The Eclipse Moons Grimoire: Lilith's Soft Whispers

C I: S I: F III: Suspicious Maid

By the time Tia woke up, the golden light of morning had already filled the room. His limbs felt heavy, his body sluggish from sleep. Rubbing his eyes, he heard a familiar voice.

"Did you sleep well?"

Blinking, he looked up to see Sera walking towards him, already dressed and ready for the day.

"Yes," Tia murmured with a nod.

"If you're still tired, you can rest a little longer," Sera offered gently.

Tia shook his head, pushing away the last remnants of sleep. "No, I'll get up."

As his vision cleared, he frowned slightly. "Mother, why didn't you wake me?"

Sera smiled. "You've been having trouble sleeping lately. I didn't want to disturb you when you finally got some rest."

Tia looked around. "Where's Vina?"

"She already left for her morning training," Sera replied.

As they spoke, Sera reached for his hand. "Give me your hand."

Tia extended his right hand, the sustenance ring gleaming faintly on his index finger. Sera held his hand between her palms, and slowly, Lamia's Embrace became visible, coiling around her hand like a living shadow.

She activated the artifact, and a steady stream of mana flowed into the sustenance ring. The ouroboros-shaped ring responded, its dull eyes flickering back to life as it absorbed the energy.

"There, all done," Sera smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to his forehead.

"Breakfast will be ready soon. Get ready and come to the dining hall."

Tia nodded as Sera stood and walked toward the door.

When she left, he glanced down at the ring on his finger, running his thumb over its surface.

'It's been two years since Vina returned from the capital after awakening her magic...

'A lot had changed.

'I still don't know what Mother realized that night...

'Physically, she looked the same—ageless, beautiful. But something about her had shifted.

'Something deep.

'A few days after that night, she sent letters home, requesting permission to keep the sustenance rings—the ones she had received before Vina left for her awakening ceremony. Somehow, her request had been granted.

'Not long after, she stopped feeding us with her milk.

'She explained that as we grew, we would need the sustenance rings to nourish us instead. The nourishment provided by her milk would gradually become insufficient for us.

'Instead, she told us to always wear the rings, never to take them off. And from time to time, she would recharge them—just as she had done moments ago—using that mysterious artifact which could turn invisible at will.

'Although she never crossed the line, she used to tease us sometimes, seducing us. But now... she's stopped completely.

'She no longer lets us bathe together or help each other with oil massages like before.

'She also stopped those perverted games she had us play. She stopped all her seduction attempts on Vina and me.

'I don't know if I should feel relieved or disappointed. I don't understand why she changed or what she's thinking. I feel quite complicated about this.

Tia exhaled softly, pushing the thoughts aside. He needed to get ready. Tia got out of bed, moving towards the closet.

'She also received a lot of study material from her home. Ever since then, she's spent most of her time on some kind of magic research. She never tells us much about it—just that she'll explain when we become adults.