Chapter 364: Side Story - Because I'm a Mom
An abandoned theater in the capital's old district.
"Such a pretty little thing, no matter how many times I look at it."
Perbond, the leader of the criminal organization alliance, grinned greedily as he gazed at the red diamond in his hand.
This red diamond, whose price was said to be whatever one cared to name, was an item Perbond had acquired after immense hardship.
I wasted years getting my hands on this, but...
...when he considered the red diamond's value, all his efforts seemed trivial.
The moment he sold this jewel, he would be able to live the rest of his life without a single worry about money.
As Perbond let out a sinister laugh, imagining his guaranteed future of success, he froze.
Hasty footsteps were approaching from the hallway.
Just as he was wondering what it was, the door burst open with a bang! and one of his subordinates rushed into the office.
The subordinate, breathing heavily, spoke with a grave expression.
"B-Boss, we're in trouble! You have to get away!"
At the word "away," Perbond's brow furrowed.
"What's going on? Did the police raid us?"
"No, it's not that. But Martor showed up with some woman, and the atmosphere is strange. He kept glancing at her, like he was terrified."
"...Martor?"
Martor was the head of an organization that served as the enforcer for the alliance, which had been formed after they could no longer withstand the pressure from the Imperial police.
Not only was he reasonably skilled, but Martor and his men were also notoriously ill-tempered.
They rarely listened to anyone, which had made forming the alliance a real headache.
For such a man to guide a strange woman here with a terrified look on his face felt deeply unsettling to the subordinate.
Of course, he wasn't urging his boss to flee just because Martor looked scared.
After catching his breath, the subordinate spoke with a troubled heart.
"I'm not sure if I saw correctly, but the woman who came here... she looks like the Prime Minister's wife I saw in the newspaper once."
"What? The Prime Minister's wife came here alone? For what reason?"
"If I knew that, would I be acting like this? Anyway, something's not right, so you need to run..."
CRASH—
Perbond and his subordinate flinched at the sound of something breaking.
Immediately after, a series of gunshots rang out.
The screams of men punctuated the loud, echoing gunfire.
They clearly weren't a woman's screams, and a cold sweat broke out on Perbond's brow.
"Dammit!"
He didn't know what was happening, but he had a very bad feeling about it.
Sensing the danger, Perbond placed the red diamond in its jewel box and started to move, box in hand.
He hurried out of the office and down the stairs to the first floor.
Perbond entered the stage area, where the gunshots had come from, to assess the situation—and froze on the spot.
"..."
Dozens of his men were lying on the seats and floor, their bodies twitching.
On the stage, a woman with silver-white hair stood catching her breath, a single dull dagger in her hand.
Perbond saw blood dripping from the dagger and took a step back, but it was too late.
"Stop."
Her chilling voice carried an irresistible authority.
An instinctual warning that he might die if he disobeyed brought his body to a halt.
As Perbond swallowed hard, Lucy turned and walked toward him.
Leaving bloody footprints in her wake, Lucy approached Perbond and spoke, her face weary.
"I heard it's here. So tell me where it is."
"I don't know what you're talking about..."
"Don't play dumb. If you lie, I will kill all of your men. And you won't leave this place alive either."
Lucy's grip on the dagger's hilt tightened.
"If my child isn't safe, I will not forgive you. I will use every method I know to make your death as painful as possible."
Her words were filled with genuine intent.
A faint aura of killing intent rose around her.
Realizing he could no longer deny it, Perbond nodded frantically.
"I'll give it to you! I'll give it to you, so please, calm down!"
With that, Perbond held out the jewel box to Lucy.
"The item is here! You can just have it, so please, spare my life!"
Now it was Lucy's turn to be bewildered.
She took the box and opened it to see the red diamond nestled in the center of the pristine white lining.
"Ah..."
Only then did Lucy realize that "the child with red eyes" referred to this jewel. She raised a hand to her forehead.
Thinking she had caused a commotion over a foolish misunderstanding, Lucy let out a low sigh.
"Haaah..."
But even though the misunderstanding was cleared up, nothing had changed.
She still didn't know where Erica was.
Lucy closed the lid and tossed the jewel box aside carelessly.
Then, she started walking toward the theater entrance.
"Erica."
Perbond could only blink blankly, unable to comprehend Lucy's actions.
But from Lucy's perspective, it was only natural that something like a jewel wouldn't even register.
"Where are you? Erica..."
Because for a mother, the most precious thing is none other than her child.
*
"Don't go too far! Stay and play around here!"
At Daniel's shout, Erica, who was running around in the outdoor garden of the Prime Minister's official residence, raised a hand and waved.
"Okay!"
Watching her, Daniel clasped his hands behind his back and sighed.
I wonder who she takes after to be so energetic...
Unlike other children, who were relatively calm, Erica was exceptionally active.
