21 Who's A Rapist?!

Obrecht's ceremonial attire consisted of an all-white pair of pants and sleeves, with intricately weaved runes on the collar, sleeves, shirt and leg hems.

Halvalt, his father, walked over to observe his son by the doorframe of the stone room.

"I knew this day was coming, but to actually see you in ceremonial clothes", Halvalt trailed off.

Obrecht did a twirl to showcase his attire. "Handsome, right?"

"Of course, just like your Apa." Halvalt winked as Obrecht loudly laughed, the whites of his teeth showing.

"You're going to be late at this pace", Odeti, Obrecht's Ama, came in to scold them. She pushed Halvalt out of Obrecht's room. Halvalt complied to fetch Obrecht's newly refined big sword after an indulgent kiss from his wife.

A hint of curiosity flashed through Obrecht's eyes as he saw his parents' interactions. He had never been that much interested in affectionate gestures, but for the first time, he wanted to try them. With such thoughts in mind, the sleeping form of Videre flashed along his mind.

Being a woman and a mother, Odeti notices small gaze of inquisitiveness Obrecht displayed in his face moments ago. Ah, it's time for that kind of heart to heart talk, huh, she thought to herself.

"You have a person you like?" Odeti raised a brow at her son.

Eyes widening slightly, Obrecht's heart trembled slightly at the mention of "like".

"Not really…" Obrecht contemplated before continuing to say, "How do you know if you like someone?"

"Well, in my case, I couldn't stop thinking of your Apa. Whatever he did at the time, no matter how foolish it was, I'd found it quite adorable, though I didn't find it the same way when others did so. Gradually, I ended up inseparable from him, and before we knew it, we had fallen in love with each other over time." A nostalgic look surfaced from Odeti's eyes.

Staring at his Ama, Obrecht said in a pout, "It's not love after all."

"Why are you so sure?" Odeti's smile widened as she had just silently confirmed that her son did have someone he liked. Now, all she needed to do was to figure out who.

"Because I've just met them." Realizing that his mouth slipped, Obrecht was a bit reluctant to see the 'I knew I was right' face he knew his Ama would be displaying.

Odeti let out a victorious laughter. "You've already confessed you like someone, why look so unwilling? Tell your Ama more about the other person, quickly!"

"Ama", Obrecht sighed. "It's not love You just said so yourself."

"Like. I . Said. Why are you so sure?"

"Because you just said that you and Apa fallen in love over time, but I had just met the other person." Obrecht gestured his hands up and down, as if his explanation was very valid.

"Then, answer me truthfully." Odeti directed a pointed look at her son, raising her index finger at him. "Do you think about him a lot as of lately?"

"Well, yes, I suppose", Obrecht replied.

"Do you want to know more about him?"

Videre was a new discovery, of course he wanted to know more about him, and so Obrecht nodded his head.

"Did you find a few certain aspects of him, like his face, his voice, or his habits beautiful, striking or adorable?"

Like his eyes, Obrecht wondered. Slowly, he nodded he head again. "I don't see what this has go to—"

Odeti raised her index in front of Obrecht's face and continued to ask, "And you just met them recently? When?"

"Yes… Yesterday." Obrecht scrunched up his nose while thinking.

Odeti snapped her fingers. "So it is love at first sight! Wow, who has this extraordinary ability to make my son head over heels for them?" Wondering, she studied Obrecht, making him feel uncomfortable as his own Ama scrutinized him. It felt as if she was mining for answers with just her eyes.

"What's love at first sight?" Having heard it for the first time, Obrecht wondered what it meant. Was it perhaps a name of a new sword his Apa had made?

"It's what you are, I'll tell you. You love everything the other person does; his looks, his habits and mannerisms, his voice—everything—even though the two of you had just met."

"Oh… So that's possible too." Obrecht contemplates more. Unconsciously, he had dropped his childish actions. Odeti eyed the rare serious look his son showed. As his Ama, Odeti knew well the shortcomings of her only child. So to have someone rile him in this low-key fashion, she had a hunch that she'd be meeting the other person soon.

Unable to hold her curiosity, Odeti asked, "So, when will I be meeting them?" She smirked.

"Soon, maybe", Obrecht said, distractedly. "I mean; I do need to marry him."

"Marry?!" Gawking at her son, Odeti didn't intend to raise her voice too much.

Nonetheless, Obrecht answered "Yes" indifferently. Briefly, he wondered whether he had said something wrong once more.

"Why marriage?" Odeti felt like she was grasping at straws, looking for a tiny needle among the haystack. She knew there was a reason somewhere behind all the absurd thoughts that had sprung to mind. She had to remind herself that her son was still emotionally challenged and that she should be happy that this is a good experience that might help him. But regardless of Obrecht's happiness, she felt that she had to meet her son's lover to know for sure that the other person isn't taking her son for granted, or anything similar. If she discovers that the other person is playing with her son's feelings, there would be fiery hell to pay.

"Isn't that how people take responsibility for others?" Baffled at seeing his Ama's determined look, Obrecht had asked Odeti. Isn't that how you take responsibility of others, Obrecht asked himself. Surely, Apa wasn't lying when he said that, that was why he married Ama; he was taking responsibility for her?

"Responsibility?! Obrecht, what did you do?!"

Was it not the same after all? Obrecht scratched the back of his ear in an unconscious manner.

Growing more and more confused, Obrecht opened his mouth only to close it. He didn't know how to explain Videre to his Ama and why he had to take responsibility of him. But this was misunderstood by Odeti. She thought her son had knocked up somebody, even before his coming of age ceremony.

"You better explain this thoroughly to me, young Hunter." Odeti had a stern look, with her hands crossed in front of her chest, as she gave off the intimidating aura that any ama could.

"I-I met them yesterday, and-and showed them my hide out, and then let them sleep on my bed. Since their clothes got wet, I let them borrowed mine…" Witnessing Odeti's widen further, Obrecht whispers his question cautiously, "…Is it that bad?" He leans forward to his Ama as if they were discussing a potentially mind-blowing secret.

Oh, it was indeed a mind-blowing secret. At least that was what it felt like to Odeti as she looked again at the face of her son. He looked at him as if he had seen a new side of him. Just from whom did Obrecht take after, was all Odeti could ask herself. Was she to blame for this? Did she and Halvalt both lacked as parents? How do they apologize to the parents of the other person? She hasn't even met the other person, but now she's getting a grandchild?! By the graces of Aovialutre, how did this happen?!

A thought then came to Obrecht's mind.

"But what if the other person doesn't like me?" Obrecht's question made Odeti stop breathing.

My son… when did my son… how—how did my son become a… a—a rapist?!