“Leo, where are my grandchildren?”
The old hag had invaded Chronos Palace.
To make matters worse, she was accompanied by the Loli-Obachan Group from the inner palace. She had come all this way just to see her grandkids.
“Mrs. Kamishiro has been extremely helpful to us.”
“Oh, stop it—you’re far too kind!”
The loli-aunties and my mom were in high spirits. They were already Besties.
She was exactly the kind of monster I expected, considering she managed the Kamishiro Territory all by herself. She had handled the VIP travel arrangements without breaking a sweat. And somehow, she had already made friends with them.
Even though we weren’t blood-related, I felt a deep bond in that moment. I was certain that I was truly this woman's son.
“Uh, just to confirm... you’re recognizing them as your grandchildren?”
She threw a punch without warning.
“Oof!”
“What a pathetic thing to say! Have I ever once distinguished between you and your elder brothers?!”
“I’ve never been discriminated against... you raised all of us just as poorly!”
That was true. The bar had been low, but it had been equal for everyone.
“Exactly! Our home remained stable only because we had a common enemy—your father!”
Pops... you really were hated by your wife, weren't you?
It was true that I wasn't very close with my first elder brother because of our age gap, but Big Brother Sam and I were raised just as carelessly under the same conditions. We were basically dumped on nanny robots. Even when we fought, I was rarely the one who got scolded unreasonably. Or rather, I never once managed to beat Big Brother Sam when we were kids. Since he was the one beating me to a pulp, he was the one who got scolded way more often.
“The proof of his character is that your father didn't come to see his grandchildren, even though he’s perfectly free!”
“That old geezer...”
They were his blood-related grandkids, damn it! As the former head of the house, he had an obligation to come see the current head of the clan!
“He kept drinking sweet liquor and eating sweets until his diabetes—which should have been cured by nanomachines—flared up again. His liver went downhill all at once, and now he’s been hospitalized. I’m washed my hands of him!”
“Ah, right...”
In the Galactic Empire, diabetes was treatable. You just had to use nanomachines to reconstruct the islets of Langerhans. It wasn’t a particularly difficult procedure. However, if it was Type II and there were lifestyle issues that couldn't be corrected even with treatment, the patient was admitted to a psychiatric ward for addiction. It was essentially rehab for alcohol and sugar.
He would probably use being ousted from the headship as an excuse, but the bastard had diabetes long before that. What an idiot. The fact that there were still so many patients whose feet rotted off because of those habits showed just how deep the problem went.
“What about my brothers?”
“They’re both busy and can’t leave their workplaces.”
I supposed that made sense. My first elder brother, who had become an engineer, was apparently being worked to death because everyone had massive expectations of him just for being my brother. As for Big Brother Sam, his work had increased so much because his territory was booming that he couldn't get away. He was now a regular in feudal lord magazines and economic magazines. They were even calling him a candidate for the next Chancellor.
Both Wifey and I, knowing the real him, were dead set against it. The guy was a visible landmine whose ESP was abnormally powerful despite him being a total idiot. I wasn't joking—he could aim for a coup and seize the imperial throne with nothing but his ESP. We had to keep him sealed away on Planet Kamishiro.
Fairy-san, Leonidas-kun, and Big Brother Sam... why was everyone around me a boss-tier entity?!
Well, setting that aside, the crowd of us barged into Wifey’s room.
“Veronica-chan, we’re here!”
“M-Mother! Why are you here?!”
I realized then that nobody had told her. I made eye contact with a lady-in-waiting, and she leaned in to whisper to me.
“She ordered us to stay silent because she wanted to surprise her.”
“Sorry. The chaos in the chain of command is my responsibility...”
First, I apologized to the lady-in-waiting. Then I apologized honestly to Wifey.
“Sorry, Wifey. It was a lapse in confirmation on my part.”
“Lord Groom is doing well. The ones at fault are Mother and the others.”
“Oh my, oh my! So this is our grandchild! How precious!”
They weren't listening at all. Unpleasant information never seemed to enter an auntie's ears.
My mom stood tall and straight, maintaining the dignity of the mistress of House Kamishiro.
“Mom, aren't you going to look at your grandchild?”
“I have the lowest status here. It is a vassal’s duty to provide guidance and support.”
She really was a proper noble. Everything she said was technically correct. She was majestic, and though there was a certain distance between us, I suspected she would have been much happier if she had become a soldier instead of marrying someone like Pops. That was why, even though I thought she was a shitty old hag, she was still my parent. She was the type who spoke with her back. Now that I was a parent myself, I could somewhat understand her, though I certainly didn't want to become that kind of parent.
“Umu, my apologies. I am the Galactic Empire Emperor Veronica.”
“I offer my greetings to the Emperor. Lisa Kamishiro, Chief Wet Nurse, has arrived to serve.”
“U-Umu. Work hard. Will you look at the grandchild?”
“Understood! I offer my greetings to the Prince!”
The moment she saw the baby, her face twitched into a tiny smirk. What was that expression? She gave a sharp bow and returned to her position against the wall. Then, looking at me as I waited against the same wall, she spoke in a pointed tone.
“By the way, Leo... where are the sextuplets?”
She smiled. I responded with a greasy smile of my own. This was a stalling tactic. I would protect my kittens!
However, Wifey let out a weary sigh.
“I shall deal with Mother and the others. Lord Groom, guide the Marchioness to Ren’s side.”
“Eh...”
“Just go and show her the grandkids!”
I was effectively kicked out. We moved through the palace until we reached Ren’s room, where the kittens were meowing up a storm.
“Husband-sama?”
“Ren, this is my mother.”
“M-Mother-in-law!”
“Pleased to meet you, Third Queen Consort of Chronos. I am Lisa Kamishiro, who has been granted the honor of serving as the Chief Wet Nurse.”
My mom knelt on the floor.
“P-Please, you don’t have to kneel! Um, here are your grandchildren...”
Ren showed her the kittens she was carrying in her baby slings.
“My, my, my, my! How adorable!”
“Husband-sama, is your mother accustomed to the Beast Race? I heard that marriages with the Normal Species often lead to trouble when the family sees the children...”
That was a common fear. Having trouble with the family home was a frequent occurrence because discrimination against the Beast Race ran deep. But it seemed there was no problem here.
“She’s simply the type who doesn't worry about the small details.”
That was the truth of it. My mom was the "don't sweat the small stuff" type. It likely wasn't a matter of gender or being an Imperial Noble; she just didn't care about the little things. She was particular about her lifestyle and etiquette as a noble, but everything else was whatever to her.
“My, my, my, my, my!”
Her excitement was hitting the roof.
“Ah, Mom. Let them catch your scent so they remember you. Their bodies aren't fully developed yet, so absolutely no touching.”
“Is that so? It’s your grandma, little ones!”
She let them catch her scent. Usually, she was an old hag with a permanent scowl, but she was making a face I had never seen before. She hadn't even looked like that when I became King. This was at a "who is this stranger" level. Her smile was completely loose and goofy.
“You’re such good babies. You must be tired. Grandma is going home now.”
Seriously, who was this woman?
“Then, Third Queen Consort. I bid you farewell.”
With that, my mom left the room like a passing storm.
“Ren... I’m kind of sorry about that.”
“N-No, you have it rough too, Husband-sama.”
Yeah... thanks.