My Son Calls His Father Lord

When I realized my soulmate Darius was still hung up on his former lover Cassia and her child, I started teaching our son to call him "Lord Darius." That night, Theo accidentally stepped into a thorn trap set by forest nymphs. He was poisoned by a minor curse that sent his magic spiraling out of control and plunged him into darkness. But Darius turned and left because Cassia called him on his messaging crystal late at night. I touched my son's forehead as his divine aura dimmed from the pain, and made him say, "Goodbye, Lord." On Theo's birthday, Darius skipped our celebration because Cassia tearfully complained that her child needed a father. I didn't say much. I just had little Theo explain to the guests, "The Lord has important divine duties to attend to." My boy would always struggle for a long time before forcing those words out. Until Darius finally realized he owed us far too much. He offered to go to the temple and commission an enchanted portrait of our family. But right there inside the Portrait Pavilion, Cassia sent another message through the crystal. "Darius, I am begging you to come to the Divine Academy. Could you just pretend to be Milo's father for a bit? The young gods here are all mocking him for being a bastard..." A flash of guilt crossed Darius's face. He was just about to bend down and explain things to our son. But this time, Theo did not need my prompting. He just waved his hand. "It is okay, Lord Darius. Hurry up and go be with your other child. Just having me and Mom in the portrait is enough." Chapter 1 When I realized my soulmate Darius was still hung up on his former lover and her son, I started teaching our son to call him "Lord." Even if our son's magic spiraled out of control or he was celebrating his birthday, Darius always left the moment that woman called. At first, every time my boy forced out the word "Lord," he would struggle painfully for a long time. That was until the day Darius finally wanted to make amends and suggested painting an enchanted family portrait. Right inside the Portrait Pavilion, his ex sent another message, begging him to go to the Divine Academy and pretend to be her son's father. Darius looked full of guilt and was about to explain. This time, little Theo did not need my prompting. He just calmly waved his hand. "It is okay, Lord Darius. Hurry up and go be with your other child. Just having me and Mom in the portrait is enough." Both Darius and I froze the moment Theo said those words. Ever since I realized Darius's heart was no longer with us, I taught Theo to call him "Lord Darius" every time he abandoned us for Cassia. I used this harsh lesson to remind us not to waste tears on someone who was not worth it. But Theo absolutely refused to accept this change at first. After all, he was only seven. He was at the exact age where he looked at his God of War father with absolute adoration, longing to be lifted high above his head. In the past, whenever I made him say the word "Lord," he would always shrink back with red eyes for a long time before finally whispering it out. But today, he said it all on his own. The words slipped from his innocent lips. They were cold and entirely devoid of attachment, as if he had practiced them a thousand times. Seeing our stunned reactions, Theo took my hand and then turned to Darius. "Hurry up and go, My Lord," he said, looking straight into Darius's eyes. "You have busy divine duties. Do not be late." Then, he looked up at me. "Let's go inside, Mom." He pulled hard on my hand and dragged me through the doors of the Portrait Pavilion. Darius was the one who suggested painting a family portrait to make up for missing Theo's birthday. Theo had eagerly looked forward to this day for half a month. I followed numbly behind him, a sharp ache rising in my heart. It all started with a forgotten scroll. He had taken Cassia to a banquet but forgot to destroy the payment parchment in his robes. It was an exclusive reservation from the Starlight Temple. Only deeply in love couples could book a starlight dinner there. During our last Soul Bond Anniversary, I gently begged him to take me there to see the river of stars, hoping to reclaim the fiery passion we shared when we first fell in love. Darius refused. "How could the Lord of a realm waste his energy on such frivolous mortal pastimes?" He sounded so high and mighty when he said it. Yet a few days later, he took Cassia. I saw the illusion she flaunted on the realm's public scrying mirror. Romantic starlight should always be saved for those who know how to appreciate it. In the vision, she and Darius were raising their glasses under the stars. I knew Cassia was his old lover. She was supposedly a weak and helpless minor goddess raising a young son alone. That night, we had the worst fight of our lives. I told him I was going to petition the temple elders to sever our soul bond. Darius furiously accused me of being as unreasonable as a madwoman. He asked if my heart was made of stone and how I dared to deprive his territory's future heir of a