Only mom and I were at the dinner table as usual, except there were so many dishes placed before me I didn’t know where to start. I must say, mom is a million times better than the empress at cooking. Every time I recall that purple stew that tasted like rubber, all the hairs on my body stand up. The meat pie mom made is the best meat pie I’ve ever had.
The only problem was that I couldn’t finish more than twenty of them, plus a noodle dish like spaghetti and a mushroom risotto… Is this made of rice? It looks longer and thinner than the rice in my memory, but it did taste similar to rice. Mushrooms here are like tree leaves. I actually did think they were tree leaves initially. I only realised they were mushrooms after I ate it. Most of the crops in this world are different to the crops I’m familiar with…
Everything tasted amazing, but I was stuffed…
Mom watched me eat with a smile on her face. She joyfully said: “How is it, my son? It tastes good doesn’t it? Eat plenty, okay? I’m so happy. That woman wouldn’t know how to cook. She can’t even tell if a fruit is edible or poisonous. I was worried that she’d get you poisoned to death when you weren’t here.”
I lowered my head as I cut my meat pie and replied: “She’s not that bad… Mommy Elizabeth actually dotes on me a fair bit. Her cooking isn’t good, but… It was pretty fun over there.”
*BANG!*
The sound of metal clanging suddenly came towards me. I looked up with surprise and saw mom sitting there astonished. Her fork and knife inlaid with precious jewels had already dropped onto the plate, but her hands still held their posture as though they were still in her hands. She looked at me with her blue eyes that were filled with astonishment and fear.
I nervously stood up and asked: “What’s wrong, mom?”
“What… What did you… What did you…just…call that woman…?” Mom stood up as she quivered while pressing her hands on the table and clenching the table cloth tightly. Her facial expression looked distorted due to her surprise and despair. Her voice was stiff as though she was choking.
“I called her mom…”
As soon as I opened my mouth to answer, my vision was once again thrown into darkness. Mom actually jumped onto the table and crawled across over to me. I couldn’t react in time while the dishes dropped on the ground and broke. Mom went and sat straight on my lap which nearly caused me to spit out what I just ate.
I struggled to lift my head up, look at her and asked: “Mom…?”
“You called someone else ‘mom’… You called someone else ‘mom’… You called someone else ‘mom…’ My son called another person ‘mom’… He called that woman ‘mom’… My son… My son…”
Mom pressed her hands onto my chest, slowly curled her fingers up and then tore my shirt off. Inside was my protective undergarment. While the red-haired lady did conduct experiments to ensure blades couldn’t pierce it, I was honestly scared that mom would rip it apart! Mom hung her head down and her facial features became hidden in her hair, but I managed to notice a dangerous red light.
“My son… My son… Are you betraying mommy? Are you going to abandon mommy? We promised to be together forever, we promised… You promised… You promised that you’d only have one mom… Don’t you want mommy anymore? Do you want to throw mommy away? What did that woman do to you? What did that woman do to you?!”
Mom whipped her head and her hair came along for the ride. She looked at me with her teary eyes. Her red eyes carried a crazed desire to kill. Even if my mana went berserk, I was able to notice that the air around us had essentially solidified. It became a struggle for me to breathe. The glass windows and the chair were shaking and I could feel myself being pressed onto the ground by someone. Is this magic? Or is this the queen’s majestic aura?
The empress’s majestic aura suppresses you on the mental plane while the queen suppresses physical objects physically!
“My son… You can only be my son!! You can only be my son! You’re forever mommy’s son! Mommy is willing to do anything as long as you stay by mommy’s side! Don’t call that woman mom…! Don’t,,,! Mommy… Mommy… Mommy loves you so much…so why… So why did you call somebody else, mom…?”
Mom’s tears ran down her face along with her cries and fell onto my face. Mom sat on my lap as she wept. Her body was quivering. It was like she had lost her most beloved toy-child and was at a loss for what to do.
I watched her in a daze. I had no idea the word “mom” meant so much to her. I can’t call Mommy Elizabeth, mom… It seems that “mom” is an exclusive word that belongs to her. I also finally came to the realisation why the empress wanted me to call her mom so desperately in that moment. It looks like Troy never called her “mom” once in the past.
“Mom! But…she too is my mom!”
“She’s not! She’s not your mom! I’m your only mom! I’m your only mom! That woman is lying to you!!”
Mom shouted at me furiously and then reached for her chest and tore her long emerald dress. Her divine valleys were completely naked before me. I was so stunned I even forgot to shut my eyes…
“Mommy knows where you’re always looking, you know…? Mommy knows how you think of mommy, you know…? It’s okay… It’s okay… Mommy doesn’t mind… Mommy doesn’t mind… Don’t abandon mommy… Don’t leave mommy… Don’t call anybody else mom… You only have one mom… Only call me mom… I beg you… Son… Don’t abandon mommy… Mommy is willing to do anything…”
I felt mom trying to take my belt off. I shut my eyes, and shook my head side to side as I shouted: “MOM!! MOM! YOU’RE MY ONLY MOM! YOU’LL FOREVER BE MY ONLY MOM, SO PLEASE GO CHANGE NOW!!”
Mom paused and then looked at me. She continued: “Say… Say you won’t leave mommy and won’t abandon mommy!”
I desperately shouted: “I won’t leave mommy, I won’t abandon mommy! I won’t! I won’t!”
Mom went silent for a moment and then I felt her weight lift from my lap. I opened my eyes and saw mom covering her boobs. She sat to a side and silently wept. Her eyes were so lonely like they were lifeless. She held her chest and curled up like a child that got hurt.
I never thought I’d hurt mom like that.
Perhaps I was everything to Vyvyan. And the thing that she was most proud of must’ve of been that I called her mom. So when I called another person mom, she must’ve felt abandoned. Based on what the empress said, Vyvyan should be aware of my identity. She’s convinced herself that I’m her only son, but she’s still afraid and against me leaving her in her subconscious.
I sat up and hesitated for a moment before crawling over to mom and gently hugged her. Mom froze and then hugged me back. I gently stroked mom’s back and softly said: “Mom, I won’t leave you nor betray you. I’ll always be by your side, so don’t cry.”
“…Uhm.”
Mom sniffled a few times and I felt a few teardrops land on my neck. In a choking tone, she said: “Don’t abandon mommy… Mommy… You’re mommy’s only son…”
“Uhm… I won’t leave you, mom. I never will.”
If the first time I was given birth was via my biological parents, then my biological mother is Elizabeth. However, the person who gave me life again, looked after me, doted on me, and educated me was Vyvyan who’s been by my side all these years. She too is worthy of being called mom. I think mom may have misunderstood something. I admitted the empress was my mom but I won’t leave her because of that.
It’s not like our relationship through all these years will be erased. That’s the thought that I believe my mom has already ingrained deeply within her.
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