Chapter 76 Mother



'If your mother asks anything related to this, just agree and look at her coldly.' These were some of Dantalian's instructions to Echidna.

At that moment, she was looking out the window of her room, watching Dantalian leave his house and get into the carriage. The window next to where Amanda was sitting remained closed before they left. 'She should appear at any moment.'

Echidna threw herself back onto her bed, placing her hand on her forehead. Her breathing was irregular, and her body temperature was higher than normal, just as Dantalian had requested. 'Don't talk about the world. You're afraid of it. There are many demons, and you no longer want to go out. You want to be safe.'

'Like a beautiful princess.' This last thought came along with the image of Dantalian's radiant face and warm smile.

'What a bitch... Why does it have to be like this?' Echidna thought.

"You bastard, you bastard," Echidna said, placing her hands in front of her face. A reddish tint could be seen on her cheeks, and her eyes seemed to shine with joy.

Before Echidna could continue to dwell on her thoughts, she could hear her mother's heavy footsteps heading towards her room.

'Welcome, mother, and enjoy it because this is your last week in power,' Echidna thought, pretending to struggle to cover herself.

A few seconds later, the door to her room opened, and Marian entered, wearing an apathetic expression. As soon as she entered completely, her gaze immediately fell on her daughter lying on the bed. Echidna looked like a sleeping angel, but Marian's intuition didn't let her be deceived. Her daughter wasn't well; it clearly wasn't a physical illness but a mental state that was affecting her.

Well, that's what Dantalian wanted her to think, and she fell for the bait once again.

'What an unexpected gift. This is the perfect opportunity to show what your role is, my daughter. Don't worry, he will take good care of you,' Marian thought as she approached her daughter's bedside.

Marian sat on the bed, touching Echidna's forehead with her hand. "My god, you're burning up."

Marian stood up and hurriedly left Echidna's room. 'You can't cross the limit, or you'll lose your usefulness. Nobody wants a doll.'

Inside Echidna's room, her body trembled, and cold sweat continued to run down her skin. This time, it wasn't intentional; she was terrified. 'What was that? That cold hand wasn't my mother's. Who was it?'

'Or did she always have hands like that? Did I just never notice?' This doubt began to nag at Echidna's mind.

A few minutes passed, and Marian returned with a healing potion in hand, while the black sphere floated around her. 'Everything is normal, then.'

Two minutes later, Marian arrived at the door of her daughter's room and saw her sitting up in bed, looking despondent. Her eyes had lost their sparkle, and her hair was now disheveled. Overall, her appearance was a complete mess. She didn't even look like the same girl Marian had seen a short while ago.

'What happened?' Marian caught a whiff of blood in the room, and in that moment, only one thing came to her mind. 'If it's at this level, it will be easy to put her on the right path.'

Marian began to walk, displaying a radiant smile as she held the healing potion in her left hand. She sat down next to Echidna and extended the potion toward her. "Echidna, darling, take this. It will make you feel better."

Echidna looked at her mother's face, her expression empty. It was as if she had lost all interest and attachment to everything around her. She took the potion from her mother's hand and slowly drank it, feeling a faint sweetness on her tongue.

Marian gently caressed Echidna's hair. "Don't worry, my dear. Everything will be alright. You just need some rest."

"What's wrong, daughter? You haven't said anything since you arrived. The maids noticed and came to tell me." 

'Do you need other people to notice that?' Echidna thought, resting her head on Marian's shoulder.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry, mother."

"But sorry for what? Tell me what happened," Marian said, caressing Echidna's head.

"I disobeyed you and went anyway, even though I did everything to avoid it," Echidna replied, gripping Marian's arms.

'Oh, my good girl, I should be thanking you for your disobedience. It happened at the perfect time,' Marian smiled, thinking about Dantalian. She stopped stroking Echidna's head and wrapped her arms around her, giving her a tight hug.

'Huh?' This action surprised Echidna. The last time her mother did something like this, she was very young.

"That doesn't matter anymore, what's important is that you're safe. Did you know I was really sad about what Dantalian said? I may not seem like it, but I care about you, and you know that. I have to apologize for being such a bad mother."

