Chapter 77: My mom is the best!

Clink—

Only the sound of a nail being trimmed broke the silence of the quiet bedroom.

“Uh… um…”

With a short groan, Mother’s body trembled slightly.

Then, at last, her blue eyes, hidden beneath long eyelashes, slowly began to reveal themselves.

“Mother…!”

“Could it be… I fainted?”

As soon as she opened her eyes, I felt my anxious heart finally calm down.

“H-here, drink some water first…!”

I quickly poured hot tea into a cup. After blowing on it to cool it down a bit, I carefully handed it to Mother, who gently took it with a faint smile, tenderly patting my head.

“Are you alright…?”

“Yes. I feel completely refreshed after such a deep sleep for the first time in ages.”

While softly patting my head, Mother’s expression suddenly grew serious, as if something had come to mind.

Then, looking at me with a stern gaze, she spoke in a firm voice.

“Tina, that headband is dangerous. Don’t let anyone else see it, especially not in front of anyone but me.”

“Huh…? Y-yes, Mother, if you say so…”

Honestly, there was no one else I planned to wear that headband around. I could just keep it hidden away and put it up for auction two years from now.

“Oh, right! Mother, please wait a moment.”

The word ‘auction’ brought back a memory I had momentarily forgotten.

Originally, I intended to bring this up first, but I completely forgot due to Mother fainting.

Leaving Mother, who looked puzzled, behind, I quickly dashed to my room.

Opening the closet door in the corner, I spotted a large, heavy bag that sat in the shadows.

Though it was quite weighty, I carried it with effort, struggling a bit as I brought it into Mother’s room.

“Huh…? What is that, Tina?”

“Hehe, just wait and see.”

Struggling, I heaved the bag onto the bed, and when I turned it over, a cascade of gold coins spilled out with a resounding clatter.

Enough to take a whole day to count.

At the sight of the mountain of gold coins, Mother’s eyes widened, her mouth agape in astonishment.

“T-Tina… where on earth did all this come from?”

“Hehe, it’s a gift for you, Mother.”

“W-where did you get this kind of money…?”

“It’s been a while, and I thought it wouldn’t hurt to sell a few of the gems I got from the ladies. I took out a few, auctioned them, and received a fair amount in return.”

“Auction…?”

“I even had them recrafted from the originals, so there’s no risk of anyone finding out. So please don’t worry, Mother.”

“Hehe, and there’s still a mountain of gems piled up in my closet. Selling all of those would fetch a truly staggering amount.”

I thought it was only fair, after spending two years laughing and charming the ladies, that I received at least this much in return.

If I sold only the gems I’d gathered so far, it would be enough for Mother and me to live out our lives without financial worry.

And, of course, Mother would likely turn that wealth into even more, so there was no need to say anything more.

“Tina…”

But instead of the bright smile I had expected, a dark shadow appeared on Mother’s face.

Her hands were trembling slightly, and her blue eyes, filled with sorrow, pricked at my heart.

“Tina, it would be best to return this money.”

“…Pardon?”

“Instead of repaying it in money, buy similar gems and return them to the ladies as gifts. They’ll understand someday.”

“Wait, Mother…”

“Earning money like this isn’t right, Tina. It could lead to serious trouble down the line. So, even now—”

“Ah!”

Before she could finish her sentence, I climbed onto the bed, pinning her down firmly against the mattress.

I bowed my head, feeling my chest overlap with my mother’s.

Smooch—

I left a deep kiss on her forehead.

“Hehe.”

“…Tina, you keep doing this.”

Mother looked flustered, as if she was about to say something, but before she could, I left countless small kisses on her.

Smooch—

All over.

Gently, I brought my lips to her long eyelashes.

As the soft sensation brushed against my lips, Mother’s breath momentarily caught.

Next, I left a slow kiss on the bridge of her pointed nose.

Then came each ear, and then her cheeks.

Leaving a tender kiss on each part of her face except for her lips, she slowly trailed down to her mother’s neck.

Then, placing a final deep kiss there, her mother’s body trembled with a sudden, intense shudder.

“Don’t worry, Mother. Nothing is going to happen.”

“…Tina, how could I not worry?”

“Hehe, you may not know this, Mother, but I’m actually quite amazing, you know?”

Could it be that the kiss had an effect? I couldn’t sense any intention to scold me like before.

“Tina, it’s because you’re still young. Money isn’t something that can be taken so lightly.”

My mother’s worried tone had become something I was quite used to by now.

I replied with a light smile.

“Oh, Mother, how long are you going to keep seeing me as a clueless child? I know everything I need to know by now.”

I wanted so badly to explain every single one of my abilities.

With just a single letter, I could send Viviana to the frontlines for the rest of her life, or banish a noble saint from high society with a few light-hearted words.

I wanted to boast to my mother right away, but I decided to hold back, feeling like she might faint once again.

“Still… I’ll take your words to heart, Mother.”

Leaving a tender kiss on her cheek, I slowly rose from the bed.

I carefully tucked the gold coins back into my purse and gently covered her with the blanket.

“Until you’re fully recovered, please don’t work. I’ll stay by your side and keep an eye on you.”

“…Alright, dear.”

Reluctantly, Mother sighed and nodded.

“Please use this money for yourself, Mother!”

With a soft smile, I left the room.

Leaving behind the warmth-filled embrace of my mother’s bedroom, I stepped into the hallway, where a cold silence enveloped me.

It felt as though I had entered another world—the temperature inside and outside the room felt strikingly different.

