Rather Than The Son, I’ll Take The Father

Aedis doubted my praise.

“Is it possible?”

I smiled softly at Aedis and then straightened my head.

“Did you hear me lying? You are a really good husband.”

“…… Sometimes I wonder what your conscience is made of.”

Aedis mumbled low and rested his chin on my head.

The flowers were swaying in one direction following the gentle breeze. When I first arrived here, I thought it was a northern and mild wind. But it had softened and it was as calm as a spring breeze.

“Aedis, don’t you think the weather is getting warmer?”

As I inhaled, a pleasantly cool, fresh air entered my chest. Aedis smiled and pretended innocence.

“I don’t know.”

“Ah, I see.”

I can brag about it then.

I decided to take a short break while buried in Aedis’ arms.

The sound of the wind rustling the leaves. The sound of swaying petals. The sound of my hair fluttering. And Aedis’ breathing relaxed me.

Drunk from drowsiness, I fell asleep and dreamed again.

Again, the place was Cyclamen Castle.

I was nervous because I thought I might be reunited with Kadan, but I heard Aedis’ voice behind me.

“Eve, can’t you die for me?”

I moved slowly to face Aedis in my dream.

Since the blackmail by Kadan didn’t work, he’s going to convince me with my husband. Is it this?

My head was cold, but for the first time, I pretended not to know that this place was a dream. I smiled and approached my fake husband.

“Remember what you did for me last night? If you do it again, I will consider it.”

Then Aedis in the dream frowned.

“What exactly is that…….”

“Oh dear, have you already forgotten? You licked my feet and swore absolute obedience. Even though I said no, you kept pushing me hotly…….”

I looked down with a face of shame. Of course, there was no such thing. My husband was so upright.

But the fake husband was silent. He didn’t even argue or tell me not to lie.

…… it’s impossible to not distinguish. He could control my dreams, but it seemed impossible to monitor me in reality.

“Huh? Aedis? Why is there no answer?”

Suddenly I felt my feet go out, and I opened my eyes to reality.

Hmm, did I get rid of it?

I rubbed my eyes. Even in the dream, I was clearly conscious, so I didn’t feel refreshed when I awakened.

It might be hard to hold on for long…….

Perhaps I had really slept for a while, since the color of the sky was not much different from before. Aedis didn’t even bring me indoors.

I tugged Aedis’ hem.

“Aedis, can you call Toliman, please? I want him to guard the castle for a few days. I have to vacate it. Let’s stay here at least until my parents arrive.”

Fatigue was evident in my voice. Aedis accepted the request without asking anything.

“I’ll tell him right away.”

I dropped Aedis’ hem and took his hand instead. Long fingers intertwined with mine, but nothing caught on.

What.

“Aedis, what about the ring?”

Since when?

“It was broken. I will make a new one.”

I remembered the ring stolen by Kadan. There was so much magic engraved on the ring that even the instruction manual was enclosed separately.

“But it took quite a while to make it. It’s too bad…….”

“Thinking about it the other way around, I’ve made it once, so I’ll get better results next time.”

How can I be disappointed when he only says sweet things like this?

“Next time, how about adding some magic so that it doesn’t fall off my finger?”

But Aedis was skeptical.

“Please don’t just value those things, Eve. What if someone discovers the ring is a magic tool when the wife is in trouble? They may not hesitate to cut off your finger to take it away. I wouldn’t let the situation get that far, but just in case.”

“…….”

“A ring can be remade from the same essence over and over again. In unfavorable circumstances, just give it away. You won’t be able to hold it for long anyway.”

The last words were a little harsh, but I understood what Aedis meant.

“I see. I will make sure my fingers are not threatened.”

Aedis laughed happily.

“Thank you for understanding.”

* * *

There was a small house on the island that looked like a miniature Morgana mansion.

The bedroom was structured almost like my room in the mansion, and the kitchen was stocked with fresh groceries.

I wanted to admire my husband’s thoroughness all day, but, thanks to the lack of a deep sleep, I dozed off as soon as I sat myself on the sofa.

Regen appeared in this dream.

“Wow, are you really going to do this?”

I felt my blood chill throughout my body. I didn’t want to hear Rgen ask me to die, so I ran out of the castle.

