Side Story 17: Mother (13)
“…What do you mean by that?” Hades asked, looking dazed as he was trying to understand Roxa’s words.
Roxa got on his feet at once and shoved the magical artifact that still had traces of Aisha’s mana left and was lit up in two colors.
“Didn’t I tell ye tis an incredible invention? Da real point o’ dis magical artifact was dat it can even check da mana amount o’ da baby within da womb!”
“So…”
Still looking dazed, Hades slowly approached and received the magical artifact.
Half of it was white, which corresponded to Aisha’s light elemental mana. The other half was red. If Aisha had a child they would be born with the dominant trait, so if she was with a second child, they would be a fire elementalist.
Not to mention Aisha’s fully awoken mana ‘s white, even the red part’s mana was deep without even a trace of transparency.
So a child who has the power of fire element as powerful as their father was…
inside Aisha’s womb now.
“Y-you mean I am pregnant?” Aisha asked in surprise and Roxa nodded as he wiped the tip of his nose.
“I am sure o’ it! Dis is da proof! Go ter da doctor at once an’ get a checkup!”
“N-n-no way…”
Aisha was startled, hand over her mouth.
Yes, come to think of it…
‘I didn’t have my period this month!’
Though she was carefully paying attention to it in hopes of conceiving a child, she was so busy in recent months that she had lost track of time and wasn’t able to pay attention for a while.
To be honest, even if she did go to the doctor, she might not be able to confirm since it would be less than a month since the baby was conceived.
But wouldn’t it be possible with ‘the magical artifact of pregnancy test’ made by a ‘genius magician’?
It was the most definite confirmation of pregnancy than anything else.
“Really…?”
Hades muttered looking as dazed as if the words were lost on him.
“Come now, doncha believe me?”
“I do. Who other than you would I believe?”
Hades looked more affectionate than ever as he gave his answer right away. Looking at how his attitude had changed 180, Roxa shook his head.
Looking quietly down at the magical artifact as he trembled, Hades slowly turned to look at Aisha.
She too, looked deeply moved.
“H-honey…”
“Huu… Haa…”
Hades took a slow breath.
“Shoot, this is beyond what I’ve thought…”
Thanks to ‘the magical artifact of biological relations confirmation’, he had found out that this wasn’t the first time he had a child with Aisha, but sadly he did not have recollection of it.
So, this was the first time he felt this way.
How moved one could be when the result of their love is created within the inside of a woman he loved.
“Whew…”
Hades was calming his emotions for a while and covered his eyes with his big hand. His eyes were prickly for some reason.
“Aww~ Look at him crying~”
Roxa snickered as he looked at Hades from different angles.
“Whoa~ an’ who would have thought? Dat ‘da’ duke Louvremont is tearing up like dis?”
“Who are you saying is tearing up?”
Though he would have whacked him once in any other situation, right now Roxa was more pleasing to him than anyone. Hades shoved him slightly and spoke.
“Aisha…”
“Yes…”
Still, he forced his hand away, unable to bear standing there as he was crying like a fool. Aisha’s face was already covered in tears.
Then Hades lifted Aisha into the air and shouted at top of his lungs as Roxa did.
“Shoot! I Love you!!”
It was a violent confession of his ardent emotion.
“Kya!”
Aisha slapped down on Hades’ shoulder with an expression that was between crying and laughing.
Roxa tried to stop him with panic.
“Ye Grace! Who lifts up a pregnant woman like dat? I get dat dis is moving but calm yeself!”
“Ah, shoot! Are you alright?”
Hearing Roxa’s words, Hades froze and carefully placed Aisha back down.
“I’m fine.”
Looking down at Aisha blushing shyly, his lips flinched.
The tip of Hades’ dried lips kept twitching, unable to react right.
“This is really driving me nuts…”
He wanted to express some more how moved he was, but couldn’t think how.
Hades suddenly grabbed a hold of Roxa who stood by Aisha by his waist and hugged him, flinging him into the air.
“Argh!”
“You punk! Good work!”
“Wha, why are ye hugging me all o’ sudden! Ye grossing me out!”
“You don’t like being held? Should I give you a piggyback then?”
“Enough, enough! Wot ye think ye doing with a man, yer embarrassing me!”
Roxa struggled, but Hades refused to let go of him.
Lifting him into the air, hugging him and flipping him, Roxa was not able to escape his grasp until he was done with fussing.
“Do you have something you want? Just say the word. Would you like to become an emperor?”
“Ugh…! I feel like throwing up… D-don’t make me get morning sickness instead of da duchess, wot I want it fer ye to, ter… put me down…”
“Ah, that’s enough honey. You’d really end up killing Roxa.”
Aisha laughed as she held back Hades.
He smiled back from ear to ear.
He wasn’t even thinking of how exhausted he was before now.
* * *
Wiggle, wiggle-
Abel could not understand Hades at all.
‘Why in the world is father acting that way?’
A meal with Michael and high positioned priests, even Deborah was here.
He should be well aware that this place required manners and etiquette…
‘Then what does he find so funny? What could it be?’
Hades kept smiling silly throughout the meal and every time Abel eyed him to stop, he looked hilarious from forcing to lower the tips of his lips.
Though this may be a rude thought, he seemed… a little crazy.
“Ha ha ha… it seems that His Grace must have had something nice happen to him.”
The priests were all eying Hades in nervousness, so Michael said a word with an awkward smile, unable to stand the situation any longer.
