Grace's POV:
'Just when did things end up like this?'
Grace pondered as she gazed out, her eyes fixed on the breathtaking view of the Lionheart Duchy. She found herself back at the same mountaintop, the very place where her relationship with her dear son had transcended the boundaries of family, leading them down a path that forever altered her entire life.
'The situation was quite amusing,'
she mused, settling herself on the ground. The memories of what had transpired here replayed in her mind. At this moment, Grace's heart was filled with conflicting emotions, each one vying for her attention and clouding her thoughts. Who could guide her after she had crossed the forbidden line with her own son?
Her family dynamics were in complete disarray now, with her daughters also entangled in taboo relationships that might not bring them happiness in the end. Everything seemed bewildering to her.
"Sigh... Why is it my family that must suffer?"
Grace asked aloud, although there was no one in particular to hear her. Her emerald eyes scanned the Duchy she had dedicated herself to safeguarding. She recalled the day she had moved here after marrying Austin's father. That era of her life now seemed like a blur, with countless memories fading away. She couldn't even begin to remember all the moments she had shared with Austin's father.
Instead, her mind was consumed with memories of Austin. Remembering those moments brought a blush to the beautiful MILF's cheeks as she inwardly scolded herself once more. It was irresistible to her. Whenever she was with Austin, something deep within her was awakened, causing her to lose all sense of decorum and transform into a complete woman.
'But now, it's all about to come crashing down...'
Grace could feel her heartache as she recalled the words Austin had spoken to her. As his mother, she carried the weight of his pain and experienced overwhelming guilt, sadness, and anger. Guilt for not recognizing her son's suffering, sadness that he had to bear it alone, and anger that he hadn't confided in her. However, her anger toward the world quickly faded away, leaving only guilt and sadness in her heart. She began to understand why Austin had made every decision, his actions driven by a desire to bring happiness to their family.
'He bore all the pain so that we could be happy...'
Every scene played vividly in her mind—the tender touches, the loving smiles, and everything he had done to ensure their family's happiness. He had shouldered the pain alone so they could all wear smiles. How could Grace ever be angry at that?
It was funny how it all started. It had begun with her own illicit desires and the unique feelings of dreams that had consumed her thoughts. In the end, she had succumbed to her lust, and their initial connection had been born purely out of carnal desire. But as time passed, Grace found that everything changed. She genuinely began to see Austin as a man in her life.
It was weird and went against societal norms, but such a thing had come to pass. While Austin's charm had captured the hearts of his family, life was full of mysteries, and this was one of them. Furthermore, what they were doing didn't feel wrong in Grace's eyes. She had witnessed the darker aspects of the world, the atrocities that emerged during times of war.
In comparison to all that, the little taboo happening within her family wasn't hurting anyone. They loved each other, and Austin had truly brought happiness to their lives. She could see it in herself and in her daughters. This was all she had ever hoped for, even if the circumstances were strange and taboo.
"Yet now, I am about to lose it all..."
Grace whispered, her heart heavy with grief. Her eyes were lost in the starlit expanse of the Lionheart Duchy, the life she had built after her husband's demise revolved around this place. It had almost led her to sever her relationship with her children. And now, the one light in her life was burdened with untold responsibilities, leaving her to wrestle with her emotions like a vulnerable girl.
'I am sure my younger self would be disgusted with the person I have become...'
A rumble emanated from within as mana surged through Grace's body. The necklace that Austin had placed around her neck gleamed, reacting to her heightened state. Grace ascended to the middle level of Origin Level 7, her progress is astonishing, courtesy of the necklace Austin had gifted her. Her hand lovingly caressed the necklace, a mix of infatuation and pride etched across her face.
She felt an immense sense of pride in the man Austin had become, although it also brought bitterness at her own perceived inadequacy. But that feeling would linger no more.
Things had been taken away from her, constantly stripped away, and she would no longer allow it.
She loved her son, loved him in ways that defied explanation, and she could no longer hold back.
She loves him, she loves him, she loves him, she loves him, she loves him, she loves him, she loves him, she loves him, she loves him, she loves him, she loves him, she loves him, she loves him, she loves him, she loves him, she loves him, she loves him...
Her once-sane mind finally shattered, unraveling in ways that were both good and bad.
Grace rose from her spot, her dormant killer instinct awakening. Small red energy formed around her as she stood there, her green eyes flashing with a hint of red. Her mind reeled from the thoughts she had embraced, refusing to be the weak one any longer, refusing to be carried away by the currents of life.
