Chapter 544: Zephyra and Delphina

“…Zephyra-sama, here is your meal…” a maid says, approaching as she places a dish on the table. I get up from the bed without any enthusiasm to eat and walk over to the table.

“What is it today?” I ask, lifting the lid of the tray. Inside is a mushy, whitish paste, which sums up most of my meals. Most of my meals are like this because I haven’t been able to eat solid foods easily since I had a child with Pandora.

Or rather, since Pandora stopped feeding me with her tail, I had to start eating on my own, which proved strangely difficult.

But things are improving. I can already eat fruit without much trouble, so in a few more months my body should have learned how to eat properly again.

I sniff the plate for a moment, trying to catch Pandora’s scent, since to help my body readjust to normal food, Pandora’s semen is used in every recipe—though the amount has been decreasing more and more.

’There’s less… again…’

“It’s a fruity blend with some nutrient-rich vegetables and a few types of plants good for physical health, and dinner will likely include some kind of meat for protein…” the maid says as I pick up a spoon, testing the consistency.

’It’s a little firmer than the food from a week ago… though it’s still very soft…’ I put the spoon in my mouth. The taste is good; it reminds me of Pandora, and that’s the only flavor that matters.

“Zephyra-sama, your daughter wishes to see you today. What should I—”

“I don’t want to see her.”

“…But Zephyra-sama…”

“I said I don’t want to see her!! Are you deaf?! I already took care of that brat when I had to; now that she’s grown, she’s no longer my responsibility,” I say, irritated. No matter how hard I try, I just can’t bring myself to like that girl.

“…Understood, Zephyra-sama…” she says as I continue eating the food without much interest in anything else.

“Zephyra-sama, would you like to go for a walk today?” Yeryal asks, and I start to get annoyed.

“Yeryal, what do you want from me? Leave me alone, damn it… I just want to eat in silence.”

“…I’m sorry, Zephyra-sama… I’m only trying to help…”

“Help how?!” I slam the table, the clatter of silverware echoing through the room.

“…I’m not sure… I just thought it wouldn’t be good for you to stay in your room all the time…”

“And why would you care?”

“…Because on that day at the auction, when I was bought, I thought I’d meet a horrible fate. But when I arrived at this castle, I became your maid, and my life has been wonderful here. Even though I’m an elf, the demons don’t treat me badly, and I have a safe place, food, and everything I need.”

“Before I was bought, I was drugged and used, and even the Demon King said my blood was trash, so he ordered them to take care of me to improve its flavor… but he never came back for my blood.”

“So I am eternally indebted to you for saving my life, and that’s why I want to see you well, Zephyra-sama.” She says with a smile as I finish my meal.

“Hmm… fine… but I just want silence… so don’t say anything… as long as you stay quiet, I’ll be fine,” I say with a sigh. I’m not in the mood to talk to anyone right now, nor do I want to try.

“Alright, I’ll be silent, Zephyra-sama…” She steps back a bit and stays quiet as I asked.

…

…

…

“Mommy Delphina, what are you doing?” Aqua asks me as she sits on my bed. Today is a day off at the academy, so everyone has returned to the castle to see their mothers.

“Aqua, I’m organizing my space. My room in my palace had time magic, and I liked that, so I’m reinforcing this room and adding time magic to it so that when I want to stay here, I won’t be disturbed,” I tell her, drawing a few magic circles on the wall.

“Oh!! Amazing, you know how to use time magic?!”

“Yes, though only a little, and it’s not very effective for combat, so I can only use it for non-combat purposes like this… How is the academy? Is it fun?” I ask, smiling, imagining how my daughter must be at the top of her class.

“Ah… well… h-hehehe, it’s good… but I… sorry… my grades dropped a bit because I lost to Eclipsya in a fight…”

’…’ I look at her. She seems tense, as if I’m going to scold her.

“I’m not going to scold you. Just try harder and improve; that’s enough for me… but if you fall too far, then yes, I will punish you…”

“Thank you, Mom!! Phew, I thought you’d get mad. Anyway, aside from that, everything’s great. Of course, we’re a bit out of place in the classroom because many students don’t talk to us, but some people have started to approach us.”

“That’s good, daughter… ah…” I grip the metal wall, crushing it under my hand as I remember something that makes me grit my teeth.

