章 3: Lifespan and capitalism
The moment Morticia saw her, she knew she loved this child.
In her arms, a baby with pale skin and a cold expression slept comfortably.
This baby was the fruit of her love.
"This is what you always wanted, isn't it, Tish?" said her husband with a smile full of tenderness.
Gomez was the first and only man to make her heart skip a beat.
His confident smile, carefree spirit, and beautiful soul fascinated her.
Yes, soul.
If that was the reason she had chosen him as her husband, it was because of his soul, filled with a love that bordered on obsession.
Morticia was born with the ability to see the fate of a soul.
Looking at her husband, she saw his fate.
A fate where he had sacrificed himself to stay by her side.
That vision was what made Morticia marry him. There wasn't a single woman who wouldn't love such a faithful man.
"Thank you, Gomez," she said with eyes full of love but still holding a hint of worry.
Gomez approached her and caressed her hair tenderly.
"Why are you making such a pitiful face, Cara Mia?" he asked, kissing her lovingly.
Gomez was very attentive to her emotions. He always relieved her worries with demonstrations of love.
"Those children..." she said, looking at the baby with a contemplative expression. "They won't live much longer."
Sadness filled her face as he cradled the baby as if it were a corpse.
Nothing was more tragic for a mother than knowing both of her children would die before her.
"..."
Gomez fell silent at her words. The life that had once shone in his eyes was replaced by an intense feeling of sadness and melancholy.
Even with such intense emotions, he hugged Morticia as if he wanted to comfort her rather than himself.
"It's my fault," he said, holding the baby and Morticia even more tightly.
"You know it isn't," she said, playfully touching his back.
Gomez hid his tears and continued to hug them with care.
"How many years do they have?"
"If it's short, two; if it's long, seven."
"And the reason?"
At his question, Morticia hesitated to speak.
Seeing her reaction, Gomez looked at her with clear and determined eyes. Internally, he was signaling that he would accept whatever she said.
But even with such eyes, Morticia still hesitated.
She knew how much her words would hurt her husband.
"This baby has more than three powers in her body," she admitted.
Gomez's expression grew serious.
In other families, a child with multiple powers might be a cause for celebration.
But not for the Addams family.
In the past, all Addams had multiple powers.
Because of this, the Addams family accumulated significant wealth and importance generation after generation, defeating several supernatural threats.
But nothing came without a cost.
There wasn't a single member of the old generation of Addams who lived past the age of 20.
They all died young, corrupted by their own powers. Only those with the strongest bloodlines survived longer.
For decades, the Addams family had extended their lifespan through a peculiar tradition.
The Mazurka.
Two or more Addams would undergo severe trials and then kill themselves.
That was why the Addams had only one child per generation. They married supernatural beings with longer lifespans, eliminated the weaker bloodlines, and repeated the process.
Endlessly.
The process seemed cruel, but it was this selective method that allowed the Addams family to survive for so long. Over time, each generation began to awaken fewer powers.
They had noticed that more powers meant a greater burden on the body. So, the conditions of the Mazurka were adjusted to eliminate any member with more than three powers.
It was extremely rare for an Addams of his generation to awaken more than three powers.
Gomez himself was born only with a strong body but had no supernatural abilities.
His brother, Fester, had the power to control electricity, but only in small amounts. This power didn't burden his body.
The fact that his daughters were suffering from something that his generation never should have faced shocked Gomez.
"It's okay."
But before he could fall into despair, he focused on relieving his wife's feelings.
The case was rare, but it wasn't as if there were no solutions.
"Mama should know of a way."
Grandmama was also a special case. She had awakened three powers but was still living well.
She never answered his questions about how she had lived so long, but if a case like hers existed, there was hope for his daughters.
Morticia's face still showed worry. She particularly didn't like Grandmama; that senile, mad old woman was bothersome and unreliable.
But she wouldn't voice her feelings in front of her husband, knowing how much he valued family bonds.
"And even if there isn't a way..." he said, looking directly into her eyes with a smile. "We just need to give this child so much love that it will be valued for an entire lifetime."
His words were firm and resolute.
Morticia's heart immediately warmed at his words.
"You always know the best thing to say, Mon Cherie." she said, looking at him attempting. "I'm wet."
Badhump.
Looking at the face of his wife saying naughty things Gomez couldn't stop his racing heart.
"Oh, Tish. You know what French does to me." he said, reciprocating her lustful gaze.
They were so deeply immersed in themselves that they had completely forgotten the baby.
*
Grandmama was knitting as usual.
Perhaps it was because she was very old that few things in life still intrigued her.
In her younger days, Grandmama might have tried to rob a bank and live intensely.
But time had passed, and she had become an old woman with few hobbies.
This didn't mean she lacked pleasures in life.
Spending her son's money secretly and making illegal transactions were daily routines for her.
But even those activities had become dull over time.
So, she simply knitted, waiting for something interesting to happen.
"Mama!"
A desperate and frantic voice reached her ears.
Her son was walking toward her with a sleeping baby in his arms.
"My baby will die in two years!"
Instead of the optimistic words he had spoken to his wife in front of his mother, his face was now anything but optimistic.
"Why?"
Grandmama asked, as if it were a routine question.
"She has more than three powers in her body!"
At his words, Grandmama's attention was finally drawn to him. Her eyes, instead of being worried, were full of curiosity.
"Give her to me."
Grandmama analyzed the baby's body with her eyes closed.
"...?"
But strangely, she couldn't sense anything from the baby.
No soul, corruption, or even powers. It was as if the baby were empty.
When she opened her eyes, the baby was staring back at her with an analytical and frightened expression.
Those eyes were not what one would expect from a baby.
It seemed the baby had somehow recognized her distorted essence.
Grandmama could only think one thing upon seeing those eyes.
'Interesting.'
"Gomez, leave this child's education to me," she said, giving the baby a distorted smile. "Her case has a solution."
As for the solution Grandmama was referring to… well, it wasn't that there was none.
However, that wasn't the reason she was so intrigued by the baby.
She just wanted a new toy to play with. That was the truth.
The baby started to tremble, and a strange odor filled the air. For the first time, Grandmama frowned as she handed the baby back.
"I'm not going to change diapers."
"Thank you, Mama!"
Gomez took the baby without a care and looked at Grandmama with grateful eyes.
Before he could leave the room, a hand touched his shoulder.
"You asked me for a favor, and they are not cheap," she said, making a circular gesture with her hands. "I only accept debit."
There was nothing better than a desperate person.
The money they would offer was always generous.
And Grandmama would never miss an opportunity to profit from any situation.
"Don't worry, Mama," he said with understanding eyes. "The money is already in your room. I told Lurch to put as much as he could."
Upon hearing this, a wide smile appeared on Grandmama's face for the first time.
"Don't worry about this child," she said with a generous smile. "She's in good hands!"
As long as he had enough money to pay, of course.
クリエイターの想い 
Frowfy
Frowfy New settings to make the flow easier. I have no idea where all those ideas come from. I'd like I wasn't the author just to know how feels to read my work.
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