Chapter 11 The First Hurdle

Zephyrion gazed at the woman in front of him with wide eyes, wondering who she might be. The woman smiled at him warmly, and said, ("Hello, my child. It's me, your mother. Can you repeat after me? M-o-t-h-e-r. Or even better, you can call me Mama. That would be so cute, kyaaa~!") she exclaimed with excitement.

Zephyrion tilted his head in confusion as he still couldn't understand the language of the people in this world. Despite this, he could tell that the woman was happy. 'I still can't understand what people are saying here, but at least she seems to be pleased,' he thought to himself.

The ice-blue-eyed maid, Helga, shot Helena a stern look and said, ("Lady Helena, may I remind you that he is still an infant and won't understand a word you say.")

Helena, with her head held high, retorted, ("He is my child, Helga. I'm sure he will already understand me, even if he was born just a few days ago.")

The green-haired maid, couldn't contain her laughter at the exchange. ("Hahahaha,") she cackled.

Helena turned to the green-haired maid with a smile, but her eyes held a mischievous glint. ("Sarah, do you have something to say?") she asked.

Sarah stopped laughing and hesitated for a moment before replying, ("Well, my lady, I was just wondering if you've considered the possibility that he might take after his father and not understand a thing you're saying.")

Helga had to suppress a grin at Sarah's daring comment, but Helena simply chuckled, with a freezing-cold clint in her eyes and said, ("Oh, I've thought of that, Sarah. But let's hope he takes after me instead, shall we?")

Sarah nervously gulped down a mouthful of saliva and stood up straight, clearing her throat before answering Lady Helena's query. ("No, I mean, yes, Lady Helena. Everything you say is a fact, and I wouldn't dare to say otherwise,") she said with a small bow.

Lady Helena's smile widened at Sarah's response, but her eyes held a hidden glint. ("It's good that you understand,) she said. ("Now, can you both please leave the room? I want to feed my child.")

Both Helga and Sarah bowed deeply and hurried out of the room, leaving Zephyrion alone with his thoughts. He looked up at Lady Helena, who was cradling him lovingly, and wondered what she was saying. It was frustrating to not understand the language of the people in this world.

'It's really annoying that I can't understand what they're saying,' he thought to himself. 'It's like being in a different country where no one can speak English, and you try your best to understand them based on their movements. But I don't have this experience. How the **** can I understand them? Do I seriously have to wait until I learn the whole language? Damn, that will be tiresome.'

Helena noticed the worried expression on her child's face and immediately felt a sense of urgency to attend to his needs. ("Are you hungry, my child?") she asked with a gentle voice, her face lighting up with a warm smile that could melt the heart of any man.

Zephyrion couldn't help but feel awestruck by her beauty. ("Are all the women in this world so beautiful?") he thought to himself. However, he quickly scolded himself for having such thoughts, as he didn't want to betray his girlfriend.

But then, a new thought popped into his mind - would his girlfriend, Layla, be as beautiful as the women of this world? He couldn't help but smirk at the idea, feeling a little perverted. 'That would be a nice bonus,' he thought to himself.

Helena, unaware of his inner thoughts, slowly moved the fabric of her dress away from her bosom, revealing her bare breasts in order to feed her child.

Zephyrion's mind went blank for a second when he saw her naked breasts exposed for him to see, if this was an anime he'd probably already have a nosebleed and fly to the ceiling, but he quickly came back to himself, 'Wait, don't tell me it's my mother and she wants to breastfeed me!' was the only logical explanation he could think of.

Helena smiled at Zephyrion and told him, ("Come Zephyrion, time for your meal,") as she pulled him closer to her chest.

Zephyrion finally understood the situation, but he couldn't let it happen! 'Dear mother, I know you're my biological mother and all, but I'm a grown-ass man in an infant's body. Please don't do this; it's morally wrong in many ways!' He tried to move his head away from her breast to convey that he didn't want to feed, but Helena just smiled and held his head firmly, thinking that her child's head was difficult to move. Thus, she ended up pressing his face against her breast.

'Wow, what a heavenly feeling~ her breasts are so soft~' , Zephyrion quickly snapped out of his daze and thought, 'I can't do that, Layla will kill me, literally!!!! But well, I'm still a baby, so I guess I should eat... No Zephyrion, you're a loyal boyfriend! But I feel hungry already,' his inner debate continued for minutes. Until finally, he decided to just deal with the consequences in the future and enjoy the now.

Helena was initially worried when she saw her child refusing to drink her milk, but when she saw that he finally latched on, she sat down on the couch with a motherly smile and continued to breastfeed Zephyrion.

After enduring what seemed like an eternity, Zephyrion finally finished his first hurdle in his new life and felt a sense of relief wash over him. 'Finally done with this heaven- I mean, hell-like experience!' he inwardly exclaimed.

As Helena adjusted her dress, Zephyrion couldn't help but feel a twinge of disappointment. He had enjoyed the softness and warmth of her breast, even if it did feel a little odd to him as a grown man trapped in an infant's body. However, he quickly pushed those thoughts aside and focused on the situation at hand.

After she finished dressing herself, Helena lifted Zephyrion into her arms and they slowly made their way out of the room and into the hallway. Zephyrion looked around curiously, taking in his new surroundings and wondering where they would be heading next. They walked in the opposite direction of where he had started, and he couldn't help but feel a little disoriented.