great father. He even swore to the gods of Olympus that it was simply a Lord's basic duty to protect a pitiful mother and son within his territory. I looked at Theo's pale, frightened face and clenched my hands into fists at my sides. I knew very well that if I just dragged my son away in anger, Theo would forever yearn for this so-called hero of a father in his heart. But I also understood that one betrayal would lead to a thousand more. I would absolutely never allow my precious darling to suffer for his cheap and ridiculous "sympathy." So I chose another path. I tricked Darius into signing the parchment to sever our bond. When I handed the agreement to the High Elder of the temple, he sighed. "There are exactly thirty days left until the waiting period mandated by the laws of Olympus expires." "If you change your mind during these thirty days and nights, come and take it back at any time. I will treat it as a dream and will not breathe a word to the Lord." Even if I plummeted into the abyss of Tartarus, I would never turn back. I swore this to the Fates in my heart. So for the next thirty days, I did everything I could to help my son break his dependence and adoration for him. Today was the twenty-eighth sunrise. And Theo could finally call Darius "Lord" with a calm and peaceful heart. I could feel his small body trembling violently against me. But I felt no joy in achieving my goal. I only felt as if Medusa's snakes were viciously biting my heart. We had already taken a few steps before Darius finally snapped out of his daze. He hastily chased after us for a couple of steps. He was just about to ask a question when the messaging crystal in his pocket rang again. It was Cassia's weak, tearful voice. "Darius, where are you? Milo is crying so hard he is going to pass out. I really do not know what to do." Darius stopped in his tracks. "Alright," he said to the crystal. "I understand. I will be right there." He hurriedly left me with the words, "We will talk tonight," and then turned and left without even looking back. The roar of his chariot rolling across the divine path gradually faded away. Theo stopped walking and buried his face in my shoulder, his tears soaking through my robes. "Mom," he whispered between sobs. "Can we... can we just throw Dad away completely and never want him again?" Chapter 2 The portrait never happened after all. I just took Theo back to our estate and immediately started stuffing the personal items we needed to take into our enchanted travel bags. Right after I locked in the magical coordinates for the realm portal to the Southern Sanctuary, Cassia sent me a vision through the messaging crystal. She was wearing an extremely precious Hera's Tears necklace. Darius was standing behind her, gently tucking a stray hair behind her ear. That necklace was no ordinary trinket. Since ancient times, it had been the supreme symbol of the High Lady of the Realm. At the end of the vision, Cassia flashed her usual provocative smile. "Hera's Tears, the symbol of the Lady, and the Lord himself. They are mine whenever I call." If I still had my old temper, I would have summoned the sacred flames to show her exactly what the Lady of the Realm could do. But right now, watching Theo carefully organize his little bow and arrows, I only had one thought. Pathetic. I closed the scrying mirror and confirmed our departure time for the day after tomorrow. Not long after, Darius pushed open the heavy bronze doors. He was carrying a piping hot ambrosia pie in his hands. Both Theo and I were stunned. He had always despised the sickeningly sweet smell of ambrosia fruit. Because of this, even though Theo inherited my love for ambrosia, he would always choose food that Darius liked for his birthday every year. Why would he go out of his way to buy one today? Theo and I exchanged a look of sheer disbelief. Darius walked in slowly. Seeing the open travel bags, his expression shifted. "Milo was badly frightened and cried a lot, so I stayed a bit longer to keep him company. On my way back, I suddenly remembered that you and Theo love ambrosia pie, so I picked one up." He looked at the bags. "What is all this? Are you going on a trip?" I shook my head, and then nodded. "Something like that." There were less than forty-eight hours left until the final deadline of the thirty-day waiting period. I absolutely would not allow anything to go wrong at this critical moment. For some reason, my answer seemed to relieve him. He quickly tried to make up for things. "The attendant at the Portrait Pavilion said you didn't end up painting it. I booked a new spot. How about we go to the Starlight Dreamscape Festival tomorrow and paint it there? I swear on the River Styx, I will be on time." He knelt on one knee in front of Theo, his tone exceptionally sincere. Theo, who had been packing his bow and arrows, paused. He looked at Darius, then at me. He hesitated, as if he could not believe it. Seeing his conflicted expression, my heart softened. "Then let's go tomorrow," I compromised. After all, this would be the last time father and