The system's words faded, but the feeling they left behind didn't. *A profound, unbreakable, and taboo bond.* The original Victor's memories of his mother were a confusing mess of cold distance and terrifying intensity. She was a statue in a palace, a goddess who occasionally glanced down at him.
*This is a suicide mission,* Victor thought, his new mind racing. *The original Victor was scared of her. What the hell am I supposed to do? Walk up and say 'Hey Mom, I know we've never talked, but I have a 25-inch monster cock and a system that says we should get weird'?*
He needed a plan. He needed information. And most of all, he needed to not act like the sniveling, arrogant brat he was supposed to be.
A soft knock echoed through the room, so light he almost missed it.
"Young Master, your presence is requested in the Duchess's chambers," a voice said from the other side of the heavy oak door. It was a maid, her tone carefully neutral.
*Showtime.*
"Tell the Duchess I will be there shortly," Victor called out, his voice steady. He was surprised by how calm he sounded. Inside, his heart was doing a tap dance against his ribs.
He took one last look in the mirror. He straightened his silver hair, smoothed his fine silk tunic, and tried to look less like a man who'd been reincarnated an hour ago and more like a nobleman's son. He focused on his new talent, the [Dominion of Desire]. He didn't know how to use it yet, but he *tried* to feel it out, to extend his senses.
He walked out of the room and down the long, stone hallway. Portraits of grim-faced Vaelstrom ancestors watched him with painted disapproval. The air grew warmer, and the smell of old parchment was replaced by the scent of night-blooming jasmine and something else… something metallic and dangerous.
Two guards stood outside a set of massive, intricately carved doors. They nodded at him and pulled the doors open without a word.
The room inside was a study in controlled power. It wasn't a bedroom or a study, but something in between. A massive four-poster bed with velvet curtains dominated one corner, while a large desk covered in neat stacks of papers sat in front of a grand window that overlooked the moonlit gardens. And in the center of it all, was her.
Duchess Liliana Vaelstrom.
She was not standing. She was sitting in a high-backed chair, one leg elegantly crossed over the other. The memories did not do her justice. She was beautiful in a way that made the air feel heavy. Her hair was a waterfall of silver, pinned up with jeweled combs, but a few strands framed a face that was both sharp and soft. Her eyes, the same startling violet as his, were fixed on him. They were not cold. They were… assessing. Like a jeweler examining a diamond, looking for the slightest flaw.
She wore a dress of deep crimson, the color of fresh blood, that clung to a figure that was impossibly perfect. She wasn't just beautiful. She was a weapon wrapped in silk.
"Victor," she said. Her voice was like honey laced with poison. It was smooth and warm, but it sent a chill down his spine. "You have been quiet these last few days."
The original Victor had been throwing a tantrum, upset about some slight or another. This was his chance to be different.
"Mother," he said, giving a slight bow. He kept his voice respectful, but not weak. "I have been… thinking."
Her perfect eyebrow arched a fraction of an inch. "Thinking? That is a novel development for you. Please, do not let me interrupt your new intellectual pursuit. What profound thoughts have graced my son's mind?"
It was a test. A jab wrapped in silk. The old Victor would have gotten angry, or stammered out an excuse.
*What does she want?* Victor focused, pushing his [Dominion of Desire] as hard as he could. For a split second, the air shimmered. He didn't hear thoughts, but he felt… an echo. A deep, cavernous loneliness. A crushing, absolute boredom. And beneath it all, a flicker of… possessiveness. A fierce, territorial claim over everything in her sight, including him.
He didn't show any reaction. He just looked at her, his violet eyes meeting hers.
"I was thinking about my place here," he said, his voice soft but clear. "I have acted like a child. Spoiled and foolish. I look at you, at Father, at the strength of our family, and I see that I am nothing. A weak link. And I do not want to be a weak link."
Silence.
The Duchess watched him, her expression unreadable. She slowly uncrossed her legs and stood up. She moved with a liquid grace that was hypnotizing. She walked towards him, her heels making no sound on the thick carpet.
She stopped directly in front of him, so close he could feel the warmth coming from her skin. She smelled of jasmine, blood, and power. She was taller than him, especially in her heels, and she looked down at him with an intensity that made his soul want to flee.
"A weak link," she repeated, her voice a low murmur. She raised a hand and slowly, deliberately, traced the line of his jaw with her fingernail. It was a gesture that was both maternal and deeply threatening. "You are my blood, Victor. The blood of the Vaelstroms. There are no weak links. Only… tools that have not yet found their purpose."
Her touch sent a jolt through him. It wasn't just the physical contact. It was the raw, untamed emotion he felt from her. It was a tidal wave of obsession. The system was right. This wasn't just a mother. This was a spider, and he had just walked into her web. The question was, could he become the spider that owned it?
"I want to find my purpose, Mother," he said, his voice barely a whisper. He didn't pull away from her touch. He leaned into it, just slightly. "Will you help me?"
A slow, dangerous smile spread across her lips. It was the first genuine expression he had seen on her face, and it was the most terrifying and beautiful thing he had ever seen.
"Of course, my son," she purred, her thumb stroking his cheek. Her eyes burned with a fire that was anything but maternal. "A mother always helps her children. We will begin your lessons… tomorrow."
She withdrew her hand and stepped back, the spell broken. "You may go."
Victor bowed again, his mind reeling, and walked out of the room. The guards closed the heavy doors behind him, shutting him away from her presence.
As he walked back to his room, the system screen flickered in his vision.
[ **Quest Update: A Mother's Love** ]
[ **Objective:** Establish a profound, unbreakable, and taboo bond with your mother, the Duchess Liliana Vaelstrom. ]
[ **Status:** Interest Piqued. The target sees potential in you as more than a disappointment. ]
[ **New Quest Available** ]
[ **Title:** The Wolf in the Garden ]
[ **Objective:** The hero of the realm, Leon Phoenix, will be visiting the Vaelstrom estate in three days. He is scheduled to kill you. You must turn this meeting to your advantage. Do not die. ]
[ **Rewards:** Skill: [Hero's Bane], Title: [Defier of Fate] ]
[ **Failure:** Decapitation. A very swift and unceremonious end to your journey. ]
Victor stopped in the middle of the hallway. Three days. He had three days before his scheduled death.
He looked at his hand, the one she had touched. He could still feel the ghost of her fingernail on his skin.
"Okay," he whispered to himself, a grim smile forming on his face. "The game is on."