Chapter 84 - New Mindset

Chapter 84: Chapter 84 - New Mindset

Vincent stood near the center of the Maelle’s room, gently cradling Eugene in his arms. The green dragon was fast asleep, curled up into a scaly ball with his snout tucked beneath his tail, emitting soft, little snores.

Standing in front of him, Maelle’s gaze lingered on Vincent for a moment before she spoke, carrying a newly found warmth.

"I will be dismissing you back for a couple of days. Following Duke Elsa’s arrest, I need to manage the legal, political, and social cleanup across the Imperial City. It will be... tedious work, to say the least.

"However, do not expect to be gone long. The Academy’s Gala takes place this weekend. There, we will find the one responsible for hiring Ava to assassinate me."

"Gotcha. Summon me whenever you need me. Doesn’t matter how trivial the reason is."

Maelle’s lips curved slightly at his words. "I appreciate that."

Before dismissing him, she turned to her desk and picked up the diary she had been writing in earlier. She held it out to Vincent.

"Give this to your mother, Lady Maribelle, for me. Her eyes only."

"Looks spicy."

"Vincent..."

"Alright, alright. I’m only playing. I’ll give it to her." He nodded and took the book.

Maelle stepped back, raised her hand, and conjured a golden magic circle; its light enveloping both him and the dragon he was holding.

"See you later, Princess."

"Until then, Vincent."

With a gentle fade of light, he vanished from the room.

SHEEN

........

The golden glow dissolved, and he found himself standing back inside the living room of his mother’s estate inside the Divine Realm.

Before he could even adjust his footing, a delighted scream screeched from the kitchen.

"MY BABY~!"

Maribelle rushed forward like a blue hurricane and threw her arms around her son, sweeping him into an overwhelmingly tight welcome-home hug.

"Vinny we did it~! Hahaha! Everything with Maelle’s going to be alright!"

"Gah–Shh! Be careful!" Vincent whispered frantically, squirming in her embrace while pointing desperately at his chest. "I don’t want this loudmouth waking up and throwing a tantrum!"

Maribelle peeked down at the snoring green dragon in his arms and giggled quietly, covering her mouth with her hand.

Vincent carefully placed the soundly sleeping Eugene onto a plush pillow on the couch. The dragon let out a contented squeak, rolled over on his back, and kept right on snoring.

"Alright. Before I tell you the specifics, I want to wash off first, Mama. As you can see, I’m a bit bruised."

"Ooh, perfect! Bathhouse time! Mama also still has yet to take her bath. I’ll go with you~"

......

Splash

"Ahhh~ Now that’s just what I needed after all that fighting..."

Inside the giant bathpool, the crystal-clear, heated water soaked away the deep exhaustion in Vincent’s muscles. He leaned his head back comfortably against his mother’s soft, bare chest as she sat behind him on edge, gently running her fingers through his hair.

"So? Are you going to tell your mama what happened or what? How did things go between you and your princess?"

Vincent deadpan-stared at the steam rising off the water. "Are you not going to ask about the battles that happened after you left? Duke Elsa? The Solarian Knights? The Prince of Solara?"

"Pshh!" Maribelle dismissed it with a wave of her hand. "You won, right? So what is there to ask? I care about what happened between you two!"

Sinking his head a little lower, he mumbled, "We made up."

"...."

"....."

Maribelle was not satisfied with that answer in the slightest.

She reached around from behind, cupping his cheeks with both hands and locking his head squarely in place so he couldn’t look away. She squinted down at him, narrowing her eyes playfully. "You made up aaaand...~?"

Trapped under her hold, Vincent shifted his eyes nervously back and forth before finally breaking under the pressure.

"...And... we kissed."

"KYAAAAA~!"

She completely lost her composure and squealed in pure delight, throwing her arms around Vincent’s shoulders and smothering him in a splashy hug while laughing uncontrollably.

"G-Gaaah! M-Mama–!"

"Hahaha~! Ahahaha~! Look at you~ Mama’s little playboy~ Ahahaha~!"

Vincent somehow managed to break free and coughed up a mouthful of bathwater. "I-It was just a kiss!"

"Nooo~! It is NOT just a kiss! A kiss like that holds a lot of meaning, Vincent Winters!"

"My full name?!"

As her lighthearted demeanor settled, Maribelle pulled him back into her embrace and looked deeply into his eyes. "How do you really feel about Maelle knowing you are already in a committed relationship with Natasha...?"

Vincent went quiet. The ambient splashing of the bathwater was the only sound in the room as he reflected deeply on both women.

Finally, he nodded with conviction. "I... I love them both. I want to be with them both..."

Maribelle’s face bloomed into a beaming smile. "Then don’t carry guilt over your feelings, baby. When you decide to confess your feelings to Maelle down the line, you must be completely honest about Natasha. And like I said, don’t worry too much about Natasha. She is a divine being. In our culture, polygamy is 100% natural."

"Actually... Right after we made up, she asked me whether I have a lover. I told her that I did. However, even after knowing that, she wasn’t opposed to kissing me."

