A Miraculous Mermaid Tale

Chapter 15: Worst Fears

"Thank you again for your hospitality," Gabriel told Tomoe.

"Yes. If you don't mind me asking, is everything going well between you and your family?"

Unprepared for the question, Gabriel frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I sensed your discomfort earlier."

"How-?"

"I may be blind now, but I can still see what's around me."

Gabriel felt like hitting his head on a wall. Why was everyone so interested in his personal business? "There is nothing to be concerned about. Nathalie's only sick."

"She's your . . ."

"No," Gabriel interrupted. "She's my . . . close friend, though Adrien seems to see her as a mother figure since he didn't know his own mother well."

Tomoe hummed in acknowledgment, holding her walking stick in front of her. "Your son is a kind child. That is becoming a rarer trait nowadays."

"I'm proud of him."

"Have you told him?"

"What?"

"Adrien needs to know that you're proud of him. As parents, we're not always clear with our children. I often struggle with this regarding my daughter. However, we should always be honest with them and ourselves."

She was hinting at something else as well and Gabriel knew exactly what it was. "You've become more relaxed over the years," he decided to say instead.

"You've changed as well, though I still see some of your old personality peeking through. Don't forget who you used to be, Gabriel-san."

The medicine was sweet, almost like tea. It immediately filled her with warmth, easing her pain. Whatever it contained, it was much better than the medicine she'd been taking for the past few weeks.

Now that she felt a bit better, Nathalie thought about something Adrien had said earlier. Perhaps she'd been imagining in her half-conscious state, but she could swear that he'd called her his mother.

She wondered if he truly meant it, but Adrien wasn't usually the one to say something he didn't mean.

Speaking of Adrien, the boy knocked and peeked his head into her room. "Did Father warn you about the nightmare thing?"

Nathalie frowned, confused. "I don't think so."

"He said he would-"

"I was just about to," Gabriel said, entering the room. Adrien followed him.

"Oh."

She looked at both of them. "Nightmare?"

"Kagami said that every once in a while, there's supernatural activity here where people experience their worst fears during the night. No one knows when it's going to happen, so it could tonight," Adrien said before his father could speak. "I thought you should know."

"There's a very slim chance of it happening tonight, Adrien," Gabriel reminded him.

"But it could, Father."

"Yes, but I'd rather not stress Nathalie out any more than necessary right now."

"I doubt she'd like to be greeted by her worst fears in the middle of the night without warning," Adrien replied.

"Thank you for telling me," Nathalie said, reminding both that she was still there. "Don't worry, if it's just a dream, I'm sure we'll all be fine."

Adrien looked very unconvinced. "But nightmares can feel real, too. And from what I've heard, this happens when we're awake."