son spent time together. The moment I agreed, Theo's eyes lit up immediately. He hugged his little bow and arrows and scampered back to his room. After he left, I continued packing. Darius stepped up and stood beside me. The familiar aura of the Lord enveloped me. He spoke, his voice carrying that deliberate, practiced affection he always used. This was always his way of smoothing things over. "About Theo publicly calling me 'Lord' out there today..." My heart seized violently. I forced myself to stay calm, lifting my chin to meet his gaze. He condescendingly crouched down halfway, pushing the ambrosia pie to where I could easily reach it. "My one and only Lady," he murmured. I had already guessed what he was going to say next. I knew his script by heart. "I know what you are thinking. You think I am paying too much attention to Cassia and neglecting you and Theo." "But I swear to Hera, protecting her is merely my duty as a Lord. She is a minor goddess raising a child alone. I just cannot bear to watch her suffer." He took my hand and pressed it against his chest. "Just give me a little more time. I will sort things out with Cassia and her son. I will never let you and Theo down again." I stared at him, trying hard to remember the last time he looked at me with those eyes. Perhaps it was during our soul bonding ceremony that took the entire realm by storm. That moment when we interlocked our fingers with the gods as our witness, and he swore to protect me for the rest of my life. Or perhaps it was the day Theo finally broke from his shell. He shielded that little life against his chest, his hands trembling as he planted a kiss on my forehead. "Cora," he had said then. "I will never let you or our heir suffer a single grievance." Those memories, so beautiful they almost felt fake, rushed back to me like a tidal wave. I stayed silent for a long time. Finally, I decided to tell him the truth. "Darius, actually..." Chapter 3 But before I could finish, Darius suddenly leaned in and wrapped his arm around my waist. "By the way, where did you put that protective amulet you acquired for Theo? Is it in the study? Milo has weaker magic, so he needs it more. I am going to let him wear it for a few days." Without giving me any chance to refuse, Darius barged straight into the study, grabbed the amulet, and rushed out without looking back. The heavy bronze doors slammed shut. Darius was gone. I stared at the doors for a long time. Then I softly finished the sentence that had been interrupted earlier. "Actually... Theo and I haven't needed you in our lives for a long time." There were less than two days left until the bond completely shattered. By midnight, after sealing all the enchanted bags, I collapsed onto the bed in exhaustion. The messaging crystal lit up. It was a message from Darius. Milo absolutely loves the amulet. Cassia asked me to express her gratitude on her behalf. It was the dead of night, and my partner was actually thanking me on behalf of another goddess. A bitter smile formed on my lips. I could not even bring myself to be angry. Perhaps because I had stopped expecting anything long ago, that familiar stinging pain was gone. I replied, No need to thank me. I didn't pray for it for her sake anyway. That amulet is Theo's most precious charm. He cannot sleep soundly without it. After sending the message, I walked into Theo's small bedroom. His brows were furrowed in pain in his sleep. He was sleeping terribly. I rested my head beside him and slowly drifted off to sleep. As for what Darius would think when he saw the message, I didn't care at all. The next morning, in a rare move, Darius returned to the estate bright and early. He walked in, took off his cloak, and froze when he saw the row of packed bags in the living room. "You are just going to tour other realms. Do you really need to pack so much?" He strode into the bedroom without even setting his cloak down. There was a hint of panic in his voice. I was wholly focused on helping Theo put on his brand new winged boots, and didn't even turn my head. "We are going somewhere very far away." He immediately looked at Theo. Theo gave him a firm nod. Only then did Darius's expression relax. He draped his cloak over a chair and pulled out three enchanted passes engraved with starbursts. "Didn't you always complain that I never took Theo to see the Starlight Dreamscape Festival?" "I managed to get passes for today. The three of us can go together as a family." He laid the passes out in front of us like trophies, his face full of pride and doting affection. For a brief second, I thought there was something wrong with my ears. It had been almost a month since that argument, and he was only just remembering it now? Then I suddenly remembered the dense cluster of unread messages that flooded my crystal when I turned it on this morning. Hah. So he was coming to make peace. I didn't say a word. I just kept my head down and continued tying the straps on Theo's boots. However, Theo jumped up in excitement, looking straight at me. "Mom, I want to go!" My eyes