After a while, they reached a set of blue double doors adorned with two white thunderbolts on each side. The doors were made of polished wood with intricate carvings of mythical creatures Zephyrion didn't know of, and diagram like symbols that seemed to glow in the light.

Helena gave the doors a strong kick, causing them to open with a loud bang. Zephyrion peered inside the room and saw a sleek and modern workplace. Behind a large, polished desk sat a middle-aged man with dark blue hair and piercing electric purple eyes that seemed to sparkle.

He looks tall and well-built, with a chiseled jawline and a neatly trimmed beard that added to his rugged handsomeness. Zephyrion guessed that he was around 26 years old, but his confident and mature demeanor made him seem older. Despite the loud noise of the doors, the man didn't even flinch, and continued to write with a focused expression on his face.

Suddenly, Helena started shouting, ("Hey, Daddy! Your other child finally woke up, and you didn't even come to my room to see his wake-up face! I'm pretty sure Helga and Sarah gave you the news!")

The middle-aged man continued writing, unfazed by the commotion. Helena waited patiently, tapping her foot on the floor.

After what seemed like ten minutes, the man laid down his feather quill and looked up.

("Oh, Helena, you're here?") said the legendary hero, Thomas Thunderheart with a stoic face.

("Don't give me that 'Oh, Helena, you're here' crap! As if the great Thomas Thunderheart didn't notice that I entered the room like 10 minutes ago!") retorted Helena, still tapping her foot impatiently.

The middle-aged man, who appeared to be a hero, shrugged his shoulders and said, ("I was focused on my work. You just don't know how tedious politics can be. I'd rather kill monsters or demons than deal with all this paperwork.")

Then he suddenly noticed the small infant in Helena's arms and said without expression, ("Oh, he finally woke up, after 3 days. I was worried that my bastard son would even be too useless to wake up.")

Helena gritted her teeth as she heard what Thomas said. It was true that Zephyrion was Thomas's illegitimate son. Thomas had taken Helena from her home when she was still young and had made her his concubine without her agreement. Despite the circumstances, Helena was still grateful because she had her wonderful son now.

Helena glared at Thomas, her eyes filled with anger and disappointment. ("Even if he is our illegitimate child, he is still our son! And his name is Zephyrion, not just some useless child.")

Thomas, still indifferent to Helena's outburst, replied, ("I don't really care. I just hope he will at least be useful in the future. And when are you planning to leave already? I have work to do.")

Zephyrion, who still didn't understood the language, tugged at his mother's dress with his little arms. Helena's anger quickly dissipated, replaced by a motherly love for her child.

She gave her little baby a loving smile, her eyes sparkling with adoration for her little bundle of joy, and then shot Thomas one last look of disgust and hate. Without another word, she turned on her heel and left the room, closing the door loud behind her. Thomas didn't even spare her a glance, his attention fully focused on his work.

As Helena walked down the hallway with Zephyrion cradled in her arms, she gazed down at her precious son and whispered, ("Although you may not have been planned, you are the greatest blessing in my life. I will always cherish and shield you, no matter what.")

As Helena walked down the long, dimly lit corridor with her precious baby in her arms, her heart was heavy with conflicting emotions. She felt a deep sense of love and adoration for the tiny life in her arms, but also a sense of sadness and anger at the circumstances of his birth. She knew that life as the illegitimate child of Thomas Thunderheart would not be easy for her son, and that he would face many challenges and prejudices throughout his life.

As she kept walked, Helena started to hum a gentle lullaby, soothing Zephyrion with the sound of her voice. Zephyrion kept still and just listened to her soothing voice.

"mhmmm mhmmm mhm."

As she hummed the gentle lullaby, her voice trembled slightly with emotion.

"mhmmm mhmm mhm."

Each note was filled with a mother's love,

"mhmmm mmmh mhmmm,"

a desperate attempt to comfort and protect her child from the harsh realities of the world.

"mhmm mhm mhmmm."

She wished she could shield him from all the pain and heartbreak that lay ahead, but she knew that was impossible.

"mhmm mhmmm mhmmm."

With each step, Helena's heart swelled with a fierce determination to protect her son,

"mhmm."

to be there for him every step of his way.

"mhmm mhmm."

She would be his rock,

"mhm mmmh mhmm,"

his protector,

"mhmm mhmmm mmmh,"

his unwavering source of love and support.

"Mhmm mhmmm mmmmmh"

No matter what challenges they faced, she would always be by his side, holding him close and humming that same lullaby...

Zephyrion couldn't help but cry when he heard the lullaby. It sounded so similar to the one his deceased mother used to sing for him. He quickly wiped his face against Helena's, hoping she wouldn't notice his red eyes.

As they finally reached the room's door, and she saw Helga and Sarah already waiting for them. Helena paused for a moment, taking in a deep breath and holding her son even closer to her chest. She looked down at him with a mixture of love and sadness in her eyes, and whispered softly, ("My sweet little Zephyrion, no matter what happens, I will always be here for you. You are my precious baby, and I will love and protect you always.")

Helena gave Zephyrion one last kiss on his cheek and handed him to the maid, Helga.

Helga nodded her head and moved into the room, laying Zephyrion into his cozy bed and covering him with a warm blanket. Zephyrion already felt sleepy, and he knew it was because he was an infant. His eyelids slowly closed, and he drifted off to sleep, comforted by the lullaby and the warmth of the blanket.