Twice Claimed By the Monster I Abandoned. Chapter 26: The Aftermath pt. 1

"Amie, it’s been almost a week. You still haven’t told what actually happened." Aster said, placing a hand on Athiel’s shoulder.

"I told you, Father," Athiel replied, his tone already edged with frustration. "The monster just beca harder to handle than usual, so I called the knights just in case. Whatever my brothers told you is wrong. They’ve never liked any of my monsters."

"Amie," Aster said more gently, though there was still weight behind his voice. "You’ve been moodier than usual. You barely co out of your room. And..."

He sighed, his hand resting more firmly on Athiel’s shoulder. "You have never called the knights for anything unless they were part of your tests. As your father, I think I have the right to worry. Your brothers, too."

A few more days had passed since Athiel’s...unfortunate experience with Kree.

And maybe—

Just a little—

It had affected him.

Who wouldn’t?

Athiel pressed his lips together briefly.

Still, he had learned sothing from it.

A lot, actually.

The reason he had been staying inside wasn’t that he was shaken. It wasn’t fear.

It was a focus.

"Father, nothing too out of control happened," Athiel said, forcing his tone to steady. "I’m just being smarter now. I ask for help when I need it instead of handling everything alone."

He shifted slightly, brushing his coat as if that would smooth out the tension.

"The only reason I haven’t been coming out is that I’ve been making sure the monster is...perfect before I unveil it."

"Speaking of that, Athiel, don’t you think—"

"Dad..." Athiel stepped closer, cutting him off before he could continue.

His voice softened, but there was sothing insistent underneath. "I’ve worked really hard on this. I’ve made progress. You know why I started this."

His gaze didn’t waver.

"I started this because it made feel closer to my mother. She dedicated so much of her ti to researching monsters, and I may have found sothing that could change how we see them. That they’re more—"

"—Than just decorations and pets," Aster finished quietly.

His hand moved, cupping Athiel’s cheek with a gentle familiarity. "That’s what she used to say all the ti."

He let out a small chuckle, though it sounded more like he was rembering sothing far away.

’Really?’ Athiel thought, watching his expression. ’Now that was just on a whim.’

Aster’s gaze drifted slightly, his attention no longer fully on the present.

"Have I told you how we first t?" he asked. "Your mother and I."

Athiel shook his head. "You rarely talk about her lately. I only know you t because she was a monster researcher, and you were...well, you."

Aster smiled faintly at that. "That’s because you remind so much of her. It doesn’t feel like she’s gone."

There was a pause before he continued.

"We t when I accompanied my father, your grandfather, on a monster hunt."

"You used to hunt monsters?" Athiel asked, raising a brow.

Aster straightened slightly, a hint of pride showing. "Your father knows a thing or two, you know. It was expected in our family. Especially since we’ve been dealing with selling monsters to other kingdoms for generations. It started with your great, great, great grandfather."

"That, I know," Athiel said. It was the reason they had everything. Their wealth, their influence, their na.

The Viremonts weren’t just nobles.

They were the backbone of the kingdom’s economy.

Owners of the largest bank.

Controllers of the monster trade.

The so-called "masters of wealth and prestige."

"We brought this dying kingdom its riches," Athiel said, crossing his arms. "They should be grateful to us."

Aster rolled his eyes slightly. "It wasn’t just us. We’re just the ones maintaining it."

"Sa thing, father."

"Anyway," Aster continued, brushing a hand lightly through Athiel’s hair, a familiar gesture. "Your mother and I t while I was hunting monsters with your grandfather, and she was there collecting specins for her research. Just like you. And just like you, she insisted on doing everything herself."

"Really?"

"Yes," Aster said, his smile softening. "And she recognized imdiately."

"I’m sure you’re not exactly easy to miss, father."

The Viremont family was known for their appearance as much as their status.

Despite being called the Violet House, most of them had pink hair.

Only Athiel and his mother carried that darker shade of violet.

His green eyes, though, ca from Aster.

"She was angry with ," Aster said with a quiet laugh. "She thought it was inhumane that our family profited from monsters. That was the first thing she told ."

Athiel blinked. "And you fell for her because she argued with you?"

"I liked her fire," Aster replied simply. "In a world where most people try to please you, she didn’t. She didn’t lower her gaze. She didn’t soften her words. She stood her ground."

There was a pause.

Then he added, softer this ti,

"That made her unforgettable."

’Ah, yes. The look of love,’ Athiel thought as he watched his father. It was strange to him.

Love had always been sothing distant, sothing he could observe but never quite understand.

He couldn’t imagine giving himself fully to another person.

Spending every waking day with them, shaping your life around theirs, only to lose them in the end and be left with nothing but grief.

Much like his father.

"Look, Amie, I want to support you because I know she would."

See?

Every word, every gesture, it all ca from that sa place.

Love.

"But I’m worried about you. If you can promise that if anything else happens, you will let know, and we will kill that monster. I will leave this issue be."

Athiel didn’t hesitate. He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his father, resting his head lightly against his shoulder.

"I promise, Father, I will tell you. I won’t risk myself, you know that," he said, his voice calm.

"Good," Aster replied, hugging him back. "I trust that no matter how fascinated you are, you won’t let yourself get hurt."

"Yes."

That part, at least, was true.

Athiel had made a mistake once, trusting Kree too soon.

He wouldn’t make it again.

After a few more quiet monts, Aster finally pulled away and left.

The mont the door closed—

Athiel’s expression shifted.

The softness faded.

Replaced by focus.

’Back to work,’ he thought.

He wasted no ti preparing himself, already moving toward the hidden entrance to his lab.

"Hmm. Mhm. Mhmm." Athiel humd quietly to himself as he made his way down, the faint sound of clunking echoing from below.

Once he reached the bottom, his eyes imdiately found him.

The large, humanoid figure.

Kree.

"Looks like you’re still healing," Athiel said as he took in the sight of Kree’s face, still marked from the burns.

The damage had not fully faded yet, the skin uneven in places.

Kree noticed him right away.

He began to move, crawling closer.

Slowly.

"Where were we on your vocabulary?" Athiel asked, his tone light, almost casual.

"G-Goo... goo... mor..."

Athiel’s expression sharpened instantly.

He moved without hesitation, reaching for the whip he had prepared earlier.

"What was that?" he said, his voice colder now. "You know what happens when you don’t speak properly."

Kree froze.

"Athiel..." Kree whispered, fear slipping into his voice. "A-Athie—"

SNAP.

The whip struck.

Kree let out a small, pained sound, his body flinching under the impact.

"It’s Master."