Mom's Possessed (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 12
Thus, the four of them sat cozily together on the mat and opened the picnic basket. Of course, it was Bonita’s job to open the box.
“Wow!”
Bonita gasped in delight as she lifted the lid off the brown basket shaped like a roof.
Inside the large basket was absolutely everything one could want.
Smoked ham, crisp lettuce, elegant sandwiches filled with the chef’s special sauce, and a pretty glass bottle filled with juice made from whole blended oranges.
Beside them were colorful macarons decorated with cute animal drawings and neatly prepared fruit, cut into bite-sized pieces.
The dazzling spread, clearly designed to captivate a child’s eyes, made Bonita wiggle excitedly on her seat. Catherine watched the joyful child with warm eyes, but quickly straightened her back and composed her expression.
‘No, no! We still don’t know for sure if she’s truly my granddaughter!’
Though she likely was Elodie’s daughter, there was always that one-in-a-million chance she wasn’t.
She absolutely had to keep her wits about her—especially since her son had already melted into a puddle of sentimentality.
“Bonita, shall I feed you?”
“I want to try eating by myself!”
“Really?”
Rarely refusing Aria’s offer, Bonita reverently took a sandwich from the picnic box and laid it out carefully.
She arranged a total of six sandwiches in a neat row—apparently, the chef had intentionally prepared generous portions.
Bonita handed one of them to Aria.
“Oh! Is this for me?”
“Yes!”
“Thank you, Bonita.”
Catherine’s eyes narrowed sharply at the sight of the two.
‘Just who does that girl think she is, treating my granddaughter like that… Oh no!’
Catherine inwardly slapped herself for having let the word “granddaughter” slip out so naturally.
“Your Grace, please have this.”
“Thank you.”
In the meantime, Bonita also offered a sandwich to Luke. Catherine kept her eyes tightly shut.
‘That mischievous little girl is undeniably adorable, but I must stay composed. Honestly, sons are never reliable at all. Things were so much better when Elodie was around…’
“Um, Madam.”
But Catherine’s musings didn’t last long—Bonita timidly approached and spoke to her.
She asked, slightly stammering,
“…Did you call for me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I wanted to give you this.”
Bonita held two small, neatly halved sandwiches in both hands.
The chef had cut them in half especially for Bonita’s convenience.
Catherine deliberately replied in a gruff tone.
“Hmph. Aren’t these meant for a child to eat? Are you saying I should eat less than those two?”
“No, that’s not it at all!”
Bonita jumped up in protest—though she barely lifted three centimeters off the ground, which only made her cuter.
‘What am I even thinking!’
Catherine made a conscious effort not to look at Bonita’s face.
But she couldn’t block out the sound.
“I heard that older people often find it hard to chew very hard or large pieces of food. Since you’re older, Madam, I thought these smaller sandwiches might be easier for you to eat.”
“How thoughtful of you…”
“Huh?”
“What? I didn’t say anything just now!”
Catherine flinched in surprise and denied it immediately.
Bonita tilted her head in confusion.
“It sounded like you just called me a kind child…”
“Well, that must’ve been your imagination.”
“Oh… okay.”
So it really wasn’t true after all.
Though Catherine was deeply touched by Bonita’s crestfallen expression, she forced a stern look and snatched the tiny sandwich from the child’s small hand.
“Well, since you’ve gone to the trouble of giving it to me, I’ll eat it so you won’t feel embarrassed.”
Catherine muttered quietly.
“I’ve actually been having trouble opening my mouth wide lately… No, never mind that.”
“Thank you, Madam!”
Bonita beamed brightly.
Catherine had to make a great effort to tear her gaze away from that face, which reminded her so much of Elodie.
[This is the timeline separator]After the picnic ended and Bonita and Aria had already entered the carriage, Catherine called out to Luke.
“You’re returning to the mansion?”
“Yes. Do you have a problem with that?”
His tone clearly implied that if she did, he’d kill her.
“No, not at all.”
Luke shook his head.
After all, the ducal estate was endlessly spacious—it wouldn’t be inconvenient even if she stayed there permanently.
Their mother-son relationship wasn’t exactly terrible, either.
“How will you be traveling? If you’d like, you can ride with me in my carriage.”
“Your carriage?”
Catherine’s eyebrow twitched.
“Never mind. Your carriage is far too dull—it clashes completely with my temperament. Honestly, who in their right mind covers all the seats in black like some Northerner? What awful taste.”
“Oh, fine.”
Luke turned abruptly.
He pointed toward Catherine’s personal carriage, lavishly adorned with jewels and gold.
“In that case, I’ll take the ducal carriage with Bonita and Miss Aria. Mother, you can take yours.”
What? Bonita?
Catherine’s ears perked up.
“Ahem.”
She quietly crept closer to where Luke stood.
“What is it?”
“Now that I think about it, since we’re heading to the same place anyway, there’s no need to go through the trouble of riding separately.”
“Even if Mother doesn’t ride with us, that carriage still has to return to the ducal estate.”
“What’s this? Talking back to your own mother now?”
Whack!
Luke rubbed his forehead with a sour expression after getting flicked on the head again.
“You’re still just a child!”
Luke, who was thirty years old and had just been called a “child,” wore a look of utter disbelief.
It had already been five years since he last saw Catherine. He still wasn’t used to being treated like a kid.
“Oh!”
As the two of them climbed into the carriage together, Bonita, who had been sitting on Aria’s lap, let out a short exclamation.
