Bab 8: The queen
Ethan, gathered Seraphina, and went inside the private chamber of his mother. It was cool, sunlit, and filled with the sounds of the ocean.
Behind a shimmering kelp curtain, there was hidden shrine.
It wasn't dedicated to any god or goddess, but to Ethan himself. Childhood drawings, well-loved toys, even locks of hair from different ages filled every inch of the space.
"My mother really loved me " Ethan said as he felt desired by opposite sex. But getting a mother who really loved you is difficult according to Ethan.
"I wouldn't really call it love, my lord " Seraphina whispered in his ear as she caught Ethan's old toothbrush, displayed in a crystal box on a velvet cushion like a precious gem. A chill ran down her spine – the shrine is carefully arranged showing the Queen's intense love for her son.
Seraphina felt like horrified and is now getting creeps in the room. She felt closer to death, and is getting creeps. She wanted to leave as soon as possible.
"This is... a lot, to digest" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "We should find your mother. She doesn't seem to be here."
Ethan nodded, . "You're right, sera. Let's–"
"But I am here, my darling son."
His words were cut short by a sudden chill in the air. A shadow fell across them, and a voice – smooth as sea silk, yet bone-chilling in its intensity – echoed inside the chamber.
Queen Lucia emerged from behind the kelp curtain, with a smile, more predatory than welcoming, twisted her lips.
Ethan turned to his mother with a joyous cry just like a kid after seeing his mother. "Mother! You're here!"
Queen Lucia's smile softened, but only slightly. ""Indeed I am, my sweet boy. But you shouldn't enter a girl's room uninvited. Especially her sanctum filled her dreams You are of my blood, should always behave decently. " she added, pinching his cheek playfully but with a hidden malicious intent that only Seraphina could see in the Queen's twitching eye
Ethan, shuffled his feet and said while raising his hands "I apologize, Mother. I didn't mean to intrude. It was my fault for bringing Sera here. Please, punish me instead," he pleaded with a pout, his voice thick with childish remorse with little watery eyes
He bowed his head, offering his cheek for a slap, in a way even making Gandhi proud in his nonviolent.
Queen Lucia chuckled, a low, throaty sound that sent chills down Seraphina's spine.
She reached out to strike, but ended up caress his face. "There's no need for that, my darling boy. I understand your childish curiosity. But this... creature,"
she gestured towards Seraphina with disdain, "must learn her place."
Seraphina, her heart pounding in her chest, attempted to leave the room silently.
"Oh! You will not leave so easily," she said in a soft chilling. "You have trespassed in my room, and you will pay the price." She said while using her hand to stop her movement
Lucia gave strict orders for servants to not to enter her room uninvited.
With a swift motion, she forced Seraphina to her knees. The Queen's eyes burned with a terrifying malicious intent as she commanded, "Lick my shoes, girl. Show your queen the respect she deserves."
Ethan, stepped forward, his fingers brushing against his mother's cheek in in a gentle caressing way, trying to soften her " Mama, please be Calm. Cam. Cam " He repeated those words with his voice that rang through Lucia's ears
He continued "Mother," he began, his voice soft, "Seraphina is no trespasser. I brought her here. She is to be my servant, my companion. I want her to be with me, and she will be my bodyguard in case."
Queen Lucia's gaze softened slightly, her eyes changing between her son's pleading face and Seraphina's bowed head. Ethan's touch, is so warm and comforting, seemed to soothe her anger. She loved his gentle touch and his cute voice.
"Very well, my son," she said, her voice still laced with a hint of menace. "For your sake, I will forgive this... violation of my privacy. But she must understand her place. She is beneath you, a mere servant. She must learn to obey your every command without question." She said as looking down at Seraphina like she is nothing more than dirt to her face.
Lucia didn't like how Ethan is calling her 'Sera' , while he didn't gave her one nick-name.
Did he hate her because she is overprotective? She thought?
"Mama, I wanted to learn magic, I want to protect myself and be as good as mage as you, I certainly want to make you proud " Ethan told her as stepped forward while his both hands in the air while swaying them.
Luica almost said no, but she stopped. She would never normally risk her son wanted to learn dangerous magic and almost kill himself in accident. She wanted to spoil him rotten in her castle, where he is safe.
She should have isolated him in a magical field safely where only they can interact, while isolating him from the rest of the world. As his mother he wanted him to be safe and spend with him
She knows how cruel and merciless the world can be and she didn't want him to exposed to the world and lose him as a process. But she understood his desire.
She understood that he wanted to know about the world and his desire to explore and grow as a own person. She understood his desire as a mage.
She knows she is being overprotective and controlling. She knows is being very stupid, but he was her son, her only pleasure as a woman.
Lucia was born defective, possessing a warped mind since birth. She is a genius,a deviant, but not inhuman. Despite her personal accomplishments, she never felt satisfaction.
Despite her best efforts she could not enjoy what other people found happiness in, She is a genius mage, even bringing pride to her parents. The powerful she became, the more she is cast away by her peers and siblings
Her siblings gave cold shoulder and mocked her for lacking affection and warmth, they called her failure as a woman. She was Alone and adrift, the world seemed empty to her
She is crowned as the next successor of Blackwood family but that meant nothing to her. She felt empty and hollow as time passed on, she is married by a person her parents for her and she did her role as his wife.
Her husband finding her lack of affection and emotional comfort left her 'I cannot live with an unloving wife'.
She soon realized she has become pregnant. The initial shock gave way to a strange fascination as she felt the life growing within her,
During childbirth she has gone pain during labour, she felt strong cramping in the abdomen, groin, and back, as well as an achy feeling during giving birth to Ethan.
And then he arrived – Ethan, her son, her cure. The moment she held him in her arms, a surge of warmth flooded her body. A love so intense, so pure, it filled the emptiness that she felt for long.
As she cradled him close, a new sense of desire bloomed within her. She was no longer just Lucia, the lonely heir; she was a mother, a nurturer, a woman.
She felt like a woman, what it feels to be.
But as time passed, the love that had changed into an obsession. Every smile, every touch, every word from Ethan felt precious to her and ignited the fire within her.
She showered him with affection, lavishing him with gifts and attention, determined to shield him from the pain and rejection she had experienced. She didn't want the world to cast him aside like it did to her.
But she realized that this is not the right way, so hence she lost as a mother of not raising him well.
She didn't want her son to experience same emptiness again
With a deep sigh, Queen Lucia relented. "Very well, my son. I trust your judgment. But remember," she warned, her voice hardening,
"this girl is now your servant. If she fails to obey you, or if she endangers you in any way, she will answer to me."
Seraphina was a genius mage among mage, but it meant nothing to Lucia. Ethan is happy, that is good. The sight of his joy filled Lucia with a perverse satisfaction.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone