Free Web NovelChapter 166: Mother Instincts?
Seraphina’s pale fingers continued moving gently through his hair, brushing through the dark strands.
Lucian simply sat there, his arms crossed on the table while he rested his head upon them.
His eyes were closed, and the tension in his body slowly melted beneath those familiar touches.
“Your hair has gotten longer,”
Seraphina muttered quietly, brushing aside a few strands that had fallen over his eyes.
Even his hair had gained a healthier, darker tone. It had almost become softer to the touch.
“Hm.”
Lucian merely hummed in response, and seeing the satisfied expression on his face, Seraphina’s lips curved into a gentle smile.
For a few seconds, neither of them spoke, maintaining a comfortable silence within the library.
But then—ƒreewebɳovel.com
Seraphina’s brows twitched slightly, the smile on her face gradually fading as a small crease formed between them.
“Lucian…”
Hearing her call, Lucian slowly opened his eyes, only to notice the subtle shift in her expression.
“Mom?”
“You smell strange.”
Lucian blinked, genuinely confused about what she was talking about.
Without saying anything…
Seraphina slowly leaned forward, closing the distance between them, slightly stunning him as he saw her face so close.
The frown on her face deepened as she tried to catch the scent lingering on him, before…
A strange look appeared on her face.
“Which woman were you with?”
Lucian’s expression instantly stilled as he heard the strange question come out of her mouth.
‘Her nose is like a vampire’s,’ he thought to himself.
How had she noticed the faint scent of a woman so easily?
[Mother instincts?]
Akasha’s voice suddenly echoed inside his head.
‘But aren’t those traits more like a wife’s instincts than a mother’s?’
[Maybe they’re just a woman’s instincts?]
‘Aren’t you a woman too?’
Based on his knowledge, she wasn’t really much different from most of the women around him.
[I’m special.]
She immediately corrected him in an arrogant tone, enough to make his lips twitch faintly.
Still…
Seeing Seraphina’s increasingly suspicious stare, he immediately put an end to the pointless conversation.
“Lia,” he answered honestly.
The single word immediately widened Seraphina’s eyes.
For a moment…
She simply stared at him, silent.
Then slowly… her lips parted.
“Wh… what were you doing with her?”
The question came out uncertainly, her icy-blue eyes narrowing slightly.
Because she could clearly smell the scent on him, and it wasn’t just a faint trace, but the strong scent of female pheromones—of a woman in heat.
And seeing her son’s expression falter ever so slightly, the suspicion in her mind immediately deepened.
Lucian didn’t speak for a long moment, but seeing her unwavering gaze, a soft sigh eventually escaped him.
“Well…”
Seeing there was no way to escape this conversation anymore, he simply began telling her everything, starting from the moment he entered the training chamber.
As he spoke…
Seraphina’s expression changed repeatedly.
But after hearing the reason behind Lia’s emotional state, Seraphina finally understood.
She herself had tried speaking to her multiple times during those two months.
For the first few weeks, the girl had locked herself away.
And even after coming out of her self-imposed isolation, whenever she saw her…
She would always politely avoid the topic, though no matter how hard she tried to hide it, there had always been a certain guilt lingering beneath her voice.
Now…
The reason had become painfully obvious.
Seraphina’s gaze lingered on Lucian…
Just hearing that he had died shook her deeply.
Though he hadn’t truly died, since it was simply a requirement for a human to become a vampire.
Still, it did nothing to lessen her worry.
Just the thought alone made her chest tighten painfully.
She remained silent… allowing him to continue.
Then…
About a minute later—
“Y-You kissed h-her…?”
Her voice cracked slightly.
Just asking the question sounded absurd to her, yet she still asked it.
And Lucian…
He simply nodded without any change in his expression, showing no visible embarrassment and making no attempt to justify himself.
For several seconds, Seraphina didn’t know what she was supposed to say anymore, completely speechless after hearing about her son’s actions.
Should she be happy?
Happy that her son had finally found a girl in his life after everything he had endured and suffered through?
Or should she be horrified by the fact that this girl happened to be his own step-sister?
She genuinely didn’t know, and her mind was an absolute mess.
Lucian didn’t speak either, didn’t try to explain or justify his thoughts further.
Instead, he simply leaned back in his chair, giving Seraphina the time she needed to process everything she had just heard.
After nearly a full minute…freёweɓnovel.com
She finally let out a quiet, complicated sigh.
