Lackey's Seducing Survival Odyssey

Chapter 1178: Lia and Mary’s First Family Fight!

Thud!

The soft thump of the door opening echoed through the quiet corridor. It wasn’t loud—barely audible, even—but to Lia, it felt like thunder cracking through the air.

Her heart skipped a beat.

’Please silen—’

Her breath caught.

Only to see—her mother standing right there, at the entrance of her room, her arms crossed, her eyes sharp and deadly like two piercing blades in the dark.

Lia’s heart dropped in horror, Her eyes widened. She flinched, her entire body stiffening. Her throat tightened as her breath caught mid-air.

Her face turned pale with dread.

Time slowed down in that heavy, airless silence.

“M-Mom?” She stammered, her voice barely audible, like a guilty child caught stealing candy.

“Where did you go?” her mother asked.

Her tone… it wasn’t angry. It wasn’t gentle either.

For the first time in Lia’s life, her mother spoke with a cold, indifferent voice—one stripped of warmth, stripped of love.

It sent a chill crawling up Lia’s spine.

A lump formed in her throat as sweat began to form on her forehead. Her palms turned clammy. Her fingers clenched at the sides of her robe.

“I… I went to the restroom,” she mumbled, eyes darting to the floor, avoiding her mother’s gaze.

Her mother raised an eyebrow slowly and extended her hand with calm precision toward the corner of the room—the restroom clearly visible inside.

“The restroom is inside the room,” she said firmly. “Are you… trying to lie to me?” her words getting colder and colder.

Lia’s lips parted, but her voice died in her throat. Her eyes shifted away, unable to meet her mother’s piercing gaze. She felt like a child again. A child who had broken something she couldn’t fix.

“…”

“My dear… tell me the truth.”

Her mother’s voice didn’t soften. It remained steady, serious, and cold.

This wasn’t just about tonight.

It was the first time Lia had ever lied to her.

And it showed… It hurt… It scared her!!

Mary had always been able to read her child like a book, and this time, her instincts already knew…. Confirming her worst fears.

She clenched her jaw, holding back emotions she didn’t want to reveal.

She gritted her teeth quietly.

Lia stood there, frozen in place, panic rising in her chest. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe right.

“I… I…” she stammered.

“I… went… I…”

“TELL ME!!”

Mary’s voice suddenly exploded with a thunderous roar that shook the very walls. The curtains trembled. The glass on the windows vibrated.

The night stilled. Even the wind outside seemed to pause.

Lia gasped as the shout pierced her entire body. Her legs gave out a little as she stumbled back, tears welling up instantly… began to pool up, slipping past her lashes.

She lowered her head in shame, trembling in place, unable to hold eye contact.

Her shoulders slumped, her frame shrank inward, curling from the weight of guilt and shame.

Mary blinked. The shock of her own voice echoing against the stone walls snapped her back. She stared at her daughter’s shrinking figure—fragile, scared, on the verge of tears.

It hit her like a dagger.

What was she doing?

Seeing her daughter flinch.

Seeing the pain in those big, watery eyes.

Her own heart cracked. Guilt hit her like a wave.

This was her only child. Her precious little girl.

And she had just screamed at her.

What had she become—screaming at the one person she had sworn to protect above all?

Mary blinked rapidly, her lips parting as she realized just how much she’d frightened her own daughter.

Her face crumbled in regret, and without wasting a second, Mary rushed forward and scooped Lia into her arms, pulling her tightly into a trembling embrace.

Her body trembled as she pulled her child close, hugging her fiercely, protectively, like she was trying to erase what just happened.

“I’m sorry, dear… I’m so sorry…” she whispered desperately, hugging her child close.

“Don’t cry… please, don’t cry… Mommy was wrong. Mommy should never have shouted at you. Please forgive me… please…”

She held her like a mother clinging to a lifeline—pressing her cheek to Lia’s hair, gently rocking her side to side. Her fingers tangled in the soft strands of her daughter’s hair as she whispered frantic apologies, her voice catching in her throat.

Lia’s body trembled against her. The tears wouldn’t stop.

Her nose pressed against her mother’s shoulder as she sniffled, hiccupped, sobbed softly. This was the first time her mother had ever yelled at her… And the pain lingered more than any wound.

And it hurts so much!!

“You know Mommy, right?” Mary whispered, her voice trembling now.

“I’m not mad because I hate you… I was just so scared something had happened to you… I was terrified… Please don’t cry, my little one… If you cry… I-I’m going to cry too…”

Her hands trembled as she cupped Lia’s tear-stained cheeks, gently wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“I just want my daughter to be truthful with me…” Mary said softly, her voice sinking into a gloomier tone. “Mommy always tries to choose what’s best for you… I never meant to hurt you…”

Her lips quivered. Her voice lowered.

She smiled sadly, though her eyes remained wet.

“If you want to keep secrets from me… then fine… if that’s what makes you happy. I won’t meddle in your business anymore…”

She took a shaky breath, then added quietly:

“After all… M-Mommy’s just nobody now, right?”

Her voice choked on that last line. A tear rolled down her blurry cheek, her throat visibly wet as she swallowed her sob.

Seeing her mother cry… again… for the second time in her life… and again because of her—it shattered something inside Lia.

Lia couldn’t hold it in anymore.

“I-I’m sorry, Mommy!! I didn’t mean to hide it!” she cried, her voice cracking with guilt. “Please don’t cry… I didn’t mean to lie… I didn’t want to hurt you…”

Sniff. Sniff.

She wiped at her face quickly, tears streaming down despite her efforts to stop them.

“I didn’t want to lie… I-I just didn’t know how to say it…”

Mary immediately reached for a cloth, gently wiping the snot and tears from Lia’s flushed cheeks. She kissed her forehead, then lifted her like she weighed nothing, placing her gently on the bed as if laying down a treasure.

“There, there… my sweet little thing… my poor girl… Mommy’s not mad anymore… Mommy’s not crying… Don’t cry now, okay?”

She brushed the hair out of Lia’s eyes and held her hand, her thumb stroking the back of it in soothing circles.

She whispered with such tenderness it nearly broke Lia’s heart.

Her eyes still red and watery.

Then, in a trembling voice, she finally admitted it.

“I… I went to see Aether,” she whispered. “I just wanted to see him… that’s why I left. I wasn’t trying to sneak out just to be bad… I didn’t want to lie to you… it’s just… I know…. you hate him… and I thought you’d stop me… or punish me…” sobbed in-between.

She lowered her gaze, guilt flooding her again.

“I… I didn’t want to disappoint you… I’m sorry…”

Mary blinked.

She tilted her head slightly, confused.

“Huh? Who said I hate him?” she asked, genuinely puzzled.

“H-Huh?”