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Dryadic Dragon Chapter 27: Pillow Talk
🕑 Added 2025-06-25 13:32:33 +0000 UTCChapter 27: Pillow Talk
Slowly, I could feel my eyelids begin to part, my mind deciding that it was time to abandon its state of slumber.
How strange, upon waking up, I quickly noticed several peculiarities. First of all, I feel a lot more energized than I usually am in the morning. As if I had slept in late or something, which I highly doubt, since Thora would be splashing me with a bucket of cold water right about now if that were the case.
My memories of yesterday are… foggy to say the least. I remember going to Mount Selvaro with Sebastian for my ceremony, and I definitely passed said ceremony, there’s no questioning that. But everything after that? It’s all a hazy blur to me.
Don’t tell me I got drunk somehow? Did we host some sort of a celebration when I got home?
Nah, who am I kidding? This is House Buné. Fun is illegal.
Second of all, this mattress clearly isn’t mine. I mean that in a positive way though, seeing as it’s easily hundreds of times more comfortable than the one in my room, which I like to think is relatively high quality even by noble standards.
Could this be Sebastian’s room? No, he sleeps on the fourth floor, and there aren’t any windows here—like at all. I can’t even tell what time it is outside, and my phone’s still in my room.
Even the design of this room is somewhat bizarre in comparison to what I usually see in our manor, for starters, the lighting isn’t even electrical. Vines are crawling across the walls, riddled with small, oval-shaped plants, all of which emit a faint, hazel light that illuminates the room in a relatively comfortable, organic aesthetic.
Honestly, I wouldn’t mind having a few of them at my bedside. As a nocturnal species, dim lighting is always preferable.
Come to think of it, I might have seen them in Martha’s greenhouse once or twice before, but I can’t say for sure. Every time I enter the place, I swear she adds another dozen new undiscovered plant species. Probably to toy with me and gloat about her botanical expertise.
Wait a minute.
Why do I hear breathing?
I adjusted my posture, shifting my body sideways in the direction of the noise.
What. The. FUCK?
Once I uncovered the origin of the sound, it didn’t take long for my pupils to constrict in utter, sheer stupefaction. My breathing quickened and turned shallow, my thoughts racing at a thousand miles an hour in an attempt to figure out what in Lucifer’s name had happened the day prior.
A woman was lying beside me!
She was sound asleep with her… ample chest... peacefully rising up and down in conjunction with the rhythm of her every breath. Unkempt, luscious, verdant hair cascaded down her gorgeous figure and spilled onto the mattress, some of it pooling over my arm, allowing me to feel the softness of its texture in all its glory.
This has to be a dream, right? Please tell me I’m dreaming…
Thankfully, she was still clothed, wrapped in a pristine white nightdress that was a tad bit too transparent for my liking.
Especially once I noticed her stark…. lack of undergarments. Usually, I’d be positively exultant as a man to find myself in such a situation. However, there’s just one teeny tiny problem that’s bugging me at present. Even though her beauty is the textbook definition of exquisite, I want to do nothing more than avert my gaze.
Why?
Because the woman sleeping at my side—is my Mother.
I have so many questions right now, I don’t even know where to begin! Why am I in this situation? When did this happen? And most importantly, how did it happen?
Deep breaths Alduin... deep breaths...
First and foremost, I need to calm down and think. Fortunately, I still appear to be fully clothed in the same robes I had adorned for my ceremony, scarf and all. Hence, the possibility of my having committed incest is astronomically low.
Wait, is that even illegal in the Underworld? No! I shouldn’t even be thinking about that!
I slapped my cheeks in an effort to recompose myself, which was only marginally helpful.
Perhaps this is related to the changes my body underwent after the ceremony. I don’t remember anything concrete; however, I do recall a torrent of piping hot draconic energy entering my bloodstream at the exact moment of the trial’s conclusion.
If everything went well, I should look exactly like my dragon did when we fought. Although, I suppose there’s a possibility that I still experienced some complications afterwards—if that’s the case, then Martha would definitely be the one to fix me up, since she's our house's leading expert on medical stuff and all.
