"Artoria, let me see if you've lost weight?"
Artoria, who had just walked through the door, was suddenly embraced, but Artoria didn't push her away or struggle. The familiar scent and feeling belonged to her mother, Maria. Her face wore a happy expression as she hugged Artoria's slender waist. From a distance, they looked like a close mother and daughter. Howard also wanted to join in, but under Maria's gaze, he ultimately retreated, shrugging helplessly. He quietly stayed two meters away from the two, not daring to cross the line. It seemed Maria had Howard completely under her thumb, not daring to have any rebellious thoughts.
"Mom, why are you here?"
Maria's sudden visit greatly surprised Artoria. Didn't you go on your senior honeymoon? Artoria looked at Howard in confusion, hoping her Father could explain, but Howard seemed to have some unspeakable difficulty and dared not meet Artoria's questioning gaze, as if he had been ordered by Maria. Seeing this, Artoria understood. It was her mother's idea alone, and Howard was just a companion.
"Isn't it to see my lovely granddaughter?"
This sudden remark left Artoria bewildered. What was going on? What was happening? Could someone explain it to her, tell her what had happened? Artoria's mind was filled with a million questions, but she still invited the two elders into the house. However, her intuition told her that this matter was not simple. Artoria completely didn't understand what Maria meant by that statement. Such a term of endearment should be for her own child, and the only one who could be called her child now was the Little guy 'Mordred.' But Artoria hadn't told Maria or Howard about this! What on Earth was going on? Artoria, full of doubts, poured coffee for Maria and Howard.
"Mother-in-law, you've arrived."
Soon, someone solved the mystery for Artoria. Gaea walked out from the inner room, holding Mordred. Seeing Maria, Gaea obediently greeted her. Artoria's eyes widened. She wondered what this person, who was billions of years old, was thinking calling a decades-old person 'mother-in-law.' Didn't she have any sense of shame? She kept complaining inwardly. This wasn't Artoria's fault, because the impact of today's events was too great; it was the first time so many'surprises' had appeared at once. Artoria looked at Gaea with a questioning gaze, wondering when she had contacted Maria and told her about Mordred. Artoria was completely unaware of this matter.
"So cute, she looks so much like Artoria, both little Angels."
Before Artoria could ask Gaea about the details, Maria happily embraced Mordred. Looking at Mordred's adorable little face, which bore some resemblance to Artoria's, Maria was overjoyed. Although she didn't know who sent her the email informing her of this matter, she also didn't know that Artoria already had a child, and with another woman at that. Such a miraculous thing! When she first arrived, she was somewhat skeptical, but seeing the child, she believed it. It was indeed Artoria's child; only Artoria's excellent genes could produce such a cute child. As for the child's grandfather, Howard, he was still in a state of bewilderment. When did his precious little one get taken away, and a new one appear? Howard was currently in a daze, feeling as if he was hallucinating or dreaming.
"You child, your baby is already so big, and you didn't even tell me. Really, I doted on you for nothing."
Holding Mordred, Maria playfully poked Artoria's head, complaining. Although she sounded resentful, her face still wore a radiant smile. After scolding Artoria, she ignored her and doted on Mordred in her arms, kissing Mordred's tender little cheek. Although it was Mordred's first contact with her grandmother, perhaps due to the affection and care Maria exuded, Mordred felt very fond of the person holding her and didn't reject Maria's intimate gestures. As for the grandfather? He was still contemplating life on the side.
"You told her, didn't you?"
Artoria thought it over and realized that only Gaea could have mentioned this. Taking advantage of Howard's silence and Maria's attention being drawn by Mordred, Artoria leaned close to Gaea and questioned her. She hadn't intended to keep this from Maria, but it needed time! Can you imagine a mother's reaction upon hearing that her daughter had a child with another woman? Fortunately, Maria was in good health and had an open mind. If Maria had been unwell and had gone into shock due to excessive excitement over this matter, causing a life-threatening situation, Artoria would never forgive herself or Gaea. This matter was a bit over the top. Even if they were to inform the two elders, they should have communicated with her first, to choose a special time to discuss it, allowing the elders time to prepare. Judging by Howard's expression, Maria probably hadn't told him, and now he was starting to doubt life. Artoria knew her parents' love for her. If Howard fell ill because of this, Artoria would be the first to hold Gaea accountable. So, when she spoke those words, Artoria's tone was not particularly good.
"That's right, I told her. I recently got Mother-in-law's contact information, and I think it's time for the child to meet her elders."
Gaea said this without any hesitation; it was indeed her doing. The current Gaea gave Artoria the feeling of a jealous woman, though she didn't know what she was jealous of. But Gaea was indeed becoming more and more like a human, developing some special human emotions, such as possessiveness. If she were in the past, she would definitely be the type to believe in the equality of all beings, but ever since she stayed by Artoria's side, she developed possessiveness. With so many women around Artoria, how could she not understand what those women were plotting? After studying on Earth, she felt she had to establish her status, which was Artoria's wife.
She knew that if this matter wasn't handled well, Artoria might dislike her, but she wasn't an ordinary 'human' but Gaea, the consciousness of the Old God's Earth. If the two elders weren't in good health, she could immediately help them extend their lives, and even reverse aging wouldn't be a problem. Although doing so might attract Death, one of the Creator Gods, she wasn't afraid of these things. As long as she could shatter the beautiful dreams of those 'little vixen,' everything would be worth it.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Looking at Gaea's confident expression, Artoria frowned and said that not discussing this matter with her before telling her parents put her in a very passive position, which was Artoria's main reason for being angry. And contacting her parents without informing her was what made Artoria most upset.
"Don't worry! I have a sense of proportion."
Facing Artoria's somewhat helpless expression, Gaea smiled, saying that she wanted Artoria to be like this so she could push her plan further. If Artoria remained calm, then Gaea would have to reconsider her next steps. She couldn't let Artoria take control, otherwise, how could she force a marriage? As long as Artoria married her, those little hussies would no longer be a threat.
"I hope you won't go overboard."
Not knowing what Gaea was up to, Artoria frowned as she watched Maria holding Mordred. She sensed that Gaea had some malicious intent, but she couldn't pinpoint what was wrong. Artoria could only sit on the sidelines and wait to see how things developed. She felt that if she didn't handle this situation well, her future days wouldn't be very pleasant.
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