Mom's Possessed (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 14
“It’s only seven o’clock—have you already come down for breakfast?”
Aria, surprised that her usually sleepy companion was up at this hour, tilted her head in confusion. Catherine frowned and replied,
“It’s not like I came down because I wanted to see you! I just happened to wake up early today, that’s all! Don’t get any wrong ideas.”
But I haven’t even said anything yet.
Aria swallowed the retort that nearly slipped out. Then Bonita, standing beside her, greeted cheerfully in her bright, clear voice,
“Good morning, Madam. It’s a lovely morning.”
“It’s hardly a lovely morning.”
“Oh…”
Bonita sighed.
“Actually, I was about to say it’s a *very* lovely morning.”
Catherine quickly added,
“There’s a difference between ‘very lovely’ and just ‘lovely,’ so you’d better remember that. Anyway, stop lazing around like a grub and hurry into the dining room—both of you!”
“Wait, Madam!”
Aria let out a small yelp as Catherine suddenly pushed her.
The two practically ran into the dining room. Startled, Bonita hurried after them, scurrying along.
Luke was already seated inside, and upon seeing the three of them, he dropped the morning newspaper he’d been holding.
“Bonita! No—Mother!”
“Pick one or the other. Honestly, you’re so scatterbrained.”
“Bonita!”
“Hmph.”
Catherine, feeling slighted by her son, snorted disdainfully.
“Bonita, come sit next to Papa.”
“What nonsense! Child, if you sit next to that dark-looking fellow, you’ll get indigestion from your meal. Go sit over there on the opposite side.”
“Mother!”
“Well? Did I say something wrong?”
“Sigh.”
Caught between the two adults’ bickering, Bonita felt her head spinning.
Bonita was torn—should she sit beside the intimidating-looking Duke as he’d instructed, or follow the stern old lady whom Aria had called her “grandmother” and sit on the opposite side?
“Bonita, why don’t you sit here with me?”
Noticing Bonita’s dilemma, Aria resolved the situation by sitting down herself—two seats away from Luke.
“What would you like for breakfast today?”
“Hmm… I’d love a soup packed with meat, and some soft white bread too.”
Even the formidable Duchess Lysianthus was left speechless by Bonita’s shameless request—especially since Bonita looked so genuinely delighted that there was nothing anyone could say.
“Mother, you should sit with me.”
“Hmph. Why would I sit with you?”
Catherine sat directly across from Bonita.
Luke, suddenly left alone, stared blankly. He quietly picked up his coffee cup and newspaper and slipped into the seat diagonally across from Bonita—
which happened to be right next to Catherine and opposite Aria.
Aria and Luke’s eyes met. Aria gave him a subtle smile.
“What’s that look for?”
“What look?”
“That smile.”
Luke frowned.
“It’s annoying.”
“…That hurts a bit, you know.”
“Too bad. But I’ve never been good at lying, so Miss Aria will just have to understand.”
“Of course I will.”
Crackle.
Sparks flew between them.
The tension was broken by a servant arriving with aperitifs.
“We’ve prepared specially for the young lady freshly squeezed grape juice made by the head chef himself.”
“Oh!”
Bonita gasped in delight, receiving grape juice instead of an aperitif.
Aria smiled fondly at the sight—but then froze when she saw the wine placed before her.
‘This is…’
It had a familiar aroma.
Zephyris wine.
Aria suddenly recalled a conversation from early in her marriage with Luke.
“Luke, what’s this? The scent is incredibly unique.”
“Zephyris wine. It’s a vintage from southern Crocus Empire. Don’t you like it? I’ll call the chef right away and have something else brought—”
“No! I absolutely love it!”
“Really?”
“Yes! Though… if it’s imported from the Empire, we probably won’t get to drink it often.”
The Kingdom of Aleph, where the Lysianthus Dukedom was located, had very little interaction with the Crocus Empire.
If anything, noble children occasionally studied at the Empire’s academy during their youth—but aside from that, there was virtually no reason for visits, and trade itself was extremely restricted.
Knowing this, Elodie had spoken with a hint of regret, to which Luke fixed his gaze firmly on her.
He said,
“No. If you want it, I’ll make sure you can drink this every single day.”
“Huh? Is that possible?”
“Of course.”
And from that day on, Luke and Elodie truly did drink half a glass of Zephyris wine every morning.
Elodie tended to fixate on one dish until she grew tired of it—but she never tired of this wine before her death two and a half years later.
Aria turned to look at Luke.
“…Why are you staring like that?”
“Your Grace.”
“What is it?”
“Do you… drink this every morning? Zephyris wine, I mean.”
Luke answered indifferently to her question.
“Yes.”
“R…really?”
“It’s impressive you recognized it. This wine isn’t something easily accessible to ordinary citizens of the kingdom.”
“…I just happen to like it.”
This time, Luke hesitated.
But without saying anything further, he merely frowned once and ended the conversation.
“Wow.”
Instead, his attention shifted to Bonita.
Bonita was busily spreading bright red, delicious-looking jam onto her white bread and took a big bite.
Seeing this, Luke’s expression softened.
“Is it tasty?”
“Huh? Oh—yes!”
Startled by the Duke’s sudden question, Bonita quickly nodded. After what had happened the day before yesterday and yesterday, she’d already let down much of her guard around Luke.
“I thought it was strawberry, but it’s blueberry jam.”
