An Inordinately Strong Bond

Though she had rushed over to the inspection area at the mention of Paul's name, Lilia couldn't help frowning when she found herself in front of a man she had never met. He was tall and admittedly handsome, but those were far from the only traits she looked for in a man.

"Who are you to call my name so familiarly...?"

Adopting a wry, somewhat helpless smile, Paul countered, "Seriously? I know I've changed, but I shouldn't be unrecognizable. Besides, just look at the people around me. You should be able to recognize a few of them, right...?"

While maintaining a cautious expression, Lilia took a moment to inspect the group of girls surrounding Paul. She immediately recognized girls like Jean, Ei, and Eula, but the person who convinced her of Paul's words was Xinyan. Dark skin wasn't a particularly rare trait, but Lilia had never met a second person with natural streaks of red and orange in their hair. Xinyan also had a rather 'unique' sense of fashion, something that drew attention pretty much everywhere she went.

Realizing that the man across from her was, in fact, her Master, Lilia was about to bow as respectfully as she possibly could before Paul promptly interrupted her, stating, "I'm no longer the Heir Apparent of House Notos. Even if you feel you ought to, you need not bow to me. Rather, now that we're no long Master and servant, I'd like it if we could become friends..."

Though she felt compelled to refute and declare that he would always be her Master, Lilia stopped herself as she noticed the severity and caution in Paul's eyes. He had a friendly and easy-going smile on his face, but his balance and posture made it clear he hadn't lowered his guard.

"I see..."

Realizing what must be going on, Lilia's expression became serious as her amethyst-purple eyes flickered with comprehension. She didn't know the full details, but it was clear Paul didn't trust the men and women guarding the Estate. If someone were listening in and he attested to being the First Son of House Notos, it could lead to all kinds of problems for his parents, siblings, and...

Seeing a look of realization don on Lilia's face, a soft chuckle emanated from Paul's throat. Very few people, aside from the King's personal circle of friends and allies, knew the truth about the relationship between Paul and Reida. It was a closely guarded secret, so much so that Lilia had not been told the truth despite having a direct role in the twins' upbringing...

Exhaling a slightly annoyed sigh, Lilia muttered, "I knew it..." before giving Paul a borderline death stare as she added, "You need to leave. Someone else will search you in another room. Leave these girls to us."

"Yeah, yeah, I know..."

Raising his hands in a gesture of mock-defeat, Paul made his way out of the holding room. Earhart and a trio of Knights were waiting out in the hall for him, so he let them escort him one room over before stripping down to his skivvies. He would ordinarily be required to remove even that, but the men Earhart had tasked to search him were loyalists who respected him a great deal.

What Paul never expected was for a disturbance to occur just as he had finished stripping. The guards didn't even have the time to go through his pockets before the familiar voice of a woman could be heard shouting for people to get out of the way. Shivers immediately ran up Paul's spine, but before he could even think to hide, the reinforced metal door to the room was practically knocked off its hinges as a buxom woman with pale green eyes and wavy, honey-blonde hair barged into the room.

As Paul was screaming 'oh shit' in his mind, the woman, none other than his Mother, looked toward Earhart and stated, "Captain Earhart, you and your men are excused. My son may have relinquished his status, but he has more than earned the right to be treated with dignity and respect. I'll handle things from here."

Though it was a complete breach of protocol, Earhart didn't hesitate to thump his chest and reply, "By your will, My Lady...!" before immediately moving to carry out her orders.

As Earhart and his men gathered their things and rushed out of the room, Valentine stood off to the side in a very regal manner, hands folded over her lap and a faint smile on her face. Once they were gone, however, she promptly shut the door behind them before looking towards Paul with an almost predatory look on her face...

"You left without saying goodbye..."

Forcing a smile, Paul attempted to excuse his actions by stating, "I never left. I knew I would forever remain in your heart, and you never once left mine. Why say goodbye when we never actually parted...?"

Though she had anticipated that Paul would try to disarm her with flowery words, Valentine's mental faculties ground to a halt when she heard what he had to say. Then, as if it were the most natural thing to do, she lowered her gaze to his nearly naked body, unabashedly admiring it with a longing expression on her face as she said, "You've grown so much..."

Just as the goosebumps on his skin had started to settle, Paul developed a fresh layer as Valentine raised her gaze to meet his, a sad yet hopeful smile forming across her face as she spread her arms and added, "But no matter how much you grow, you're still my Little Sun...right?"

Ignoring the alarm bells sounding in his mind, Paul's expression softened as he replied, "Always..." in a sincere tone. His relationship with Valentine had always made him a little uncomfortable, but she was the only Mother he had ever truly known. As for her propensity to kiss him on the lips and smother him in her bosom...well, every culture had its traditions...

While repeating those words like a mantra within his mind, Paul offered no meaningful resistance as Valentine approached, grabbed the sides of his head, and pulled him into a less than chaste kiss. She also leaned her full weight against him, her G, maybe E-Cup breasts squishing against him as she licked the interior of his mouth and suckled his tongue.