Not that he'd ever thought he disliked it, of course.
As he was watching Erica play in the garden, he heard footsteps nearby.
He turned his head to see Phelps approaching, who quickly bowed his head.
"Your Excellency. Your wife has arrived. She doesn't look well, so it would be best if you saw her quickly..."
Before Phelps could finish, Lucy appeared.
Seeing Lucy enter the garden, Daniel was involuntarily startled.
The dress she wore for going out was stained with blood in several places.
To top it off, the hem of the dress was torn, as if she had just come from a fight.
On top of that...
Her exhausted face was completely devoid of life.
A stunned Daniel approached Lucy.
"Lucy? Where have you been? Are you hurt?"
Facing Daniel, Lucy could only shake her head weakly.
After hesitating for a long moment, she spoke in a barely audible voice.
"I'm... sorry."
Tears welled up in Lucy's eyes.
"Erica disappeared. I tried so hard to find her, but..."
A single tear that had gathered in the corner of her eye streamed down her cheek.
"I failed. I suppose I'm a failure as a mother. I swore... I swore I would build a happy family with you..."
Biting her lip hard to hold back her sobs, Lucy looked at Daniel.
"Daniel. We have to find Erica. She could be out there somewhere right now, crying for me. So please, put off scolding me for my mistake for just a little while, and for now..."
Daniel raised his hand and wiped the corner of Lucy's eye.
While Lucy paused, swallowing her words, Daniel spoke as calmly as he could.
"You must have had a hard time. But don't worry anymore. Erica is here."
"...Here?"
Her eyes showed she didn't understand what he meant.
Just as Daniel was about to explain the situation, Erica popped out from a nearby bush.
"Daddy! I made a flower crown for you..."
Erica's voice trailed off.
She had spotted Lucy standing there, a complete mess.
It was the first time she had ever seen her mother, who was always so neat and perfect, looking so broken.
"...Mommy?"
As Erica called out awkwardly, Lucy slowly walked forward.
Lucy looked down at Erica as if in disbelief, then knelt before her.
And then she wrapped her arms tightly around Erica.
"Thank goodness. Yes. I'm so, so glad..."
Amidst soft sobs, Lucy gently stroked Erica's back.
Erica, who had expected a scolding from her mother, was simply bewildered by the sudden hug.
Then, the thought that her mother might be hurt occurred to her, and she fidgeted, her lips trembling.
"...Mommy. Are you hurt?"
"Yes. Mommy's okay."
"But..."
She didn't know the details, but the thought that her mother had suffered brought tears to her eyes.
"...Is it because of me?"
Lucy shook her head.
But Erica was no fool.
Realizing her mother was lying, Erica dropped the flower crown and hugged her back.
"I'm sorry, Mommy. I'm sowwy..."
Erica sobbed, hugging Lucy with her eyes squeezed shut.
Watching them from the side, Daniel smiled warmly.
It was a bit of a detour, but...
Now that she had seen how much Lucy had suffered, Erica would never sneak outside without her mother's permission again.
Just as Daniel, thinking the incident was now settled, was about to approach the two of them...
"...Mr. Prime Minister?"
Reacting to the ominous call, Daniel turned his gaze to Phelps.
"What is it?"
"A report just came in from the Security Bureau..."
Phelps whispered in a voice low enough not to be heard by the mother and daughter, who were still embracing.
"It seems your wife has single-handedly wiped out Martor's gang and Perbond's gang, which leads the criminal organization alliance. According to the police dispatched to where the gunshots were heard, most of the members were found incapacitated."
"And?"
"It appears the organizations associated with the alliance believe this was your plan to neatly dispose of them."
The gangs in the alliance knew that Perbond's and Martor's crews—their leader and enforcer—had been attacked, but they didn't know by whom.
Since it was unthinkable that the Prime Minister's wife would suddenly show up and beat everyone down, they assumed it was an order from the Prime Minister, carried out by the Security Bureau.
"Perhaps because of that, the Security Bureau is now being flooded with calls from them, asking if they can get a reduced sentence if they turn themselves in."
The alliance itself had been formed out of desperation, a way for the gangs to survive after the Security Bureau began its intensive crackdown on criminal organizations in recent years.
But now that their core—Perbond's and Martor's gangs—had been taken down, it was only natural for them to feel they had no way out.
"Congratulations, Mr. Prime Minister!"
Phelps beamed, his face alight with joy.
"If those bastards are rounded up by the Security Bureau one after another, your prestige will undoubtedly soar even higher than it is now. Truly, your wife has accomplished something great!"
"Wait a minute. Does that mean..."
"Yes! If I may venture a guess, I predict that Your Excellency's approval ratings will rise sharply, coinciding with the founding of the new international organization!"
At that, Daniel felt his mind going blank.