Side Story 5: Mother (1)
The experience of his hands curling up from shame the likes that he had never experienced before only lasted a moment. Having spent the entire afternoon until the evening to recharge, Hades Louvremont once again returned to his perfectly arrogant self.
Although he needed to exhaust his never-ending stamina, Aisha was at her limits and Hades ended up in the training ground.
‘Yes, well. Like what Aisha said, whether or not she came to the north in the first place for Abel’s sake doesn’t matter anymore, does it?’
Indeed, indeed. All that mattered was that Aisha was here, Aisha who said she finds his handsome looks to be always new and exciting after living together skin to skin for 4 years.
With his self-esteem high again, Hades cheered up all the knights who were training late into the night one by one.
“Oh, my son. Were you training? You really are different from those that slack off at any given chance.”
Hades approached Abel in the corner of the training ground fondly. Abel had a heavy expression on his face as he swung his sword. He smiled with a nod.
“You came.”
“But why the long face? Did Azar push you to the limits not knowing when to stop again?”
Hades spoke glaring at Azar standing not too far away.
Abel smiled awkwardly and waved his hand.
“No, no. It’s just…I must be a bit tired from training so long.”
“…Yeah?”
With that answer, Hades looked at Abel’s expression closely. It was not too difficult to tell if he really was tired or if he had something else on his mind. Hades played dumb and tapped Abel lightly on the shoulder.
“Training your body is good and all, but too much is worse than not doing it at all. Head back in and rest for today.”
“Ahh, okay…”
Contrary to his usual passion, Abel nodded powerlessly and left the training ground.
Staring at Abel returning back in with limp and powerless steps, Hades asked with a sharp voice, “What’s wrong with him?”
Being the quick-witted man he was, Azar was already at Hades’ side.
Azar answered with a long sigh, “Did you know there was a rumor from the capital that crept all the way up here to the North?”
“A rumor?”
“Yes, I’ve looked into it in a hurry myself, but it doesn’t seem like the kind of rumor that would just appear and fade away after just a flash. Folks in the central regions and the southern regions have known this for years now.”
“Get to the point already. What is this rumor about?” Hades asked, turning around in annoyance. Azar hesitated, scratching his head like someone who is bringing up something difficult to say and finally managed to answer.
“They say that Childe’s birth mother… is here in the North.”
“…What?”
Hades froze, caught off-guard.
* * *
Abel Louvremont could not recall his birth mother’s face. It was as if somebody has erased his memory on purpose. His first memory started when he was five, in a place that used to be called a lawless city, Obituth.
He could clearly recall his devastating life, chasing after other orphans around his age.
He had swallowed food waste in order to survive before, and also got beaten up to near death by kids around his age who were playing turf.
While that happened, he had met a woman called Genus in Obituth which became a devastated land due to the appearance of magical beasts. Though he later found out that that was Aisha’s soul, he just couldn’t remember her face, as though there was a heavy fog around it.
-You were always happy before meeting me. A life with affectionate parents, a life with close siblings, a life with a lover you loved; that was the kind of life you lived. So I was always in agony. I always had to kill you who would have been happy without me.
-But all those times of pain are over, Abel
Around the time his painful memories settled down, Aisha sat Abel before her and told him old stories. If what she said was right, he would definitely have a birth mother and birth father who have given birth to him. It wasn’t that he was curious or missing the existence of his birth mother at all. He didn’t have any memories of her.
Still…
Abel was known to be Hades’ lovechild. It went without saying but Hades would have no intention of correcting that fact for Abel’s sake.
‘Then what would become of mother?’
As he was thinking of her, Aisha and Anne approached from the distant hallway as they chattered.
“My, why is His Grace tormenting you without even giving you a meal?!”
“No, no. He asked if I was hungry. I just skipped it, because I was feeling exhausted.”
“Ugh, still. Go and get some food. I have warmed your soup as well.”
“My, Abel!”
The tired-looking Aisha found Abel and ran over to greet him.
“Are you back from the training?”
Hugging back Aisha who hugged him lovingly, Abel replied, “Yes…”
“You must be tired. Did you eat?”
“I went out training after dinner.”
“Still, you’re back from training physically. Aren’t you hungry? Mommy’s about to have supper, why don’t you get another cup of soup at least?”
With a smile, Aisha kissed Abel on the cheek. At the same time, a soothing ability of the light element flew in, clearing away all his accumulated fatigue.
Abel was now used to how affectionate she was and it had always made Abel happy, but he couldn’t bear to smile back at her at this moment.
Abel stared down at Aisha’s face as he gave a thought.
‘It would be a problem if he ignores and chases out my birth mother and it would also be a problem if he lets her in the castle. Mother knows that I am not a bastard child but the rest of the world doesn’t know that.’
Hades may acknowledge his birth mother for his sake and because of many eyes on house Louvremont.
Aisha would be a topic of ridicule if such a thing were to happen
“Son?”
“Ah, yes…”
“You don’t look so well. Is something the matter?”
“Mother, I…”
“Abel!”
Just then, Hades came running in dismay and halted before Abel and Aisha to catch his breath.
It was unlike him to be running this fast that he was lost for breath.
“W-we need to talk.”
“Yes, I have something to tell you too.”
“What? Why are you running in such a hurry?”
“It’s nothing. So Abel, let’s move somewhere else to have some…”
“Father.”
Abel called Hades in a more serious expression. Hades was surprised and out-right clasped his hand over his son’s mouth.