Yeah, that conclusion seems far more logical than the comparatively… disturbing alternative.
My body feels perfectly fine now, assuming it wasn’t earlier, so it’s probably for the best that I leave now while she’s still asleep.
However…
Strangely enough, I couldn’t help but spare one last glance at her face before deciding to hop out of bed. I rarely ever pay attention to her appearance since I’m usually overwhelmed by her not-so-pleasant personality most of the time. Still, while she’s asleep like this, she looks so… tranquil.
Who knew she was capable of having such a presence? Not that I plan on putting myself in a situation like this again, truthfully, this is a memory I’d much rather forget.
Clench!
Unfortunately, before I could take my leave, I felt a hand grab onto the back end of my robe.
“Fiddlesticks,” I muttered under my breath.
I probably shouldn’t have tried to escape from a sensor of her level, but it was at least worth a shot.
“Foolish child, since when did you get so brazen as to try leaving without my permission?” The somewhat drowsy, half-asleep voice of my mother called out to me.
“I was just going to take a leak… haha… You know I’d never try to pull a fast one on you of all people. Oh esteemed mother of mine...” I tried to speak with assured confidence, but all that came out was a shaky, insecure voice that was positively quivering in its boots.
And as I turned around, I was met with an unamused face that wasn’t buying a single word I said.
Oh well, can’t blame a guy for trying.
With a single, swift yank, she pulled me right back onto the mattress back-first, both of her slender arms coiling around my torso like serpents—and positioning me much closer to her than I was before, to the point where my horns were almost poking her chin. I could’ve tried to resist with my newfound physical prowess, but I didn’t want to risk being hit with a tree burial.
Still… Did you have to pull me that close?
Calm down. No weird thoughts. She’s your biological mother. You’re her biological son. There’s absolutely nothing suggestive about this situation, nor will anything suggestive occur. Hmu. I am now calm.
“For your sake, I’ll pretend to believe you.”
Phew, it looks like she's offering me a sliver of mercy for once. Lucky me.
“You know… You don’t have to hold me this close. I won’t try to run away again if that’s what you’re concerned about, cough, not that I was attempting to run in the first place.”
I can’t bring myself to point it out aloud, but the shoulder straps of her nightgown are slipping a little and giving a view of an uncomfortable amount of her… cleavage. It’s awfully distracting in a situation where I need to be more focused than ever.
“I’m your mother, I can hold you however I please.” She spoke with unflinching authority, sliding her index finger up my throat and towards my chin—lifting my head and forcing our eyes to lock. “Do you have a problem with that?”
“No… of course not,” I replied hesitantly. This is one awkward ass situation, maybe I should try to steer the conversation. “Just out of curiosity, where exactly are we? I don’t recall us having a place like this in the manor.”
“The basement level of my greenhouse,” she proceeded to breathe a low, inquisitive hum. “Don’t tell me you thought I slept in the actual forest itself?”
Part of me feels like I should be shocked that this place has been down here all along, but the other part can’t find the energy to be surprised—Martha’s always been a woman of countless secrets, and I doubt that’s going to change anytime soon.
“I mean, I assumed you were only out here during the daytime, and at night you were with… Sebastian.” I sheepishly scratched my cheek, unsure if I had discovered something about my parents’ love life I wasn’t supposed to.
Don’t get me wrong, I knew he and Martha’s relationship was by no stretch of the imagination ideal. However, I didn’t think it had reached a point where they were practically divorced in all aspects but on paper.
Good grief, Sebastian, isn’t it about time you get your shit together? I’m the one who has to deal with your wife’s frustration every morning! Useless geezer!
Wait, that came out wrong.
“Alduin, I believe I’ve already made it clear that you’re not to comment on what happens between me and him, haven’t I?” Eerily, her upper eyelids dropped to the point where they were cutting the top of her pupils.
Shoot!
A frightening chill worked its way down my spine as I realized that I had stepped on one of her many landmines.
