Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1865: Let Mommy take care of you~

Young Aether blinked in mild surprise when he saw her. For a moment, he simply stared, as though his mind refused to accept what his eyes were telling him.

“Lia?”

The word had barely escaped his lips before she leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against his lips.

She pulled back with a bright, almost childish smile, her eyes filled with crazy affection.

“Your Mommy~”

“…” Young Aether blinked again, “How did you get here?”

Lia tilted her head, “Of course… our love brought me here, dear~” as if that was an obvious fact!

“…” Young Aether parted his lips, but no immediate response came. He honestly had no idea how she had managed to reach this place without being killed by the portal.

After a moment, he asked, “How did you find me?”

Lia stared at him for a few seconds, remembering what had happened after she arrived in this Empire.

She had transformed into her bat form and flown through the unfamiliar streets, desperately searching for her beloved son. Then something wooden had struck her directly on the head.

She had been knocked unconscious.

When she finally woke up, she somehow found herself only a few streets away from Aether.

That was how she had found him.

Totally miraculous, right?

It must have been fate.

As though fate itself had guided her directly toward her beloved son.

Lia certainly believed so!

Yet she merely smiled brightly and said, “Our Pure love brought me here, dear~” She reached forward and gently squeezed his cheeks between her fingers.

“Look at you, slim… have you been eating properly, dear?”

She tilted her head, studying his face with an almost obsessive tenderness.

“Did you miss Mommy?”

Then she looked directly into his eyes.

The smile slowly disappeared.

Those lifeless eyes were wrong.

Lia’s heart skipped a beat.

“Did… someone hurt my baby?”

Her voice was quiet, almost gentle.

But beneath that softness was something far more dangerous.

Young Aether stared at her for a moment before giving a small, almost emotionless smile and shaking his head.

“Yes…”

In the next second, Lia’s aura flared.

The air around her seemed to distort from the sudden heat. The cold atmosphere of the rain vanished beneath a wave of warmth, and even the droplets clinging to the ground began to evaporate into thin wisps of steam.

Her expression became completely still.

“Who. dared. to. hurt. my. child?”

Each word came out slowly and coldly.

Her unblinking eyes remained fixed on Aether.

Young Aether smiled faintly and shook his head.

“It’s alright… It’s my faul—”

“NO.”

Lia’s shook her head hurriedly. “My baby never makes mistakes!”

“Someone hurt you, didn’t they?” she asked, her eyes narrowing. “Tell Mommy who it was.”

She gently stroked his cheek,

“Just tell me their name. I will find them.”

The tenderness in her voice became almost unsettling.

“And when I do, I will bring you their head. If they have a family, I will bring you theirs too. If their bloodline stands behind them, then I will make certain there is no one left to carry their name.”

Young Aether remained silent.

Lia continued smiling at him as though she had just promised to buy him a gift.

“No one gets to hurt my baby and simply walk away from it.”

Young Aether sighed.

He was already dealing with enough problems, and now Lia was adding another one to the pile. He shook his head, glancing around the deserted street.

If someone discovered what she was, things could become dangerous very quickly.

After all… who the fuck walks around with pointed ears, a seductive face, and princess-like clothes?

She was practically asking to be noticed.

Fortunately, there was no one on the streets right now.

“Let’s go somewhere first…” he said quietly.

He began walking forward… now with aim.

Lia comfortably settled herself on his shoulder. Her earlier smile had returned, but her eyes continued studying him.

Something had changed.

She could feel it.

The connection between them, once so close, natural and warm, had become strangely distant.

And Aether’s reaction was different too.

He was quieter.

His eyes carried an emptiness that did not belong to the child she remembered.

Lia frowned as she watched the side of his face.

‘What happened to you, my baby?’

She gently ran her fingers through his hair, searching between the strands with exaggerated seriousness.

‘When did you learn to hide things from Mommy?’

Her lips puffed into a small pout.

‘Hmph! Bad son.’

Just then, Lia’s head suddenly snapped toward the right.

Her playful expression disappeared almost instantly as her crimson eyes fixed upon the rooftop of a nearby building.

She stared at the darkness between the rain-soaked structures, her gaze narrowing as she searched for whatever had caught her attention.

‘Hmm… Who could it be?’

