No matter how much experience Kole has had, his face slightly turned red. Anyone in this situation would be awkward when they are caught in the act by their mother.
No! What am I thinking? Why does she need to spy when she is the sole authority of this house? Charlotte has the obligation to report everything to her!... Kole composed himself and let out a sigh.
The fact that Faneia only said to control the intervals, meant she was not completely against it but didn't want any rumors to spread around that could tarnish the reputation of Akerse' before the marriage.
Though, Kole was not sure, when would his wedding be held.
I just need to be quick or as surreptitious as possible… Kole thought to himself.
Kole nodded to Faneia and decided to follow her advice, "Yes, Mom. There won't be any rumors before the marriage."
"Good." She took a sip from the wine glass and swirled it. After a moment of silence, Faneia's shadow suddenly extended and a black figure manifested.
The figure slowly became tangible as the blurriness slowly faded. What replaced the stretched shadow was a little girl of about 5-6 years old in a gothic dress—riding a small tricycle and chewing a red candy. Her bob-cut hair was silver and her eyes red!
"My son," The little girl squealed in excitement, delight visible on her cute tiny face, "Come, come, mommy will take you to the training grounds where you will go through your Awakening!"
The little bumble of joy peddled furiously as she propelled herself out of the study.
Kole: "…"
"Leave," Faneia said succinctly.
On the other hand, Kole was too stupefied as he absentmindedly walked out of the study…
…
"Hehe! You are really my son! I was also very confident when I went through my Awakening!" The little girl giggled as Kole walked out.
Kole was confused beyond words. He looked around to ask Charlotte for help but he noticed she wasn't there.
"I sent your friend away," The girl smiled mischievously, "You can always have fun later, right? Can't you spend some time alone with Mommy? I want to play too!"
Once Kole collected his thoughts, he looked at the girl with obvious wariness, "Who are you?"
Hearing his question, the little girl pouted, "I am your mother!"
"Nonsense!" Kole snapped!
How can this little girl be my mother?... Kole's brows furrowed in thought.
Seeing his confused look, the little girl nodded in understanding, "I am! Alright let's go to the training grounds. I'll explain on the way!", she peddled slowly through the passageways so that Kole could keep up with her.
Kole followed dumbly.
The little girl licked the red candy a few times before she knitted her brows in deep thought, "You see… I am your mother, but your mother isn't me. Does that make any sense?"
"Absolutely not!" He shook his head heavily.
The little girl tilted her head, knocking her forehead with her knuckles as if trying to extract an answer, "Yes! You can think I am a part of your mother, as such—I am your mother!" She nodded to herself, approvingly.
Kole who has stabilized his mind took a deep breath—comprehending what she said.
She is a part of Mom… Is she something akin to an avatar creation?
Usually, an avatar is the representation of the owner. How can the owner be so cold while their avatar is a fizzy little girl? Or is this some weird sort of magic? This world is different from my previous one where we used mana... I can't use the same logic here...
Derailing his out-of-control train of thoughts and with some apprehension, Kole asked from behind, "Then, what should I call you?"
"Is it something that you need to even think about? Call me—Mommy!" The smile on her face extended as if she played a prank.
Kole was taken aback. But when he thought about it, a grin appeared on his face, "That's not possible. The one in the study is the one whom I call Mom/Mommy/Mother…"
A saddened expression appeared on her face as if she was hurt, but his next words caused her to blush slightly and imaginary hot steam to come out of her head.
"However, I think 'Little Faneia' would be just perfect!
"What do you think Little Faneia?"
Little Faneia: "…"
"You naughty boy! I am your mother!" Little Faneia feigned anger.
"Yes, yes." Kole shrugged casually.
With that, the two playfully bickered back and forth. Even though he could not laugh with his real mother, Kole felt much better after talking to Little Faneia who was… essentially a part of his mother.
However, Kole noticed Little Faneia's memories were not complete. Whenever he asked about something personal to Faneia, Little Faneia would try her hardest to remember but in the end, she would innocently shrug and say, she doesn't remember.
I guess that is to be expected. Which master would want their servant to expose their secrets? Kole thought and shook his head as he focused on that beaming smile of Little Faneia which made his heart warm.
…
Kole and Little Faneia arrived at the training grounds outside the manor. A lush garden surrounded the barren area. At the center where a circular platform was built, both of their figures appeared.
Little Faneia got off the tricycle and jumped over the platform, Kole followed closely behind.
"All right, sit here." Little Faneia patted the ground. Which appeared to be made of a softer, more elastic material.
Without hesitation, Kole stepped on the platform as well and sat on the ground.
"Now, you remember what Mommy told you right?"
A nod.
Little Faneia raised three little fingers and continued, "Don't see, don't hear, and don't speak. This is the golden rule to success. Those who see—perceive things that destabilize their mind. Those who hear—learn about stuff that their spirit cannot handle. And finally, those who speak…"
Her expression turned serious, "Well, if they can speak then they have already gone mad…"
Kole's expression turned heavy as he nodded in agreement.
Saying so, Little Faneia's hand vanished and fumbled through her gothic dress. A second later, she extracted a tiny black marble ball and placed it in the center of her palm. The air surrounding the marble churned as if it was a black hole.
Kole's heart skipped a beat as he felt the stifling pressure surrounding the tiny marble.
"The Creation Seed." Little Faneia's eyes sparkled, "It will assist you to realize your dreams, achieve your goals, and fulfill your desires!"