Now, it was time for the side she had held back, the one that roamed the battlefield with a crazed smile of slaughter, the very side that had earned her infamy and fear across enemies and allies alike. She was the general who had once made the world tremble in her might and her mind.
"Mia,"
Grace called out, and the shadows around her began to writhe. In their place, the figure of Mira materialized kneeling —the maid who had cared for Austin throughout his childhood. The current Mia seemed unchanged, having not aged a day since then. She knelt before Grace, her black hair cut short, and her eyes cold as stone, different from the tenderness she had always displayed at the mansion and toward Austin.
"Your orders, Master,"
Mia spoke in a chilling tone, her gaze fixed on Grace.
"Gather the squad, assemble everyone else. Tell them that if they still remember their loyalty, then they must prepare. I intend to set things right."
Hearing Grace's words, one of the commanders for whom Mira held both respect and fear inquired,
"Where is the war?"
"It is on its way,"
Grace replied, her eyes tracing far beyond the Duchy, into the future. Grace knew she was strong, but her power lay in her ability to lead, to be a general. She knew that if Austin was a hero, then a war was imminent—a war that would involve her beloved son. And when it arrived, she would be prepared to lead the mightiest spear against any force that dared threaten her family, be it mortal or god.
.....
Orpheus's POV:
'Sigh... I want to meet my son...'
Orpheus whispered in her mind as she diligently attended to her work. As the overseer of life's laws, she carried the immense responsibility of maintaining the balance of existence across realms. Though she had moments of respite, she found herself in a particularly busy period.
'I wonder what new things we should try?'
As these thoughts consumed her mind, her ample breasts tingled, nipples hardening as a hint of her divine essence leaked out.
'Sigh... It's becoming difficult to keep this under control.'
Orpheus, as a goddess, possessed the ability to suppress these feelings, but she no longer desired to do so, not when she finally had a child, not when her lifelong dream had come true. Now, all she yearned for was to spend time with her son, to shower him with affection, to never be a moment away from him.
'Um... I want him to suckle more. Next time, I'll feed him until he's completely full.'
She thought as she cupped her breasts, temporarily stopping the flow. In her perception, only seconds had passed since she left Austin, her son, but she already yearned to rush back to him.
However, for now, she couldn't. The time she spent with him had left her with a significant workload to handle. She needed to attend to these matters before reuniting with her son.
'Come to think of it, should I warn Lala?'
With Orpheus' mark, she knew if any divine being approached her son. She was aware that Lala had slept with Austin, and this knowledge filled Orpheus with pride.
Orpheus is a spoiling mother through and through, all she desires is to spoil her child rotten, to have him by her side 24/7, to feed him, bath him and do everything possible with him.
'Humph... Not just anyone can captivate a god.'
She thought, though deep down, she knew that any god would seize the opportunity to be with Austin, especially considering how he defied the natural order of the world, allowing the divine beings to experience emotions they shouldn't or couldn't possess.
In reality, no gods could entertain such emotions, as any mortal in a Gods precense won't be able maintain true personality, their mind would twist, and they would never dare utter words against them. Moreover, a natural barrier created by "it" existed, making it difficult for gods to develop feelings of love, lust, or desire among themselves or toward mortals, they can have any other emotions other than that.
"It" had enforced this barrier to maintain balance, as "it" understood the potential ramifications of love's influence on the world of Gods. Austin's very existence remained an enigma, defying the flow of nature. One could only imagine the upheaval that would occur in the Heavenly Realm if all the gods interacted directly with Austin. Perhaps the change was on the horizon.
Despite Orpheus' understanding of these dynamics, none of these thoughts crossed her mind. In her doting mind, everything Austin, her son, did was right.
Even if he were to decimate 90% of all realms, she would find a way to justify his actions, condemning the deceased 90% as a vile bunch that had harmed her child.
One can never comprehend the weight of an exceedingly indulgent mother, especially one who has lived through numerous eras, experienced pain, desire, and love more intensely than anyone else, and possesses a unique perspective on life.
'If Lala intends to play any games with him, then...'
For a moment, Orpheus' eyes turned dark and weary, and parts of the Heavenly Realm trembled.
'It's better if I leave a reminder...'
With that thought, Orpheus vanished from her current location, seeking to deliver a message to a stranger who had encountered her child.
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