*Gasp* "An unspoken acceptance? Oh, she is wonderful! Just wonderful! Ahahaha~!"

"W-Wait– Mama–!"

SPLASH!

........

Later that evening, inside the master bedroom...

Maribelle sat in front of her vanity mirror, brushing her hair with gentle strokes, while Vincent walked over from the dressing area and pulled out Maelle’s diary from his clothes.

He went over and handed it to her. "Here. Maelle asked me to give this to you. ’Your eyes only’."

"Oh? She actually did what I suggested?"

Her eyes lit up like stars as she eagerly opened the book and flipped through the pages. An affectionate giggle escaped her lips as she read Maelle’s stiff, overly formal, yet deeply earnest entries detailing her thoughts, observations, and questions.

Deciding not to ask what was written, Vincent walked over to bed, pulled back the covers and slipped beneath them.

While reading, Maribelle peeked over the top of the pages and changed her expression from glee to a slightly worried smile as she brought up a delicate question. "Vinny, what about Dee?"

"Dee... huh? I’ve thought long and hard about it. Deina has been an irreplaceable pillar in my life alongside you and Nat here in the Divine Realm. And like Nat, for 500 years, she’s been there through everything."

He looked back at his mother with clear and resolute eyes. "I love her too. Once I talk things through with Nat... I’m going to confess to her."

SNAP!

Maribelle slammed the diary shut, and in a split second, she tackled Vincent onto the soft mattress, gushing and squealing at the top of her lungs.

"AHHHH! MY BABY~! Do you have any idea how many grandbabies I am going to have?! Many, many, MANY, I hope! Ahahaha~! And they’re all going to be full divine beings! Which means... they’ll be able to stay here! I’ll never have to part with them!"

Hearing her last sentence, Vincent’s heart gave a sudden, painful squeeze. He looked closely at his mother’s face. Behind her ecstatic rambling and bright smile, he saw tiny, glittering tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

Having been separated from her during his childhood due to tragic circumstances, he understood the pain, guilt, and loneliness she had carried over missing his growth. The fear of losing those she loved was something that had scarred her heart after all.

Vincent reached up and wrapped his arms tightly around her neck, pulling her down into a comforting hug.

"And you know what? You’re going to be the absolute best Granmama."

Those words hit her right into her core being. The dam broke, and she broke down into overwhelmed, happy tears, clinging to her son as if he were her entire world. "I love you so much, baby..."

"I love you too, Mama."

"Give mama chu chu~?"

"Alright, alright. Come here."

......

Later, deep in the realm of slumber...

Vincent found himself standing inside his surreal dreamscape. Cartoony clouds drifted across the pink sky, and the ground felt like springy moss.

"Tag! You’re it!"

"Darn it! Come back here, Sticklegs!" Vincent laughed, chasing after his squishy, white, dream friend – Mr. Marshmallow!

The round, bouncing creature giggled hysterically as its stick legs moved at top speed through the fields of glowing candy-flowers.

After running around and having fun, the two decided to trek up the tallest, most majestic mountain in the dreamworld to have a refreshing drink from the famous "mountain plug" at the peak.

As they scrambled up the final rocky incline, Mr. Marshmallow hopped alongside Vincent, looking up at him with a wide, innocent smile.

"Golly! That was a pretty serious adventure you’ve been on lately, Vinny."

"Haha. Yeah. It was crazy. Politics, corrupt dukes, an annoying dragon..."

"And kissing the pretty-witty Princess!" Mr. Marshmallow gave a cheerful grin. "Well, now that your feelings are sorted out, you can expect many more friends to show up!"

Mr. Marshmallow scrambled up to the top of the peak first. Suddenly, the squishy creature’s round eyes widened and it let out an excited, high-pitched scream!

"RED MARSHY!"

Vincent caught up to the peak, his eyes lighting up with immediate happiness as he saw his new-ish companion sitting by the mountain plug – Marshy, the bright red marshmallow.

"V!"

"Marshy!" Vincent laughed, hugging the red creature back tightly.

As he held his friend, a sudden realisation struck his mind.

’Wait... if Marshy is here... that means–’

Before he could finish his thought, his dream body began to flicker, turning into translucent particles of light, similar to that of being summoned and dismissed.

"Aw... Isn’t it still a bit early-wormy? Oh well!" Mr. Marshmallow waved him goodbye, smiling softly. "Looks like you’re waking up! Later Vinny!"

"See you later, V!"

The surreal dreamscape dissolved, replaced by the gentle warmth and scent of the waking world.

Vincent slowly opened his eyes. As his vision adjusted to the morning light filtering through the bedroom curtains, he noticed a soft, rosy pink nipple resting on a pair of smooth, firm breasts – distinctly smaller and firmer than his mother’s ample bosom.

Tilting his head back up, his lips curving into a fond smile as he took in the vibrant red hair framing a beautiful, familiar face resting right beside him.

"Nat..."

Natasha looked down at him with affectionate eyes, offering a welcoming smile that melted his heart.

"Good morning, V~"