My mother stopped walking, her gaze sweeping over everything that was happening. She looked at us one by one until her eyes settled on me. She stared for a few seconds longer than necessary.
"You look like a doll."
At that moment, I felt a vein throb in my forehead, while I cursed Mammon, who was cackling inside me. It was obvious she had overheard our earlier conversation.
Nevertheless, I straightened my clothes with the calm of a polite gentleman. Once finished, I stepped toward my mother with steady strides. Of course, I didn't forget to give a cheeky smile to Luna, who was growling at me.
Hahahaha. I'll deal with those problems later.
For now, I had to start planning to get some rewards from Mother. I approached her until I was close enough to hug her, saying:
"Dearest Mother, I missed you dearly. It felt as if the moon had vanished from the sky without you."
She patted my hair gently, looking down at me. After three seconds of that gaze, I realized my plan had failed.
"You aren't getting any alcohol."
Tsk. I'll find a way eventually. I thought this while giving her a completely innocent smile.
"Alcohol? I'm just happy to see you."
In the end, a great man knows when to change his tactics. Mother walked to the head of the table and sat down, and soon we all followed suit. Before I could sit in my usual spot, I heard her voice:
"Orion and Hel, sit at the end of the table."
"But..."
"You are also forbidden from sitting at the front during the next dinner as well."
Forget it; it's a losing battle. And so, the seating arrangement was shifted again, placing me at the very end of the long table. At least I wasn't alone.
Once we were seated, the maids came forward to clear the mess and serve the food.
Food.
After a week of eating that wretched stuff in the Nightmare, I felt an overwhelming craving for the meats before me. Well, in truth, I feel a craving for meat and blood all the time. Regardless, after Mother took the first bite, we began to eat as well.
I decided to forget everything else and immersed myself in the meat. There was seasoned meat, some rare and juicy; there was a salad made from three different types of meat, each with a distinct flavor. And of course, drinking blood was one of the things I felt an increasing desire for after my awakening.
I wasn't sure if it was related to the blessing of the Beast God, my Aspect, or simply because my lineage had fully awakened. Either way, blood was a delicious drink to me. It wasn't that I had to drink it or that it helped me, but it felt closer to an instinct.
I indulged in the dishes for several minutes, eating shamelessly without regard for appearances. Monster meat was a delicacy, especially from Great creatures.
I wasn't sure of the method, but it seemed the chefs of the Song Clan here had a specific way of treating the meat so it became incredibly tender instead of the tough texture it was supposed to have.
I wasn't sure if it was a cooking technique or the Aspect of the Chef in charge. From what I knew, the head of the kitchen here was an Ascendant.
As I ate and thought, I couldn't help but feel something strange.
I stopped eating and raised my head. What I found was my sisters staring at me with intense interest.
Oh. I knew what they wanted.
After all, they had avoided the topic until we were all gathered. Finally, Hel, being the least patient, finally demanded:
"So, brother, how was your Nightmare?"
I took a napkin and wiped my blood-stained mouth while looking at her. I stared for a few seconds, then gave her a cheeky smile and laughed.
"Magnificent. It went perfectly."
For some reason, everyone stopped eating, and an awkward silence filled the room.
"So, have you finally lost your mind?" Eunbin said, looking at me with pity.
"Wait, wait, don't be like that. Instead, tell me, dear brother," Jet said, leaning toward me with curious eyes. "What is your Aspect Rank? I remember you mocked my rank once."
The moment her question came out, the curiosity in the hall rose to its peak. Even Mother raised her head to look at me. As for me, I took my glass and drained it in one go before setting it down, prolonging the silence to add some drama.
Well, that's a lie; I just wanted to annoy them. Finally, after feeling satisfied, I said quietly:
"Divine."
The entire hall froze the moment I made my announcement. For seconds, it seemed no one believed what I said, while their gazes grew deeper. However, I acted as if I felt nothing and went back to eating, saying casually:
"What? I've always told you I would get a Divine Aspect. Why are you surprised?"
Revel said from the side, regaining her composure:
"That's because there's a difference between saying you'll get a Divine Aspect and actually getting one."
As she answered, I looked up at her and said cheekily with a mouth full of food:
"Well, that's your problem. I've always been special. You lot just didn't realize it. Right, Mother?"
Mother looked at me, then began to laugh softly for a few moments.
"Yes, that is true. You have always been special."
"So, what do you think? Do I deserve a glass of—"
"No."
"What about a single sip of—"
"No."
"Forget it. I'm not interested anyway."
After her refusal, I watched as she raised her glass and drank her spiritual beverage just to spite me.
Eunbin said from the side as she returned to her meal:
"What about a True Name?"
I hummed as I stole some food from my sister's plate beside me.
"I got one of those, too."
Once again, everyone stopped and stared at me. At least my sisters did; it seemed my mother expected something like this and wasn't surprised.
"What is it? What is it? Tell me!" Hel said in front of me, her eyes gleaming with curiosity.
"The Victorious One."