Marian was putting effort into her performance; she could really excel in any situation. But now her daughter was feeling cold.

"So chilly... I even felt bad about what I'm doing, but this cold... haha, even the Ice Woman's embrace was warmer." Echidna returned the hug, maintaining a downcast expression as she spoke, "Don't worry, Mother. I did everything for the greater good."

"Haha, it's good that you know, but it's still not good. I promise to be better from now on, and I'll even help you with your things. By the way, do you like Mr. Dantalian?"

"Why are you suddenly talking about him?" Echidna pretended to be confused.

"Cheer up, my daughter." Marian looked directly into Echidna's eyes and said, "You like him, don't you? Mom knows."I think you should take a look at

"Huh? No... No... Not at all..." Echidna buried her face in Marian's chest.

"Haha, see? You were all melancholic until just now. Just mentioning him already made you feel better."

Marian sighed. "What do you think about Mom giving you some help?"

"No... I already said I don't like him... Come on, Mom, stop it." Echidna spoke while looking to the right, avoiding direct eye contact with Marian.

"Stop pretending, my daughter." Marian grabbed Echidna's hair, pulling a little harder than she should have.

"Mom, it hurts! What are you doing?" Echidna's eyes filled with tears, almost crying from the pain.

'Damn it... Is she trying to sell me off again and force me once more?' Echidna thought, hiding her emotions and suppressing her anger.

"Listen carefully, my little daughter. I said I'll be a better mother, didn't I? So instead of some random noble who will surely be uglier and undoubtedly not as good a person as Dantalian, why don't I arrange a marriage with Dantalian himself? He may be a powerless noble, but he's a guild master, and given his recent achievements, his guild will surely grow, and we'll grow with him too."

"But Mom... He already has others," Echidna repeated something Dantalian had told her.

'If she starts pushing me onto you, just mention that he's a scoundrel who can't be satisfied with just one woman.'

Echidna started to sob. "If I end up with him... It will tarnish our name. I don't want that, Mom."

Marian let go of Echidna's hair, stood up from the bed, and looked at her and the healing potion a little further away, having rolled onto the mattress.

Cough, cough.

Echidna began to cough incessantly, looking at Marian. "Mom... I confess, I do like him, but we can't, we shouldn't."

"Tsk." Marian clicked her tongue, but within a few seconds, she envisioned something in her mind.

"My dear daughter, if you really like him, why not become a concubine, then? After all, he saved your life from the Elven Kingdom's illness."

"Mom? How do you know about that? I'm not sick, and none of that is true..." Echidna stood up, holding Marian's hand.

"Are you

sure it's okay for me to become something like a concubine?" Echidna asked, her eyes regaining their sparkle. This made a smile form on Marian's face.

"If you don't like that, I'll help you become the first wife, so you won't have to worry."

'The key is ready,' Marian thought.

Marian looked again at the capped healing potion and said, "You'd better drink it soon, my daughter. You don't want to meet your future husband in this state, do you?"

"Mom! It hasn't even worked yet. Why are you saying that?" Echidna spoke, looking down.

"Haha, don't worry, he'll come around one way or another." Marian gave a suspicious smile, distancing herself from Echidna.

"Mom, please don't do anything bad to Mr. Dantalian."

"Don't speak loudly, my daughter. You shouldn't exert yourself too much." Marian spoke, closing the door.

Echidna held the potion in her hand and headed to the bathroom.

Far from Duchess Marian's house, Dantalian was on top of a mountain with the three girls. Amanda and Freytan were eating near the campfire while Dantalian looked in the direction where Duchess Marian's house would be.

"So when are we going to do it?" Fiona asked, hugging Dantalian from behind.

"Are you eager? Well, you won't have to wait much longer. We just need to appease the citizens, and then the fun part will come." Dantalian smiled, turning his face and giving Fiona a kiss.

"My Owner, you can't do those things just yet," Fiona said, playfully touching Dantalian's nose.

"Huh? I want one too!" exclaimed Amanda.

Freytan ignored everything and continued eating.