“Madam, are you returning to the ducal estate with us too?”
“Well, it is my home—what else would I do?”
“Oh…”
Bonita shrank back at Catherine’s sharp retort. Luke shot his mother a glare before quickly comforting Bonita.
“Don’t be afraid. She’s been living at another estate in the southern part of the kingdom for the past five years—she’ll leave again soon enough.”
“What nonsense are you spouting!”
“What nonsense? Didn’t you say you were just stopping by briefly?”
Luke looked at Catherine with an incredulous expression.
“You’re not planning to settle in permanently, are you?”
“…What! And why not?”
“No reason.”
“What! What!”
“What?”
Aria watched their childish bickering with narrowed, amused eyes.
‘Mother hasn’t changed a bit.’
She knew Catherine’s temperament well. Precisely because of that attitude, despite her noble status as the daughter of a marquess and her stunning beauty, she had never been well-regarded in high society.
Of course, Catherine never cared about such gossip. In fact, she once openly started a fight and yanked the hair of a young lady who’d deliberately spilled wine on her dress.
“The Mad Dog of High Society.”
Even Elodie had been slightly worried about gaining such a notorious woman as her mother-in-law…
‘But she was actually very kind.’
All her worries had been completely unnecessary.
Though Catherine was willful and fiercely vengeful—even if it killed her—she had cherished Elodie, her eldest daughter-in-law, like her own daughter.
Lost in these old memories, Elodie felt a pang of melancholy.
She had been trying hard to ignore it for Bonita’s sake, but both Luke and Catherine were people she deeply loved.
Her heart ached at the thought that the two who had adored her so dearly now failed to recognize her, instead searching for traces of her in Bonita.
No one would ever believe such an absurd claim—that a dead person had returned six years later in another’s body.
‘I’ll never be able to go back.’
At this point, it seemed impossible not only to reunite with her former family but even to be acknowledged as her only daughter’s true mother.
“Mother.”
At that moment, Bonita’s voice rang out.
Aria looked down to see her daughter gazing up at her.
Bonita’s small, adorable face clearly showed concern.
“Are you unwell? …You look sad.”
Aria didn’t realize that Bonita’s worry stemmed from fear that the “old Aria” might return.
But even if intentions weren’t fully understood, emotions were never false. Aria smiled and gently held Bonita’s tiny hand.
“No, not at all. I’m just tired from having so much fun today.”
“Oh, that’s good! I ran around a lot too, so I’m feeling a bit sleepy.”
“Really? Should I give you a knee pillow?”
“Can I?”
“Of course.”
As soon as Aria gave her permission, Bonita carefully slid down from her lap. Aria reached out, gently cradled Bonita’s head, and settled her onto her own knees.
Bonita let out a tiny yawn. After blinking a few times, she buried her face in Aria’s blue skirt and soon drifted off to sleep.
Aria gazed fondly at the sleeping child, then suddenly felt a pair of sharp eyes boring into her.
Catherine’s gaze was loaded with clear disbelief—how dare this happen?
Aria panicked inwardly.
She had been deliberately avoiding being called “Mother,” but she couldn’t stop Bonita from addressing her that way.
Not only would forbidding it hurt Bonita, but she also feared that doing so might permanently sever the bond between them. To calm her own anxiety, Aria gently patted the child’s stomach in a steady rhythm.
Catherine stared fixedly at Aria with undisguised displeasure, looking as if she might strike her with her cane at any moment.
The carriage carrying the four of them rolled smoothly down the road without the slightest jolt. Thanks to the well-paved road and the high-quality cushioning of the seats, the ride was extremely comfortable.
Consequently, Bonita—who had run around all day, been startled repeatedly, and eaten sandwiches, juice, and desserts until her stomach was full—quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Soft, colorful breathing sounds filled the air. Clutching Aria’s index finger tightly even in her sleep, Bonita looked just like a baby angel.
Then, in the quiet carriage, Catherine crossed her arms and spoke sharply.
“It’s time you explained.”
“Madam.”
“Right now, I need to know why that child calls you ‘Mother’—you, who used to be Elodie’s maid.”
Male lead fell into her trap — and shattered when she walked away
This is also on my reread list!
This one is a slow burn, but when it burns, it burns hard.
Definitely worth a read, y’all!
The story follows a thousand-year-old seductive spirit who, on a bet, sets out to charm the male lead—a once-promising but unfortunate cultivator.
But just when she succeeds in making him fall for her, she heartlessly leaves, driving him to madness.
Determined to find her at all costs, he captures her, keeping her by his side no matter what, even if she hates him.
I love this kind of trope—I enjoy watching the male lead suffer in agony.
The ending drags a bit with unnecessary filler, but that’s fine.
As long as I enjoy the beginning, I’m good.
Intro
As an enchantress, Su Heng possesses captivating eyes and charming beauty, easily manipulating the joys and sorrows of living beings at her fingertips.
But to enchant a god, making him taste the bitterness of love’s separation, long-lasting resentment, unattainable desires, and inability to let go…
Do you dare?
Su Heng assists a divine lord in his cultivation, aiming to make him experience all the sufferings of love, so that he can attain the Great Dao.
Only after being chased down from the heavens by the divine lord, confined and completely possessed by him, does she realize how successful she has been.
The once gentle and polite youth has transformed into someone she no longer recognizes.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
😅😅 They are about to die mentally, sooo exhausting