W1.A1-2: A Mother’s Sacrifice – Nothing Greater than This Warm Embrace

Celine couldn't help but blush as she was dressing herself. The sight of her son's gawking expression as he shamelessly stared at her naked form appeared in her mind once again.

"That little…" She said it through gritted teeth before her expression softened. "He's finally back…"

She gazed at seemingly nothing for a while before her expression turned resolute.

"I have to make sure he brings back happy memories from his house and nothing burdens him as long as he stays here."

Tying her towel-dried hair at last, Celine took a deep breath before walking towards her room. Her expression was calm, as she had regained her impressive bearing.

...

I stood in her room as I waited for my mother to arrive.

I was a bit nervous. Of course, not about the incident that just happened. No. I know it looked like my mother was angry, but she would probably let me off after twisting my ears until they began to resemble an elephant's. She also understood that it was not entirely my fault, as I never knew about her shifting her bathing space.

What I was dejected about was the fact that I could still not tell her the truth about my situation in the capital. How I had spent my five years, what I had achieved…

Yeah. I mostly wanted to tell her about my achievements. I wanted to make her feel proud. To ease the pressure she felt while managing the family, even since my father has passed away. I just couldn't wait to see her happy smile after I told her about how I had finally become someone strong—someone that even the king of our kingdom had to greet politely.

Unfortunately, sometimes being too outstanding can be a problem too.

Just as I was lost in my thoughts, I heard the door to the garden-turned-bath open as my mother stepped through the door.

Her expression looked calm. She also regained her bearing, which she usually had when dealing with serious matters. She was wearing a beige colored short tunic on top and an olive green long skirt covering her long legs.

The sudden contrast in her clothing to the situation I had witnessed earlier made me feel unreal.

Consciously or unconsciously, my eyes went in search of the scene I had witnessed just a few moments ago.

"You rascal!" She said in a scolding tone, "Where are you looking?"

My mother's voice awoke me, making me feel awkward.

Keeping my expression calm, I tried to change the topic. "How have you been, Mom?"

My mother had turned a bit red again, as all her calm went poof. She looked at me calmly and knew what I was trying to do.

"Hmph."

"It looks like you really have become audacious after being away from home."

I saw my mother advancing towards me. I pursed my lips, as I had already prepared my ears to be the sacrifice for today.

I could feel her warmth as she came to stand in front of me, her face carrying an angry expression.

Just as I was waiting for my ears to be twisted, I felt a warm body collide into me softly.

"You're finally back." With her arms wrapped around my back, my mother softly muttered, "It's so good that you're back."

A light fragrance of her natural bath products wafted into my nostrils and calmed my mind.

Suddenly, I could hear soft sobbing sounds as I found that my mother had started crying after hugging me.

"What's wrong, Mom?" I panicked. I felt pathetic. I was probably the reason she was crying.

Not being able to think of anything, I quickly apologized, "I'm so sorry, Mom. Please don't cry!" My arms around her tightened as I tried to provide all the warmth she deserved and some more.

My mother soon stopped crying as she pulled back slightly. Still in my embrace, she chided, "What are you talking about, you silly boy? I was just happy to see you after so long. What?! Don't tell me you didn't miss me." Her expression turning playful, she glared at me before letting out a giggle.

She looked so beautiful and adorable that my heart melted right there.

"I love you, Mom."

I blurted out the words before I had time to process them. Not like I regretted it.

My mother froze for a moment before breaking out in a sweet smile.

"Yeah, Danny. I love you, too." Her arms around me tightened as she also seemed to want to show how much she had missed me.

It was fine for the first few seconds before I had to interrupt her.

"Mom, you're too strong. I can't breathe." I even made my voice sound labored to make it look genuine.

But, of course, it was a lie. It was just that the feeling of her soft body melting in my arms right after the scene I had witnessed not long ago made me begin to feel reactions in the wrong places. I'd probably have to run back to the capital to save myself some embarrassment if I allowed that to happen.

A necessary sacrifice had to be made.

As I reluctantly pushed her back slightly, my mother blushed before she yapped, "Strong? Are you saying that your gentle looking mother is a brute?"

I chuckled after seeing her cute antics and decided to play along.

"No, no. Who said so? My mother is kind, gentle, kind, beautiful, etc." I wanted to say more, but my training all these years had left me robbed of the vocabulary that my mother had literally beaten into me while I was still in school.

"Huh?" My mother, who had just begun to enjoy my flowery words, frowned. "Boy, did you just use etcetera? Seriously? Is that how you praise a woman?"

Her face was etched with disbelief as she muttered, "And here I thought you would become a gentleman after going to the capital." Shaking her head, she added, "Now I'm really worried about how you'd be able to woo a decent girl from a good family."

My lips twitched at her exaggerated explanation. I really wanted to tell her that the matter was already settled. Unfortunately, it was also included in the list of things I had to keep away from her. For now, at least.

My mother and I kept talking as she also let go of her stern expression and acted like she always did in my presence—like a teenager. We kept poking fun at each other for a while when…

Growl…

"Uh…" I embarrassedly rubbed my stomach as I said, "I was too excited to meet you, and so I decided to skip lunch." I explained. "That's why I was able to arrive before the sunset."

My mom let out a motherly smile as she grabbed my hand and took me towards…

"The garden?" I couldn't help but ask in disbelief, "Don't tell me you shifted our kitchen there too."

"What nonsense are you spouting?" My mother hit my shoulder in mock anger as she explained, "You should take a bath until I go and prepare something delicious and warm for you. Tell me honestly. Did you skip your baths on the way here too?"

I smiled awkwardly before replying, "You know how I prefer a relaxing bath." I told her. "Halfheartedly cleaning myself while on the way seemed like too much of a hassle, so I just took one occasionally."

"And how frequent is that?" My mother asked with a penetrative glare.

"Two times." I blurted out the truth before realizing my mistake.

"God!" My mother gasped in amazement. "Two times in a one month long journey? How unhygienic can you be, little Dan?"

My lips twitched as I realized I couldn't possibly tell her about my speedy mount—gifted personally by my master—that took me here in less than a week. It looked like it was only a little better than the mounts found here. That's why none of the maids realized anything special about it.

Deciding to suffer for my mistake, I let myself be pushed inside the garden.

"Take your time, dear. I will be right back with a tasty meal!"

I sighed as I heard her fading steps. Satisfaction filled my heart as I finally found the feeling of home I had been missing. Nothing was a greater accomplishment for me than being able to feel her warm embrace.

Getting out of my thoughts, I walked towards the bath as I took off my clothes.

"Oh, my bag." I suddenly remembered that I had no chance to take a change of clothes out of my bag. She probably took it into my room.

Well, I'll just ask Mom later. Let's take a bath first.

I washed myself with some soap and hot water before finally going for a soak inside the ground-embedded tub.

Splash!

"Haah~! How relaxing!" I exclaimed as I felt the warm water engulf my slightly tired body. All the fatigue I had amassed in my journey to this point seemed to just melt away in the warm water.

Closing my eyes, I leaned against the edge to relax as a humming tune couldn't help but escape my lips.

A few minutes passed as my body finally heated up to a completely relaxed state.

I decided to leave when I suddenly noticed something on the opposite end. It was the napkin my mother had used to wipe her face.

My mind wandered as I thought back to the scene after my mother had noticed my presence as she tried to cover her bountiful bosom with that tiny napkin before jumping back into the bath.

"Uh… Dammit!" I cursed as I felt my thoughts cause an intense reaction in my lower body.

I had controlled it earlier, but now the heat from the hot water had my blood flowing especially vigorously.

It was getting hard for me to contain it further.