She tilted her head slightly. For several seconds, she continued staring, then finally turned away.

Meanwhile, on top of another building some distance away, a pure-white-robed figure stood.

She was breathing heavily, one hand tightly gripping her wooden staff while the other rested against her chest.

“She really does live up to her name…” the woman muttered, slowly catching her breath. “Doesn’t she?”

Her gaze remained fixed on Lia.

There was a strange mixture of caution and disbelief in her eyes.

“I really didn’t expect her to appear… She’s really reckless. She could have died there… sigh…”

A small sound came from beside her.

“Meow~”

***

Meanwhile, Young Aether continued walking with the same dull expression in his eyes.

He kept his gaze forward, hoping desperately that no one would notice them.

“So, tell Mommy,” Lia said from his shoulder, resting comfortably against him, “how many times did you think about me?”

Young Aether didn’t answer.

Lia waited for several seconds.

“How many?”

Silence.

“Ten?”

Nothing.

“Twenty?”

Still nothing.

“Hundreds?”

Young Aether sighed.

Lia’s eyes brightened.

“Oh? Was it more than that?”

“No.”

“Then you did think about me.”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

She giggled softly and rested her cheek against his head.

“I knew it. I knew my baby couldn’t forget Mommy.”

Young Aether’s eyes remained empty.

Lia continued.

“Did you cry?”

“…”

“Did you have nightmares?”

“…”

“Did you feel lonely?”

“…”

“Did you wish I was there?”

“…”

“Did you ever think, even once, ‘I want Mommy’?”

“…”

Lia gently touched his cheek.

“You can lie to everyone else, dear. You can even lie to yourself if you want… But don’t think you can hide from Mommy.”

Her fingers slowly moved through his hair.

“I know you~”

“…”

By the time they finally reached the wooden house, Young Aether was on the verge of both exhaustion and ear pain.

Lia, however, seemed perfectly content.

“So this is our new love nest?”

She stepped inside and looked around with curious eyes.

“It’s small.”

She glanced toward the bed.

“It’s simple. But it’s yours.”

She smiled.

“So I like it.”

Lia walked farther inside before sitting on the edge of the bed.

She turned toward her beloved son.

With a softened expression, she spread her arms toward him.

“Come to Mommy~”

“…” Young Aether stared at her for several seconds before slowly shaking his head.

“I’m tired… Let me sleep.”

Lia’s smile froze.

Then her lower lip trembled.

Her eyes became glossy.

“Do you hate your Mommy now?”

Young Aether remained silent.

“I know I was late,” Lia whispered. “I know I should have found you sooner.”

She lowered her gaze.

“I should have been here. I should have been the one protecting you.”

She looked back at him.

“I’m sorry, my baby. I wasn’t there.”

A tear rolled down her cheek.

“But I’m here now.”

She opened her arms again.

“Please… come here. Come to Mommy. Just let me hold you.”

Young Aether’s expression remained blank.

Lia smiled sadly.

“Please, baby.”

For some reason, her words made something stir inside him.

Perhaps it was their bloodline connection.

Perhaps it was some instinct buried deep within his body.

Perhaps it was simply the part of him that remembered what it felt like to be loved.

Whatever it was, he hated it.

He hated the warmth that appeared inside his chest.

And most of all, he hated that some part of him wanted to believe her.

“Lia…” he finally said with a blunt tone, “Why did you even come here?”

Lia blinked.

“How did your mother allow you to leave? She must be freaking out right now. You need to leave.”

Lia’s expression immediately hardened.

“I won’t.”

“Lia.”

“I said I won’t.”

She folded her arms and deliberately turned her face away.

“I’m not leaving until my son looks me in the eyes and tells me he loves me.”

Young Aether shook his head.

“Lia, listen to me—”

“No.”

“Lia—”

“No!”

She immediately covered both ears.

“La~ La~ La~ Laaaa~!”

Young Aether’s expression twitched.

Lia continued singing, deliberately refusing to acknowledge him.

She wasn’t leaving.

Not after seeing him like this.

Look at her poor child.

His eyes were empty.

His voice was dead.

Something terrible had happened to him.

And whoever had done it had taken something away from her beloved son.

How could she possibly leave him alone now?

She couldn’t.