Had Bonita not been preoccupied with food, she might have noticed the strange tension between the Duke and Aria.
But she was so absorbed in her bread and grape juice that she missed their subtle exchange entirely—a fact for which Aria was secretly grateful.
“Hmph. What’s so delicious about that?”
Catherine grumbled, watching Bonita hastily devour her bread.
“There are far tastier things in the world. You don’t need to marvel over such a trivial jam.”
Though her tone was gruff, Bonita keenly sensed that Catherine held no real ill will toward her.
Bonita turned toward Catherine, her clear eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“Even better than this?”
“Of course. This—no, something like this doesn’t even rank among the best things you can eat in the Dukedom.”
Hearing this, Bonita stared seriously at the bread in her hand.
Of course, yesterday’s sandwich and all the other meals she’d enjoyed so far had been truly, truly delicious—but what she was eating now was no less amazing.
‘But… even better than this?’
What on earth could possibly taste better?
As Bonita sank into this serious contemplation, Catherine pointedly jerked her chin toward Luke.
“That’s right! How little attention have you paid to your child that she’s moved by something like this? And look at her—skin and bones, tsk.”
“I’ve never neglected her! I’ve always—”
“Anyway! We’re eating out tonight. I’ll show you myself just how many delicious things there are in this world—I can’t stand it anymore!”
Luke looked at his mother with an utterly dumbfounded expression.
He whispered quietly, so Bonita wouldn’t hear,
“Mother, didn’t you say you wouldn’t acknowledge her as your granddaughter?”
“Acknowledge? Don’t be ridiculous! I haven’t accepted her yet! Not until those test results come back!”
“Oh, right.”
Better get it done as soon as possible, then.
Wanting to avoid seeing his mother make any more of a scene, Luke quickly spoke up.
“By the way, Bonita. There’s something I need to tell you.”
“Yes?”
“A priest will be visiting the Dukedom today.”
“A priest…?”
“Yes.”
Luke nodded gently.
“…”
He hesitated briefly.
Was it really the right time to tell Bonita now?
His intention was solely to create evidence for outsiders—but what if Bonita misunderstood his feelings?
Even if he explained, there was no guarantee a child would fully grasp it.
“The main course is served.”
At that moment, sunny-side-up eggs, bacon, and steaming hot soup arrived on a tray.
Bonita’s eyes fixed on the crispy croutons floating in the soup.
“Bonita, shall I cut your bacon for you?”
“Hmm, okay.”
While Bonita spooned up her soup, Aria swiftly and perfectly sliced the bacon—causing Luke to miss his chance to speak entirely.
[This is the timeline separator]After breakfast, Bonita took Aria’s hand and stepped out into the garden laid out before the mansion. Pink blossoms, in full bloom for spring, stretched endlessly before them.
The estate carried a scent entirely unlike the dirty, grimy slums where the poor lived.
“Mother, can I go over there?”
“Go ahead. Just be careful not to get pricked.”
With Aria’s permission, Bonita moved closer to a bush of pink roses.
“Oh!”
Whoosh.
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew.
Bonita’s dress fluttered in the strong breeze, and cherry blossom petals rained down from the tree beyond the rosebush.
Instinctively, Bonita spread her arms wide—and by sheer coincidence, a single fluttering petal landed right in her palm.
Last time, during the tea party, the area had been filled only with green grass—but the back of the mansion, now awash in pink waves, felt completely different.
‘Does His Grace like the color pink?’
In Bonita’s mind appeared the image of Duke Lysianthus surrounded by cherry blossoms.
Not black or blood-red, but this gentle pink—it made Bonita wonder if perhaps the Duke wasn’t as fearsome as rumors claimed.
In fact, judging just by his behavior over the past few days, that seemed likely.
Lost in thought, Bonita tightly clutched the petal resting in her hand.
Just then—
“Damn it. Of all the rotten luck—of all places, I had to run into you here.”
“What choice did I have?! I really didn’t want to come to the Duke’s estate either. The whole place feels gloomy, and especially His Grace—every time I see him, I get chills.”
“True enough. Better watch your neck. If that girl turns out to be a fraud, he might just chop my head off for daring to insult her.”
Thud.
Hearing the voices of two men in the distance, Bonita dropped the petal she’d been holding.
Male lead is a Love-Obsessed Merman
When he discovers she has gone, he risks everything to pursue her on land, enduring agonizing pain to transform his tail into human legs…
One-line summary: Male lead chases female lead. The male lead’s love is a bit sick, an invincible love brain.
Synopsis
During a voyage at sea, Jiang Yang accidentally captures a merman.
Servant: I heard that mermen are fierce and brutal.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman obediently rubbing her palm like a puppy: “You call this fierce and brutal?”
Servant: I heard that mermen have no human nature.
Jiang Yang looks at the merman with wet puppy eyes, obsessively calling her ‘A Yang’ like a childish infant: “You call this having no human nature?”
With great difficulty, she releases the merman back into the sea and returns to shore.
Who would have thought that in less than half a month, the merman, who should have been freely wandering in the South China Sea, would shed his scales, endure the pain of losing his tail, transform into human legs, and come ashore to find her?
He kneels at her feet, rubbing her palm, with merman tears rolling down: “A Yang, don’t abandon me.”
_____
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😅😅 They are about to die mentally, sooo exhausting