71

A bright white light flickered, and the scenery changed.

What unfolded before her eyes was no longer her own mansion. It was a structure so grand and majestic it could be called a castle.

It was the Imperial Palace.

"Athena."

A middle-aged man with brown hair called out to her.

It was Godric, the First Captain of the Imperial Palace Knights.

A skilled warrior who had climbed to his position by carving through countless monsters at the frontlines.

The fact that he could withstand her overwhelming presence spoke to the considerable strength he possessed.

"What is it?"

"I noticed you seemed quite close with that lady earlier. Might I ask what your relationship with her is?"

Godric stared at her with wide eyes, an expression that looked amusingly out of place on a man of his age.

"Captain, you're quite nosy, aren't you?"

"Haha, it's just that this is the first time I've seen you show such interest in someone, Athena."

"Hmm…"

After a brief pause, she responded to him.

"She's the woman who will become my wife. So, behave yourself."

"Ah…"

He looked genuinely shocked. Well, most people would react that way.

"What? Is it strange for women to marry each other?"

She spoke with a mocking tone, but Godric calmly shook his head while maintaining his gaze on her.

"Not at all. Such notions are mere prejudice. I'm just surprised that you, of all people, would fall in love with someone."

"You seem to know me well."

"Who in the Empire wouldn't know of Athena?"

It seemed he had quite an interest in her.

She had no desire to continue the conversation, so she answered with silence and walked further into the palace. Godric closely followed behind her.

"I'm relieved."

As they proceeded further inside, the knight Captain spoke up again.

"Relieved about what?"

"I've always admired your strength. As you know, our profession thrives on power and honor. Haha."

"Hmm."

While others might have appreciated such praise, she felt indifferent.

Having grown up constantly under the gaze of admiration, it was a sentiment she was all too familiar with.

"You always seem to operate alone—whether it's slaying monsters or handling duties."

"Well, having others around tends to just get in the way. It's more comfortable being alone."

"Your answer is the same as the Swordmaster's. Is it the life of a solitary warrior?"

"Solitude?"

Carlos was currently blinded by his love for his disciple.

Judging by the fact that Godric didn't know, it seemed Carlos hadn't boasted about it to others as he had to her.

"Still, seeing the Empire's hero form such a meaningful bond is oddly reassuring."

"…You really meddle in everything, don't you?"

"Ha! I hear that often."

She shot him a baffled look.

When they first met, he seemed like a proper swordsman. How did he turn into this overly chatty old man?

"As I age, I find there's nothing more enjoyable than stories of romance. May I ask how you first met her?"

"That's enough."

I was starting to get annoyed.

What kind of knight Captain talks this much?

When I looked at Godric with a cold expression, he seemed to notice my mood immediately. He nodded, and after that, we quietly walked into the imperial palace.

For a moment, his earlier words floated in my mind.

"First meeting."

I remembered when I first met Hera in Drax.

Unlike now, her gaze had been strong and bold, brimming with confidence.

She didn't look at me with the futile admiration others did. It was as if she understood my true self.

I wanted her for myself. I pursued her by any means necessary.

And in the end, she finally submitted to me.

I could still recall her face as she screamed, crying and begging for her life.

***

Why was it?

Clearly, things had turned out the way I wanted.

Yet, I felt a cold emptiness in my chest.

What are parents?

They are beings who nurture their children with unconditional love so they can grow properly.

To parents, children are like gifts from the heavens. To children, parents are an unparalleled blessing.

Although my parents could never be considered good people, I knew how immense familial love could be.

Every time I saw the strong bonds of other families, I envied them deeply. I wondered why I didn't have a family like that.

Anyway, what I want to say is, the immense love between parents and children.

Especially between a mother and her child, that love becomes even more pronounced.

Of course, that doesn't mean a father's love is lacking. But maternal love, the love for a life that grew within one's body, is said to be incomparable to anything else.

Perhaps that's why many mothers hesitate to scold their beloved children.

But my thoughts were different.

