The Anomaly Beyond The System

Chapter 185: How are you so cute... yet at the same time so naughty...

Over a month had already passed—or at least that was what Akasha had told him.

Because Lucian himself had long since lost all sense of time after living inside the body of a newborn whose sleeping schedule was completely irregular, eating and sleeping at any time of the day.

Sometimes, he would barely remain awake for an hour before exhaustion took over, and other times...

He would sleep through almost the entire day, only to wake up wide awake in the middle of the night.

And during those nights, his tiny cries and restless movements inevitably woke Seraphina, who always slept in the same room beside him.

And no matter how exhausted or sleepy she looked, she would immediately get up, pick him up, and spend hours soothing or playing with him until he eventually fell asleep once again.

’I really feel like a bad guy,’ Lucian sighed inwardly.

Over the past several weeks, he had gradually noticed the faint dark circles forming beneath her beautiful eyes after staying awake for multiple nights, and that made him feel bad for her.

Though she didn’t show the slightest hint of annoyance toward her son, always keeping a gentle smile while playing with him.

"My dear Aiden.

How are you so cute... yet at the same time so naughty..."

Seraphina’s soft voice reached his ears as she watched the tiny child lying comfortably in her lap. Aiden’s little hand was wrapped around one of her comparatively larger fingers.

The bedroom remained dimly illuminated, with only a single lamp left switched on, casting a faint glow throughout the otherwise dark room.

Outside the windows... the sky was shrouded in the darkness of the night.

The voices that were previously distorted were now much, much clearer—at least enough for his infant ears to hear them... and just barely enough for him, who had already become accustomed to his vampire senses.

Lucian couldn’t help but smile inwardly at her words.

And surprisingly...

"Ehehe...!" The child let out a cute little giggle, making Seraphina’s eyes widen ever so slightly before her expression gradually softened into a gentle smile.

A quiet giggle escaped her lips as well, the sight of her son laughing brightening her entire face.

"Let’s go outside for a moment," Seraphina said with a smile as she slowly lifted him into her arms.

The moment she held him close, his tiny body instinctively snuggled against her, and a feeling of safety spread throughout him—the emotions belonging entirely to Aiden.

Carefully supporting him with both arms, Seraphina silently opened the bedroom door before stepping into the main hallway.

The room was large, with cream-coloured walls, a neat, polished marble floor beneath them, and expensive furnishings decorating the interior of the mansion.

And for some reason, the lights were still on, illuminating the entire hall and reflecting against the marble floor.

Seraphina slowly walked through the hall, each step causing Aiden’s tiny body to sway slightly within her embrace, making him let out another tiny giggle with each movement.

But then...

Seraphina suddenly stopped walking, and her smile gradually disappeared.

Her expression subtly shifted as she lifted her head, looking toward something in front of her.

Since Aiden was only looking at Seraphina, Lucian couldn’t see the cause of her reaction.

’Though I can guess.’

"Husband..." Seraphina muttered quietly, looking at the man before her, who sat atop the couch in an unusually relaxed posture.

Before him rested a half-empty bottle of wine, along with a crystal glass.

Seraphina’s eyes narrowed slightly when she saw him not respond.

"Aren’t you going to sleep...?" she asked, sounding slightly concerned and a little cautious.

Silence answered her once again.

Without even sparing her a glance, Damien calmly picked up the bottle and slowly poured more wine into the glass.

The child instinctively shifted his face toward him, allowing Lucian to get a better look at the man.

Damien was still wearing the exact same suit he had left home in that morning.

His hair was slightly dishevelled, and dark shadows rested beneath his eyes. Without stopping, he raised the glass and emptied it in a single gulp.

’What happened to him...?’ Lucian thought, frowning inwardly.

He wasn’t really unfamiliar with the sight before him, since he had seen this almost every day throughout his childhood.

But...

Ever since arriving inside this memory, and ever since he had been reliving his own birth, he hadn’t seen Damien behave like this even once.

Not until tonight.

The same businessman sat before him, wearing the same expensive clothes, yet...

Something felt different about him right now.

Seraphina silently let out a soft sigh.

She remained standing there for a brief moment before carefully shifting Aiden into one arm.

Hesitating only briefly, she reached for the wine bottle, simply hoping to move it away.

Or at least try to.

Her fingers barely touched the bottle before Damien’s hand grabbed the bottle by its neck.

"Drinking so much isn’t good for you," Seraphina quietly muttered, simply wanting him to leave it at that.

But then...

"Heh."

A low chuckle suddenly escaped Damien’s lips, carrying an unpleasant bitterness across his face.

Slowly, he raised his head.

His half-lidded, faintly drunken eyes met Seraphina’s.

"Don’t... try to look l-like a-a caring... wife."

His voice stumbled over several words, trembling under the influence of the alcohol.

Before Seraphina could respond... he suddenly tightened his grip.