softened. Before I could even speak, Darius stammered, "But there is one condition. I have picked up Milo from the Divine Academy a few times, and now all the gods there think he is my own flesh and blood. If other gods see us painting a family portrait, it might reflect badly on him. So let's just cancel the portrait for now." He looked incredibly guilty as he said this. He used to tell me he never wanted Theo to become arrogant just because he was the Lord's son. That was the reason he had never once picked Theo up from the Academy. But now, not only was he making a huge public show of picking up Cassia's bastard son, he was even forcing Theo to suffer silently for that child's sake. Theo froze. The light in his eyes visibly dimmed. "Oh..." He slowly lowered his little head, his eyes turning red with grievance. Darius did not notice his son's distress at all. "This is just a trivial request from Cassia. I didn't think it was a big deal at all." "We can paint the portrait later. Right, Theo?" He had absolutely no idea that Theo and I were leaving tomorrow. This was his very last chance. But neither of us said anything. We just nodded in silence. "Okay." "Sure." Darius visibly let out a long sigh of relief. "Great. I am going to send Cassia a message. We will meet at the Starlight Dreamscape at three this afternoon." He stood up and walked to the door, then turned back around. "My Lady, my son. You two are what I cherish most." Theo and I said nothing. After he left, Theo jumped off the bed and dragged his pre-packed little bag out of the wardrobe. "Mom," he said softly. "I do not want to see Lord Darius anymore. Can we leave early?" Chapter 4 I pushed our portal departure time up to three o'clock that afternoon. After confirming the travel seals on the magical parchment, I began wrapping up my final tasks before leaving this realm. As the morning light broke, I prepared a lavish meal in this estate for the very last time. The ambrosia pie Darius brought back last night still sat alone on the crystal counter. Theo picked it up and dumped it straight into the waste brazier. The High Elder of the temple arrived at the estate one last time, solemnly asking if I was truly determined to sever the soul bond. "No regrets at all," I replied without a sliver of hesitation. He said nothing more. He just nodded and left. Just as we were getting ready to head to the portal, I saw a new projection posted by Cassia. The Lord's amulet is simply brimming with divine power! Milo cannot put it down. He says he is going to hang it in the most visible spot so everyone knows who is protecting him. Standing beside me, Theo quietly pulled out the small celestial bronze dagger Darius had forged for him. It used to be his most treasured weapon. After seeing that vision, he didn't say a word. He merely took the dagger out of his travel bag in silence. "Let's go, Mom." After a hasty meal, Theo and I took all our belongings and hired a pegasus chariot straight to the gateway. We still had a full two hours before our scheduled meeting time with Darius. Theo held a memory crystal, quietly looking through the records inside. One memory showed his divine power awakening. Darius proudly lifted him high above his head, showing off his heir to the entire realm. Another vision was from when he was three years old. Darius was patiently helping him build a sturdy fortress out of marble blocks. And another was recorded just this year, right before that woman Cassia showed up. Darius had his arms wrapped around him from behind, his large hands enveloping Theo's small ones, gently guiding him as he shot his very first magic arrow. He watched these memories over and over again. He didn't shed a single tear, but a heavy sorrow filled the chariot. He was simply too young. He could not wrap his head around why the father who once treated him like a rare treasure would suddenly become so heartless, or why he was now so willing to be the protector of another child. But he was also mature enough to have learned the lesson I repeatedly taught him. Never hold onto things that are already lost. I sat beside him, saying nothing. Just as we arrived at the portal and were preparing to verify our travel passes, Darius's voice suddenly forced its way into my mind. "Cora, please apologize to Theo for me. Milo accidentally fell and got hurt. I must take him to the Temple of Healing." "I cannot promise I will make it to the festival by three. If you get tired of waiting, head back to the estate first." "Make sure you say sorry to Theo for me!" He cut off the mind link so fast that he didn't even hear the humming energy of the portal gateway on my end. "Let's go," I said, taking Theo's hand. He nodded. With a sharp crack, he crushed the memory crystal in his hand, completely destroying all the visions of the past. The magic activated, and a blinding white light swallowed us whole. I set up a barrier around Theo to shield him from the magical storm. I stared at the clouds twisting and dissolving outside the gateway. I let out a long, slow breath. Goodbye forever, Darius.