“I didn’t mean to—!”
“Forget it, I’m not interested in escalating such a bothersome conversation.” She sighed, her posture softening, and her grip on my body loosening. “It’s a shame, really. I was planning on congratulating you this morning, but you’ve gone ahead and brought down the mood before I had the chance. Sigh, how regrettable.”
“You… were?” I looked at her as if she were the one who had just grown horns.
Martha and the concept of positive affirmation don’t exist in the same universe. Even as a toddler, I was able to figure that much out. Yet, it doesn’t feel like she’s being insincere, and that only makes things more confusing to me.
Maybe we actually did get drunk last night, and she’s still experiencing some last-minute inebriation. Yeah, that must be it. Either that, or someone’s replaced by mother while I wasn’t looking.
“Oh my, I find that confounded look on your face quite hurtful. I’m your mother, why wouldn’t I want to congratulate you? You’re now one of the very few Bunés to have passed the awakening ceremony,” I could feel her voice steadily return to its chilling self, the more she spoke. Confirming that the Martha in front of me was still the same one I had known all my life. “I’m proud of you, Alduin.”
My expression remained unchanged, not so much as a spark of joy appearing on my face despite her kind words of praise. After all, I was now sure that my ceremony didn’t interest her in the slightest—I could see it in her eyes, her attention was definitely directed elsewhere.
I think we’ve had enough of our usual back-and-forth, she wants something, and beating around the bush won’t reveal what that “something” is to me.
“Mother, why am I here?” I decided to take a straightforward approach; if I try to challenge her verbally, I’ll end up getting toyed with like a puppet on strings.
“Goodness, for you of all people to pick up on my subtle intent. Those eyes of yours must have gotten quite the upgrade. Congratulations.” She chuckled in amusement, but I simply replicated Sebastian’s poker face, uninterested in humoring her. “The thing is, I really do wish to congratulate you. However… It’s not because of your ceremony.”
“Then?”
She smirked, planting her forehead against mine, the sensation of her breath hitching against my skin causing my skin to crawl.
“It’s about Thora.”
In that instant, I felt my blood run cold.
“W-what…?”
“Oh, sweetie, there’s no need to play dumb with me. I know exactly what you’ve been up to with her this last month, and as your mother, I couldn’t be more proud! ♡”
Before I could respond, her arms shot forth, wrapping themselves around my neck and pulling me even closer—to the point where our bodies were practically grinding against one another as she… affectionately rubbed her cheek against mine.
An adverb I can’t believe I’m using to describe her.
“Might I ask… what exactly it is you believe I’ve been doing?”
The worst thing I could do here is reveal information she doesn’t have. As concerning as her words are, I still need to maintain my composure, or at least make an effort to.
“I already said there was no need to feign ignorance, didn't I? Please don’t test my patience while I’m in a good mood.” Her pitch dropped briefly, before lightening up once more. “Well, if you insist I spell it out, I suppose I can permit you a little bit of lenience on my part. I’m talking about your conversion.”
“Conversion?” I lifted an eyebrow, elated that she hadn’t mentioned anything about Lady Leviathan or Lord Lucifer.
Granted, I still have a feeling whatever’s going to happen from this point onwards won’t be in my favour. This is Martha we’re talking about, after all.
“This whole time, I believed you were predestined to end up as naught more than a musclehead, but to my surprise, you were just a late bloomer! Bit by bit, I watched as you continued to pull Thora towards your heart—” Her smile widened as she squeezed me so tightly I could feel even my new and improved muscles begin to ache. “—or should I say, how you trapped her under it?”
She was… spying on me!? This whole time!?
I felt a pit form in my stomach in response to the harrowing realization. I was convinced she had absolutely no interest in what was going on at home—much less in Thora, whom she probably deemed to be beneath her…
“Honestly, I didn’t think you had it in you. Sebastian’s absolute authority has been deeply ingrained into Thora ever since she was a child. From my perspective, someone like you had absolutely no chance of flipping her.” The space between my breaths grew shorter and shorter, my mind contemplating just how much she knew about what I had done. “Yet, you managed to find the one weak spot you could leverage.”
