Deviation
Oedipus's biography.
The story of the king who killed his father and took his mother as his bride.
Oedipus is a figure called the symbol of misfortune in Greek and Roman mythology. In the end, his mother committed suicide by hanging herself, which meant losing both the woman he loved and his real mother.
After that, Oedipus, tormented by guilt, gouged out his own eyes and became a wanderer on the earth, ending his life.
It wouldn't be beneficial to tell such a gloomy story to a child. That's why Darin only told the Oedipus biography to Kael once.
“Do you still remember that? It’s been over ten years, right?”
“I remember everything my mother told me. Anything my most beloved person gives is important, after all.”
The stepmother’s words, filled with sincere son’s words, she smiled faintly. She was truly grateful. Her son was listening to her stories with sincerity without thinking much. This affection would go to the woman Kael loves, but that’s the natural order, so as a mother, she had to accept it.
“Hoo, yeah. Thank you, but why did you suddenly bring up that story?”
“...How do you think of the person Oedipus?”
“Hmm, how do you think of Oedipus...?”
Darin pressed her head with her index finger and fell into thought. It was an out-of-the-blue question, but it was her beloved son’s question. As a mother, she had to think seriously.
Since Oedipus is a fictional character, Darin felt no particular emotion towards the character. And this would be the case for most people too. Just a pitiful and unfortunate person. That was all.
“Being abandoned by his father, and losing both his real mother and lover. A miserable person until the end, and in many ways unfortunate?”
“Is that all?”
The stepmother blinked her eyes blankly. So that’s all. What else could there be?
“Yeah. That’s all, right?”
“How do you think of the incest Oedipus committed?”
“Well? It’s just part of the myth, no particular thought. And calling it bad doesn’t fit either. Oedipus took his mother as his wife without knowing she was his real mother.”
“Then, what if he knew she was his real mother and had a relationship?”
“...?”
‘...Why is the question like this?’
It was sticky like a snake biting and being bitten. Darin wondered why she had to discuss this topic with her son. Moreover, the mother-child relationship discussing such things was uncomfortable.
“...Then, he must not be in his right mind. After all, having a relationship with one’s real mother is an inappropriate act. Leaving aside the biological perspective, it should be called a crime that deviates greatly from morals?”
“But in the empire, high nobles don’t commit incest to protect blood relatives, do they? The current emperor even married his cousin.”
“I know that, but why would a mother like me, a provincial noble, know about their circumstances? And while cousins can be considered sufficient according to the times, but looking at the mother who gave birth to you as a woman? Just thinking about it makes me nauseous.”
At that moment, when she heard ‘nauseous’, Kael’s face distorted badly. With sadness in it, it felt pitiful and unjust like a wounded bear.
“...Did you just say you were nauseous?”
“Ah, no, um...”
Looking at him, Darin realized. Because of the things she experienced today, stress had accumulated, and she had unintentionally spoken harshly.
But why was her son making a hurt expression? It was hard to understand. From an ordinary person’s perspective, feeling disgust at incest is natural, after all.
“Hey, Kael, I don’t know why you’re bringing up this topic, but as a mother, I think incest is very bad. Probably, except for high nobles in the central capital, I have the same opinion as you?”
“...”
Darin raised her upper body from the bed and patted her son’s shoulder. She didn’t know why he was hurt, but she wanted to soothe his feelings.
“But I’m sorry for my overly strong reaction to your question. I’ll sincerely apologize. So, you mean to say that if there’s love, incest doesn’t matter?”
“...The part where I brought up the topic with that intention is correct.”
“...Yeah.”
Darin nodded her head in agreement with Kael’s answer. Now she understood why her son had that hurt expression.
‘It’s not that I understand...’
No matter what, as a son, she didn’t think of objecting to his personal opinion. In old tales, there were cases where siblings, sisters, or cousins’ love was written passionately.
‘As Kael said, high nobles above dukes sometimes have incest.’
It was mostly between cousins, but love that shines brighter because of trials.
“I don’t know what you’ve seen to have such thoughts, but I respect your thoughts.”
“My thoughts are less important than my mother’s opinion.”
“Didn’t I say it just now? My mother is negative about incest, right?”
“But when I told you I was getting married, didn’t you answer that you’d do it?”
“What...?”
The question was dragging on, Darin only thought that she didn’t know what her son was trying to say. And that was when he was five years old, playfully answering. The small boy who was less than half her height followed her around showing affection, how could she refuse from a parent’s perspective?
“I don’t understand the intention of the question. That’s just a joke from very young age, right?”
“...I understand my mother’s thoughts very well.”
“Why is the reaction suddenly like this? Did I make a mistake in the conversation just now?”
“It’s not that. It’s just that I was a little surprised that my mother seems to have a negative attitude compared to my thoughts.”
