"Are you not going to tell who she really is?" Mother asked as U and I were about to leave her room.
"Wh-what do you an, Mother?" I asked, trying to feign ignorance.
"Do not try to fool . You know exactly what I an," Mother retorted, her voice turning sharp. "I sensed Divine Soulforce emanating from her when she mounted the barrier around us."
"Sigh... you cannot hide anything from your mother, huh?" I murmured inwardly before saying, "Do not be surprised, Mother."
Turning to U, I continued, "U, show her."
She gave a slight nod and closed her eyes. Slowly, her already smooth skin began turning jade-like, a faint pink glow emanating from her. On her head, two long, fluffy fox ears popped out while her pink hair turned silky, radiating an otherworldly presence. When she opened her eyes, the faint pink hue within them had turned brighter, appearing nothing less than ethereal. Behind her, four long, furry tails unfurled, swaying like living serpents.
"S-so beautiful..." Mother and I murmured, our eyes locked onto her heavenly figure.
"Y-you are behaving as if you are seeing for the first ti in this form," U murmured, feeling shy under my gaze.
"No matter how many tis I see you, U, you always look srizing," I replied with a smile.
"Th-this enchanting beauty... th-those living, python-like tails," Mother murmured, her eyes widening in shock. "Her appearance is absurdly similar to the goddess of legends, the Goddess of All Beasts, Gumiho."
"You are right, Mother," I replied smugly. "She is the goddess of legends and... your daughter-in-law."
"Y-you should have told that sooner!" Mother hissed, pinching my back. "I even called her child."
"I do not mind, Mother Aestra," U said, returning to her human appearance. "You said you would give a mother’s affection, so you may address however you wish."
"I am so confused now," Mother mumbled, facepalming. "Taranis, can you explain how you two t?"
"Well, it is a long but fun story," I said, sitting beside her on the bed as U took a seat on the other side.
The next hour passed as I shared my adventure in the Forest of Gumiho with her. I changed and removed certain parts of the story, such as seeing the mories of the gods and how I actually ended up there.
Mother listened with great interest and excitent in her eyes, but as I reached the end, she fell asleep despite trying not to. Her body was still too weak to remain awake for long.
I pulled a space ring from my finger, which I kept there only as a facade, and placed the High-Tier Soul Stones inside it before slipping it onto Mother’s index finger.
"Rest well, Mother," I whispered, kissing her hand before leaving the chamber with U.
"It will be dawn in two hours," U said, looking at the sky. "I should also leave now."
"U, may you stay with for a few minutes before leaving?" I asked. "I would like to show you the room where I lived."
I pointed at the other chamber beside Mother’s, which was still standing.
"I can spare a mont," U replied, excitent clear in her eyes at the thought of seeing my room.
As I slid open the door, the room I had left about twenty years ago beca visible to .
A strange nostalgia washed over as I saw my room, looking exactly the sa as when I left. Various intricate patterns of gold and silver were drawn on the brown wooden walls. A small, short-legged table stood at the center, while a bed was placed in the corner. On the front wall, a huge painting hung.
"Is that you?" U asked, already inside the room, standing before the painting of the three figures.
In the painting, Mother was laughing beautifully, her face turned toward the two figures beside her.
One was my father, wearing an annoyed expression, while the other was , looking like a three years old, sitting atop Father’s shoulders and pulling his hair with a grin.
I kept looking at the painting with a sad smile as the mories of the day it was created replayed in my mind.
In a low voice, I murmured, "It was the day Father first left for war after my birth. I wanted to go with him, refusing to stay still for the painting. So he grabbed forcefully and placed on his shoulders, and then I started pulling his hair. I was three months old at that ti."
Unknowingly, my eyelids grew heavy, and a deep stinging pain surged through my heart as I told her the story.
"We were so happy back then."
Sensing my distress, U gently embraced , resting her head against my chest.
"Look at , saying unnecessary things," I chuckled, regaining my composure as I gently parted from her.
Moving toward the bed, I sat at its edge and called U. "Co sit beside . We need to talk."
"What is it?" she asked, sitting beside .
"U, you have as much right over as Nyria does," I said, my voice firm. "I have told you before and I will say it again, you are not a second choice."
"Th-that ca out of nowhere," U replied, flustered. "I... I do not have those thoughts."
I moved closer to her and whispered, "U, do you know that when you lie to , your ears flutter?"
"Hu-huh!" She flinched, her hand flying to her head where, unknown to her, her ears had popped out and were twitching like the wings of a baby bird.
"I... I really do not have those thoughts," she said, forcing her ears back down with both hands while averting her gaze.
"U, remove your hands and look at ," I ordered, my voice firm and my expression serious.
Heeding my order, she slowly lowered her hands and locked her innocent gaze with mine.
"U, you are you and she is her," I continued, my voice softer now. "I do not have such a shallow character that I would be in a relationship with you rely to fill Nyria’s place. Both of you have separate places in my heart."
"B-but she is your childhood love, while I t you only nineteen months ago," U murmured in a barely audible voice, lowering her face. "Not only that, I forced you to be with . There is no way you love both of us equally."
"..."
"Why are you not saying anything?" she asked when I remained silent for a mont.
"So these are the useless thoughts you were keeping inside," I sighed, moving closer to her. "Have I ever treated you unfairly?"
She instantly shook her head.
"Have I ever disrespected you?"
She shook her head again.
"Has my love ever felt shallow to you?"
Once again, she shook her head.
Gently holding her chin, I lifted her face and whispered, "I love you, U. I truly do. I cannot and will not love anyone more than you."
"I... I love you too, Taranis," she whispered, closing her eyes, her lips slightly parting.
Knowing what she wanted, I moved closer and gave her a gentle kiss on the lips.
---
A/N: Hello, readers!!
February has ended with 104 Golden Tickets and 500 privilege Chapter unlocks, the highest milestone the novel has ever reached. I am truly happy that all of you are enjoying the story and showering it with so much love.
Now for March, I have a few challenges for you. Achieve them and earn extra Chapters!
1. Normal days: 1 or 2 Chapters released.
2. Every 25 Golden Tickets: 3-Chapter mass release.
3. Reach Top 100 in Golden Ranking by the end of the month: 5-Chapter mass release.
4. Luxury Car: 3-Chapter mass release.
5. Dragon: 5-Chapter mass release.
6. Magic Castle: 8-Chapter mass release within 24 hours.
7. Spaceship (I suggest not sending such an expensive gift): 12-Chapter mass release within 36 hours.
8. Golden Gachapon (Again, it is too expensive to spend so much on a novel): 20-Chapter mass release within 48 hours.
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