72

Dragons do not have sexual desire. It's an obvious fact.

The reason is simple.

They do not leave behind descendants. Therefore, they have no need for sexual urges that exist solely for reproduction.

Though their tails are sensitive, it's merely a characteristic of the body part, not something that arouses sexual desire.

Perhaps because of this, even though dragons are near-omniscient beings, they are said to know little about sexuality.

Probably.

"What… what did you just say?"

"Do it a lot with Mari too."

Mari, her eyes shining brightly, expressed her desire to share the love Athena and I shared during the night.

At her words, I stammered like a bird struck by lightning.

'Mari… with me?'

Her words left me utterly shocked.

Could it be… was Mari seeing me as a sexual being?

The very idea, something I had never even imagined, threw my mind into chaos.

Perhaps it was because not much time had passed since Athena, whom I had always thought of as family, had confessed her feelings to me. Absurd thoughts began surfacing, one after another.

Mari's words stirred up all sorts of inappropriate fantasies.

But I shook my head vigorously to clear those thoughts.

Of all people, my daughter and I engaging in such a thing?

It was a morally reprehensible act that would invite divine punishment. Even entertaining such thoughts made me unworthy of being called a mother.

As I tried to reanalyze Mari's intentions for a long time, I noticed something odd.

Athena had told me that dragons feel no sexual desire.

Then why did she seem to have such feelings for me?

Was it mere curiosity?

…Or perhaps?

"Ma… Mari, do you even know what you're talking about?"

"Of course! It's what people who love each other do!"

Upon hearing her reply, my suspicions were confirmed.

It seemed Mari had misunderstood.

She thought the activities Athena and I engaged in at night were simply expressions of love.

She wasn't entirely wrong.

But the problem lay in the fact that Mari's idea of love and my understanding of love were fundamentally different.

I loved Mari too. But that love was distinctly different from the feelings I had for Athena.

It was purely the love of a mother for her daughter, nothing more. Certainly not the emotions shared between lovers.

However, in Mari's eyes, the love I had for Athena and the love I had for her must have appeared identical.

Dragons couldn't differentiate the finer nuances of human emotions.

So, Mari likely made her request out of a desire to share that same connection.

Not because she harbored sexual feelings for me.

But because she wanted to prove that we were bonded by love.

I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

Of course.

There was no way Mari was seeing me in a sexual light.

She was my adorable daughter, after all.

Letting out a deep sigh, I tightly clasped Mari's hands.

"Mom…?"

Her cheeks flushed as she looked at me expectantly, as though waiting for something.

Mari, who still had so much to learn about love.

It might be a bit early, but it seemed the time had come to give my daughter proper education about these things.

***

Some time later.

"Haa…"

I fiddled with my fork, heaving a deep sigh.

"Wh… what are you saying, Mari?"

"That woman can touch Mom as much as she wants. Why can't Mari?"

"Uh… what… what are you talking about…?"

Is she talking about Athena?

But I don't recall ever showing excessive affection in front of Mari.

"I saw it at night. The things you and that woman were doing."

"Wha… what…?"

"That woman touched Mom's lips… and her chest… and then…"

Mari's gaze rolled down toward my lower body.

At that, I instinctively wrapped my arms around myself, shielding my body from Mari.

No.

More importantly…

The fact that she said she saw it at night…

Could it be…

"I… I have no idea what you're talking about."

I spoke as nonchalantly as possible, feigning ignorance.

I was now in the dining room of the mansion.

Originally, I would have come with Mari, but since she was in a sulky mood, I had no choice but to come alone.

I had explained to Mari in detail about familial love and romantic love.

What they were and how they differed, I explained each point one by one.

The scene Mari had witnessed that night, she said, was a display of affection exchanged between lovers.

So, in conclusion, I told her it wasn't something I could do with her.

Hearing that, Mari looked as if her world had crumbled.

"…Then I'll be Mommy's lover too!"

"A…Ah, no, Mari. We're family, you know…?"

"Why? Why can't family do it?"

"Uh…? W-Well, because it's just how it is…?"

"I don't like it!! Mari will have Mommy's naked body too!!"

"M-Mari?! You shouldn't say things like that to Mommy…!"

…

"I hate Mommy."

"Ugh"

Thinking back to that moment, my head started to ache again.

I never imagined raising a daughter could be this arduous.

Especially since she was from another race, teaching her even basic common sense was far more challenging than I had anticipated.

Without realizing it, a sigh escaped my lips once more.

To maintain an ideal mother-daughter relationship, I would have to gradually teach Mari about familial love for a while.

She used to be such a lovely and obedient daughter. How did it come to this?

"…It's my fault for getting caught in the first place."

The reason Mari suddenly changed.

It must have been because she saw Athena and me together.

Thinking about it like that, I had no excuses. Witnessing something like that at such a young age must have been a significant shock for her.

Even though I couldn't help but feel a bit unjustly blamed, I had to admit it was my fault.

'…You can do this, Hera.'

Hadn't I resolved to be a good mother?

It's too soon to fall into despair.

Even though I ended up rejecting Mari and made her sad for now, over time, she would surely understand.