“You really are thinking like a vampire…”
The words escaped her lips before she even realised it.
And Lucian, who clearly heard her through his heightened senses…
A faint frown immediately formed between his brows.
“What does being a vampire have anything to do with that?”
Seraphina slowly lifted her gaze, meeting his crimson eyes.
But she simply shook her head and didn’t try to explain, choosing to keep those thoughts to herself.
Instead—
“What are you going to do now?”
“Hm?
What do you mean?”
Her lips pressed into a thin line, and after struggling with her thoughts for several moments, she finally said it.
“Are you going to accept her?”
Lucian remained silent.
A faint, calm smile slowly appeared on his face.
And just by looking at that smile, Seraphina let out another quiet sigh.
“Right…”
Without him even saying a single word, she somehow already understood.
If Lia was hopelessly crazy for him…
Then her son was far, far worse.
It was almost foolish of her even to ask that question in the first place.
“You don’t even care about the fact that what you’re doing is incest?”
Her voice carried a trace of helplessness.
“Something the world will condemn.
Don’t you think that’s wrong?”
Silence followed.
Inwardly…
Lucian found himself wondering where she had even learned the word ‘incest’, completely unaware that she had picked it up from the vast collection of books housed within this very library.
And among those countless books…
She had discovered a great deal of information regarding vampires and many other races, along with the long histories behind them.
And during that time…
She had even learned that many noble vampire families intentionally maintained relationships within their own bloodlines in order to preserve their lineage and keep their bloodlines strong.
And unlike humans… their offspring didn’t suffer from genetic defects.
Instead, it often allowed vampire children to inherit even stronger affinities, talents, and bloodlines than their ancestors.
Because of that…
Although she hadn’t openly objected after hearing his words, it still felt strange to her, someone who still carried her human morals—at least enough of them to keep her sane.
Lucian understood where those feelings of hers came from, and he himself might have felt the same before…
If he were still human.
Which he no longer was.
He was a vampire.
The Progenitor.
The only one of his Race and someone who was already above all those morals.
“Mom…”
Her icy-blue eyes met his blood-red ones.
“I understand what you’re trying to say.”
His words remained calm, yet somehow, they carried more weight than before.
“But… I don’t give a fuck about other people’s opinions.”
A faint pressure spread through the surrounding air.
“And in my opinion, if I love someone…
Then I’ll make them mine.”
His crimson eyes seemed to darken slightly.
“No matter what.”
The confidence—almost bordering on arrogance in his voice left no room for doubt.
Seraphina looked at him silently.
“Even if what you’re doing is considered wrong?”
“Yes.”
“Even if it’s wrong in the eyes of a human?”
“Yes.”
Seraphina paused for a brief second.
Then—
“So your feelings wouldn’t change if you loved someone?”
“No.”
“No matter who it was?”
“No.”
“Even if it were me?”
“Yes—huh what?”
Lucian suddenly blinked, almost feeling as though he had heard her wrong.
Meanwhile—
Seraphina’s soul nearly left her body.
Her entire expression froze as she finally realised what she had actually just said.
Her eyes widened in horror.
Her lips trembled faintly.
“N-N-Nothing,” she stammered loudly, inwardly screaming at herself for saying something so stupid.
‘Why would you say that, you absolute idiot?!’
She genuinely wanted to bury herself somewhere far away and never show her face again.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have spent so much time reading about vampire traditions… now look what you’ve done!’
Lucian tilted his head in confusion.
A wave of embarrassment rushed through her, spreading all the way to the back of her neck.
She immediately turned her head away, refusing to look at him.
As soon as her eyes landed on the books stacked upon the table before her, her fingers tightened faintly around the edge of the book she had been reading.
Lucian followed her gaze, and gradually, his eyes narrowed.
“Mom…”
His low voice reached her ears as his attention shifted toward one of the books resting within the stack.
Vampire Traditions – Keeping the bloodline pure
The title was impossible to miss, having been written in large letters across the cover, and just looking at it made his eyes twitch faintly.
“What have you been reading for these past two months?”
Seraphina’s eyes widened, and the moment she realised what he was looking at, she genuinely felt the urge to freeze the book and throw it into the ocean.
Lucian slowly turned back toward her, noticing the faint embarrassment lingering on her face, especially the soft pink tint staining the tips of her ears—a clear sign of how flustered she was.
