"What is this?" Serafall pulled her son away just enough to look at him better. Her eyes drifted down to the small tears that had gathered on his lower lash line. With a slow gesture, she ran her finger under Victor's eyes, collecting the crystalline moisture.
She brought her finger to her lips and tasted it.
"Salty snacks… they're real." She smiled slightly, clearly amused as she tried to lighten the mood.
"Ah—" Victor froze. His brain, which had confronted memories in another timeline, simply shut down at that provocation.
To disguise it, he turned his face away, making a childish pout that didn't match the chaos he carried inside at all.
"I missed you. That's all," he answered honestly; it was the reality. He was dying of longing for his beautiful, healthy mother.
Serafall's heart warmed as if a volcano had erupted within her chest. A warm sigh escaped her lips… too warm for someone whose kind should be cold by nature.
Heat coursed through her body… entirely… yes… entirely.
Even places that definitely shouldn't react that way… a place that became warm and moist in a matter of seconds, almost overflowing from her "Cave of Love."
Of course, it wasn't her fault. She's just… intensely obsessed with her own son, to the point of wanting all kinds of love from him.
"So cute~" Her eyes shone a bright red, a soft shade, but charged with emotion. Even Victor felt the air grow warmer around him.
The next second, she pulled him back into an even tighter hug. Much tighter.
His face was pressed directly against her generous breasts, soft and surprisingly warm.
"So beautiful…" she murmured in an almost melodious whisper. "My little boy loves his mommy so much that he misses her so easily..."
Her arms enveloped him completely, possessive, protective.
"I-I'm going to s-suffocate!" Victor protested, his voice muffled.
'Although it's great...' he thought treacherously. 'These breasts are warm... which is strange, considering we vampires have a low body temperature...'
He didn't even try to maintain his dignity and simply buried his face in her breasts, completely oblivious to his surroundings. Until... well, he started to suffocate.
It was difficult to reason when he was being crushed against the most dangerous affection of the entire clan, but he managed to say, "M-mom, c-calm down, I'm going to suffocate!"
Serafall looked down and laughed, "Your heart is beating too fast, I know you like mommy's breasts, I'm just—" She stopped herself when she saw that Victor was starting to turn really red and pulled away.
"Haah...ahh...Jesus," Victor said, placing his hand on his neck, "M-mom, you're still very strong, control yourself!" He said, trying to find words that weren't~
"Cute~ Why are you so cute?" She said, seeing his face, "Wow, that's a low blow!" She said, pouting.
Victor was still coughing slightly, trying to catch his breath while rubbing his neck.
"Cough— cough— I almost died… Don't call me cute," he murmured dramatically, although they both knew that was far from the truth.
Serafall just watched, her eyes still slightly flushed, clearly satisfied.
Victor took a deep breath and returned to his normal expression after recovering; now, he wanted to make a request.
"Mom…" he began, his voice still a little hoarse. "I want you to help me get stronger." He asked respectfully; after all, that's what he'd wanted from the beginning. To get stronger to protect her and himself. That simple request caused Serafall to fall completely silent for a few seconds, until she blinked once and her aura completely changed.
Her red eyes softened until they returned to their usual tone. The playful smile disappeared. Her relaxed posture straightened. The overwhelming presence, contained until then, emerged in a controlled manner.
That woman who was called General returned abruptly and somewhat frighteningly.
"No." The answer came immediately and without apology, just a dry no that made Victor's face contort. "...Huh?" He questioned.
He clearly hadn't expected that. In fact, he had no expectation of denial, none at all! On the contrary, he expected immediate and unquestioning approval!
"I can't help you." Her voice was firm now, devoid of any previous provocation. "Not before the Coming of Age Ritual."
Victor frowned. "But that's ridiculous! I've already proven that—"
She shook her head once. "Rules are rules."
There was no room for discussion in that tone.
"You know how it works. Until the Ritual, your evolution must be natural. Direct interference from a high-ranking member… especially mine… would be seen as bloodline manipulation." She spoke calmly.
Victor opened his mouth to argue but then closed it, remembering that his mother, despite being a free spirit and challenging in every aspect, was still his mother who served the House of Valentine, not the mother who abandoned everything for her son in the future. This frustrated him somewhat.
However, he hadn't given up yet! "Mom, it's just bureaucracy! You yourself never cared about—"
"Victor." The way she said his name made him swallow the rest of the sentence. Although there wasn't a trace of anger, there was so much authority that his body trembled slightly.
'Damn it, I'll have to use that!' He really wanted to try more.
He then played his last card, crossing his arms rigidly and frustratedly. With his lips trembling slightly, he made a sad and pleading face, he really bet everything on his bright red eyes and hurt pout. Classic Manipulation! It has to work!!
Serafall remained silent and placed her hand on her chest, as if—CRITICAL— Her heart suffered a critical impact. A demonic blow of manipulation in its purest form!
"...This is unfair." He murmured, looking at her as if she were the cruelest person in the world.
She took a deep breath, so deep that he saw the air entering her nostrils, quite exaggeratedly, and looked away for a second.
'Damn it,' Serafall thought, seeing his face. But then, she had a brilliant idea, at least in the warped mind of a millennia-old vampire like herself.
"Only if…" she began slowly, formulating her evil plans.
Victor raised his head immediately, attentive to her words like a cat about to steal a fish!
"Only if you stay quiet… and…" she coughed discreetly. "…well, help Mom when she needs it." She let it out, but her tone seemed somewhat…
"…Why did that sound extremely suspicious?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.
Serafall tilted her head, feigning innocence.
"Suspicious? I'm just asking for filial help. What kind of son questions his own mother like that?"
Victor narrowed his eyes. "Why does it seem like I'm signing a dangerous contract?"
She gave a short, but very mischievous little laugh. "Because you are," she admitted.
"...Mother."
"Yes, my dear?"
"Why do I feel like this is some kind of absurd trap involving your... let's say... obsession?" He questioned, even though the mother he knew was completely different from this arrogant and crazy one, he still knew his mother and her tone!
"So clever~ I mean, I'm just being a modest mother, right? I teach you some things and you... well, help me with others," she hummed, clearly pleased.
Victor sighed deeply and finally said, "Well, what choice do I have, don't I?" He spoke and turned his gaze, murmuring very softly, "Why do you seem so naughty? Well, it's not that I'm against it but~"
He hadn't even finished speaking before billions of bats flew into his face before her figure appeared behind him, and whispered in his ear, "Geez, you shouldn't think things like that about your own mommy..."