"BOOM!"
"Shit!" Alphonse exclaimed.
Out of the last ten attempts, only two had been successful. The concept he was trying to introduce into magic was something completely new and rarely explored, but it was risky.
Luckily for him, Sophie specialized in Water Magic.
The library wasn't on fire, but his experiment was. However, Sophie quickly entered the room and shot a stream of water, extinguishing the flames.
As quickly as she came, Sophie left the room. She didn't feel the need to understand what he was testing. If he was learning a bit about becoming an Artificer, he was bound to have experiences like this.
There was something else she was also overlooking. It was the feeling inside her, the sense that her brother needed her help. Even before he spoke or she heard the explosion, she already had the urge to enter the library.
"At least this part is working," the boy commented, looking at the mana thread that connected him and Sophie.
Since Alphonse had placed the brand on Sophie, his powers with her had increased exponentially. Sophie's mind was almost like an open book—both her surface thoughts and distant memories were under his evaluation.
Moreover, there seemed to be no limit to the distance. The only drawback was an increase in mana consumption the farther she was. His suggestions were still necessary to accomplish great feats, but calling her to the library barely consumed his mana.
The boy removed the gloves he was wearing and tossed them onto one of the tables. Returning to the papers on the desk, he wrote down some notes.
'Hmmm. There's no need to continue experimenting. It's better to wait until I enter the academy,' Alphonse thought as he looked at his progress. 'With this, my plans are well underway.'
The boy began to recall what he needed to do; he was already prepared for the exam and his classes. Now that the head of the guard and his troupe were no longer around, the territory seemed to be in good hands.
'Only one thing remains,' Alphonse thought. 'Someone to communicate.'
He didn't want to leave the mansion without having someone he could control, even from a great distance.
'Ah! Damn it.' The boy was worried. He would have had a few more months in his original plan before taking the next step, but now he only had one more night.
The dining room was set for the final evening. Sophie and Alphonse would travel by carriage to the empire's capital and stay with their maternal grandmother until it was time to return to the territory.
"One more glass, please," Isabelle requested of one of the nearby servants, refilling her glass of wine.
"This is an excellent vintage," she commented, though she was the only one able to truly appreciate it.
Alphonse sipped, but neither in this life nor his previous one had he been a wine enthusiast, so he couldn't quite understand. Sophie, though still very young, tried the drink, but it didn't suit her taste.
"Ergh!" Sophie quickly drank the water from another glass, trying to get the taste out of her mouth.
"Hahaha," everyone at the table laughed at the girl's reaction.
"Sometimes I still forget you're just a girl," Isabelle said, gently patting her daughter's head. "I'm going to miss you both."
She spoke, now a bit tearful.
"We'll miss you too, Mother," Sophie replied, hugging the baroness. "But it's only for a year. We'll be back soon."
"Yes, yes," Isabelle responded.
The night continued with light conversation and an ordinary dinner. With the harvests safe, they were once again able to indulge a bit more in their meals.
It didn't take long before the wine began to take effect.
"I'll retire for the night. Thank you so much for the evening," Isabelle said as she returned to the main bedroom.
Soon after, it was Sophie and Alphonse's turn.
'Now.'
Isabelle had perhaps had too much wine, but she was happy.
'It will help me sleep,' she thought.
After putting on her nightgown, she was under a thick bedcover. However, even drunk, she couldn't sleep.
Her body was warm.
'He didn't go to the bathroom today,' the baroness thought. She had gotten used to receiving the 'massages' that Alphonse gave her.
Incest was not against the law or even forbidden, but it was publicly rejected. 'But there are always exceptions.' Isabelle remembered that several kings had had public relations with other family members.
'Even the emperor, one of his concubines is his half-sister.' Thinking like that made her feel less guilty about what was happening.
'But it will end. Tomorrow, he will go to the capital. When he returns, it will be close to war, and maybe even Alexander will be home,' Isabelle thought with some sadness.
Isabelle rolled over in bed, her back to the door. Right as she rolled the door to the master bedroom opened. Alphonse quickly entered the room, catching his mother's attention.
"Alphonse?" Isabelle asked. "I was already getting ready for bed."
"What do you mean, Mom, and your massage?" The boy replied.
"Y-you don't need to-." The baroness explained.
"No, no. You can't sleep without our special time." Alphonse put his foot on the floor, ensuring she wouldn't go back to bed without first running his hands over her.
"R-right." She replied. Isabelle pushed the covers back as she lay down on her stomach. However, the boy didn't get on the bed.
"Huh?" Alphonse reacted.
"I'm ready," Isabelle explained.
"Clearly, you're not. You're wearing clothes." The boy commented.
"B-but we're not in the bathroom." The mother explained.
"Yes, but your massage is without clothes. Come on, come on. Get up and take off your clothes." Alphonse said as he walked to the corner of the room and sat down in an armchair.
[Mind Influence] The only man in your life is your son.
[Mind Influence] Only your son deserves you.
[Mind Influence] Your son owns you.
Isabelle got up from the bed, turning her back to her son. She pushed the straps of her nightgown until the garment fell to the floor. She quickly put one of her hands to try to cover as much of her breasts as possible, which were still partially visible.
Meanwhile, Alphonse remained seated, evaluating her.
"R-ready." The baroness commented in a low voice.
She had returned to lying on the bed on her stomach.
With her confirmation, Alphonse got out of the armchair and went to the bed. Placing one leg on each side of Isabelle, he straddled her back.
He slowly began to put pressure on her shoulders and back, something he had already mastered in the last few days. Alphonse already knew every part of his mother's body, especially where it relaxed and excited her.
"Hmmmm," Isabelle moaned with each pressure he applied every time he touched her body. She felt like she was going to catch fire.
But there was something new, which was the first time she felt it. For the first time, Alphonse was on top of her, with his cock touching her ass. Finally, she could feel that it wasn't just her who was excited, but also her son.
"These last few days. With our massages, I've learned a lot about you, Mom." Alphonse commented.
"How so?" Isabelle asked.
"About who you are." The boy replied.
"W-what do you mean?" She asked.
"Most people imagine you as someone fierce. The Baroness." Alphonse began to explain. "Even father thinks so. He's afraid of you. Or rather, of your family. Of what they can do."
"Yes?" Isabelle didn't know where he was going with this.
"However, you're not fierce. You're not a lioness. You want to appear that way to other people. Maybe that's what you were taught?" Alphonse conjectured.
"Maybe." The baroness tried to think how she had developed this habit of being 'fierce'.
Alphonse shifted, lowering himself further on the bed. He was at the right height to continue his massage of Isabelle's legs.
"However, you don't want to be like that, do you?" Alphonse commented.
"I'm not following." Isabelle replied.
"You don't want to be this 'strong' person." The boy replied. "That's just a facade."
He moved his hands up from Isabelle's thighs, resting them on her ass. Squeezing them and massaging them.
"N-no. I want to be fierce." Isabelle replied.
"No, you don't. I know that." Alphonse continued. "You only want to be like this for strangers. Deep down you want someone to control you, to command you. To tell you what to do and how to behave.
"N-no." Isabelle replied in a mix of moan and speech.
Alphonse used his hands to spread Isabelle's ass, lightly seeing her asshole and pussy. With one hand, he stretched two fingers until he touched her pussy lips. He knew but now felt her soaked.
"Yes, mother. You want an owner, one that no one has been until today. Because no one had discovered that you only want to be someone's whore."