A Mistake, Held in Your Arms ~ I Don’t Want to Marry My Matchmaking Partner, So I Will Offer My Virginity to You ~ - Chapter 13

──Several days later.

Gloomy clouds hung over the rainy season sky.

Amid the damp air clinging to their skin, Keiichiro and Hina stood before the Saotome residence with Keito in tow. Keiichiro’s convalescence had ended, and the day had finally come for them to return to the capital.

This mansion—where Hina had once served as a maid—now welcomed her as a guest. The strange sensation made her straighten her back instinctively.

Four years after being driven out, she had returned of her own will.

“Keito will be looked after by Yamane. Don’t worry.”

“…Yes.”

Thanks to the arrangements made with Yamane, warm bedding and sweets had been prepared in the detached residence, and Keito had dashed inside with sparkling eyes.

Seeing this, Hina finally allowed herself to relax—if only slightly.

But as they walked down the hallway leading to the inner chambers, her heartbeat quickened.

She didn’t know what awaited her.

Would Kiyoe be angry? Or…?

Lost in thought, she soon found herself standing before the inner room.

“Mother, I’ve returned.”

Keiichiro slid open the door.

Hina stood half-hidden behind him.

But she couldn’t stay sheltered forever.

Peeking out timidly, her eyes met Kiyoe’s, seated at the far end of the room.

In that moment, what appeared on Kiyoe’s face was neither fury nor scorn.

“My! If it isn’t Hina!”

Her expression brightened instantly, and she leaned forward with open arms.

The sheer transformation made Hina flinch, her shoulders trembling.

Choosing her words carefully, she bowed deeply.

“Um… Lady Kiyoe. About that time… I truly apologize.”

Given her past rudeness and the trouble she had caused, she couldn’t help but apologize.

But Kiyoe merely shook her head gracefully, her smile unwavering.

“Oh, it’s fine. I was at fault too. Who would’ve thought Lord Shinomiya was that kind of man? I’m truly glad you didn’t end up marrying into the Shinomiya family.”

At those words, Hina’s chest lightened ever so slightly.

The Shinomiya scandal had since become prime fodder for gossip magazines, sending shockwaves through political and financial circles.

Considering how crucial preserving the Saotome name was to Kiyoe, this change in attitude wasn’t entirely surprising.

But.

The amicable atmosphere shattered with her next words.

“So, Hina—”

An unnervingly saccharine voice.

The corners of her thinly parted lips curled into an eerie smile.

“I’ve already found your next match.”

“…Huh?”

For a moment, time seemed to stop.

Hina was speechless, staring blankly at Kiyoe’s face.

This woman hadn’t changed at all—not in essence.

Beneath the surface-level smile lay the same cold calculations, all to protect the Saotome family’s honor.

She was a woman who would never let go of that.

“U-um, Lady Kiyoe…?”

Hina ventured hesitantly, but Kiyoe, still beaming, continued without pause.

“The last one was unfortunate, but that’s no reason to stop living. This time, I’ve been very careful in my selection. He’s a bit older, but from a distinguished family—and he’s fine with you not being a virgin, even at nearly thirty. His previous wife passed from illness, but otherwise, he’s impeccable. He’d be perfect for you—”

“—Mother!”

A low, sharp voice cut her off.

Keiichiro’s eyes glinted behind his glasses as he took a step forward.

Kiyoe’s brows twitched slightly.

“What…?”

“Mother. Let’s stop this.”

“Stop… what?”

“Relying on others to manage our affairs. Everything you’ve done up until now has been nothing but stopgap measures. The engagement with the Shinomiyas, the support from other families—all of it was just buying time.”

Kiyoe’s lips trembled as she listened.

“…Are you denying my efforts?”

Like gunpowder on the verge of explosion, emotions boiled up from deep within her, impossible to suppress.

Tension crackled between the two.

Hina’s body stiffened, unable to interject.

“I… I was the same! Married into this house at nineteen… sent to a man I didn’t love as a political pawn…!”

Her fists clenched so tightly her nails nearly drew blood as she pressed on.

“I had no one to rely on! For the sake of the family, I bore children, raised them, smiled… If I hadn’t, as a woman, I’d have been nothing but a tool!”

Hina’s chest stung at those words, a pang of sympathy piercing her heart.

—This woman must have never been able to show weakness to anyone.

She had lived her entire life convincing herself this was the only way.

But this path would never bring happiness to anyone.

Beside her, Keiichiro shook his head slightly, his gaze lowered.

“I sympathize with your story, Mother. I don’t deny it. But let’s end this. Your methods won’t save this house, the company, or anyone. We must change—now.”

“Change…? How?”

Kiyoe scoffed.

“I tried to change! That’s why I took an interest in Hina’s medicine! But that can’t be mass-produced, can it? What exactly do you think you can do!?”

She thrust her closed fan forward sharply.

Hina noticed the hand holding it was shaking with rage.

Yet, calmly, she took a step forward.

“…It might be possible to mass-produce.”