Chapter 197: The Niöhöggr Secret: A Father's Wrath and a Daughter's Choice.
The dining hall was alive with the clinking of cutlery and the occasional murmur of conversation. Bandel Blue, though not of Solaris' and Lunara's divine lineage, had long since made himself a comfortable fixture in the celestial household. His dedication to Tessa had quietly won over Solaris and Lunara, even if neither of them explicitly said so.
Solaris, ever the bold and unfiltered god of the sun, paused mid-bite, his golden spoon hovering over his plate. His mischievous gaze fell on Bandel, and anyone who knew Solaris could tell something ridiculous was about to happen.
"So, Bandel," he said, his voice casual but loaded, "you love my daughter, right? When are you two getting married? Or should I start arranging things? I mean the marriage to the daughter of the sun god should be grand and all!"
Bandel froze, his eyes wide as saucers. His brain short-circuited so spectacularly that he reflexively spat out his mouthful of grains with the force of a sneeze. Grains rained down onto the pristine floor, prompting the werewolf maids to spring into action like a highly trained cleanup squad.
Coughing and waving his hands frantically, Bandel spluttered, "L-Lord Solaris! P-Please don't give this lesser god a heart attack!"
Solaris leaned back with a smug grin, clearly enjoying himself. Lunara, sitting beside him, covered her mouth to hide her amusement, though her eyes betrayed her mirth.
Bandel wiped his mouth with a trembling hand, trying to collect himself. "Tessa and I are both Kaelrians. Back on Earth, we were few and far between. It's in our nature to stick together when we find one another—unless, of course, the individual is corrupt, like Rhemon or Ikehara. I care for Tessa deeply as a friend and colleague. As a lesser god, I see it as my duty to protect mortals, especially someone as unique as her. But beyond that..."
Solaris raised an eyebrow, his grin widening. "Only a friend? Bandel, I didn't know 'friends' would leave an entire planet and enter a portal regardless of the danger, to save each other, or even risk the fury of a sun god and make an appearance to save another...!" Solaris made his misunderstanding known.
Bandel turned redder than a sunset, waving his hands in protest. "I-I never did that!... I... I mean I did that, but the risks wasn't as you made it seem. Besides I know you are a reasonable god who wouldn't kill unless you have to... My... My Lord Solaris... You must be mistaken,....Lud Solaris... I mean Lord Solaris!"
Solaris waved a hand, cutting him off with a playful chuckle. "I know you're shy, Bandel, but you don't have to hide behind duty."
Solaris chuckled, thoroughly entertained, and shifted his focus to Tessa, who had been quietly eating and pretending not to hear any of this.
"Tessa," Solaris said, drawing out her name, "you love Bandel, don't you?"
The fork slipped from Tessa's hand, clattering against the plate. Her face went scarlet as she coughed on her food, sending crumbs flying. The werewolf maids, clearly veterans of these mealtime disasters, rushed in with the precision of a pit crew, their efficiency both impressive and oddly amusing.
Her cheeks flushed a deep crimson as she stammered, "We... we're just friends! Nothing more!" She lowered her head, her fingers nervously twisting the edge of her napkin.
Solaris wasn't convinced. "Friends? Is that all? Hmm..."
Lunara's eyes, which had been quietly observing, flicked to Tessa's protruding midsection. Her serene expression faltered, replaced by a flicker of concern that Solaris immediately mirrored.
"If you two aren't together, then... Tessa," Solaris said, his voice now edged with seriousness, "who is the father of the child you're carrying?"
The room fell silent. Even the werewolf maids paused mid-cleanup, their ears twitching. All eyes turned to Tessa, whose face went pale before flushing deeply.
"I... I..." she stammered, her hands trembling slightly.
Lunara's graceful composure broke as worry crept into her voice. "Tessa, my dear, if someone hurt you, we need to know. Did someone force this upon you?"
The very idea sent chills through both deities. The thought of their daughter being harmed, carrying a child conceived under such circumstances, was unbearable. Solaris clenched his fists, his usual playful demeanor giving way to a storm of protective fury.
Bandel, though equally shocked about the sudden line of questioning, paused his eating and got serious, his voice steady but gentle. "Lord Solaris, Lady Lunara, perhaps you should allow Tessa to speak when she feels comfortable. Rushing her may not yield the answers you seek."
