Chapter 10: Betrayal

Not long after Sylphie's lessons were continued we got great news. Mom was pregnant! Years of constant effort have bore fruit. Maybe I'll be able to actually go to sleep at a decent hour these days. While I love my night practice, I prefer waking early. Back on the topic of good news, I have some experience with this. Part of my puppet training had me doing various different tasks at the same time like fighting curses while washing dishes. My final exam had me accompanying a grade one sorcerer on a mission while caring for my infant brother. So I think the months before all of that have given me some experience for this. Then again dad has been through this before and helping through this process was why Lilia was hired in the first place. They probably won't need anything from me, I'll just take these next nine months easy.

I made a massive mistake. I got greedy and used these quiet nights as an opportunity to catch up on my sleep. Now we have a problem just a month after we got the good news Lilia revealed her pregnancy. Right in the middle of dinner. In an instant mom and I immediately shot our gazes at dad. It was the natural reaction. Could this horny bastard not handle a single day without sex. Before anyone could say a word he spoke up.

"I'm sorry it's probably mine!" After that we all lost our appetite, it was time for a family meeting.

I don't want to be here. The energy in this room is oppressive. I spent my last life stewing in a room where my own negative feelings and curses were being bottled and this is worse. Mom is far too happy a woman to be giving dad and Lilia a glare like that. Despite her mood when she speaks it comes out cold and calm.

"So what do you plan to do now?" Her gaze had shifted only onto Lilia. Dad was keeping quiet, he tried to get out an excuse earlier but he was met with a firm slap. Lilia was silent for a moment before she spoke with a bowed head.

"Please allow me to quit after I've helped you deliver your child." There is no trembling in her voice as she bears the weight of mother's anger.

"And the child?"

"I will raise them in my hometown."

"Your Hometown is down in the Winshiru region right."

"Yes ma'am."

"Will you be able to handle a journey that long after giving birth?"

"Whether I can or not I have nowhere else to go." The only sound other than this discussion were the howling winter winds. Thinking about that puts awful images in my mind. Would she be able to afford passage to the south? No even if she could it wouldn't matter. Even in modern day Japan it was a stupid idea to take a newborn baby or a woman in her third trimester on a month long trip. Lilia was going to die or at the very least her child would. Dad spoke up first.

"Dear isn't that too…."

"Shut your mouth!" He was cut off before we could voice our concerns. We all knew it. Dad was concerned, Lilia was compliant, and mom was conflicted. She knew what would happen, and she was ready to let it happen. I took my eyes off the women in the room to stare down my father. He needed to do something. Mom loved Lilia, a betrayal like this was making her consider killing a child. She was a good woman but she was hurt he had to fix this. But his face was downcast, he wasn't speaking, he wasn't going to do anything.

Mom was biting her nails and pulling her hair. But Lilia isn't saying a word. She's prepared to die. Mom is a good woman. She just needs an excuse, just a small excuse to let it slide. On shaky legs I approached and hugged at moms waist.

"M-mom i-is-isn't it great our family is getting soo much bigger." Nobody was gonna buy this crap. They know I'm not ignorant to this type of stuff. Even if there is a small chance it works I have to try. I don't want Lilia to die and I don't want my mom to become a murderer.

"No Rudi, it isn't great your father broke an important promise." She hadn't shifted her gaze down to me, I can't even get past the first hurdle.

"B-b-b-but doesn't dad break promises all the time."

"This one is more important than all the others."

"Lilia d-didn't make a promise right? If d-dad d-did it shouldn't he die instead." At that her angry face shifted to me, I flinched for a second. However her face shifted when she saw my face. I don't know what she saw but she picked me up with a hug.

"Rudi you're shaking."She whispered, her cold tone leaving for a moment.

"L-lilia is like my s-second m-mom, c-c-can you p-please forgive her?"I was barely choking the words out. I wanted to keep liking these people who loved me but it was becoming hard. Father could keep it in his pants for less than a month, and mom would kill a woman over her husband's affair.

" Oh Rudi…" She hugged me tighter. "Lilia, you're a part of our family so stay in this house. As for you Paul I think Rudi was right that you should die." In an instant Lilia collapsed in tears and father he was back to feeling the full brunt of moms anger. After that I was carried away in Moms arms. I don't know what happens with the others but I'm brought to my parents room. I haven't been here in years.

"Since Rudi is the only decent man in this house you get to stay in the master bedroom and your father can make do with your bed." It's still probably a bit too early to go to bed and I don't think I could sleep in the death grip she's put me in.

"Mom, could you let me go please."

"Rudi, could you make me a promise?"

"Yes mom."

"Once you find somebody you love, never put them through this. I thought I was ready for when this would happen but I wasn't Rudi, so can you please promise to be a better man than your father." It was her turn to start shaking as she held me. We only narrowly avoided disaster and she knows it. This was a small task, so I'd meet her with full conviction.

"Mother this is a binding vow, no matter what happens I'll never cheat on the woman I love." She doesn't know what those exact words mean to a sorcerer like me but she gets the point. With that our family crisis was averted and father got to spend the next eight months with his legs hanging off the edge of my bed. Oh and mom got a doll, she quite liked learning about my special interests. Even though I knew they were bastards I had a violent reaction to Geto and Mahito's betrayal at the Goodwill event, so in a sense I can't empathize with my mom.

Huh nobody knew I was a piece of shit, I wonder how my classmates felt about my betrayal. Maybe I was too optimistic back then thinking they would just forgive me. Maybe Miwa-san would she was a kind girl, I hope that Itadori kid was able to handle things in Shibuya… Now that I think about it I don't have any memories of my contingency going off. Maybe they failed to seal Gojo Satoru, it wouldn't be the first time Geto thought he could handle him and got burned. I'll pray that's the case for the sake of the people I've betrayed.