“Hehe…”

Remembering the warm touch of my mother’s lips, I slowly moved my steps forward.

As I entered my room, a heavy silence enveloped me.

Even the sunlight seeping through the cracks of the window was tinged in gray, and the room, where I had hoped for fresh air, still felt stifling.

“Ugh…

While I was idly passing the time, a sudden headache overwhelmed me.

[Tina]

A familiar voice resonated in my mind.

I lifted my head and looked at the large mirror placed in one corner of the room.

The woman facing me in the mirror wore a seductive smile at the corner of her lips.

[Really, where could you find a woman like that in this world? Isn’t that right, Tina?]

Though there was a strange hint of sarcasm in the woman’s voice, I answered her words with a bright smile.

“Yeah, my mother is the best.”

[Right. She works tirelessly, never expecting any reward, earning money and showering you with love without holding back. She’ll probably keep doing that until the day she dies.]

“Hehe, my mother really is so kind.”

But at that moment, her voice turned chilling.

[And yet, she says she loves you, oblivious to the fact that we may have devoured her real daughter. Isn’t it hilarious?]

“…What?”

[Is there anyone more foolish? She’s practically a slave, don’t you think?]

The gaze of the woman in the mirror grew sharper, and her smile deepened.

[Hm? Why that face? You knew all along, didn’t you? Just how foolish and clueless she is.]

I forced a smile and replied to her.

“Th-that aside, aren’t you curious about what I did? I managed to drive the saintess out of society. And it was so easy.”

[If your mother knew you killed her daughter, wouldn’t she resent you until her dying breath?]

My smile shattered.

In contrast, the laughter of the woman in the mirror grew clearer.

[Tina, don’t pretend. Why hide it from me?]

“….”

[You’re using her, fully aware of everything, aren’t you?]

“…..”

[You’re bringing her money because you know it will all be yours someday, don’t you? You know that, with her abilities, she’ll multiply that money many times over.]

“…I’m tired. I want to sleep.”

I didn’t feel like talking tonight.

Yet, even as I tried to look away from the mirror, my body wouldn’t move.

It felt as if someone was gripping my hair tightly, holding me in place.

[You’re showering her with the love her real daughter couldn’t give, making sure she relies on you alone, aren’t you? So you can hide within her affection and live out your life in happiness?]

“St…op…”

[But, Tina. If you truly cared about her, wouldn’t you have taken over her work instead of letting her exhaust herself night after night?]

“…..”

[Tina, there’s someone you absolutely have to meet, isn’t there? You haven’t forgotten, right? You’re not seriously falling for someone like her, are you?]

I raised one hand high.

[Don’t be mistaken. The moment she realizes you’re a fake, she’ll want to kill you.]

With dazed eyes, I clenched my raised hand into a fist.

[In the end, you’ll never truly be able to love her either.]

And then, with all my strength, I brought the clenched fist down upon my head.

Thud-

[The only person who could love you isn’t here, is it?]

Thud-

Once again, I struck my head hard with my fist.

A throbbing pain—was it coming from my hand, my head, or maybe from my heart?

I struck my head down hard until I couldn’t even distinguish where the pain was originating.

Warm blood trickled down my cheek.

I stopped my hand and stood blankly, feeling the sensation of blood flowing from my head.

It felt the same as when I slit my wrist in my past life.

A warm and comforting sensation, to the point where I wanted to close my eyes and let go.

I lifted a finger and dipped it in the blood.

With a blood-stained finger, I drew on the wall.

A round circle.

And within it, a pentagram.

As the shape was finally completed, a faint light flickered, and something emerged.

[It’s been a while.]

She was a woman with black hair.

More beautiful than the people on square screens, with a mesmerizing smile that made one’s mind go hazy just by looking at her.

[You finally summoned me. I was beginning to feel forgotten.]

She embraced me warmly, enveloping me. I leaned into her embrace and closed my eyes.

“Mom.”

She smiled gently.

[Yes, if that’s what you wish, I’ll be your mother today.]

The only friend who has always been by my side. She held my hand.

[A mother is always by your side.]

Unlike Artasha, her hands were cold, devoid of any warmth.

Just like the hands of my mother that I had held countless times in my previous life.

Blood continued to flow from my head, and my mind grew increasingly dazed.

Amid the fading sensations, only the touch of her cold palm felt vivid.

“You know… I’ve stolen money from countless noble ladies and trampled over the social lives of a few of them.”

[I know, haha, you did quite well, didn’t you?]

“I manipulated Viviana’s guilt to send her to the battlefield.”

[Yes, she’ll likely die there. She’s still far from fully matured.]

“I even took the beloved friend of the Saintess and drove her out of society.”

[That, too, was quite a surprise for me. My daughter, you have more talent than I thought.]

Her pleased voice tickled my ears.

In my hazy mind, I asked her with a trembling voice.

“Then… can I go now?”

[No, it’s still not enough, Tina.]

Her words made my heart sink.

Even after all this, it wasn’t enough…

It felt so unfair.

[Don’t worry. If you try a little harder, you’ll definitely be able to go. If this life isn’t enough, there’s always the next one.]

“…Really?”

[Yes. Until then, I’ll always be by your side to help you. So, you can’t give up, alright?]

“Mmm…”

With her final words, my vision darkened. A comforting feeling of unconsciousness wrapped around me.

‘Someday, I’ll definitely come to find you.’

If I keep living like this, I’ll get there someday.

When that day comes, please smile at me.

So…

I’ll see you in hell.

Mom.