She would come to realize how beautiful familial love can be.

When that day came, I would no longer be the flawed mother I was now. I could become Mari's true protector.

Imagining Mari running to me with a bright, innocent smile, I resolved firmly.

'Wait for me, Mari. I'll definitely become a good mom for you…!'

Of course, I couldn't have known.

While I was making this resolve,

Mari, in the darkness of my room, was also making a deep resolution of her own.

Under the writhing blanket, a pair of blue eyes gleamed sharply in the pitch black.

"…She rejected me… Mommy rejected Mari…"

The little girl mumbled to herself repeatedly in the empty room.

"Mari doesn't care anymore… It's Mommy's fault… It's all Mommy's fault…"

Should she adjust the medicine's ingredients slightly? Or start taming her bit by bit while she was asleep?

She had already learned everything about taming beasts. With her current knowledge, she was confident she was qualified to become Mommy's master.

'…It's okay. I can wait. I'll endure it.'

Though she wanted to act on the thoughts flooding her mind with Mommy, she could hold back for now, thinking of the future.

Time was on her side.

If she waited for years, centuries even, eventually, she would be the only one by Mommy's side.

When that time came, she would unleash all the desires she had kept bottled up.

Thinking of that moment, the little girl smiled faintly.

"…Wait for me, Mommy."

I'll become a daughter you can't help but love.

***

Resolving her determination for a harmonious mother-daughter relationship, she sat in the dining room.

As I sat there, immersed in thought, a chef entered the dining room with the food.

It was a familiar face. I didn't know their name, but they had once helped me when I made fried chicken.

And conversely, they were one of the many people in this mansion I had disappointed.

While the chef silently placed the food on the table,

I couldn't help but lower my head.

No matter how many times I told myself it would be okay, facing them directly like this still terrified me.

"I'll… enjoy the meal…"

As the chef finished arranging the food and was about to leave the dining hall, I timidly expressed my gratitude.

"….."

I wondered if my barely audible voice, as tiny as a mouse squeak, reached him. He paused briefly.

Seeing him suddenly stop made my body flinch. I had no choice but to lower my gaze again.

Though I couldn't see his expression, the chef remained silent, staring at me for a while before finally leaving.

Once the dining hall fell silent, I could finally raise my head again.

'…I should've just asked to eat in my room.'

Out of habit, I had walked to the dining hall, having always dined with Athena and Mari.

But with Athena absent now, eating in my room might have been a better choice.

Trying to calm my trembling body, I began to put small bites of food into my mouth.

Without Athena, who had always been by my side at mealtimes, the food tasted slightly bitter.

"Athena will be fine, right…?"

I murmured quietly to myself.

Even though she had assured me she would be okay, I couldn't stop worrying.

After all, she was going under the guise of being restrained. And her destination was none other than the mighty imperial palace that ruled over this empire.

Of course, even the empire wouldn't dare harm Athena recklessly, but I couldn't help feeling uneasy.

I tried to convince myself that everything would be fine as I took another bite. But once again, the food tasted lonely and bitter.

'…It's been a while since I've been alone like this.'

Perhaps because I had this rare moment of solitude, various sentimental thoughts began to arise.

I recalled the moment I first found myself in this world.

At that time, I had vowed not to interfere with the original storyline. So how had things ended up like this?

If my past self could see me now, he would probably grab me by the collar and yell, asking if I had lost my mind.

Imagining such a scene brought a small smile to my lips.

Even though things hadn't gone as planned, I had no regrets.

Because I had met so many precious people.

Though some of those relationships only existed in my memories now, there were those who had always cared for me and treated me warmly, like Sister Dania.

And my beloved younger sibling, Lily.

Then there were others, like my slightly rebellious but loyal daughter, Mari, and the clumsy yet kind-hearted Sephir.

And finally, there was Athena, who had become everything to me.

As I imagined Athena smiling at me, a warm feeling filled my chest.

At first, I had hated her to death. But before I knew it, I had become someone who couldn't live without her.

Even though I found this dependence pathetic, as long as I was by Athena's side, I felt I could live without fear.

"…I'm full."

For some reason, I had no appetite today.

Feeling that I couldn't eat another bite, I set my fork down.

Looking at the table, I noticed that most of the food remained untouched, almost the same as before.

'Athena wouldn't like this…'

Whenever I couldn't eat properly, Athena would always sit next to me and force me to eat.

She would insist I was too thin and needed to eat more.

…I miss her already.

Thinking about those moments made me long for her even more.

She had said she'd return tonight, so maybe she'd be back soon?

With those thoughts of her, even though it hadn't even been half a day since she left, I tried to stand up.

"Cough."

A sensation of something surging from within me accompanied a sudden cough.

My throat burned as though it were on fire, and a warm, metallic taste spread through my mouth.

Cold sweat trickled down my back.

Slowly lowering my gaze, I saw it.

A large amount of red liquid soaking the floor.

It didn't take long for me to realize it was my blood.

"…What?"

Cough—

Before I could even grasp the situation, I vomited another massive amount of blood.

My body crumpled to the ground.