Seeing Elias remain silent, Lady Seraphina's expression grew serious.
"By the way, Elias," she said softly, "it looks like you're trying to tell me something. What is it?"
Hearing her serious tone, Elias snapped out of his thoughts. He clicked his tongue, ruffled his dark hair, and let out a long sigh before replying, "It's nothing, Lady Seraphina."
Her deep sea-blue eyes dulled instantly. She carefully set her glass down on the table and stared at the cherry blossom liquor for a moment.
"You keep calling me Lady Seraphina instead of Mother," she said quietly. "I heard the First Wife invited you into her court today… and that Lady Reina's engagement with the Third Prince is being broken off tomorrow. And now this sudden silence of yours… Something happened that you don't want to talk about because it's too complicated, isn't it?"
Elias's hands trembled, nearly spilling the liquor in his glass. His chest tightened painfully.
Seraphina continued without missing a beat, her voice gentle yet firm. "Elias, it's okay." She placed her warm palm on his lap and looked deep into his dark eyes. "It's okay, no matter what happens… Mommy's got you."
Hearing those words, Elias's voice shook as he finally whispered, "Mother…"
Elias gazed at Lady Seraphina's worried face for a long moment. Seeing the genuine concern shining in her sea-blue eyes, he could no longer hold it back.
With a heavy sigh, he finally revealed everything he had witnessed in the First Wife's court: the profound respect the servants of the ducal house showed toward Lady Akari, how his eldest sister Reina had personally hunted a five-hundred-year-old Voidweaver Spider to craft the luxurious yukata as a gift for him, and — most shocking of all — how she had single-handedly defeated a thousand red orcs in the hidden dojo using nothing but a wooden training katana, blasting the entire army backward and forcing them all to kneel in total submission.
At first, Lady Seraphina stared at him in disbelief. But when Elias described the orcs chanting "Lady of the Blade" as they dropped to their knees, she gasped sharply. The color drained from her stunning face as her mind spun wildly, struggling to process the devastating implications.
Seeing this, Elias couldn't help but sigh. "See? Just as you said, Mother… things have become far too complicated now."
He continued with a genuinely pained expression. "Mother, I've always loved you and Big Brother Kai. I… I just wanted to make you happy."
Lady Seraphina snapped out of her daze. The moment she saw the raw sadness etched across her son's face, a sharp ache twisted deep in her chest.
Elias kept speaking in that same vulnerable voice. "Don't worry, Mother. Even if the First Wife's faction grows stronger… even if my eldest sister has suddenly become this powerful… none of it matters. No matter what happens, I will make Big Brother Kai the next Duke and turn you into the happiest woman in the entire empire."
Seraphina's eyes glistened with emotion. Her voice came out thick and unsteady as she replied,
"Elias, my son… forget about my useless son. Even if he becomes the next Duke, the ducal house will only stagnate under him. It's not worth it."
She leaned closer, her sea-blue eyes locking onto his with fierce intensity.
"I'd rather see you sitting on the Duke's throne."
Hearing this, Elias blushed deeply and cleared his throat. "Ahem… I appreciate the jest, Mother, but I'm really not interested in the Duke's position."
Seraphina tilted her head, golden waves of hair cascading over one bare shoulder as curiosity filled her sea-blue eyes. "Then what do you want?"
Elias scratched the back of his head, suddenly looking unusually shy and boyish. After a brief hesitation, he answered softly, "Um… I just want your love, Mother."
The words hit Lady Seraphina like a thunderbolt. Her mind went completely blank for a split second before exploding with raw emotion. Her pupils dilated sharply, and her heart began pounding so violently that Elias could clearly hear the frantic, heavy thumping in her chest.
The air in the room grew thick and tense, charged with something far deeper than words. Elias gulped hard, his throat suddenly dry as he waited anxiously for her reply, his dark eyes never leaving hers.
Internally, Lady Seraphina's thoughts spiraled into pure chaos. *What? Love? He actually… loves me?* The realization sent a hot flush racing across her cheeks. She turned slowly, her deep sea-blue eyes locking onto his, and with trembling tenderness she opened her arms in invitation.
Elias's face lit up with pure joy. A wide, boyish grin spread across his lips as he rose from the sofa, then climbed back onto it, kneeling so he was perfectly face-to-face with her. Seeing her open arms and the shy, vulnerable flush on her stunning features, his cock twitched hard inside his pants, already thickening with forbidden need.
He leaned in slowly and wrapped her in a gentle yet possessive hug. His chest pressed flush against the massive, soft swell of her breasts, and he could feel her stiff nipples hardening instantly against him. Her heart hammered wildly beneath his ribs, frantic and loud, while her breathing grew ragged and warm against his neck.
Emboldened, Elias shifted his hips forward, pressing the thick, pulsing length of his cock firmly against her soft belly. She gasped softly as she felt every throbbing inch of him.
Leaning closer until his lips brushed the shell of her ear, he whispered in a deep, velvet voice, "I love you, Mother."
Lady Seraphina bit her lower lip hard, a shiver racing down her spine. In a husky, trembling whisper thick with emotion and desire, she replied, "Oh, Elias… my sweet son… I love you too."
With that, she closed her eyes and tightened the embrace, pulling him even closer. Elias hugged her back just as fiercely, resting his head on her shoulder. A small, utterly satisfied smirk curved the corner of his mouth — hidden from her view, but very much there.