Idir led Nina and the others to the gates of his former estate. Just as they were about to step inside, a voice that felt both intensely familiar and yet strangely distant called out from behind him, "Idir."
He didn’t look back.
Nina, however, turned around.
Her?
Weena hesitated for a fraction of a second before biting the bullet and stepping forward. Addressing Nina, she said, "Greetings, Lady Nina. I am Weena, Idir’s mother. Thank you for saving all of us."
Her eyes lit up slightly as her gaze landed on Momo, who was coiled comfortably around Nina’s shoulder. "Is he Idir’s cub?"
"Yes," Nina replied.
"He’s beautiful." Weena smiled warmly, her eyes moving to the rest of the children. "All of your cubs are absolutely lovely."
The little ones looked back at her with wide, curious eyes.
Weena bit her lower lip, unable to resist leaning slightly toward Momo. "Little one... I’m your grandmother." Not knowing his actual name, she could only refer to him affectionately.
Momo tilted his tiny head, studying Weena quietly without making a sound. Seeing the cub refuse to acknowledge her, a flash of deep disappointment crossed Weena’s face.
"Is there something you need?" Nina asked neutrally.
"I came to express my gratitude in person, and..." Weena nervously fidgeted with the hem of her clothes. "I... I wanted to speak with Idir."
When Idir had refused to break her out of the cage earlier, she had despaired, assuming her son had entirely washed his hands of her. But now she realized the truth—he had left her there because he already knew she would be liberated along with the rest of the city today. A glimmer of hope had flared up in her heart; perhaps Idir didn’t completely hate his mother after all. Maybe he was just still angry with her.
Driven by that hope, she hadn’t been able to stop herself from quietly tailing him when he left the plaza. She had spent the entire walk agonizing over whether she should keep following, whether she even had the right to approach him again. After a bitter internal struggle, she finally found the courage to call out to him. There were things she desperately needed to say.
Nina glanced at Idir. His grip on her hand tightened, but his back remained rigidly turned toward his mother. "I have nothing to say to you."
"Idir..." Tears welled up in Weena’s eyes.
Unable to bear seeing her in distress, her other husbands stepped forward, shooting Idir a look of mild reproach. "Idir, no matter what happened in the past, Weena is still your birth mother. How can you speak to her in such a callous tone?"
They had initially judged Idir as cold-blooded for leaving his own mother trapped in the array, but they now realized they had completely misjudged him. They were well aware they had wronged him in the past, but since Weena was his mother, they felt his current attitude was entirely uncalled for.
Only Yonn remained completely silent. How could anyone who has never been truly abandoned ever comprehend the agonizing pain of rejection?
Idir’s expression remained frozen like ice.
Weena quickly turned and snapped at her husbands, "Quiet, all of you! This is my fault."
She was the one who had failed him. Looking back at Idir, her eyes overflowed with profound guilt. "Idir, what happened back then was entirely my fault. I came here today to beg for your forgiveness." Her fingers clenched tighter into her fabric as a look of desperate yearning took over her features. "Can you... can you find it in your heart to forgive your mother just this once?"
If there was even a sliver of a chance, she desperately wanted to repair her relationship with Idir. She wanted to reclaim the bond she had so carelessly thrown away.
"There is nothing between us to forgive," Idir stated, his voice flat and devoid of emotion. "From the exact moment you drugged my father and me, and told me that I didn’t deserve to be your son, every tie connecting us was severed. We are strangers."
"Idir, I am so incredibly sorry. I should never have said those horrible things," Weena cried out in bitter remorse. "I truly regret it, and I know I was wrong. I’ll do whatever it takes to make it up to you for the rest of my life. Please, just give me one more chance."
Not a single ripple of emotion broke across Idir’s face. "I don’t need your apologies, nor do I want your compensation. I simply have no desire to see you. I hope you will leave us in peace and never come back."
Some wounds were simply too deep to be healed by a belated confession of regret or a hollow apology, and they certainly weren’t things she could just fix on a whim.
Squeezing Nina’s hand, Idir murmured, "Nina, let’s go inside."
Nina nodded.
Idir led her through the estate gates. From beginning to end, he never cast a single glance back at Weena.
Staring at his retreating figure, Weena’s vision blurred with tears. "Idir..."
I’m so sorry... Your mother is the one who broke your heart...
At this moment, she knew with absolute certainty that Idir would never forgive her.
Nuan stepped forward, wrapping a comforting arm around her shoulders. "My lady, should we go and have another word with him on your behalf?"
Weena shook her head, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "No, let’s just go home. We won’t come back to bother them again."
She stole one last, lingering look in the direction Idir had vanished. As long as he was happy, that was all that mattered. Leaving him in peace was perhaps the very last thing an unfit mother like her could do for him.
Dejected and weary, Weena and her husbands quietly departed.
Inside the estate, Idir held Nina’s hand as they strolled through the grounds, sharing fond, scattered anecdotes of his childhood and past life here.
Looking around the place he hadn’t seen in so long, he felt a wave of nostalgia. While Serpent City held his most agonizing memories, it also preserved some of the things he cherished.
He looked down at Nina walking beside him. With her by his side, he felt as though all those past torments had finally drifted far away, gradually fading into nothingness.
The cubs scrambled along with them, eagerly peering into every corner to familiarize themselves with their new surroundings.
Realizing they were approaching the private quarters, Idir suggested, "Nina, why don’t you stay in my chamber? It’s quite spacious. Shall I show you?"
"I’d love to," Nina said with a bright smile.
Idir led her to his room. When they stepped inside, Nina was a little taken aback, though she had to admit the space felt incredibly true to his character.
The chamber was exceptionally minimalist and stark. Almost every piece of furniture and decor was a shade of deep black—understated, yet undeniably grand.
Idir himself froze as he looked at his old room. Why is it so dark and empty? Did I really live this frugally before? He had been away for so long that his memory had grown a bit fuzzy. Back then, he hadn’t thought much of it, but after meeting Nina, he realized just how incredibly dull and barren his life used to be.
Momo wore a look of pure, unadulterated disdain. This big bad snake has atrocious taste. This room is so ugly, it’s just a black hole. The other cubs agreed that the aesthetics of the room were highly questionable.
Following closely behind, the other husbands couldn’t help but scoff internally. This dead snake doesn’t have a single drop of artistic sense.
Idir cleared his throat sheepishly. "Nina, give me a moment. I’ll redecorate it."
He immediately reached into his spatial storage and began pulling out the ornaments, plush beast pelts, and colorful rugs that Nina liked, scattering them on the clean floor to start remodeling the space on the spot.
Not wanting Nina to stay in a drab room, the other husbands rolled up their sleeves to help. The cubs scrambled down to join them, eager to help decorate a cozy room for their mother.
Cradling Mimi in her arms, Nina sat comfortably to one side, watching them work and occasionally calling out directions.
After a brief flurry of activity, the room was completely transformed. It looked warm, vibrant, and incredibly inviting. Looking at the overhauled chamber, the husbands and cubs finally nodded in satisfaction. Only a room like this was fit for Nina.
Nina praised the little ones and rewarded them with sweet candies, leaving the cubs thoroughly delighted.
When dinner time arrived, Setan walked over to Sunny, carrying a small bowl filled with savory little meatballs.