Demonic Po*nstar System Chapter 1061: Pouting Mother

Kaiden glanced toward the door of Vespera’s bedroom, still grinning over Yunohana’s mortified expression after calling his mother ’Mother.’

Then his expression softened. "I should probably go get the girls. They’ll want to see this for themselves."

Beside him, Yunohana lowered her eyes with a smile. There would be rather a lot to explain when they returned to the estate.

Vespera rose from the edge of her bed.

"I see."

Kaiden looked back at her.

His mother had folded her hands before her robe, her expression perfectly composed as she regarded the son who had woken her before dawn. She appeared ready to receive a report on the weather.

His eyes widened.

Oh.

"Well, you shouldn’t keep them waiting-"

Before she could finish bidding him farewell, Kaiden stepped closer and slipped his fingers beneath her chin, tipping her face up toward his.

"Are you pouting, Mother?"

Vespera stared at him.

"I do not pout."

"Hmm..."

The grin spreading across his face made her eyes narrow. He tried to restrain it, but she looked so offended by the accusation that a laugh escaped him instead.

His hand left her chin to rest on her head. With her hair loose from sleep, he could stroke it straight back from her forehead, and the sight of the Shadow Monarch enduring his affection with increasing displeasure made him giggle.

"My mother is far too adorable."

He had arrived without warning, interrupted her sleep, and brought her a woman who had promptly started calling her Mother. After all that, she was upset because he might leave too soon.

God, he loved her.

"You appear to be enjoying yourself," Vespera observed.

"Very much."

"Then perhaps you should go fetch the others before you become completely unbearable."

Kaiden’s hand stopped on her hair.

"You’re kicking your son out already?"

With a wounded look that took considerable effort to maintain, he gazed down at her as though she had just refused to let him in from the rain.

Behind him, Yunohana made a strangled sound.

Vespera looked directly into her son’s imploring eyes.

"You just said you were leaving."

"I thought you might ask me to stay."

"Kaiden."

He broke, laughing as he put an arm around her waist and drew her against his side.

"I’m sorry. You’re making it very difficult to behave."

"This is supposed to be my fault?"

"Yes."

Still grinning, he reached back for Yunohana’s hand. She gave it to him while trying to recover from the expression he had just inflicted on his mother.

"Could we have a little tea before you kick your loving son out? I’d like to sit with you."

Vespera glanced at the arm around her waist, then toward the sitting area beyond the foot of her bed. Two small sofas faced each other across the low table, with the window chair beside them and a cabinet against the wall.

He brought them both farther into the room, keeping his mother close until she reached the sofa by the window. When she sat, her hand briefly caught his forearm before releasing him.

Kaiden bent to kiss the top of her head.

"We’ll stay a little longer, Mom."

"So it seems."

She smoothed her robe over her knees, allowing herself the smallest of smiles while he turned to help Yunohana around the table.

"May I prepare the tea?" the shrine maiden asked. "If you wouldn’t mind showing me where you keep everything."

Vespera indicated the cabinet. "I don’t want to hear any complaints."

Yunohana laughed as she set her fan beside the cabinet. "Far be it from me. To be honest, I’m already impressed you have the basics at all. I expected you to be the instant coffee type."

"Didn’t ask."

"Mom..." Kaiden sighed, taking the opposite sofa.

The wonderful woman he was flirting with was usually so composed, graceful, and utterly feminine. Watching Yuno move about his mother’s room without blushing, Kaiden was happy to see her back in her element.

After filling the kettle from the water jug beside it, she gathered the cups onto a tray. Her loose hair slipped forward when she bent to open the cupboard; she tucked it behind her ear, then turned toward Vespera with the tea tin in her hand.

"A strong cup?"

"Yes."

"And for you, Kaiden?"

"Whatever you’re having."

Her pleased smile lingered as she switched on the kettle. While the water heated, she measured tea into the pot, her movements unhurried now that she could stop wondering whether her hostess wanted her here.