Everyone in the dining room knew that he had made that remark after holding back until he reached his limit.
Abel could feel his own face reddening from embarrassment.
‘Mother could have stopped him.’
What was more baffling was that Aisha was giggling along with no intention of stopping Hades either.
The couple snickering before the clueless priests seemed…
to have gone mad together.
“Something nice… oh yes! How nice it is to see the grand priest’s face after such a long time apart?”
Unable to cover his mouth breaking into a smile, Hades raised his hand to hold his cheek tightly.
Michael narrowed his eyes and stared at Hades.
“Ahh, it’s my honor but I cannot trust what you said. Do you truly mean that? Why don’t you tell us the truth?”
Michael gave a smile as he locked eyes with Hades.
“Haha, no. What kind of a nut job would I be to be smiling like this looking at your sick and tiring face?”
Whoa.
His raw emotion came out. Someone exclaimed in surprise.
Hades flinched for a moment and winced to glare quietly at Michael.
As if to ask what had happened, Michael gave a shrug and focused back on his meal.
The meal where only the couple were giddy continued.
“Why are you picking at your food? You should eat plenty.”
“I don’t feel like eating.”
Pouting, Aisha spoke like she was throwing tantrums. Hades tapped on her lips with his index finger.
“Why aren’t you feeling like eating? You don’t like the food? Or is there something you feel like eating?”
Looking at Hades acting affectionate out loud, The priests stared at them feeling like they would get a stomachache.
“I just feel like not having anything… I’ll just try some of the deserts later. I feel like having things like cakes and pudding.”
“Desserts…”
Glancing over the table, Hades winced and snapped his finger with a sound.
The butler who was tending to the dinner service and the chief came running at once.
“Why in the world don’t we have desserts? Cake and pudding and what was that, the thing my wife liked?”
“Strawberry tarts,” Aisha said at once and Hades nodded.
“Yes, that! Why aren’t any of those on the table?”
“Ah, but the current course of the meal right now is…”
“Butler?”
The baffled butler mumbled and Hades tilted his head slightly with a threatening look on his face.
“Why would the course matter, when my wife wants them?”
“It’s alright, honey. We should wait and have them together.”
Though Aisha held Hades back holding his arm, He did not care and pressed on the butler.
“When did my competent butler lose his ability to read the air like this?”
The butler, Sir Terott laughed awkwardly at his haha, and fixed up his monocle slightly like a habit.
Though he knew since he looked at him throughout the meal…
Don’t know what the problem was but he also thought that Hades must clearly be out of his mind.
“I will bring them out at once, Your Grace.”
The chef, who was eyeing the situation from the side answered instead of the butler right away and Hades laughed satisfied.
That lunch, Aisha was hand fed desserts by Hades until she felt like she’d burst.
* * *
Michael was changing his clothes in order to prepare for the baptism, and greeted Hades who came up to his room personally.
The moment the door opened, Hades just made himself home without even a hello or an eye contact.
Even the way he pulled out the chair and sat down on it with his legs crossed, he looked perfectly arrogant.
With his chin held high, Hades asked right away.
“Dark elemental powers. You still have them, don’t you?”
“Huh? What about that cursed ability? Didn’t that power disappear when Gaionia died?”
“What, you’re trying to play dumb after casting brainwashing on me so openly?”
“Hahaha… it was Your Grace who was lying first. Hearing you say that you are happy to see me, it made me get goosebumps just hearing it.”
“Remarkable. So you still have your powers. I never liked you to begin with, but I hate you more now.”
“Don’t worry. I’m only using it for situations that call for it or for the sake of greater good. Please don’t let the duchess know.”
“I’m intending to do so. She really hates recalling any traces of Gaionia. So your curse, it is clearly gone, right?”
“Don’t you worry about that. This ability… rather than the trace left by Gaionia. This is a last gift from my brother that could be put to good use.
“Gift, yeah right. It’s an unsettling ability.”
“Anyways, why are you in such a good mood? I’m curious,” Michael asked, seated on the opposite side of Hades.
Hearing his question Hades’ halted tips of the lips sneaked up once more.
Hades was moving his facial muscle in a weird manner once more, forcing back a smile then shook his head.
“It’s nothing.”
“Haha…”
Suddenly, their eyes met.
“I’m curious. Tell me.”
“Aisha is pregnant.”
“My days. I see.”
Hades answered right away under the influence of brainwashing then got back to his senses, shouting in anger.
“You said you won’t use it! That messed up my ability!”
“I did say I’m using it for the sake of greater good.”
Michael smiled, then his face suddenly got gloomy.
Though he was still smiling, he looked somewhat uncomfortable.
“What, why the long face?”
“For starters, congratulations. But I am concerned.”
“About what?”
Michael recalled the future he saw briefly.
He died looking not so different from his current state.
Maybe he had about a year left? Even that he could not be so certain.
Seeing her sibling’s demise while being pregnant, there would be no worse shock than that for Aisha.
“I should be staying abroad for a while, announcing that I am going on a baptism trip.”
Considering for a while, Michael muttered to himself as he rubbed his chin. Hades winced at once.
“What are you talking about?”
“Ah.”
It would be easier to make excuses before Aisha if he tells Hades at least.
Michael spoke indifferently.
“You see, I’m going to die soon.”
He confessed indifferently as if he was talking about the weather.
Musing over the confession, Hades tried to understand and suddenly froze in shock.
“…You what?”