Entirely against his will, Paul's not-so-little brother promptly raised his head to see what all the fuss was about. Valentine immediately noticed this, but instead of ceasing her actions or getting offended, an amused chuckle emanated from her throat as she retracted her lips long enough to whisper, "I am willing to give my everything for my children...but I still love your Father. I could never betray him in such a manner..."

Leaving Paul feeling more than a little confused, Valentine accompanied her words by drawing her hips flush with his own, a perceptible warmth transmitting through the fabric of her dress as she began to grind against him. Then, as if to prevent his protest, she started kissing him with even greater intensity and passion than before.

Though he initially held his hands out and away from Valentine's body, it didn't take long for Paul to reach around and grasp her surprisingly toned ass. Another amused chuckle emanated from her throat, but this time she didn't say anything until she eventually had to stop to gasp for air.

Staring into Paul's face with her hazy green eyes, Valentine could see the barely restrained passion in her son's gaze. Unfortunately, no matter how much her body craved their union, she knew that some lines should never be crossed. So long as they didn't go too much farther, they could excuse their behavior as having a particularly strong bond between Mother and son. Such 'bonds' weren't uncommon among the Nobility, so, as long as they drew the line before sex, Valentine didn't mind if Paul wanted to do more...

Reinforcing this sentiment, Valentine squinted her eyes lovingly as she said, "I can use my mouth and breasts...but you'll have to make sure it doesn't get on my dress..."

Hearing Valentine's suggestion, Paul immediately came to his senses, instinctually grabbing the woman's shoulders as he forced a smile and asserted, "We should stop...I would be pissed beyond reconciliation if Father did this to one of my women, so let's end things here..."

Instead of expressing disappointment at Paul's words, Valentine adopted an approving smile as she replied, "It's good that you know when to stop. That's one of the most important things to learn when transitioning from a child into adulthood. You really have grown..."

Releasing her almost vice-like grip on Paul's head, Valentine took a step back before adding, "You really are your Father's son..." as she eyed the rather sizeable tent he was pitching. This caused the smile on Paul's face to turn even wrier, but he made no attempts to conceal himself from view. He had just spent the last three, maybe even five minutes grinding against his own Mother; acting like he had any sense of shame at this point would just be stupid...

After suppressing the urge to ask if Paul was certain about not wanting to use her mouth, Valentine corrected her posture and said, "I'll be waiting in the next room. When you're ready, I'll escort you and your friends into the Estate. There is something the Lord, your Father, wishes to discuss before you meet Aiden and Aria."

Blinking in surprise, Paul asked, "Aiden and Aria? Are those the names of my...?"

Nodding her head, the smile on Valentine's face blossomed like the first flower of Spring as she said, "You should prepare yourself. Aiden is even more talented than you were at his age. He is only two years old, but has demonstrated a tremendous intellect. Just recently, Lilia stumbled across him practicing elementary level Water Magic in your former study."

Though Valentine's words made him feel a strange sense of incongruency, Paul's smile widened as he asked, "Seriously? Don't tell her I said this, but I was a little worried that Reida's genes would make them musclebrains..."

After giggling in amusement, Valentine left Paul feeling a little speechless as she mused, "That would be Aria. She is as quiet and unassuming as a doll but possesses the strength to shift the furniture around her's and Aiden's room. She isn't lacking in cleverness, but it's apparent she got the lion's share of their strength while Aiden inherited his Father's incredible intellect..."

Smiling wryly, Paul resisted the urge to suggest he wasn't the prodigy people made him out to be. Instead, he said, "Great. I can't wait to meet them." before grabbing his trousers from the table. Valentine seized the opportunity to steal a glance at his butt, but Paul pretended not to notice as he started getting dressed. It was only when Valentine turned to leave that he looked over, his eyes widening as his Demon Eyes of X-Ray Vision allowed him to see her round, full, and bare-naked ass...

...

..

.

After donning his clothes and intruding in on the conversation between his mother and the girls, Paul entered his former home for the first time in more than three years. Very little had changed since the last time he was there, the only notable difference being a severe reduction in the number of staff roaming the halls. There were still more than a hundred Maids and Butlers on duty, but that was a far cry from the literal thousands of people that had once occupied the now eerily silent Estate...

Before reaching the corridor connecting to his Father's office, Valentine stopped their little procession to say, "I wish to continue my conversation with your companions. I trust you still remember the way to your Father's office...?"

Nodding his head, Paul replied, "Yeah, I'll be fine." before seeing the girls off with a lingering stare and an ostensibly carefree smile. In actually, he was feeling increasingly anxious with each passing moment. Not because he was particularly afraid of his Father, but because it was kind of difficult to look someone directly in the eyes when you were grinding their girl just a few minutes prior...

...

..

.