Looking at the two of them, Aisha and Anne’s eyes widened.
“What are you covering up the kid’s mouth for?”
“I-I get what you are about to say. We can talk in private first. Hm?”
Hades eyed Abel as he took his hand off Abel’s mouth and he spoke right away as if he was waiting.
“Please announce that I am, in fact, not your love child, and that I don’t have even a drop of your blood in me.”
After his words, silence fell.
“Hieeee!”
Only Anne, who did not know, was startled and clasped her mouth.
Hades seemed troubled and Aisha was baffled.
Abel continued without hesitation, “I will deal with what may happen after my origins are revealed. If the vassals demand that I step down from being heir, I will do so. So reveal the truth for everyone to know, father.”
“Abel, why are you doing this all of a sudden?” Aisha asked with a smile as if to soothe him.
Abel stared at her with a saddened face for a moment, then turned to Hades to speak.
“Please, father.”
* * *
Having lost my appetite, I came back to my room. Hades left after saying he would look into something and returned much later with a tired expression.
“What is going on here?” I asked abruptly.
He merely sat with his forehead balanced on his hands and continued to sigh. He sighed so much that it seemed as though the world was ending.
It seemed to me as though Hades needed some time to gather his thoughts. so I waited in silence.
After much time had passed, he spoke. “They say Abel’s birth mother appeared.”
“…Huh?”
“I heard the rumor had been spreading for some time in the mid-southern regions already. The reason why the rumor reached up to the capital was because that birth mother had arrived in the North.”
“W-what?”
“I’d have to look further into it myself, but it seems that it hasn’t been so long since the rumor started to spread. She is a woman from the Orgiu County in the South and it seems that Junior Count Orgiu has brought her here.”
“My, then…” I clasped hands over my mouth in surprise.
It never crossed my mind, but it was only natural that there is a birthmother who has given birth to Abel.
Because there had never been a time I was Abel’s biological mother apart from the first life.
“The reason why Abel is suddenly saying such a thing was…”
“He was worried for you and me.”
Indeed. The reason Abel could become the heir to Louvremont was because of one reason: because he was Hades’ son by birth.
Because the Louvremont name was a heavy name to carry, a name that represents the empire, Abel wouldn’t be able to succeed the title if it turned out he didn’t have the right blood in his veins.
And so, Hades would never correct the lie that Abel was his bastard child no matter what, and should it happen…
‘He would be forced to acknowledge the birth mother.’
My head started to hurt.
According to the storyline of the novel
Well… since Hades survived despite how he should have been dead long ago and I have come back from the dead, it wouldn’t be a big surprise to see the plot of the novel change so much.
“For now though, I can tell that the intentions of Junior Count Orgiu and that woman claiming to be Abel’s birth mother are very impure.”
“…In what aspect?”
“Isn’t it obvious? If she is Abel’s birth mother, she should clearly know that Abel is not your bastard child. If she has eyes and ears, she would know how lovingly you raised an orphan who isn’t even blood-related, and she would know that you have no intention of revealing the truth so she would be trying to threaten you with it. Don’t you think a woman who left that little kid alone in Obituth has returned only now because she misses Abel?”
“Haa…” Hades let out a long sigh as he rubbed his face with two hands.
Feeling bad for him, I rested my head on his shoulder and comforted him. Since the situation didn’t allow him to move either way, it was obvious to see how Hades would be feeling.
He couldn’t simply ignore a birthmother who gave Abel life, but then he couldn’t be revealing that Abel is not his by blood just to explain his relationship with her either.
“You know, Aisha.”
“Yes.”
“I know that you don’t like me bringing up stories from the past, but…” Hades seemed to be curious about something but did not ask right away and hesitated for a while before continuing, “Don’t you recall anything from the time you were leaving Abel in my hands?”
“Huh?”
The memory of the time I was Genus that Hades was mentioning… would probably be the time before I went over to Procreathor’s world.
“Hm, no.”
“…Really?”
“Yes. What about it? Ah…perhaps back then, I may have known of Abel’s birth mother’s face.”
“No, rather than that…”
“Rather than that?”
Hades winced, thinking something over on his own but soon shook his head. “It’s nothing.”
Then he embraced me tiredly, planting his face on my neck.
As I patted his head to soothe him, He rubbed his face like a child as he spoke. “You know, Sometimes, I really wish… that Abel was a result of you and me.”
“…”
“Of course, I still love Abel even if he isn’t, but sometimes, I just think of these things. It’s a meaningful life where you and Abel’s long suffering has come to an end… So even more so…”
“Right. Still, despite some aspects being a pity, it doesn’t change that we are a family.”
“Yes, it’s true.”
Perhaps it was because things seemed like it would take an odd turn, Hades was uncharacteristically weakened.
Feeling bad for him. I soothed him as I pet his back for a long time.
“Don’t worry too much. I will think of a way.”
“No, what can you do? For start, I should have a talk with Junior Count Orgiu in private. And…”
Continuing to speak, Hades had let out another long sigh, seeming torn.
Then once again, muttered the same thing.
“It would be nice if Abel was truly the son of you and I.”
Yes, we wouldn’t even be needing to break our heads over cases like this if that were the case. Thinking Hades’ absurd wish was adorable, I couldn’t help but smile despite the atmosphere.
…
Though…
Later, I had chills recalling this moment, just like the time when I realized the meaning behind the title
Hades wasn’t the author of the book who could make anything he wishes come true, and yet… his hopes had turned out to be true.