Steel, Guns, and the Industrial Party in Another World-Chapter 658: The Reunion
Chapter 658: The Reunion
TL: Rui88
In the study of the Lord’s Manor in Lakeheart Town.
Paul sat upright, with Ladi Sertia seated beside him.
Of course, he could not immediately believe that woman’s words.
Besides Ladi, he had taken other precautions. A pistol was placed on the table.
Mariana and Nathan were brought in.
Mariana’s eyes swept over every corner of the study, a look of reminiscence on her face.
“The decoration of this castle has changed a lot, but this room has remained as it was.”
Ladi felt a bit strange. Had her teacher been here before?
Paul did not respond. He asked the attendant who had led Mariana in, “Where is Butler Philip? I need him here at once.”
The attendant replied, “I will go and find him immediately.”
Paul added another sentence, “And Cecil and Bryce. I hope they can come here at once too.”
“As you command!”
The attendant left.
Mariana looked at Paul with a charming smile. “What, you still don’t believe me?”
Paul gestured with his hand. “Please, sit. Perhaps you can wet your throats with the water on the coffee table first. Later… there will be much to say.”
Ladi grew even more confused and asked, “What on earth is going on?”
Paul shrugged. “This woman—your teacher—says she is my mother.”
“Pfft!” Nathan, who was holding a cup of water, sprayed it all out.
Ladi was so shocked she could not speak, her eyes wide as saucers.
Nathan put down his cup and said with a terrified expression, “No, Mom, this isn’t true!”
Regarding the matter of Paul being his brother, Nathan had intuitively felt that his mother was not lying, but he had not dared to face it.
But if it was true, another possibility followed, which had thrown his mind into confusion for a long time.
“It is true!” Mariana looked at her second son and said seriously:
“Nathan, you have a surname—Grayman. Your full name is Nathan Grayman, and I am Mariana Grayman.”
Paul waved his hand in front of Ladi’s face to bring her back to her senses. “That’s the situation.”
At that moment, a knocking sound, ‘thump thump’, came from the door.
Paul snapped his fingers. “Butler Philip is here. The truth of the matter will be revealed soon. Lady, I am a magnanimous person. If it is false, you still have one last chance.”
“You actually doubt your own mother! I should give you a few spanks on your bottom to make you remember,” Mariana thought to herself.
Guilt, longing, urgency, sadness, resentment… a mixture of various emotions made her slightly irrational.
Seeing her give no response, Paul called out, “Come in, Butler Philip.”
The old butler pushed the door open and entered. Mariana also turned to look at the doorway.
The door stopped halfway open. Philip saw her.
“It has been a long time, Philip.” Mariana’s voice held a trace of excitement upon seeing her old servant.
“My lady…” A choked sound came from the old butler’s throat, and his somewhat cloudy eyes instantly became moist.
Alright, so it was true.
Paul was finally certain.
—
…
“I had originally intended to live a peaceful life in Northwest Bay as an ordinary person.”
Mariana sat on the sofa, recounting the events of more than a decade ago.
“But the dogs of the Holy See who were tracking me followed me here and secretly searched for my whereabouts.”
“At that time, I had just given birth to Nathan, and my use of magic was extremely unstable. If my identity as a witch were to be confirmed, I would have been powerless to resist.”
“In desperation, I had no choice but to bear the pain of parting with you and your father, leaving Northwest Bay with Nathan, and claiming to have died of an illness to the outside world.”
…
“I stayed in Horn Bay for a very long time, and there I taught Ladi how to use magic.”
“After that, we went further inland and joined the Arcane Society there.”
…
Taking nearly two hours, Mariana briefly recounted her experiences over the years.
Philip took out a handkerchief and kept wiping his eyes.
“Lady Mariana, you have suffered all these years!”
Mariana gave a bitter smile. “It wasn’t too difficult. Compared to those wizards who met with tragic ends, we were still fortunate.”
“It’s just…”
Her eyes reddened, and glistening tears welled up.
“I wasn’t able to see Hart one last time before he passed away.”
Hart was the old Grayman’s name.
Only after arriving in Alda did she learn that her husband had passed away. She had hidden away and cried her heart out.
She had even once wanted to kill Edward, who was traveling with her.
From the intelligence she had gathered, she learned that it was this pirate leader’s departure that had left the pirates of the Northwest Seas without restraint, which in turn led to her husband’s death. Edward bore indirect responsibility.
But she had desperately suppressed this thought—at least, she could not act on it yet.
Those present now were her son, her servant, and her student; there were no outsiders. Coupled with confessing a secret she had hidden for many years, Mariana could not help but cry again.
Ladi stood up, walked over, and silently hugged her teacher tightly.
Philip tried his best to comfort her. “Please accept my condolences, my lady. The old master would have been overjoyed if he knew you could return to this home.”
He then looked at Nathan. The young man was watching his crying mother, at a loss.
He swore to heaven, he had never seen his mother cry once since he could remember.
All along, the image Mariana had shown him was one of strength, optimism, composure, and wisdom.
“Young Master Nathan.”
Butler Philip’s eyes were red, but his face was full of relief.
“You have also grown into a healthy young man. I believe the old master must be very pleased in heaven.”
Nathan’s lips moved, completely unsure how to respond.
“Why did you take… my brother away back then? With a child, I imagine it was very inconvenient.”
Paul, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.
“That’s because…”
A trace of panic inexplicably rose in Mariana’s heart—was her eldest son blaming her?
“Your brother inherited my talent. He showed an affinity for magic right after he was born. If I hadn’t taken him with me, he, who at that time had no idea how to disguise himself, would have been quickly exposed.”
“So that’s how it is.” Paul nodded. “Alright, let’s talk about the Arcane Society again.”
“Count Grayman!” Ladi called out to him, her tone tinged with accusation.
She walked over to Paul’s side, leaned down, and said in a low voice, “I think you should give your mother and brother a hug first.”
Paul stood stunned for a moment, then walked over to Mariana and extended his arms.
“Welcome home, my mother.”
Before he could finish his words, Mariana suddenly hugged him.
“My child, do you know how much mother has missed you?”
Paul stood stiffly, allowing his mother to embrace and gently sniff him.
“Almost every night, you would appear in my dreams.”
Is that so?
Paul was very puzzled, and there was also a hint of resentment mixed in.
Then why were you in such a hurry to leave Alda?
If I hadn’t stopped you, this scene would not have happened.
.
!
Chapter 658: The Reunion
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