"I understand." Aunt Dayana agreed with a hint of sadness in her voice.
For a moment, it seemed as though aunt Dayana lost all the strength of her body. Her face turned pale white and a few tears threatened to escape her eyes.
I felt a bit pained when I saw Aunt Dayana's state. At the end of the day, she was my aunt, and I don't want to see her sad.
I continued hugging her patiently while she cried. I did not interrupt her and only waited until she calmed down.
Soon, she stood up and got a bottle of wine. Without asking for my opinion, she opened the bottle and filled two cups with wine. "Come, Claus. Accompany me to drink."
I heaved a sigh but did not refuse. I knew that aunt struggled to take that decision, and she surely needed to vent with someone.
Before long, we emptied the bottle. Aunt Dayana was already drinking her fifth cup, but I was just in my second.
"... H-Hey, Claus. What will I do now?" She said a bit tipsily. "E-Even if he is like that, he is the father of my son. Am I supposed to separate my son from his father? People will point their fingers to us and say that we were abandoned." I could see the desolate expression on my aunt's eyes.
Marriage was something very sacred in this world, mainly for women. Normally, if a woman leaves her husband, she will receive heavy criticism regardless of the circumstances.
After all, the idea that women must be virtuous and always obey her husband had been heavily ingrained in the empire's culture.
Actually, if not because her husband betrayed us with the Riea family, I'm sure my aunt would have hesitated no matter how many mistakes her husband committees.
I sighed in pity. Holding my aunt in my arms, I whispered. "Don't worry, aunt. You are a very beautiful and successful woman. I'm sure that many men would kill to marry you. Besides, if someone dares to speak badly of you behind your back, I'll make sure that he pays!"
Aunt showed a forced smile. "You are so sweet, Claus. But things are not so simple. Nobody will want to be with a woman who has a son and left her husband."
"That is a lie." I said firmly. "Aunt, you are very charming. I'm sure that I would jump to the opportunity to be with you."
"You only said it because you are my nephew." Aunt Dayana shook her head self-deprecatingly. "With so many young maidens in the capital, nobody will turn an eye to an old and discarded woman like me."
I wrinkled my brows deeply. I then put a hand looked straight at her eyes. "Stop it, aunt. You deserve more than that man. If you fear that nobody will take care of your son, then I'll do it. I can be your husband also if you want!"
Aunt Dayana opened her eyes wide. Her eyes shook briefly and her expression turned a bit red, maybe due to the alcohol.
"Hehe, you are truly funny, Claus." She laughed awkwardly, but I stayed silent. Looking right into aunt Dayana's eyes, I spoke.
"It was not a joke."
Aunt Dayana's eyes shook even more.
Without giving her time to react, I approached my face slowly and kissed her lips.
Aunt Dayana did not resist. She only looked at me with a confused expression without knowing what to do.
But I took her lack of resistance as consent. Once the first kiss ended, I kissed her again. My lips sealed her lips and my breath invaded her mouth. I could feel the sweet smell of wine coming from her.
Then, my aunt closed her eyes. I used my lips to open her mouth and inserted my tongue slowly. Maybe due to the alcohol, aunt Dayana was slow to react to my advances. She allowed my tongue to enter inside her mouth without much effort and sighed seductively.
But then, a hint of panic flashed on her eyes.
Instantly, Aunt Dayana pushed me away. I took a few steps back and looked at aunt Dayana in doubt.
Aunt Dayana, on the other hand, was completely red. She was too afraid to look straight to my eyes and instead looked at the ground.
"No, Claus. We are family. We can't do it."
"But aunt, I like you. Do you hate me?" I feigned a hurt expression.
"I-It's not that." Aunt Dayana shook her head flustered. "But it's not good. I'm your aunt, doing something like that is wrong. Moreover, even if I will divorce my husband, I'm still married. I don't want to betray him while we are married."
I put on a complicated expression and sighed. "I'm sorry."
My aunt looked at me but she did not know what to say. In an instant, the atmosphere turned awkward.
Aunt Dayana sighed and shook her head. "I'm a bit tired, Claus. I think it's better if I go to sleep."
"Let me help you." I offered immediately. Aunt Dayana wanted to refuse, but she was a bit drunk due to the wine, so she was afraid of falling off from the stairs.
Before she could say something, I hugged her by the waist and held her body tightly.
Aunt Dayana blushed deeply and lowered her head. Although she knew I was her nephew, she could not help but be conscious of me as a man due to what happened just now.
I feigned I did not notice her expression and helped her until her room.
Once we reached the door, my aunt stopped me. "It's enough. I can enter myself."
I nodded silently and moved away. Aunt Dayana sighed softly when she saw it.
"I'm sorry, Claus. But it's the best for both of us."
I forced a smile and nodded. "I understand, aunt. I'll not mention it again. But, can I give you one last kiss at least?."
Aunt Dayana hesitated slightly, but when she saw the pleading expression on my eyes, she nodded. "Okay."
She then moved her face close to me and closed her eyes. I did not hesitate and sealed her lips with a strong kiss.
Aunt Dayana tried to move away immediately, but I hugged her waist and held her close to me. Our kiss lasted for a few seconds until both of us were out of breath.
When our lips separated, both of us were panting slightly. Aunt Dayana's expression lost focus for an instant, and looked at me seductively.
So, I kissed her again.