“Aqua, there’s something I forgot to ask.”

“W-What is it?…”

“You haven’t been fooling around with anyone on the academy grounds, have you?…”

“…”

“Because I received a note from Elena, informing me that my daughter was involved in improper acts within the academy grounds…”

“H-Hahaha, me? O-Of course not, I’d never break the rules like that…” She stops talking when I look at her.

“The room is private! If it was done inside the rooms, it shouldn’t count, right?”

“…”

“A-Ah, Mom!! I’m young, I’m just exploring life. You wouldn’t punish your daughter just for wanting to have a little fun, right?! B-Besides, I’m being careful; I won’t get my partner pregnant out of nowhere!!” She falls silent, lowering her head, her tail tapping uncomfortably on the bed.

“I won’t say anything because it really doesn’t matter. As long as you keep your image intact and get good grades, do whatever you want. But don’t come here with a child; I would hate that deeply.” She’s my daughter, and she’s too young to have a baby. I would be furious if that happened.

“Don’t worry, Mommy Delphina! I’m carefully managing my studies! I’m balancing the relationship and the sex without it affecting my daily life too much!”

“Besides, my partner is 100% submissive!!! She won’t cause any trouble either!” she says confidently as I sigh. She’s exactly like Pandora.

’Having a daughter is so hard…’ I’ve been keeping track of everything she does. Since all of Pandora’s daughters have immense powers and chaotic instincts, Elena has been supervising all of them with extreme caution.

So she passes on what she can to the mothers. In general, they can’t hide much from us while they’re at the academy.

’I wonder if they know the academy wasn’t made just for studying?’ I found one of Pandora’s planning books, and the idea of creating an academy for her children came with the idea of keeping them in a moldable “box.”

She wanted them “trapped” in something so they wouldn’t go around causing trouble. The academy is that box—it seems open, but it’s actually closed, locking them into a predictable routine.

That’s why the academy is so lenient about Aqua being in a romantic and sexual relationship with someone. Because the academy was made precisely for them to shape those relationships in a more civilized way.

Pandora said she didn’t want her children to be like her—wild and instinctual to the extreme—and I agree. Pandora is a terrible example to follow; she’s too monstrous all the time, and her children shouldn’t follow that same savagery, or the world would sink into chaos.

And they would become problems to be dealt with, so I also allow it. After all, it’s what Pandora wanted.

’Although Aqua still has that strange view that Pandora is a weak submissive who can’t take charge…’ What a strange view Aqua has of Pandora, when in reality Pandora is the one who dominates most relationships.

“Mommy Delphina, can you give me some money? Azazel’s mom gives her a ton of money, and I want money to buy some things!!!”

“No.”

“B-but Mom!!”

“If you want money, earn it. Go work for it.” I’m not going to fund her and her luxuries. She already has a generous “allowance” that the castle gives her on the 1st of every month, and it’s quite a lot of money.

If she spends it all on nonsense and ends up broke, it’s her own irresponsibility. I’m not going to fund teenage irresponsibility.

“Boo!! Boooh! That’s so mean! That’s really mean of you! You have so much money!!”

“Yes, I do, and I earned that money myself. So go earn your own money by working. And if I hear you stole anything, I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never forget.”

“…I-I wouldn’t steal…”

“Who knows? You have the powers for it.”

“O-Okay, I’ll look for some work… but if I get a job, would you give me some extra money as a gift? I want to buy something that’s kind of expensive…”

“…Maybe. I’ll first see how you behave.” We are sharks; we need independence. So I won’t help her unless she shows that the help won’t change her life too much.

“Alright… ah, Mommy Delphina, this week we’re learning about Mommy Pandora’s history and how she defeated the humans, and then we have to write a 7-page essay on what we learned.”

“We also have to do our own research to complement the study. Do you have anything cool to tell me about Mommy Pandora?”

“…” I think for a moment.

“Here, take this.” I pull a book from a fold in space and toss it to her. She catches it.

“This is…”

“There was a time when I went to a human academy just to find Pandora. Out of boredom, I wrote a lot of things about Pandora. That book there is the abridged version.” It’s also the version where I removed my embarrassing love observations and my shyness about sex.

“Thank you!! You’re the best!!!”

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