Ever since I got my hands on Aria, she never had any specific reaction to anyone other than me. In fact, I even got the feeling that she disregarded anyone other than me as nothing. Yet for the first time, a change of interest came within her.
“Mommy?” Grace looked taken aback as Aria spoke those words, and so did everyone else. The weird atmosphere in the room became more deranged. Grace’s eyes traced toward me as I gave her a nod. Seeing this, she smiled in a motherly way and slowly ruffled Aria’s hair.
“What is it, sweetheart?” Grace spoke in a natural tone.
‘Nice.’ Marveling at the change in Grace, I focused back on Aria and asked in a loving tone, “Go on, you can play with your mommy.”
Hearing my words, Aria smiled and jumped into Grace’s lap, trying her best to be pampered. At first, Grace was a bit taken aback at the concept of pampering one of the most powerful women in the world, but in the end, her maternal instincts of raising three kids kicked in, and in seconds, the two of them were close.
Seeing this, I smiled as my attention turned towards the other two who were looking at us with a fed-up expression.
“I’ve seen a lot of fucked up shit, but this is the first…”
‘Wow, looks like Eleanor’s crass behavior is coming out…’ Musing at Eleanor’s words, I looked at them with a crooked smile as I spoke.
“Guess things will be settled with that, but I am planning to use her to deal with that issue of ours…”
Hearing my words, Mira’s eyes lit up, and she spoke with a sly smile. “Dealing a blow with her will be easy as breathing…”
“Indeed,” I nodded my head at Mira’s words as Eleanor intervened.
“What are you guys talking about?”
As she asked this question, I focused on Eleanor before turning my eyes toward Grace, who was also focused on this issue. Her eyes screamed to know more about the details at hand. Well, it was for the best, and this way, it would be easier to implement the things that I have in mind.
“Guess I will start explaining…” I began to talk about everything that happened, starting from my discussion with Mira to the plans we set in motion. I even gave them the documents containing all the information about the Hillcloud family that I had gathered. Upon hearing their plans, Grace’s face twisted in the greatest anger she could display.
“I… will… kill… them…” she spoke in seething words while patting the worried Aria. I also received accusing gazes from both Grace and Eleanor, who seemed pissed about the fact that I didn’t inform them of this.
‘Looks like I have two women to appease…’ Marveling at my current situation, I focused on Mira as she spoke.
“But don’t you think she might hold a grudge after she wakes up?”
As she spoke, she pointed at Aria, who was being spoiled. I snorted at her words as I replied, “She placed her entire trust in me without even considering the tough situation I might be in. Hence, I think I can take some interest along the way.”
Hearing my reply, the others didn’t counter, as it was true. A sense of silence fell between all of us until Eleanor suddenly spoke.
“So, are you going to tell us what you were doing with DarkNight?”
Her words broke the atmosphere, and Mira also looked at me with an accusing gaze, while Grace, who wasn’t into politics anymore, looked puzzled. Seeing this, Mira filled her in about the super genius that appeared in DarkNight, from whom I am afflicted and taking information, coincidentally at the time I wasnt at the Academy.
After all, it’s no secret to these three that I have a connection with DarkNight, and putting two and two together, it wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that I might be the one in battle. Of course, it’s still just a suspicion from them which I could deny, and they would believe me. And when the truth comes out one day, things won’t be easy to handle then.
“Sigh…” I let out a loud sigh as I leaned back on the sofa. My eyes flashed with ‘complex’ emotions as I spoke in a low voice. “Indeed, it’s me…”
Hearing my words, another stunning silence fell in the room. A suffocating tremble filled every fiber of my being as I started to speak with a smile of satisfaction, one mirroring sadness and contentment.
“You see, I wasn’t completely forthright about some things. Do you all remember the time that I awakened my bloodline?”
Hearing my words, I could see Grace flinch, while Mira had a hard expression as she started to feel all my emotions of ‘pain,’ ‘suffering,’ and ‘responsibility’ that weighed down on me. Meanwhile, Eleanor looked at me with saddened eyes as she gazed upon my expression of loss.
“What about it?” Mira asked, flinching a bit as she did so.
“Well, the truth is, my bloodline isn’t so simple, and you should have all understood that by now, right?”
The three of them nodded their heads at my words, while Aria kept looking between me and Grace with an anxious look. It was quite natural for everyone to suspect more about my bloodline, with its own destined weapon and its ability to cure the corrupting energy. And now, I even made them understand that the depth of my powers isn’t natural.
I broke all common sense in front of them.
“You see when I awakened my bloodline, I actually received a quest or a duty, one might say.”
As I spoke until here, my emotions overwhelmed Mira, who seemed to be biting her lips hard, while the other two women had their own difficult expressions as they looked at my face. Grace even moved forward and held my hand, soothing it as she asked, “What duty and from whom?”
To this, a hesitant expression filled my face, which soon settled down as I spoke, “It was to save the world, and it was from my ancestor, the first holder of this bloodline, and a man that even the Gods seemed to fear…”
As my words were heard, I could see the ever-changing expressions on everyone, especially the three women who loved me with all their hearts. “Austin, be more specific,” Grace said with a hardened tone. I shook my head with a wry smile and replied, “I can’t.”
“AUSTIN!” Grace shouted for the first time, her voice hardened as she looked at me. Her anger wasn’t directed at me, no, it was directed towards the world that seemed to be taking her loved ones away from her. “What do you mean you have to save the world?” Eleanor asked with a hardened look. I smiled weakly and said, “The world is increasing in corrupting energy, and I, who can act against it, rose. Isn’t that a great coincidence?”
My sarcastic words made the three of them flinch, especially Grace, who was looking at me with red eyes. Aria seemed to be on the verge of tears as she sat between us. Seeing this, I moved forward and lightly patted Aria’s head while whispering, “Shushh… don’t cry, it’s nothing.” Saying so, I hugged Aria’s body while looking at the others with narrowed eyes. They understood my actions and turned quiet. After all, no one wanted a nuke suddenly going out of control. I held Aria’s body lightly while gazing into the complex trembling eyes of the three women, no doubt their minds praying for my safety.
‘Step one of a happy harem life taken…’
Internally musing at my words, the room turned silent. I slowly kept rocking Aria until she fell asleep. Just as she did, the power surrounding this place fell, and everything returned to normal, except for the state of mind of the three women.
“I am entrusted with a lot of duties, but I can’t tell them to you guys. I can’t risk your lives…”
“Do you think we are weak?” Eleanor asked with a hoarse voice, narrowing her eyes. I shook my head and replied, “It’s the opposite actually. All three of you, I love and care for, and you three are the toughest I know. That’s why I can’t let anyone else in on this, because I know what you will all do…”
As I finished speaking, my expression was taut, clearly not willing to say anything more. The silence in the room was chilling until Grace suddenly spoke, “I need to be alone…”
“Mom…” I tried to speak, but Grace interrupted me, “I said, I need to be alone…” Saying so, she walked out of the room. My eyes then fell on Eleanor, who was rubbing her head with a fed-up expression. “Austin, come and meet me…” she said before disappearing. My eyes then turned to Mira, who understood all my feelings. She walked to me, sat beside me, and hugged me as she spoke in a broken tone, “I-I’m sorry, I didn’t know how much you were suffering…”
“Aunt…” I spoke in a broken voice as my love for her burst forth. I hugged her with Aria in between us.
‘So did the other two leave?’
[Yes.]
‘Good.’