Giving love to help a child grow brightly is important, but so is discipline to prevent them from straying down the wrong path.

"Marie. You must never do that again, okay?"

"Marie. Answer me when I speak to you."

"…No."

"Marie!"

Right now, I was scolding Marie as she sat on the bed.

I had been so shocked when she shoved her hand down my throat.

Marie had rummaged around in my throat, causing me to gag.

Although I wasn't her biological mother, I had resolved to become her mother. And as her mother, I intended to correct all of Marie's bad habits.

"Marie, you must never do that to someone else. Ever."

I could understand Marie's peculiar tendencies.

After all, our very natures were fundamentally different. How could I possibly understand a heavenly creature like a dragon?

But regardless of species, causing harm to others was an unacceptable habit.

It couldn't be.

I was sure I had put Mari to sleep before leaving.

Moreover, the mansion was far larger than one could imagine. Even if Mari had woken up midway, there was no way she could have found her way to Athena's room.

So, she couldn't have seen it.

She must not have.

Please.

"Please, Mari, say you didn't see it."

"Liar."

But Mari's expression as she looked at me was endlessly low and calm.

"I saw you and that woman licking each other's tongues in bed."

"M-Mari…"

"I heard everything, too. Mom screaming like a beast."

"Wha…what…?"

"I even saw water pouring out from Mom."

"Uh…ah…?"

"And I know. Mom stuck out her tongue for that and fainted with a happy face."

Bang—

My mind went completely blank.

As Mari continued to recount my actions, all I could manage were incoherent sounds like,

"Eh? – Huh?"

"What… what did you say, Mari?"

"That woman touches Mom all she wants. Why can't Mari?"

"Uh…? W-what are you talking about…?"

Is she talking about Athena?

But I don't think I've ever expressed any excessive affection in front of Mari…?

"I saw it. At night. What you and that woman were doing."

"W…what…?"

"That woman touches Mom's lips… and chest… and even…"

Mari's gaze rolled down to my lower body.

At that, I instinctively felt a chill and covered myself with both arms, shielding my body from Mari.

No.

More importantly.

She said she saw it at night.

No way…

"W…what are you talking about? I don't understand,"

I said, feigning ignorance as much as possible.

I couldn't accept what Mari was saying.

This… this is…

What on earth is she talking about?

Sh-she actually… saw everything?

What Athena and I did?

'It… it must be a dream…'

It has to be a dream. There's no way this could be real.

To wake up from the dream, I pinched my cheek lightly.

"Haha… That's strange. Why does it hurt…?"

The sharp pain traveling through my soft cheeks seemed to tell me to snap out of it.

"Mom."

"Hic!"

Mari's eerie voice sent an involuntary hiccup through me.

Slowly turning my head, I saw Mari's lifeless eyes staring straight at me, just as before.

"M-Mari… Th-that's…"

"Yes, Mom."

As Mari slowly crawled toward me on the bed, an inexplicable fear welled up inside me.

Finally reaching right in front of me, she snuggled into my arms.

Looking up at me as if waiting for my response, she said nothing.

"Th-this is… you see…?"

Wrong. I couldn't think of any excuse to make.

Shame consumed me from head to toe, leaving me burning with embarrassment.

What could I possibly say to such a young child?

If I said the wrong thing, I might plant strange ideas in Mari's mind.

But telling her the truth wasn't an option—she was far too young for that.

As I stammered and hesitated in front of Mari, unable to say a word, she gave me a soft smile.

Smooch—

With her tiny lips, she left a brief kiss on my cheek.

"It's okay, Mom."

"Huh?"

"Mari can wait. Until the day we can live happily together, just the two of us."

"Ma… Mari?"

Facing a child who wasn't even half my size, I suddenly felt like prey being cornered.

When Mari got off the bed, the structure of me sitting down naturally led to me looking up at her.

Mari stroked my head with a sadistic-looking smile.

"So, Mom."

"When that time comes, you'll do it with Mari as much as I want, right?"