Across the table, Vespera began gathering the papers into a folder. Kaiden reached over to take the loose sheets nearest him, aligning their edges before passing them to her.

"Were you working before you went to bed?"

"There were things to finish."

He looked at the thickness of the folder.

"I can see that."

By the time the tea had steeped, the table was clear. Yunohana carried the tray over, with biscuits arranged on a plate beside the pot, and set it between them.

Kaiden watched her pour, absurdly pleased with his morning. His mother was utterly adorable in her nightclothes, his date was making tea, and he had reached them both by walking through his dungeon.

He could get used to this very quickly.

"Here you are," Yunohana murmured, placing Vespera’s cup within easy reach.

"Thank you, Yuno."

At the sound of her nickname being spoken so easily, the shrine maiden looked up. Vespera was already lifting the cup, leaving her to absorb that little kindness while she poured for Kaiden.

She had wanted to be welcome here so badly. Now she was serving tea in this woman’s bedroom, being thanked as though her presence were the most natural thing in the world.

Her fingers rested for a moment on the teapot’s handle before she put it down.

"You’re very welcome."

Kaiden waited until she had set her own cup safely on the table. As she turned toward the unoccupied end of Vespera’s sofa, he caught her hand.

She looked back at him.

"Hm?"

"Got you~"

His other arm curved around her waist, drawing her toward his knees.

"Hya! Kaiden!"

Yunohana landed sideways across his lap, catching his shoulders while he supported her back. For an instant she could only stare at the man smiling at her.

Then her gaze went to his mother.

Vespera paused with her cup halfway to her mouth.

"..."

Kaiden, ignoring his mother’s expression, stroked the Japanese beauty’s waist.

"Comfortable?"

Her answer came in the gentle adjustment of her weight. She crossed her legs toward the sofa’s right armrest, smoothed her dress over her knees, and slipped both arms around his neck.

"Yes. Very."

Having admitted it, she allowed herself to lean against him. His arm held her securely, and his delighted expression made the effort of pretending to object seem thoroughly unnecessary.

She had spent enough of the morning explaining why she wanted this man.

Now she intended to enjoy him.

"If I remember correctly, someone wanted a ’mature yet delicate woman’ to pamper him," she mused.

Kaiden nodded to her with utmost seriousness. "Please."

"Hehe!" Keeping one arm around his shoulders, Yunohana reached for a biscuit and brought it to his mouth. Kaiden took a bite while watching her face, earning a smile so fond that he wanted to kiss her again.

"Good?"

He nodded to her, still chewing.

With her free hand beneath his chin to catch the crumbs, she offered him the rest. There was such pleasure in tending to him now, with his arm snug around her and his mother sitting across from them. She could have spent a very happy morning feeding him the entire plate.

Vespera watched her son accept another bite.

"He does have hands, Yunohana."

"Yes. I am finding them very agreeable."

Her eyes met Kaiden’s as she said it. He laughed, hugging her even closer, and the shrine maiden’s smile grew distinctly pleased with herself.

His mother took a longer sip of tea.

"I see that you have successfully recovered."

"A little," Yunohana admitted.

Kaiden gave her waist another affectionate squeeze before looking across the table.

"How have things been here, Mom? Besides all the paperwork."

Vespera lowered her cup to its saucer.

"Quieter since I removed the federal personnel."

He stopped reaching for his tea.

"Now that you mention it, I didn’t see any on our way up here. Why did they leave?"

"I threw them out."

Yunohana’s hand paused above the biscuit plate.

"All of them?"

"I was angry."

Kaiden pictured the officials scattered through headquarters, their requests for access, the folders that always seemed to produce another reason for them to stay.

Then he pictured his mother deciding she had finished listening.

"With your shadows?"

"Yes."

"Oh, dear. My mother threatened to kill government agents."

"Are you disappointed?"