Does the mother’s negative attitude towards accepting her son’s opinion mean something? I don’t know well, but I felt that the conversation’s point was deviating somewhere. Since they have different thoughts from the beginning, the conversation doesn’t form, right?
Darin, feeling uneasy with her son’s somewhat cold reaction, scratched her arm and tried to ease the awkwardness. But anyway, Kael was the being she loved more than anyone. Not only her husband, Baron Bayorn, but even her second daughter Piel.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t agree with your opinion. But incest is a topic that feels too repulsive from the perspective of parents who have children. You too, share love with the person you love. If you have a child, you’ll understand my perspective. Moreover...”
Her words started to ramble unnecessarily. The stepmother was also bewildered. Before the expedition, there was no conflict with her son at all, but during the three years of the demon king subjugation, things changed, and there were many cases where they deviated like this.
“...”
“Kael, why are you doing this? It’s hard enough today...”
The mother is yielding, but the son doesn’t react at all, so resentment rises. Darin is not a woman who cries easily. She had become somewhat hardened by her husband’s torment. Moreover, as a divorced woman who raised two children, there was definitely a tough side. But if her precious one shows such coldness, she has to make a face.
“No, that’s not it...”
When it comes to this point, Kael should have relaxed his expression. She had tried in many ways to soothe her son’s feelings, but since that didn’t work, and her mother seemed upset.
“I’m sorry. It’s been a long time since I came of age, yet I threw a tantrum.”
“Haa...”
Darin exhaled a sigh and brought her sleeve to her eyes to wipe away the moisture. It was to erase the traces of not living up to her age and whining.
“It wasn’t to apologize. It’s just that I’ve been unable to communicate with you since returning from the expedition, so I’m just upset.”
Looking closely, Darin seemed like a pretty easy woman to her son. She showed a slightly depressed attitude towards Kael’s rebellion, but when she admitted the mistake like this, her mood would quickly clear up. Perhaps, if they were lovers, Darin would have been a very devoted partner.
But since it was a mother-son relationship with Kael, the yielding had no meaning. After all, Kael loved Darin not because she was his ‘mother’ but because of the person ‘Darin’ herself.
“Actually, I think our son has changed a lot lately, so I’m a little worried.”
It was a misunderstanding. I was originally like this human. It was just a decision to reveal rather than hide after the expedition.
- Swish swish.
She couldn’t express her heart, so she stroked her mother’s arm to soothe the sadness. It was incredibly soft and fleshy. The breasts were even softer than this? A mischievous mind arose wanting to dig into the gap of the fragile woman about to cry.
Actually, the real intention was to push the inner thigh and feel the flesh, but for now, I had to hold back to this extent. The place wasn’t appropriate either, and her mother didn’t seem to be in a good mood.
Then, I wanted to know many things.
What kind of scent comes from the mother’s private parts?
What kind of voice would she make when lying under me?
What would the mother who fell in love look like?
Kael had been curious about the mother’s appearance he hadn’t seen before the puberty came.
‘My mother was greatly surprised because of me.’
The vermilion-haired girl clearly hadn’t calmed her mind yet. With one hand pressing her chest and her pupils wandering. It’s worrying. There will be many things that will surprise her even more in the future.
Anyway, soothing her mother’s heart is also a son’s duty. I couldn’t just keep my mouth shut.
“It seems that the first time we fell might not require time to adapt to each other. My mother and I have been together for twenty years before we left for the expedition.”
“...That must be it?”
“Of course. It’s a problem that my personality got twisted because I swung the axe all day long.”
“Don’t say that. Still, our son is really cool and outstanding.”
It was a brutally devoted attitude. Then, Darin would be a type that is particularly devoted to her son compared to other noble ladies. But it was also reasonable. This white-haired giant was the angel she first met in her hellish life.
“Why is a mere baron so great?”
“Before long, the emperor will grant me the title of count, what’s the problem?”
“If you look at it, my mother is the owner of the empire. Ever since, she’s been declaring without fail that she’ll be a count.”
“Did I say something I can’t? A hero who saved the empire doesn’t get even a count title? If the emperor treats you carelessly, this mother won’t stand by quietly!”
“Hahaha...!”
The appearance of the vermilion-haired woman responding with a serious expression to her son’s playful question was more precious and beautiful than a billion gold and jewels. It wasn’t that she looked high in status, but that she looked so pure and noble.
- Swish.
The white-haired man took this opportunity to secretly stroke the outside of his mother’s snow-white thigh and show affection.
“T-ticklish, Kael.”
Darin smiled and had to accept it.
It was a bit creepy for a hand towards the mother.
Even if today’s conversation was a bit awkward.
Her son was just doing it because he liked his mother.
Yes, with pure intentions like other filial sons.