She wouldn’t!!

Even if the entire Empire stood between them, she would tear through it piece by piece until she found the person responsible.

Young Aether’s lips twitched.

“Lia, this is—”

“LA~ LAAA~ MOMMY WON’T LISTEN TO YOU~!”

“Lia…”

“NOOO~ MOMMY LOVES YOU~~!”

“…”

“MOMMY’S GONNA TAKE CARE O—”

“ENOUGH!”

Young Aether suddenly shouted.

Lia flinched.

Her hands slowly fell from her ears.

For a moment, she simply stared at him.

He looked directly into her eyes.

“Woman… Don’t act as if you love me, alright?”

Lia’s smile disappeared.

Young Aether took a slow breath.

“I know who you are.”

!!

Lia’s face turned pale as beads of sweat formed across her forehead. Her fingers tightened into trembling fists while she stared at Young Aether, suddenly wondering whether he had finally discovered the truth she had been desperately trying to keep hidden.

‘D-Did he find me?’

Young Aether slowly walked toward her until he stood directly before her.

The emptiness in his eyes carried a weight that made Lia’s heart ache.

“Love me? You think love brought us together?”

“Woman… that fucking blood brought us together, and you know that better than anyone.”

He stared directly into her eyes.

“So where exactly is this love you’re always talking about? Where was it before the blood connected us? Where was it when you couldn’t even remember what I meant to you?”

“Because of that fucking Vampire blood, we became closer.”

“If it weren’t for that blood, you would still be trapped with your so-called Mommy, living the life she created for you after erasing your memories of us.”

“She erased everything you knew about me, everything you remembered about us, and everything that made our connection special.”

“And now you’re standing in front of me, telling me that you love me because some blood inside your body decided that you should.”

He gave a humourless smile.

“Haha… Do you understand how fucking insulting that sounds?”

Lia blinked.

For a moment, she could only stare at him.

Then, almost imperceptibly, her shoulders relaxed.

Relief washed through her body.

He hadn’t discovered everything.

Lia quietly released the breath she had been holding.

She shook her head, her expression becoming gentle again.

Her trembling hand slowly reached toward his face and rested against his cheek.

The instant her fingers touched him, a strange burst of force swept across his body.

The dirt and rainwater clinging to his skin were blown away as though an invisible gale had passed directly through him.

Her eyes remained fixed upon his vacant expression.

She gently stroked his cheek with her thumb.

“Does my baby truly hate being connected to Mommy through our blood?”

Her voice was soft and careful, as though she were approaching an injured animal.

Young Aether’s expression immediately twisted with disgust.

“Connected through blood?”

He slowly pulled his face away from her hand.

“It’s nothing more than blood forcing you to feel something that you wouldn’t naturally feel. Without that connection, this Lia would never have loved me. I would be nothing to you except some stranger who happened to cross your path.”

“So don’t stand there and tell me that this is real love when the only reason you’re feeling anything is because your blood is manipulating you.”

“This is nothing more than fake love.”

Lia’s eyes trembled.

The words seemed to tear through Lia.

Her expression became painfully fragile.

“It’s… it’s alright, dear.”

Her voice trembled as she tried to smile.

“I didn’t realise that my baby had been hurting himself this badly because of me.”

She lowered her gaze.

“What a wicked Mommy I am—”

“YOU ARE NOT MY MOMMY!” Young Aether shouted.

Lia froze.

For several seconds, she remained completely silent.

She lowered her eyes, allowing her hair to fall across her face.

Something inside him felt strangely uncomfortable. He quickly turned away to leave.

Then Lia spoke.

“The blood does not create any new emotions, dear.”

Young Aether stopped.

Lia still hadn’t raised her head.

“Our blood… the Primordial Vampire blood flowing inside you… doesn’t create feelings that weren’t already there.”

Her voice was quiet, but unlike before, there was absolute certainty behind it.

“Even if I shared my blood with you, it could not manufacture love inside my heart.”

Young Aether stepped closer, “You mean…”

“The blood cannot take a woman who feels nothing and suddenly make her love someone.”

Her fingers slowly curled against her dress.

“It amplifies the emotions that already exist, dear.”

Young Aether’s eyes widened slightly.

“So… This you love me?”

