The Anomaly Beyond The System

Chapter 168: I’m your mother…

Lucian himself was left completely stunned.

His crimson eyes remained fixed on Seraphina’s face as he watched the rosy tint creeping across her pale skin, and for a moment, the calm neutral expression she usually wore almost cracked.

And that only confused him even more.

A faint frown formed between his brows.

‘Did I say something wrong…?’ the thought crossed his mind as he continued staring upward at her face while his head rested on her lap.

His mother was beautiful—he had always known that—but seeing the flush on her face was strangely rare.

Rare enough that he couldn’t help but keep looking a little longer than usual.

After several seconds, Seraphina finally returned to her senses, her eyes narrowing slightly as she looked down at him.

Though the expression only made her look even more elegantly beautiful—and fortunately for her, Lucian was the only one who could see it.

And unfortunately for her…

Lucian was currently very confused.

“What did you say just now?” she muttered quietly, her voice turning slightly colder.

Lucian shifted his head against her lap, but without getting up, answered honestly.

“Do you want me to drink your blood instead of Lia’s?”

Her gaze settled on him with an unsettling intensity, and then—

“Do you know what that means?” her voice dropped lower, turning more serious.

And Lucian…

After a brief moment of silence, he answered.

“…No.”

He was genuinely unaware if his words carried any other meaning, having said them only to lighten the mood after noticing her conflicted gaze.

As she noticed the complete confusion in his eyes, Seraphina let out a long exhale.

“Dear…”

Her fingers moved through his hair again.

“Listen carefully.”

Seraphina hesitated briefly before continuing.

“In vampire traditions… asking someone if you may drink their blood is often considered a direct way of expressing romantic interest.”

Her expression grew slightly more serious.

“In simpler terms, it is another way of proposing marriage.”

“Ah…”

The sound escaped his mouth as he immediately understood the reason for her embarrassment, and why she had reacted so strongly earlier.

Seraphina let out a sigh, resisting the urge to pinch him.

“So don’t casually say things like that… especially not to a woman,” she repeated, noticing that he didn’t seem particularly affected by her explanation.

Lucian nodded obediently, though from the look on his face, it didn’t seem like he would actually follow her advice.

“But I don’t think everyone reads history books about vampires.”

Seraphina narrowed her eyes, feeling slightly offended.

“Almost every vampire knows this. It’s common knowledge.”

Lucian looked genuinely surprised, then slowly tilted his head.

“Did you read that in here too?”

Her expression stilled, but after a second of silence, she gave a reluctant nod.

Lucian’s lips curled again, enough for her to know exactly what was going on in his mind.

“Now I really want to know what’s written in that favorite book of yours.”

He shifted slightly, but the moment she saw him lifting his head from her lap, Seraphina instantly pressed him back down by his forehead, forcing him against her thigh.

“Just stay still, or I’ll burn that book away.”

She didn’t care if it would lead to trouble.

She didn’t even care if every book in here was as precious as diamonds—because right now, all she wanted was to tear that book, the source of her frustration and embarrassment, as far away from him as possible.

Lucian chuckled, but didn’t try to move, comfortably adjusting his head on her soft lap pillow.

Slowly, Seraphina’s fingers relaxed, before gently resting them on his forehead.

Her skin was unusually colder than a normal human’s body temperature, likely a lingering effect of her Ice Affinity that made her presence feel like winter itself.

That was also the main reason she had survived so effortlessly in Bloodveil’s naturally cold environment, where night seemed to stretch endlessly.

A place where ordinary humans would need to constantly carry heaters just to avoid falling sick from the freezing cold.

Lucian, however, didn’t feel any discomfort from it.

If anything, the coldness of her skin felt strangely… comforting.

A few minutes passed in complete silence inside the vast, enclosed library.

No footsteps, no servants—only the two of them left alone in the quiet stillness of the space.

After looking at her for a few more seconds, Lucian gradually closed his eyes.

Seraphina’s back rested against the tall bookshelf behind her, her shoulders relaxed as her gaze lowered while she continued staring at his face for a long time.