It was a vicious trick that I would not let go of the beast.

I wanted to vomit back the blood of the beast that I drank so far.

Even as I shook my head, Regen in my dream looked at me and smiled broadly.

“Mo–”

“Are you going to say that? Only the real Regen can call me Mother.”

“…….”

It was already the third intervention through a dream.

“You don’t think Aedis is afraid to seduce me in real life?”

“…….”

My accusations were certain. He didn’t even know if Aedis licked my feet or not.

“Aedis said you were like a god, but I can’t agree with you.”

Tears welled up in the fake Regen’s eyes. Soon, from the fake Regen’s mouth came a decrepit yet friendly voice that didn’t fit the eight-year-old age.

“Girl, I know you are a good boy.”

What is this floating cloud-catching sound?

“Then you mean Aedis is a bad kid?”

“More than that.”

“So?”

“…….”

“I wouldn’t punish a bad kid even if I became like you.”

I started to speak.

“…….”

“I don’t know if it’s possible to punish someone by inheriting some of your abilities with the prerequisite of dying.”

He borrowed Regen’s figure and let out a deep sigh.

“There is a situation here.”

“I guess so. But I’m not curious.”

“…….”

“Why do you look hurt? Don’t you deserve it?”

As I pressed, the Beast with Regen’s face murmured.

“I know it is, but…..”

“If you understand that, you can’t pretend to be Regen.”

“I’m sorry, girl. Now that I don’t have a body, I have no choice but to borrow the image of another.”

“If you were going to be so clingy, you shouldn’t have died.”

“…… Had I known that the girl I wanted to be happy with would marry that kid, I would have survived..”

Even knowing that the boy with the wide eyes was not the real Regen, but just the beast using his appearance, there was a subtle feeling.

“Why do you keep hanging over my husband?”

Regen’s face expressed dissatisfaction.

“I thought you, girl, would find a much better man.”

“…… What?”

“Didn’t you say on the day we first met that you were going to marry a man you didn’t really like? You said you didn’t like him, so you needed my blood.”

“…….”

I did say that.

I didn’t want to have the same ending as Maevia in Esmeralda’s Crescent Moon.

So, I needed a way to confront Gilbert, and I decided to use the beast’s blood while following the novel’s story. In the end, I met the beast who I could communicate with and resolved it amicably.

“But to change fate. Merely.”

“…….”

“Merely…….”

The beast swallowed his anger as he balled up his small hand.

“…… So you gave me blood because I didn’t want to marry Gilbert, but you mean you’re offended I married his stepfather?”

“Girl, you have no eyes for people.”

“…….”

“Besides, that body is so brittle.”

“No. The reason I chose Aedis…….”

It felt like a guardian’s nagging, so I raised my words again without realizing it. However, the despairing beast did not listen. He just patted the back of my hand using Regen’s face.

“Today, I will put your consciousness to sleep, but I will not give up.”

“Excuse me?”

“I wanted my girl to be free and happy in a ‘safe’ environment. The last time when the barriers of my grave were broken, I watched you normally happy and trying to get back. It would be difficult to handle the aftermath of the broken contract, so I tried to help.”

“…….”

“But as soon as the half-human half-beast broke the barrier, the child came and sealed me.”

Does half-human half-beast mean Shaula?

“I vomited blood at that time, and Aedis must have been very surprised.”

Then, the beast whistled through Regen’s cute lips, making a sound like wind blowing, and denied it.

“The child is blinded by excessive possessiveness toward you, so he hates me. Because when the moment comes when you want to take your freedom back from that child, my strength will help.”

It’s true that I don’t like it, but that’s not the reason…….

“It’s hard to believe me, but…… There must be a price to pass on my abilities. I can’t help it either.”

“Well, Aedis is the perfect husband for me…….”

“The girl who decorated the end of my long life, please be honest with your feelings.”

“Ah really! No! Anyone who hears it would think that Aedis kidnapped me and brought me with him…… !”

I suddenly came to my senses. But I didn’t feel like waking up right away from my dream. My body felt refreshed as if I had slept well.

My– my body is fresh…… My mind is exhausted…….

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