With a sharp tug, he snatched the wine bottle away from her grasp, causing Seraphina to lose her balance for a brief moment.

She immediately steadied herself before tightening both arms around Aiden.

Lucian’s eyes narrowed inwardly, but since he wasn’t able to do anything, he could only watch what was happening with growing curiosity.

The loud sound of gulping echoed throughout the silent hall as Damien drank almost half the bottle within mere seconds.

When he finally lowered it, his expression had grown even duller, causing Seraphina to let out another quiet sigh.

Though... her body tensed greatly with unease.

At that exact moment, the child resting within her embrace trembled ever so slightly, prompting her to lower her gaze.

"It’s fine... It’s fine..." she softly whispered, slowly rocking him from side to side, back and forth.

Within moments, his trembling gradually stopped, and his little body relaxed against her chest once again.

A faint smile slowly appeared upon her face.

At least... for a brief moment.

"Y-you know...?" Damien’s voice echoed once again, interrupting the peaceful silence with his slurred words.

This time... it was Seraphina who didn’t react at all.

She didn’t answer, nor did she turn toward him.

She simply continued looking at the tiny creature in her arms while maintaining that same quiet smile—although... it looked a little forced.

"You s-should remove... that disgusting... pathetic smile of kindness.

It’s as fake as your personality... you wh—"

"Silence."

Her extremely cold voice cut through the hall.

The sudden change was so abrupt that even Damien unknowingly stopped speaking.

For several seconds... only silence followed.

Her beautiful face had become utterly emotionless. Her icy blue eyes stared directly at Damien, and there wasn’t even the slightest trace of warmth left within them.

"Don’t you dare utter a vulgar word before my child." Her voice came out flat, though it carried enough weight to momentarily silence the drunken man before her.

"Heh."

But despite her words... Damien simply let out a dark chuckle.

"Your child."

Then...

He slowly pushed himself off the couch and, with unsteady movements, gradually approached Seraphina.

Seeing him come closer, Seraphina’s eyes narrowed ever so slightly. She instinctively tightened her embrace around Aiden in a protective manner.

Damien eventually stopped right before her. His eyes slowly lowered, looking directly at the tiny child resting peacefully in her arms, whose expression remained innocent.

His curious little black eyes wandered between both adults, completely unaware of the invisible tension filling the room.

A strange chill quietly travelled down Lucian’s spine.

For a moment, he felt like Damien might do something...

His instincts tensed.

But...

Nothing happened.

Damien quietly reached toward the table instead and, picking up the bottle once again, turned around.

Without another word, he walked straight past Seraphina with slow, unsteady steps.

Several long seconds later...

Bang—!

The sound of the door slamming shut echoed throughout the mansion, loud enough that even Seraphina involuntarily flinched.

’Something surely happened.’

Lucian could tell that without a doubt, especially after noticing the gradual changes in his father’s behaviour over the past month.

The growing distance, the arguments, the drinking.

Everything was pointing toward something that had occurred behind closed doors, something he knew absolutely nothing about.

’What was he about to say?’

Damien was clearly intending to say something—perhaps curse her—only to be coldly stopped by Seraphina before he could finish.

Not only that, but judging by her immediate reaction and cold demeanour, it felt as though she already knew exactly what he was about to say.

And probably...

This wasn’t the first time—meaning something similar had happened during their countless arguments.

Unaware of the future version of her son silently reliving these moments from within the infant’s body—

Seraphina quietly turned around and walked back toward her room. Closing the bedroom door behind her, she switched off the lights.

Darkness immediately filled the room, leaving behind only the faint moonlight filtering through the curtains and the dim glow of the lamp.

Walking toward the bed, she carefully laid the child upon the soft mattress before lying down beside him.

The room remained completely silent.

Seraphina’s expression remained blank as her eyes rested on her child, occasionally drifting toward the door behind him.

Minutes passed, and she remained like that the entire time.

Then—

Little Aiden wriggled across the bed, instinctively moving closer to her.

Before long, one of his tiny hands reached upward, landing on her cheek—almost like a soft slap or a gentle little pat.

Seraphina blinked, as though suddenly returning to reality.

Her unfocused eyes slowly lowered toward the child beside her, and a gentle smile gradually bloomed across her face once again.

"Yes, yes... I’m here..." her soft voice came out as a whisper.

She gently placed her hand over the tiny hand resting against her cheek before softly rubbing it with her thumb.

Soon afterwards, she continued playing with Aiden once again, watching him with a fond expression as he responded to her.

To anyone watching...

It would’ve looked like nothing more than a loving mother spending time with her son.

But Lucian... he could see the sadness buried beneath her smile and in her eyes, which she was trying to hide.

Before long...

A few tears escaped from the corners of her eyes, silently falling before disappearing into the pillow beneath her.

She didn’t even wipe them away, simply continuing to smile at her son as though nothing had happened.

And Lucian...

Could do absolutely nothing about it.