“Uhh… Mom……”

I looked straight ahead at the mist sifting atop the surface of the water. I sat properly as though I was faced with the biggest test of my life.

‘Well, in reality, it really was the biggest test in my life. No, the biggest test for my view of life and my morals.’           

‘How shall I describe it? When I was with the elves, I was completely immobilised once I entered the water. Forget moving my body in the water, I couldn’t even blink. I could only look at Vyvyan’s perfect body. I couldn’t touch it. Even if I did touch her body, I wouldn’t have felt anything. That’s why I quickly got used to Vyvyan hugging me as she helped me wash, since I was as an calm old monk, who had settled down.’

‘With humanity’ however… It’s different…,                

‘I’m fine here in humanity’s waters. I don’t have any physical impairments when I’m in water, so I don’t want to bath with Elizabeth, because she would try and do something to me every now and then. But I couldn’t reject her this time as I had just returned. I did my best to fulfil mom’s requests; because if I didn’t. Elizabeth would be very sad…           

‘But I don’t want to be taking a bath sitting in mom’s embrace!!’                 

My head was buried deep in her valleys of bliss. I could feel her warm body and the water moving about on the back of my head.

‘Why was I looking straight ahead? Because if I just turned my head a little, I would see those pink cherries we

have between May and July. What shall I say, that mom maintains her figure and skin well, or is the elven spring water Vyvyan supplies her with effective? I don’t feel that Elizabeth is a woman almost forty whatsoever.’        

Nier has a really good body. Since she trains all year round, she doesn’t have any excess fat, not to mention her natural perfect ratios. Elizabeth, however, had an even more voluptuous body than Nier. And right now, that beautiful body had me locked tightly. Her two arms were wrapped around my waist. Underneath the water, my legs were rested on top of moms. This feeling of skin contact with warm water in between made me suffer, but at the same time, aroused. Most importantly, though, was… Mom’s hands were in front of my waist. If I moved…

‘I think my body is going to be raging with l.u.s.t after I finish bathing…’          

I had nowhere to place my hands so I rested them gently on mom’s legs which allowed me to feel mom’s warmth and smoothness…

“Hey, Mom…”

“Hmm? What’s wrong Son?”

Mom poked her head over my shoulder and spoke, so I felt her breath in my ear, causing me to jerk my body. My final line of defence was taken down by Mom. Mom’s body and mine froze up at the same time because Mom’s hand on my waist…

“Hng…”

We both got awkward and didn’t know what to say. I wore a depressed look on my face, wis.h.i.+ng for nothing more than to dunk my head in the water and drown myself…

‘It’s just shameful to react, like this,

this, in front of your Mom! So shameful!! How am I going to face mom in the future now?! How will Mom see me if I feel this way toward Mom…?’              

“Umm… This… Mm…”

I stuttered to try and explain myself, but nonetheless, nothing came out in the end, because I had no idea what to say…

‘How am I going to explain it? I couldn’t contain myself, because your body is too beautiful mom…?’

‘I shouldn’t be feeling this way even if Mom’s body was even better!!’ 

‘This is a morality bottom line problem!!’        

“Mommy… Mommy can understand. It’s just… Mommy never expected this.”

Mom giggled but didn’t let go; insteadm she hugged me even tighter and rested her head on my shoulder. She looked to one side and s.p.a.ced out a little. She then softly said, “Son, did you know? Mommy’s impression of you is still a little boy wrapped in that red cape. You were particularly gentle at the time. You would never bite me. After you were full, you would give me a smile… You have no idea how much I loved you at the time. I could’ve just looked at you all day, hugged you all day… But I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t stay by your side. Son, your history, where you grew up, will forever be a missing chapter in Mommy’s heart… Mommy… Mommy always looks at you and thinks, are you truly that child?”

I didn’t speak.

‘To be frank, it’s very normal for Elizabeth to feel this way. Elizabeth didn’t show up during my childhood. Despite Troy and Elizabeth sharing a blood bond, Troy

bond, Troy didn’t even know that she was his mom. Troy didn’t have any memories of Elizabeth in his memories. When Elizabeth who gave birth to Troy saw him again, he was already an adult.’                   

‘For a mother who didn’t get to raise her child, she’ll inevitably feel that he isn’t her child.’

“Mommy didn’t get to see you grow up, but Mommy will get to see you grow this time.” Mom tightly hugged me as if she was hugging an infant. She gently rocked me as she softly continued, “My son is a qualified adult and man now, since… Hehe, Mommy is very happy about this. Mommy is very happy that you like Mommy. But Mommy still wants to watch you eventually grow to become a qualified Emperor. Mommy didn’t get to watch you grow up, so Mommy wants to at least get to see you slowly grow up and become a qualified Emperor. That way, Mommy will be to take care of you in the future without any qualms.”

Mom gently rubbed her face against mine and bit my ear with a look of yearning. She tightly hugged me and blissfully told me, “You’re Mommy’s only child and Mommy’s only family. Mommy loves you. Mommy loves you too much. Mommy doesn’t want the throne any longer. Mommy wants to be able to tightly hug you when you return. Mommy wants to be the first one to rush past everyone to hug and kiss you; but, Mommy can’t do that right now. If Mommy tries to do that now, Mommy will be stopped. Perhaps Mommy can only

Mommy can only be a qualified mom when Mommy is no longer an Empress, so… son, become Mommy’s child as soon as possible.”

‘While that sounds contradictory, it’s not at all.’                  

‘At the moment, I’m Her Majesty’s Prince. Only in the future can I be Elizabeth’s son.’                 

I turned my head sideways, looked at mom’s face and sincerely responded, “Uhm, alright, Mom.”

Elizabeth giggled and then suddenly leaned over my shoulder.

I felt an electric current run through me as a pair over lips that carried the moist, warm water and their own warmth make contact with mine. I froze up in mom’s embrace, as I felt mom’s body and warmth. I appreciated Mom’s charming kiss that was akin to a flash of thunder.

“Hehe…”

Mom giggled as she stroked my lips and a red flush was visible on her face. Her eyes looked similar to Nier’s eyes two months’ ago. She softly said, “Now I see why that woman likes to kiss you so much. Kissing you makes me feel so blissful… I feel like… my entire body is floating…”

“Mom… Umm…”

I felt that I couldn’t contain my rationality. Warm water, strong wine and a beauty. Those three things which can cause benevolent men and men of aspiration to fall were all thrown at me at once. At this very moment, every single one of my cells was shouting at me, telling me to push this black-haired beauty down… I never imagined Elizabeth who was always imposing and strict could be so gentle and alluring…

“Son… in a little bit, come keep Mommy company… Mommy can finally sleep in peace tonight…”