Side Story 8: Mother (4)
Hades Louvremont was a man who suspected others easily. He wasn’t like that from the start, and it was a natural change that occurred within him to survive as someone in power.
“She knew of Abel’s secret. His blank element Nexus and where it’s placed.”
“Of course she would, she’s his birth mother,” Aisha said indifferently as she continued to embroider a handkerchief, her skills still clumsy. She added with a laugh as if it’s not a big deal, “I told you, no matter how daring they are, would they bring a fake woman without even a single proof and insist she is a birth mother? I don’t think so.”
“No matter how I investigate, I can’t find any past records of this woman. It’s as if they have been preparing for a long time to hide everything.”
“You still suspect them?”
“To be honest, I don’t really understand myself. Why didn’t I prepare anything when I brought in Abel in the first place? He obviously would have had a birth mother, yet I didn’t see something like this coming…”
“Erm, that is not your fault. It was Genus—well, me—who asked you to look after Abel. I might have asked you to do it as a request, but I assume that I have brainwashed you, worried that you might not do as requested…”
“…”
“Couldn’t it be roughly some brainwashing like… don’t ask any questions and just take Abel with you and love him? If not, there’s no way that someone with this much suspicion like you would have made Abel your heir solely based on the reason that Abel is a blank elementalist…”
“Are you saying that I love Abel because I am brainwashed?”
“Ah…” Aisha halted then shook her head. “No, no. That’s not what I meant. I just wanted to say that you are not at fault here.”
“I’m not blaming you either. But I am earnest in how much I care for Abel. And the reason why I am is…”
Hades couldn’t finish his words and lit up his eyes. Although he was a man with a lot of suspicion, he agreed with Aisha’s words. No matter how audacious they may be, it would be difficult for them to dare bring a fake woman and insist that she is Abel’s birth mother. Not before the Duke Louvremont.
And so, that woman, Serena, knew a secret that only Abel’s birth mother would know. Despite that, the reason why Hades could not get rid of his suspicion even now was because of the odd future Gaionia had shown him during the final battle.
Was that the future, or something that happened in some world he wasn’t aware of?
He couldn’t be certain and he did not believe in Gaionia, but Hades had a vague hunch.
“…The reason is…?” Aisha asked and Hades answered casually.
“Probably because he is my blood-related son?”
“Huh? Haha, how silly.” Aisha laughed thinking he was joking, but her expression hardened the next second. “…Seriously?”
“It feels like that really is the case.”
Standing before Hades as he patted his chin musing the absurd, Aisha drew her face close to his.
“Then that means you messed around 14 years ago?”
“What?”
“I suppose…in the novel it only said that you picked up Abel who became an orphan, it doesn’t describe how debauched your past life was. Don’t tell me you remembered something after seeing the birth mother’s face?”
“What are you talking about? That’s not what I meant…”
“Then what?! What did you say to me before? What? You don’t have anything to feel guilty for when it comes to Abel’s mother? My days… It’s only natural there may be a kid if you did the deed, what were you so proud for?”
“You remember all that?”
“I said I remember everything you say.”
“No, I’ve never seen her before.”
“Liar. I should have known the first time I slept with you. That wasn’t the skill of a beginner.”
“I said that’s not the truth. And Abel’s birth mother that I suspect, is you, who asked me to take care of Abel.”
“Oh? Don’t tell me you did it with me 14 years ago?”
“No, it’s not that…” Aisha freaked out covering her bosom with two arms.
Hades had his hand on his forehead and shook his head.
‘How am I supposed to explain this?’
He felt frustrated. This was an absurd theory. It was only natural that he couldn’t ascertain whether Abel is his son by blood or not when he can’t even remember him.
Hades himself only had vague suspicion himself.
It would be great if there was some way to confirm this…
“Whew…”
Picking up Aisha off her feet as she narrowed her eyes in suspicion. Hades spoke, “Anyway, I don’t trust that woman. After investigating a little further, if anything ever comes up, I’ll…”
“You can be so obsessive. Not trusting that woman and even thinking that Abel would be your son by blood. Do you really want Abel to be yours by blood that badly? No, why would that matter? Raising him with love is enough for you to have rights as his real parents. Don’t be so obsessed with things like that.”
“You don’t seem to mind that much.”
“Well, no.”
Aisha hugged Hades back with a little laugh.
“Abel told me that he would only regard me as his mother. That’s enough for me.”
* * *
Abel’s “birth mother” Serena and Junior Count Orgiu who had brought her here had stayed in the Louvremont castle for three days. During that time, Abel never got to see Serena’s face. This was thanks to Abel having pretty much locked himself in his room wondering what he should do if she were to try to meet him.
Then today, there was a sudden message from the temple regarding their visit and Abel was planning to work out a little in the training ground and washing up to go greet the guests.
On his way back from the training ground, Abel was with his friend Calten Rohas.
He was from Louvremont magic foundation. As someone of the same age as Abel, Calten was smart and quick-witted and prone to worrying.
“Your sentiment did not change at all?” Calten asked on their way to Abel’s room, looking displeased.
“Yes. I can’t let that person… continue to live in the same castle as mother. Father must be leaving them be because he doesn’t have any choice either. This is not a matter that could be fixed with time. If father does not announce it, I should. That I am not his child at all.”
“His Grace must have his plans. Don’t act on your own accord.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll just be giving up my position as the heir. I will still be staying within the castle.”
Calten was the only friend who knew of Abel’s secret. When Abel confessed his secret for the first time as he was prone to trusting people easily, Calten got mad at him greatly and scolded him to watch his mouth from that point on.
Calten was always worried for Abel, who was so soft and foolishly good.
“I got to see your birth mother’s face from a distance as well, Abel.”
