be nothing written on it, but in bold black ink, the word “FABIAN” was clearly stamped on it.

“My mom’s ex, The Master of the Mage Tower!”

The last envelope was a pristine white one, following the exact specifications of the empire’s standards. Even the writing on the back was flawless.

“Massimo di Ervil.”

This was my mom’s rich ex.

Why had I completely overlooked that?

If my mom’s name and home address had been published in the newspaper, then there was a chance they might show up!

“…What do I do?”

I stared down at the three letters I had left untouched, unable to touch them, my hand over my mouth.

The Emperor, The Master of the Mage Tower, the Rich Tycoon.

One of them might be my biological father.

But honestly, they were all just too terrifying to me.

“What did they do to make mom run away like that?”

My mom was the bravest and most fearless person I had ever met in both my lives.

If these were the men who had forced her to run away and hide for 9 years, just how terrifying were they?

I couldn’t bring myself to touch the letters for a long while, just staring at them warily.

How long had I been doing this?

Knock knock!

“Ah!”

Someone knocked on the door.

Thankfully, it was an investigator who had come to speak with me about my mom’s whereabouts, which had been discovered the previous night.

We took a quick carriage ride to the riverbank.

As soon as the carriage stopped, the investigator jumped out from the small trunk-like carriage and pulled out a cigarette.

I hadn’t been told anything, but I decided to follow him anyway.

The investigator puffed out smoke and pointed his lit cigarette toward the riverbank.

“Isn’t that your mom’s shoe?”

Among the grass, one of her dark green shoes was lying around.

It was the same shoe I had seen in a photo on the Daily Carrot.

When I stayed silent, the investigator asked again, this time with a more irritable expression.

“I said, is it your mom’s? Can’t you speak? I heard you survived without a scratch.”

He flicked ash from his cigarette and looked me up and down.

“Are you mute?”

“Ugh!”

I instinctively screamed and shrank back. The ashes from his cigarette scattered all over the place, and I instinctively avoided the embers.

“What? I knew you could talk. Just say it’s hers, so we can finish the procedure, damn it.”

I did my best to avoid glaring at him and nodded.

“Yes, it’s my mom’s shoe.”

“Good.”

The investigator smiled as if relieved, throwing the cigarette butt into the river.

“Finally, I can finish the investigation.”

“Huh?”

I hurriedly spoke to him.

“But mom still hasn’t been found. She’s really good at swimming. She can dive for a long time, too! So she couldn’t have died. Even if she was swept downstream, please investigate the lower areas…”

However, it seemed like none of my words were reaching his ears.

I had to force myself to keep my emotions in check, raising my voice.

“Then what about the arsonist? You should catch the criminal!”

The investigator tilted his head, looking puzzled.

“He’s already dead. Why bother?”

“What do you mean?”

“The one who set the fire was probably your mom. People like her, careless housewives, start fires and then turn it into a big incident… Tch.”

“What?!”

I was about to protest angrily when I stopped.

The man had taken out another cigarette and lit it.

I had completely forgotten the memory of the flames from the incident, but now, whenever I saw fire, my body instinctively recoiled.

“What?”

The investigator glared at me as if asking if I had a problem with it. I had no choice but to step back. There was nothing else I could do.

My short and thin limbs looked cute, but they were useless in a confrontation.

“Now, since we’re done, take this and go home.”

The investigator roughly grabbed the shoe and tossed it into my arms.

“…!”

The sharp heel hit my ribs, sending a sharp pain through my body. It felt like I had been punched in the chest.

I decided not to scream. This was my mom’s shoe, after all. Nothing from mom could hurt me.

Biting my lip, I glared at the back of the investigator’s head, but suddenly, I sensed something strange.

The investigator, who had been casually about to turn and board the carriage, suddenly started to step backward.

“Wha—What…!”

Only when I peeked around his plump body did I realize what was happening.

A massive golden carriage had parked beside the investigator’s smaller one, looking like it could compete with the sun itself in brilliance.

A man who was clearly the owner of the golden carriage slowly approached, his footsteps slow and deliberate.