Chapter 319: Bizzare Questions

Cecilia watched Mika smile and she frowned slightly.

She had no idea why he was smiling like that, when everyone else in the hospital was worried sick about Fauna’s strange behavior.

But she continued anyway, clearly needing to get this off her chest.

"I mean...the rest of the time I spent with her was strange enough."

Cecilia said, rubbing her arm awkwardly.

"But there was one thing that really stood out. Something that happened yesterday."

Mika’s eyes sharpened just a little. "Yesterday?"

She nodded. "Right when I was about to leave my shift, Lady Fauna suddenly stopped me in the hallway and asked if I could give her a massage."

Mika’s lips twitched despite himself but he still acted surprised.

"A massage? She asked you? Not someone who actually knows how to give a proper massage?"

"Exactly!" Cecilia squeaked softly in embarrassment. "That’s why I was so confused."

"I told her there’s literally an entire physiotherapy wing in the hospital. Professional therapists. Equipment. Everything. I even told her they’d do a far better job than me."

She shook her head. "But she insisted. Really insisted. I didn’t know how to refuse her, so...I agreed."

Mika crossed his arms, listening intently now.

"She lay down on one of the hospital beds." Cecilia continued, mimicking the motion with her hands. "And I started giving her a normal back massage. Nothing fancy. I honestly thought maybe her back was aching, considering how much stress she’s been under lately."

"But the entire time, she didn’t seem satisfied at all."

Cecilia let out a small, helpless laugh.

"She kept saying things like, ’Can you do it harder?’ ’Stronger.’ ’Make me feel it more.’"

Mika had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling.

"I was completely lost." Cecilia said. "I kept massaging, thinking maybe I wasn’t applying enough pressure. But then she said—"

Cecilia paused, her face turning red.

"She said she wasn’t feeling anything at all. That I wasn’t making her feel good. T-That she wanted to feel pleasure."

She gestured vaguely, flustered.

"To be exact, she said she wanted to feel warm, sweaty, overwhelmed like her whole body was reacting."

"I told her that was impossible. I mean, I’m not a massage therapist with godly hands. You can’t get reactions like that from a normal massage."

"And that’s when she got upset." Cecilia sighed. "Not angry-angry, but...frustrated. And she said—very firmly—that it was possible. That someone had already made her feel that way."

Mika’s eyes widened a fraction.

"And then." Cecilia finished. "She just...ran off. Left me standing there like an idiot."

She huffed. "Honestly, if I did run a massage shop, she’d probably give me the worst review imaginable."

Mika finally let out a quiet laugh. "I see...That does sound strange."

But even though he looked just as confused as Cecilia, to him the picture was painfully clear.

Fauna probably thought that she had an overly sensitive body.

That if anyone had given her a massage, then she would have really felt it like she feel that when Mika massaged her.

That’s why she wanted Cecilia to massage her and she prayed to God that she would feel the same excitement and pleasure that she feel earlier.

But unsuprisingly that didn’t happen and she did not feel any of the sensation she did when Mika rubbes her body.

That realization alone would have been enough to leave her flustered and upset.

Not to mention, it would make it clear that only Mika could make her body feel that way.

But Mika didn’t say any of that out loud.

Instead, he put on a neutral expression and said calmly,

"Honestly, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with her, Cecilia. She’s probably just dealing with emotions she doesn’t know how to process yet. It’s happened before. She’ll be fine."

Cecilia relaxed slightly at his tone and when Mika placed a warm, reassuring hand on her back, she let out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding.

The tension of the day eased a little and she leaned closer to him without thinking.

Her colleagues noticed—and tactfully looked away, pretending to be very interested in something else.

Mika’s hand shifted casually to the back of her neck, a familiar, grounding presence and once again Cecilia didn’t mind at all.

In fact, she leaned in further and lowered her voice, glancing around to make sure no one was listening.

"But that’s still not the worst part." She whispered.

Mika tilted his head. "There’s more?"

She nodded, stepping even closer. "This morning. In the break room."

Mika bent down slightly so she could speak quietly.

"She told me she’d read a book." Cecilia said. "Some psychological book about family dynamics. Relationships. How bonds can change over time."

Mika’s smile faded into something more attentive.

"And after explaining it to me." Cecilia continued. "She asked me a question."

Mika already had a feeling, but he shook his head. "

What did she ask?"

Cecilia swallowed in and looked really hesitant before finally saying,

"She asked...if it was possible for a mother to have feelings for her son."

Mika stiffened, just for a second.

"I thought she meant normal parental love." Cecilia hurried to add. "So I said that, of course, a mother loving her child deeply is natural."

She shook her head again.

"But she immediately denied it. She said—very clearly—that she didn’t mean that kind of love. She meant something else."

"Something...inappropriate. Something taboo."

Cecilia looked utterly baffled. "She said, ’The kind where you start seeing your son as a man.’"

Mika exhaled slowly.

"I didn’t know what to say." Cecilia admitted. "She was so flustered. So hesitant. It didn’t feel like an academic question at all. It felt personal. And honestly?...It scared me a little."

She let out a slow breath and continued, clearly relieved to finally say it out loud.

"I honestly didn’t want to indulge that conversation at all. I tried to steer it away, tried to move past it. But she kept insisting."

"She kept saying things like how certain actions, certain closeness, can slowly change the way a mother looks at her son...and then she’d contradict herself in the very next breath."