Tessa's gaze darted between her parents, her heart pounding as a maelstrom of emotions surged within her. She hadn't planned to reveal the truth like this, but there was no other way now.
Solaris' and Lunara's minds raced with dark possibilities. Could their daughter have been violated? Abandoned with a child to fend for herself? These unsettling thoughts swirled in their heads. Lunara, usually the voice of reason, remained silent—partly because she was curious herself and partly because she knew stopping Solaris mid-questioning would raise even more suspicion.
Finally, Tessa took a deep breath. "I once met a Niöhöggr," she began hesitantly, her voice soft but steady.
Both higher gods froze, their expressions shifting from concern to a mix of shock and wariness.
"And?" Solaris prompted, his voice low and dangerously calm.
Tessa told the story of how she encountered Anwari, a rogue Niöhöggr. She recounted how she had defeated and killed it, but not before discovering its eggs. Out of compassion—and perhaps curiosity—she had chosen to use her Kaelrian womb to serve as a temporary host for the eggs, providing them with a safe environment to grow.
"The eggs stayed in me for over a year," Tessa explained, her voice tinged with both pride and uncertainty. "They've developed into fetuses now, and soon it'll be time for them to be born. When exactly? I don't know. The situation is… unique."
Solaris stared at her, his face unreadable as he processed this revelation. Finally, he found his voice. "Wait," he said slowly, "you mean the mother Niöhöggr I killed millennia ago had a son? That son grew up, produced eggs, and now you're the one carrying them?"
His tone carried a sharp edge, and Tessa winced. "Yes, but Dad, the babies won't be or have the form of Niöhöggr. Due to my surrogate intervention, They'll be Kaelrians," she reassured him quickly.
Solaris didn't respond immediately. He sat there, staring at her with an intensity that made even Lunara sit straighter in her chair, ready to intervene.
And then, to everyone's astonishment, Solaris smiled.
"Okay," he said simply, leaning back into his seat.
Tessa blinked. "Wait… okay?"
Lunara's jaw nearly dropped. She had expected an explosion of divine wrath or, at the very least, a tirade about the dangers of meddling with Niöhöggr bloodlines. But Solaris was… smiling?
"I heard you call me 'Dad,'" Solaris said, his smile broadening. "That's all I needed to hear."
Lunara sighed, picking up her fork and shaking her head. "I've been with him for millennia, and I still don't understand parts of him," she muttered, resuming her meal.
"I heard that..." Solaris mouthed with food in his mouth but didn't stop smiling.
Tessa let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. "So… you're not mad?"
Solaris waved a dismissive hand. "Oh, I'm furious. But that can wait. For now, you're my daughter, and you've made your choice. If you say these babies will be Kaelrian, I'll trust you. But," his eyes darkened slightly, "if any harm comes to you because of this, I'll destroy whatever threatens you—even if it's the offspring themselves."
Lunara reached over and gently touched Solaris' hand, nodding to show how much she appreciate his acceptance of the situation. "We'll figure this out as a family," she said softly.
Tessa nodded, a small smile creeping onto her face. Despite the awkward start to the conversation, she felt a sense of relief. For better or worse, her parents had her back—even when the situation involved Niöhöggr eggs growing in her womb.
As dinner resumed, Bandel sat stiffly, his posture a mix of awkwardness and resignation. He glanced nervously at Solaris and Lunara, then at Tessa, as if silently questioning how she would need to live with this new normal— every day. Under his breath, he muttered, "This family is exhausting."
Tessa stifled a laugh, her lips curling into a small, knowing smile. "You're telling me," she whispered back, her voice low enough to avoid attracting her parents' attention—or so she thought.
"I heard that," Solaris and Lunara said in unison, their voices calm yet carrying an unmistakable edge of divine authority.
Bandel froze, his face draining of color. Tessa, on the other hand, couldn't stop the grin spreading across her face. She leaned toward Bandel and whispered, "Welcome to the family."
The werewolf maids exchanged amused glances, quickly resuming their duties as Solaris and Lunara returned to their meals, their faint smirks betraying the fact that they'd enjoyed the little exchange far more than they let on.