Lia’s expression froze.

Lia truly didn’t want to touch this subject. She hated even thinking about it, hated what it meant and everything it forced her to confront.

But then she looked into her son’s lifeless eyes.

Whatever hesitation remained inside her simply disappeared.

She didn’t care anymore.

If protecting her son meant exposing every secret she had buried, surrendering her pride, or laying every part of herself bare before him, then she would do it without hesitation.

And if the only price left was her own life…

Then she would pay it.

Lia would die for her son without a second thought.

Lia tilted her head slightly and shook it, her crimson eyes becoming strangely distant as she searched through memories that no longer existed.

“I don’t know… I never did, dear. I never understood what love was supposed to feel like. Perhaps what you’re describing really is love… perhaps this is what everyone else feels when they say that word.”

“But… for vampires born like me, we are raised to be numb to our feelings. From the moment we can understand words, we are taught that emotions are weaknesses, that attachment is something that can be exploited… and that showing affection is nothing more than giving someone a weapon they can use against us.”

“We aren’t allowed to show anything. Not happiness, not grief, not fear, not even love. So as we grow older, we forget what those emotions are supposed to feel like. Eventually, you stop asking yourself whether you are happy or sad because you simply… stop feeling the need to ask.”

Her voice trembled.

“But right now… because of the blood, I can feel everything.”

Lia swallowed hard, her expression tightening as though the sensation itself was physically painful.

“Too much, darling. It is all so terribly loud inside me. Your fear, your emptiness, your pain… I can feel pieces of it as though they were my own.”

She reached for him and caught his arm before pulling him firmly against her chest.

“It hurts.”

Her arms tightened around him.

“It hurts so much seeing you like this.”

Young Aether remained silent.

“Look at you…” she whispered, her voice breaking with sorrow. “My poor baby. Look at what someone has done to you.”

Her fingers curled gently against his back.

“What asshole hurt you?”

“…”

“I can feel it, Aether,” Lia whispered. “There is something missing inside you. Something is hurting you so deeply that even your silence feels painful.”

She pulled back just enough to look directly into his eyes.

“Please… don’t keep hurting yourself.”

“I don’t know what happened, and you don’t have to tell Mommy until you’re ready. You can scream at me, blame me, hate me, or refuse to speak to me for the rest of your life… if that is what your heart needs.”

Her smile trembled.

“Mommy is here for you now. Mommy will protect you, okay? You don’t have to carry all of this alone anymore.”

“Just… don’t hate Mommy, okay? You can be angry with me. You can blame me for everything if you need to.

Just… Just don’t look at me as though I’m another person who is going to hurt you.”

Lia gently kissed his cheek, her lips lingering for a moment before she pulled him closer and settled him carefully against her lap.

“Mommy will do a magic, okay? Mommy will make you forget everything…” Lia whispered,

“I can make the pain quiet. You won’t have to keep carrying all of this inside you anymore, darling.”

Young Aether blankly stared at her lovely expression.

Could it really be true?

Could Lia love him without even knowing what love was?

How was that even possible?

Her memories had been erased, but perhaps her blood remembered.

And if that was true…

“Don’t worry… sniff… ” Lia whispered, sniffing softly as she stroked his hair. “Mommy is going to take care of you from now on.”

Without hesitation, she ripped open the front of her gown, then yanked her blouse up over her heavy breasts.

They spilled free… full, pale, and already flushed, the soft weight of them bouncing once before settling.

“Mommy’s gonna show you just how much she loves her son,” she purred, eyes half-lidded. “So you’ll never question me again… Once you take it… once you drink… you’ll forget everything that hurts… and you’ll understand that my love isn’t just because of blood.”

Young Aether’s breath caught. His gaze locked onto the twin peaks rising in front of him with cherry-pink nipples that were already stiff and glistening faintly at the tips.

“What are you—HMMFFF—!!”

Before he could finish, Lia cupped the back of his head and shoved her nipple straight into his open mouth.

“That’s it… good boy~”

She gently ruffled his hair.

“Drink Mama’s milk, My baby~”

!!!

Her crimson eyes glowed brighter, almost feverish. The moment they locked onto his, a deep, involuntary tremor ran through Aether’s body… as if it were obeying her?

What the fuck!!