Chapter 131: Mom

Hearing Dad, a man who commanded immense authority across the supernatural world, take personal responsibility and apologize to her made Val’s breath catch in her throat.

She frantically shook her head, her free hand waving in the air as she tried to stop him. "No! Please, Lord Julian! You must not apologize! Neither of you have done anything wrong! Please do not blame yourselves."

Val took a sharp, shaky breath, trying to steady the sudden swell of emotion in her chest. She looked between Dad and Mom, her deep violet eyes clear and remarkably honest.

"I could never, in my entire life, hold a single grievance against either of you," Val said softly, her voice trembling slightly despite her efforts to remain composed. "My biological parents abandoned me on the streets when I was just a small child. I had nothing. No future, no name, and no reason to live. It was the Fernando family that took me in, fed me, protected me, and gave my aimless existence a true purpose."

She gripped my hand tighter, taking courage from my warmth. "Nobody forced me to become a bodyguard. I chose to train every single day until my body hurt because I wanted, more than anything in the world, to repay even a fraction of the grace and kindness you showed an unwanted orphan."

Val shifted her gaze slightly, glancing at me sitting beside her before looking back at my parents.

"And during all those long years when Seth was missing..." Val admitted, her tone dropping into a quiet, respectful murmur, "...I saw how empty and quiet this mansion was. I saw the deep, unspoken grief you both carried every single day. Neither of you were in a healthy state of mind, yet you still ran this household with fairness, protected your people, and kept this family standing. How could I ever be so selfish or entitled as to expect even more from you?"

She paused, swallowing hard as a faint flush touched her cheeks. She looked down at the table, her shoulder leaning subtly against mine.

"My insecurities do not come from anything you have ever done," Val confessed, her voice barely above a whisper. "It is the exact opposite. My doubts come from the fact that I have done nothing but receive from this family my entire life. You are good, noble people... and I simply never believed I was worthy enough to stand beside your son or truly join your bloodline as a daughter."

A heavy silence fell over the dining room once again. But this time, it wasn’t the cold silence of shock, it was a quiet, emotionally charged stillness that settled deep in everyone’s chest.

I didn’t interrupt her speech. I simply shifted my weight, pressing my shoulder firmly against hers, squeezing her fingers in a quiet, unshakable promise that I was right there with her.

Across the table, Mom’s eyes filled with tears.

Without saying a word, Mom stood up from her seat. She walked around the long mahogany table, her footsteps soft against the rug, until she stopped right beside Val’s chair.

Mom bent down, wrapping her arms tightly around Val’s shoulders, and pulled my head of security into a warm, fiercely protective motherly hug.

Mom pressed a gentle, lingering kiss onto the side of Val’s head, resting her cheek against her blonde hair as a few teardrops escaped her eyes.

"You foolish, wonderful girl..." Mom whispered, her voice thick with affection. "Don’t you ever say such a thing again."

Val froze in the embrace, her arms hovering awkwardly for a split second before her stoic composure crumbled completely.

"You are the sole reason this family stayed safe through our darkest years," Mom murmured, gently stroking Val’s hair. "Without your loyalty, your strength, and your vigilance, this home would have fallen apart long ago. You have given us far more than we could ever repay you for, Valerie."

Mom pulled back slightly, holding Val’s face between her soft hands, looking straight into her tear-filled violet eyes with a radiant, emotional smile.

"And don’t you ever say you don’t have parents," Mom said firmly, wiping a tear from Val’s cheek with her thumb. "You have parents right here. From this very second... I want you to start calling me Mom."

Val stared up at Mom. The cold, unyielding shadow-reaper who had slaughtered an elite hit squad in the subterranean caverns yesterday melted away completely, leaving behind a young woman whose heart was overflowing with long-overdue warmth.

Tears finally spilled over Val’s lashes, running down her cheeks. She reached up, wrapping her arms tightly around Mom’s waist, burying her face into her shoulder as she whispered through her tears.

"...Mom."

Mom let out a soft, joyful chuckle, tightening her arms around Val as she caressed her hair. "That’s it, sweetie. That’s my good girl."

Sitting at the head of the table, Dad watched the two of them with a rare, remarkably soft smile touching his face. He shook his head gently, taking a slow breath.

"It appears fate is compensating us far better than we ever could have imagined," Dad remarked, his voice carrying quiet satisfaction. "We went from grieving a lost child for decades to suddenly having a house full of wonderful children. I must admit... I am enjoying this outcome immensely."

Dad shifted his gaze across the table, locking eyes with me. The patriarch offered me a deep, quiet look of gratitude. "Seth... I am deeply grateful that you came back to us."

I looked at my father, leaning back in my chair with a relaxed, confident smirk, and shot him a smooth, playful wink. "The feelings are mutual, Dad."

Dad let out a quiet, amused huff, while Mom chuckled softly as she released Val from the hug, handing her a silk napkin to dry her eyes. The heavy, tearful atmosphere lifted instantly, replaced by a light, comfortable family warmth.

Chair scraped.

Suddenly, Yerin pushed her chair back from the table. She stood up, walked around the side, and stepped directly behind my seat.

Leaning forward over the back of my chair, Yerin wrapped her arms comfortably around my neck, resting her chin right on top of my head like a playful koala.

She looked across the table at Dad, her dark eyes sparkling with a bright, utterly shameless, victorious grin. "Well, Lord Julian! You better brace yourself, because you’re actually getting three daughters now."

Yerin turned her chin slightly on top of my head, shooting Mom a bold, beaming wink. "Because I love Seth with all my heart, and he and I are officially in a relationship, too!"