Her fingers, pale and slender, continued moving through his hair almost absentmindedly.

She hadn’t let him read that book since it contained many taboos—at least it could be considered that if it were compared to a regular human’s morality.

As said before, unlike humans…

Vampires or werewolves preferred procreation within their own families to keep their bloodlines stronger than the normal way. It was a mindset similar to the earlier humans who once believed something alike.

The only difference being that in the case of these two supernatural races, it actually worked.

Which led to a few siblings marrying each other, daughters marrying their fathers…

Sons marrying their mothers.

And again, unlike humans, polygamy was allowed in both directions too.

No… that statement wasn’t entirely correct.

It was more like you could do anything if you had the strength and position to back yourself and keep the opposition’s mouths shut.

Nothing else mattered.

In Bloodveil, no human rights or government rules worked here.

‘Not that they ever really worked properly even before…’ she thought darkly, a faint bitterness surfacing as she recalled the man who had shattered her life.

Her gaze then softened, drifting downward toward the boy resting against her.

The one who had unknowingly given meaning to her life from the moment of his birth.

Lucian’s breathing had steadied, turning calmer and slower. His expression softened, and the usual sharpness in his face had been replaced by something far more vulnerable.

‘He fell asleep…?’

For a brief moment, she hesitated in surprise—seeing him fall asleep so quickly. But then, remembering the two long months he had spent in training, she didn’t move to wake him up, letting him rest.

A few strands of hair had fallen across his forehead, which she gently brushed aside.

A short while ago, he had truly shaken her world after telling her about Lia and himself—about what had happened between them.

And there was really nothing she could do to undo it—and even if she could stop him, she wouldn’t.

Still…

A faint part of her ached, carrying a quiet fear that, for whatever reason, he might not remain as close to her as he had been before.

‘Blood relations…’

The thought suddenly surfaced in her mind as she studied his face—delicate, yet undeniably handsome, now softened by sleep.

Then—

Multiple flashes of images suddenly surfaced in her head, uninvited fragments tearing through her mind, making her fingers twitch as her other hand clutched tightly onto her nightgown.

Her gaze grew slightly dull, and old conversations resurfaced violently.

Voices. Echoing screams. Taunts. Beatings.

Then—

Just as those memories were violently surging through her mind—

“You fucking whore!”

The sudden scream echoed so violently that her entire body jolted.

Her eyes snapped back to clarity, and her breathing broke instantly.

“Ha–Haaahh… Hahhhh…”

Her chest rose and fell unevenly, and her icy-blue eyes trembled violently, clarity returning to her mind along with a creeping fear surging through her.

Her fingers, which had been resting on Lucian’s head, tightened for a moment before she forced herself to loosen them again.

She couldn’t let him wake up.

Not now. Not when she didn’t even know what expression she was currently wearing.

Her heartbeat thundered painfully in her chest, each beat louder than the last.

When she shut her eyes again, his furious face emerged in her mind—along with his loud, raging voice.

Damien’s voice… her so-called husband’s.

Her breath hitched, but then she forced her gaze back to Lucian once again, as if his presence alone could keep her from falling apart.

And sure enough, her mind instinctively began to calm down, slowly settling, until she felt like she could breathe properly again.

But her heart still refused to fully calm.

‘I’m his mother… I’m his mother… I’m his mother…’

The words repeated in her mind over and over again, frantically and without stop.

Her eyes darkened with a faint madness while she stared at his sleeping face with an unusual gentleness—it was the same madness she had thought she had lost with time… but seemingly, the sudden memories had brought all of it back.

“I’m your mother… your only mother…”

Her fingers curled tightly into his hair once again, and a faint, tiny, yet at the same time unsettlingly strange smile touched her lips as her gaze lowered to him more properly.

A faint crease formed between Lucian’s brows, so subtle it went completely unnoticed by Seraphina.

“I’m your mother… no one else,” she whispered again in a soft, motherly tone, though there was a faint flicker of possessiveness and something deeply broken hidden beneath it.