"She’d say that it shouldn’t happen. That it makes no sense. That it’s wrong."

Cecilia shook her head, still baffled.

"It was like she was arguing with herself out loud. One moment she’d say there are cases in history, rare ones, where mothers have fell for their children."

"And the next moment she’d shut it down herself, saying it’s impossible and disgusting and shouldn’t even be thought about."

"I didn’t even know what she was trying to figure out. And honestly...I don’t think she knew either."

She gave a small, helpless laugh.

"So I just nodded. Like a complete fool. I let her talk. Because it was obvious she had too much going on in her head, and she needed to let it out somewhere."

"And then...she just stopped."

"No conclusion. No answer. She looked exhausted, mumbled something to herself, and walked away like all the strength had drained out of her."

While Cecilia spoke, Mika kept a gentle hand on her back, stroking her gentle to calm her down like he was a really attentive boyfriend who was worried about his girlfriend.

But in the inside he was absolutely over the moon.

If he had been alone, he would have laughed, danced, maybe even slammed a fist into the air in triumph.

Everything—every single reaction—was lining up exactly the way he had predicted.

Fauna wasn’t just affected. She was spiraling in confusion, questioning herself, trying to rationalize feelings she didn’t want to acknowledge.

It was working.

Just then, Cecilia looked up at him, worry creasing her brow.

"Mika...is it possible that Lady Fauna is upset with me?"

She asked quietly.

"That maybe I did something wrong? Said something wrong? She’s not asking anyone else these kinds of questions. Not making these strange requests to anyone else. What if I frustrated her somehow?"

She looked genuinely distressed. "I don’t want her to hate me."

Mika blinked, then let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head.

"What are you talking about?" He said warmly. "Of course that’s not the case."

He met her eyes, completely sincere in tone.

"Even her own daughter, Anya, is confused about her behavior right now. You’re not special in that sense. And the fact that she came to you with those questions? That she asked you of all people?"

"That just means she trusts you."

Cecilia froze. "She...trusts me?"

"More than most." Mika nodded without hesitation. "You’re someone she feels safe talking to. That’s why she asked you those things."

The worry on Cecilia’s face slowly melted away—first into realization, then into quiet pride.

"Really?" She asked softly. "You really think Lady Fauna trusts me that much?"

"I know she does." Mika said.

Cecilia looked like she might actually float off the ground from happiness.

But before she could say anything else, excited voices rang out across the terrace.

"It’s Lady Fauna!"

"Look! She’s back!"

"She’s like an angel!"

Mika and Cecilia turned just in time to see Fauna descending from the sky, landing lightly on the terrace. Her wings vanished as soon as her feet touched the ground.

And Fauna herself, she looked...miserable.

Her shoulders were slightly hunched, her hands fidgeting nervously in front of her.

She kept glancing toward Mika, then looking away again, like a child who knew they’d done something wrong but didn’t know how to fix it.

She then took a breath, gathered what little courage she had, and stepped toward him.

"Mika, I...I’m sorry, I—"

Before she could finish, Mika turned away to her shock.

The movement was so deliberate it made Fauna freeze.

Her eyes widened. She hurried to his side.

"Mika, I—"

He turned away again.

She tried the other side, almost stumbling in her haste.

"Please, Mika, listen to me, I—"

Once more, he turned his back.

It almost looked like he was pouting.

Fauna’s chest tightened. She felt awful.

"Come on, Mika..." She said softly, her own lips forming a small pout. "Why aren’t you talking to me? Look at me. Please. Why are you avoiding me?"

Mika finally glanced at her—but only from the corner of his eye—before looking away again.

"I’m not talking to anyone..." He said in a grumpy manner. "...who dodges my hug like that."

He shook his head, sounding genuinely hurt.

"I was excited to see you, Fauna. I wanted to surprise you. And what do you do? You screech, pull away, and fly off like I scared you. Like I was some kind of pest."

He turned his gaze on her sharply.

"Is that what I am to you, Fauna? A rat? A cockroach? Something you’re afraid of?"

Her breath caught.

"No—no!" She said immediately, panic in her voice. "Not at all, Mika! Never! You could never be that. You’re my favorite boy in the whole world. How could I ever be scared of you?"

He leaned down slightly, his voice quieter now.

"Then why did you run?" He asked. "Why did you dodge me? Why did you fly away?"

Fauna opened her mouth...and nothing came out.

"Well...I...I..." She staggered, completely lost.

Mika sighed, then suddenly wrapped an arm around Cecilia’s waist, pulling her gently closer.

"Well, whatever." He said, turning away from Fauna. "I’d rather spend time with someone like Cecilia who actually wants to be around me."

Cecilia froze, blushing furiously, caught between them, while Mika started to walk away with her.

And seeing him walk away, Fauna’s heart dropped.

"No—Mika!" She cried, rushing forward to block his path. "Please, I’m sorry! I won’t do it again. I swear!"

But he sidestepped her, just like she had dodged him earlier, continuing to walk.

She followed, desperation creeping into her voice.

"Please, Mika. Don’t go. I-I’m really sorry."

He kept going.

That is until—

Her voice cracked.

Her lips quivered.

And finally, tears welled up and spilled over.

"Please..."

She sobbed in the most pitiful manner with sparkling eyes.

"I’m sorry. I won’t ever do it again. I promise."

"J-Just come back, Mika...Come back to me."