She started to shuffle around, exposing me to all kinds of… vivid sensations as she positioned her mouth right up to my ear. Reducing her voice to a low, almost sultry whisper.
“You grabbed hold of her heart and took advantage of her affection for you to snatch her away from your father’s side. You twisted Thora’s parental bond to you, and warped it into a personal obligation to stand by you even when you plotted against me and Sebastian…”
Don’t tell me…
“I know what you hid in your room, Alduin. You used your Wood Manipulation to bury an envelope with the familiar master’s seal, as well as a badge belonging to the Department of Foreign Affairs. You even washed your scent off it to make sure Sebastian wouldn’t find anything, it wasn’t a bad effort. But you’ve still got a long way to go before you conceal anything from me.”
Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!
“Fret not, I didn’t open the envelope, and I didn’t disclose anything to him—nor do I plan to.” She ran her fingers through my hair, caressing my scalp almost as if she were trying to… comfort me.
Which, once again, is an exceedingly complex concept for me to wrap my head around when it’s applied to someone like her.
“You’re… not mad?” I asked, hardly able to believe her words. No matter how genuine she made them sound.
Right now, it feels like my brain’s being tossed around my cranium like a ping pong ball. I can’t even begin to make heads or tails of this situation—it’s all way too convoluted!
Touchwood, while she does seem to know about everything that went down between me and Thora at home—she doesn’t seem to know the exact contents of the deal I made, which means spying on two Satans is fortunately above even her skill set.
Granted, the fact that I possess a Foreign Affairs badge is rather telling, implying that she may already have figured out what I'm planning to do, and to make matters worse, I no longer know her stance on the rules that constrain me.
Would she care even if she knew for a fact that I was leaving the Underworld? I honestly can’t tell.
Why aren’t you mad that I went behind your back? I don’t understand. Aren’t you supposed to be on Sebastian’s side when it comes to stuff like this?
Mother, just what exactly is your angle here…?
“Of course not, you’re finally starting to show some promise. Why would I ever want to dissuade such progress? In fact, I even have a reward planned for you that I imagine you’ll be quite fond of, but it’ll have to wait for later. We have important business to attend to today.”
“We do?”
“Have you forgotten? He made a deal that you’d only get your Evil Pieces once you passed your awakening ceremony, naturally, we have an appointment at the egghead’s territory today.”
Oh snap! I can’t believe I forgot about that!
Also… did she just call Lord Beelzebub an egghead? I’m pretty sure you can get executed for that, or at least receive some kind of capital punishment.
Groan, I should probably just let it be—my mind’s a complete mess at the moment, and I seriously need some time to get my thoughts in order.
On another note, something she said while she was talking about me “converting” Thora bothered me, or more accurately, it’s the way she spoke of her that downright disgusted me to my very core.
She made it seem as if I had manipulated her, as if I viewed her as some convenient tool I could take advantage of to oppose her and Sebastian. She didn’t even hint at the possibility that I wholeheartedly appreciated the genuine care she offered me throughout my upbringing, as if it were all meaningless to me.
That couldn’t be farther from the truth; in fact, it’s so detached from reality that it might as well be written in a fantasy book.
Heh, at the same time, that delusion of hers could also prove to my benefit. If she genuinely believes that I feel nothing towards her, then I should allow her to maintain that perspective. It practically nullifies the chance of her trying to exploit my feelings for Thora to get anything out of me, something which Sebastian wouldn’t hesitate to do if it suited him.
I’ve managed to navigate my way around Sebastian quite well up till now, of course, with the help of Lady Leviathan and Lord Lucifer.
However, I’m starting to think I might be able to do the same with Martha, assuming I play my cards correctly.
But now isn’t the time for that, she hasn’t expressed any open hostility to me thus far, thus, it would be most unwise of me to try provoking her while she’s in a “good” mood.
I need to take this one step at a time, and as it would seem, that starts with me getting my Evil Pieces.