“Yeah.”
“Is she even your real birth mother? There was nothing alike between the two of you. I don’t get it at all. On the other hand, you are looking more and more like His Grace day after day.”
“Do I resemble father that much?”
“Don’t even get me started. Also, when people resemble each other that much, you’d think that it’s based on bloodline rather than coincidence. I’ve been researching something based on that recently, would you like to have a look?”
Calten took out a bundle of paper he was holding to his chest, his eyes sparkling. The paper was full of some intricate mathematical equations.
Abel narrowed his eyes and looked into it despite not being able to even read it. Calten continued to chatter beside him.
“You know that the child follows the element of either mother or father who has the dominant trait, right? I consider this to be manifestation of genetic traits recorded in one’s body. The reason why a child resembles their and parents is a similar context.”
“Er, uhm, right…”
“Just like how mana emitted when magic is unleashed could be visualized through creation magic, if we could check the genetic trait within a person’s body through same method…”
“Huaaaah…. Ah, sorry.”
Abel opened his mouth wide for a yawn, looking bored. Calten stopped halfway through and sighed.
“You must be tired since you haven’t trained for a long time. You should get washed up. Today’s the day the priestess arrives, the day you’ve been so looking forward to.”
Abel shook his head hastily as Calten mentioned Deborah.
“Looking forward? I never did.”
“Well, seeing how you were stuck in your room for days saying you don’t want to bump into your birth mother yet you sprang out hearing that the priestess would be visiting…”
“T-the temple is an important guest to our house.”
“Yes, yes, sure.”
Calten found the floundering Abel cute and chuckled, then suddenly froze.
He had found Serena waiting in front of Abel’s room.
Abel turned his gaze to follow Calten’s surprised gaze. He drew in a breath without even knowing and took a step back.
“Ah…”
The moment she saw Abel’s face, Serena approached with a pitiful look on her face as if she would start crying at any moment.
Seeing how Abel took steps back hesitantly, she did not approach any closer and spoke.
“Er… I’m sorry I came looking for you all the way here. I wanted to see you but had no way to meet you…”
“You could have requested to meet him officially if you wanted to see him. Just because you’re staying in the castle doesn’t mean you can meet someone like Childe Louvremont on a whim.”
Calten stepped in between them with a slight sharpness in his tone. He felt this way the last time he was passing her by too, but he couldn’t feel any sympathy towards Serena, who was said to be Abel’s birth mother.
Serena continued, ignoring Calten’s attitude, “I wanted to apologize, and though you wouldn’t want to hear of it, I wanted to tell you my excuse… to you, I would probably be a heartless mother who discarded her own blood kin.”
“Excuse me.”
“Sorry, I’m so sorry.”
Serena started wailing like a child.
She had a malnourished, skinny body, and her clothes were shabby. There would only be a handful who wouldn’t feel sympathy for her at the sight of her crying.
Calten turned to look at Abel. Indeed he looked confused.
“I never intended to throw you away. I lost you. All I did was look for you ever since. Everyone told me… you’d probably be dead by now, but I didn’t want to hear it.”
Serena slowly calmed her overwhelmed emotions and continued.
“I felt that you were stolen from me. It would be blasphemous of me to think this was about His Grace Duke Louvremont, but… I couldn’t even find you because of how powerless I was, yet he had you so-so easily…”
If one lay down the facts only, Serena was a victim.
Though not all her words could be trusted, if she really didn’t throw away Abel intentionally…
After the unwanted farewell, the son she reunited with had become an heir to a man in power that she couldn’t do anything about.
“D-don’t you worry. I know my mistakes. I also know that I don’t have the right to act as your mother now either. I told His Grace the same. I told him that I would just watch you for a few days and quietly disappear. I have no intention of getting in the way of your current happiness. So… so don’t worry.”
Did she really mean that?
Hearing Serena say that she wanted nothing, Abel and Calten couldn’t help but be slightly shaken.
“Though it would be for a short period of time… can’t we? It would be for the last time in my life and it would never come again. …Please, just for a few days, a few days, I want to see your face. I beg of you, Abel, please…”
As Serena took another step forward calling his name, Abel didn’t know what to do, trembling.
Just then,
“Childe!”
A bright voice rang through the hall.
Someone came running from beyond Serena’s shoulder and almost shoved her aside to run into Abel’s arms.
“P-P-Priestess Deborah?”
Why was Deborah here all of a sudden…?
No, since the visit was planned today, it wasn’t anything special. But what surprised Abel was how friendly Deborah was being. Though they were close, they were never this close.
Looking at Deborah hugging his waist tightly and smiling, Abel was startled and floundered.
“Y-you’ve come so early. B-but I’m just back from training and haven’t washed up yet…”
“It’s fine. You always smell fragrant, Childe.”
“Huh, huh?!” Abel was startled, answering Deborah as he was unable to neither hug her back, nor push her away.
His confused emotion due to the encounter with Serena had been long gone.
‘Who is this wench?’
Baffled, Serena stared at Deborah’s back side as she hugged Abel tightly.
In the next moment, Serena was surprised. Deborah slightly turned around to give a smirk with her eyes narrowed. As if she was mocking her.
‘Is that an expression…’
…that can be made by a kid so little?
Baffled, Serena stared at the two of them, then turned around once again noticing footsteps approaching.
“Childe. Rohas. Has it been half a month?”
‘Whoa.’
Serena was as surprised as the first time she saw Hades.
A blindingly beautiful face, angelic smile,
The blond man looked straight at Serena to give a smile.
“Well, hello.”
She could almost see an illusion of halo sparkling behind this man who she couldn’t be certain whether is a human or god.
It was as if time had stopped.
Serena stood nailed to the spot for a long time, her gaze fixed on the man.