If judged by the Baron’s Estate’s previous standards, tonight’s dinner wouldn’t be considered lavish, but for Miya, she had never seen so much food in her life.
White bread, roasted and stewed meat, wines and drinks, jams and vegetables—all those delicious dishes she once thought unreachable were now arrayed before her.
Driven by the tantalizing aroma, her stomach let out a series of eager growls, yet she dared not start eating. Instead, she waited for Roland’s signal.
“Cheryl, why is there so much less food at dinner tonight?” Roland demanded.
The head maid had just stepped forward to answer, but the Butler beat her to it. “Miss Roland, it’s the Hunting Off-season now. The animals are about to hibernate, so hunting is impossible. On top of that, the harvest was poor this year, taxes are down, and the workers at the Magic Ore Field have grown slack, so the territory’s income has dropped sharply. To cover other expenses, we’ve had no choice but to cut back on food.”
“What’s going on? Why are the workers slacking? Are they unhappy with their wages?”
The so-called Magic Ore Field referred to the mining zone where Raw Magic Ore was extracted—a foundation upon which most low-ranked nobles depended. Raw Magic Ore could be processed into the Empire’s universal currency—the Magic Crystal Pound, or Magic Crystal for short.
Within Roland’s territory, there was only a single Mine Vein available. Under normal circumstances, it could yield over ten thousand in monthly income. Just a small share of that as wages could employ a good number of miners.
If something went wrong with this, the Duke wouldn’t even need to reclaim the land—the Baron’s Estate would collapse on its own, unable to operate.
“We’re not entirely sure about the problem yet. They say it’s because the Overseer has been oppressing the miners.”
“Who is the Overseer?”
“Vance Pierce, formerly a Red Copper Rank member of the Adventurers’ Guild. He lost his left hand on a commission, but Lord Rod kindly took him in and gave him this job.”
“I don’t recall him. I’ll pay him a visit in a few days.”
Now that she knew where the problem lay, Roland saw no need to press further. She could investigate in person later—she was already exhausted today.
Besides, Miya had been staring at her for so long, her longing written clearly in her eyes—impatiently waiting to eat.
“You can start eating, Miya.”
As they dined, the servants brought up neatly cut food and showed Miya how to use a fork, preventing her from grabbing food with her hands as she’d done before.
Meanwhile, Roland communicated with the System in her mind: “System, did I gain any Motherly Love Points?”
【Quite a lot! Today, you’ve gained a whopping 1 Motherly Love Point!】
“How does this even get calculated?”
【Regular interactions add 1 point, up to a maximum of 10 points. Special interactions will add different amounts depending on the growth of your relationship, with no upper limit. The time count starts after the mother-daughter bond is confirmed.】
“What can I do with this 1 Motherly Love Point?”
【I can exchange it for an adorable Doll. If you give it to your Daughter, it might boost your Motherly Love Points by 100! Tempted?】
“Never mind, I’ll figure it out myself.”
Closing the noisy System panel, Roland devoted herself fully to one of humanity’s most primal urges—ravenously devouring the food on the table.
Of course, with her and Miya’s appetites, they were nowhere near clearing all the dishes. The leftovers would be set aside for the servants to share among themselves.
After eating for a good half hour, dinner finally came to an official end.
Roland changed into her pajamas and sat in the parlor to digest her food. She had at least three hours of digestion ahead before bed. As usual, Nasha brought out a Card Game to spend time with her.
“Miss Roland, would you like to play cards tonight?” she asked.
Miya, sitting by the fireplace, heard the question and glanced over curiously.
“No,” Roland declined without hesitation.
There was simply too much to do these days—she barely had a moment to rest, let alone play cards. Besides, this game was mentally taxing, just like Poker; right now, she only wanted to relax.
“All right.”
Nasha sounded a little disappointed, but Miya came over, her eyes bright, pointing eagerly at the deck in Nasha’s hands.
“You want to play?”
Miya nodded, then picked up her pen and paper and wrote, “I want to.”
“Do you know how?”
Miya bowed her head and wrote a single word: “No.”
“Then I’ll teach you.”
Roland, who had been listening in from the sofa, turned her head and said, “I’ll play too.”
“But didn’t you just say—”
“I didn’t say anything just now.”
The talk about not playing cards was just an excuse—mainly, she wanted to bond with her Daughter. After all, she hadn’t maxed out her Motherly Love Points for the day.
Three hours later, Roland happily carried Miya back to the Bedroom to sleep.
Playing cards was so much fun—it even helped her relax. She’d have to play again tomorrow.
Because the rules were complex and the game had so many elements, Miya fell asleep halfway through Nasha’s lesson. The rest of the game was just Roland and Nasha, but once it was time to rest, they all had to go back to sleep.
Roland planned to clear out her own room so Miya could have it to herself, and she would move into her father’s Study, but as the Study wasn’t ready, for tonight, she could only sleep with Miya.
After settling Miya in bed, Roland blew out the candle and lay down, turning on her side to gaze at the soft, plump little face before her in the pale moonlight.
Perhaps from lack of care, Miya’s skin looked a bit rough, but she still had that baby fat unique to children, making Roland want to pinch her cheeks for no reason at all.
“So cute, my… Daughter.”
Even now, Roland still hadn’t fully adapted to the reality of her transmigration.
Her death had been so sudden, but it was the change in gender, identity, and circumstances that truly left her at a loss. She hadn’t even figured out the situation before having to face a crisis—and somehow, she’d adopted a Daughter.
It was all too unfamiliar, too absurd, yet the vivid sensations and concrete reality all told her that everything, every person here, truly existed.
So many emotions and questions were locked in her heart, yet she had no proper outlet for them. She feared alienation, feared dying again. Why had she transmigrated? What had happened to the real Roland? Who could possibly understand how she felt now?
With nowhere for her soul to rest, maybe abandoning everything and running away alone would be the right choice.
But Roland didn’t want to give up so quickly.
If she could just build her own safe haven, her own little home, then no matter how hard it was, it would be worth it.
Everything she did was for herself—to fight back against this unfamiliar world.
Adopting Miya was only the first thing she’d done, but it would not be the last.
Whether it was pressure from the Duke, disdain from other nobles, a turbulent territory, or the truth behind her father’s death—she would resolve them all.
And Miya, along with the Daughters she’d have in the future, would become the keys to unlocking these shackles.
In a way, this could be called living off someone else, couldn’t it?
“Sweet dreams, Miya. And me, too.”
The girl’s voice drifted softly through the still night, fading away without even disturbing the ripples of moonlight, and then she fell soundly asleep.