CHAPTER 81: MOTHER IN LAW

Noel had been constantly dying early in the simulations, and so he needed to find a breakthrough.

Raising his strength was naturally the answer, but that alone wasn’t enough.

He thought maybe he could take the hand of someone strong — in partnership.

And among those he knew currently who could fit this role?

There were just Clarissa and Edith.

If possible, he wanted to delay meeting Edith for later, but Clarissa was different.

She was his mother-in-law, after all!

That’s why, when Selena said, "My mother is currently available and we can immediately go see her," he simply smiled and told her to lead the way.

It was their first meeting after a very long thirteen years... and he was genuinely looking forward to it.

Noel walked with Selena and an attendant toward the most grand building — practically a castle — and along the way, he noticed the admiring gazes of those who saw Selena. So, to advertise his position, he pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arm around her waist.

The nature of the gazes seemed to shift after that, but without caring about the onlookers, Noel continued on his way. Before long, he entered the castle and was led to a grand hall.

The hall was imposing in its controlled elegance — pale stone columns reached toward the vaulted ceiling, and the floor was polished so thoroughly that Noel’s reflection seemed to watch him from below. At the far end, a throne of pale gold sat elevated on black steps, positioned to look down on anyone who approached. The calculated symmetry and frigid atmosphere made it clear this was Clarissa’s domain.

He saw Clarissa there, with an appearance that was a perfect reflection of her daughter — light blonde hair and golden eyes, but far more mature and commanding than Selena. She sat upon what could only be called a throne, and he couldn’t help but admire how the Everen house, in terms of appearance, was a notch above the Cross family.

The atmosphere grew silent as the attendant who had led them there took her leave, and he found himself alone with the Everen mother-daughter duo.

Naturally, that didn’t intimidate him or prevent him from doing what he came here for.

"Mother-in-law!" He called out exaggeratedly as he ran toward her, like a son seeing his mother after several lifetimes.

Clarissa, who had actually been lost in thought as she looked at Noel — once a child but now a grown man, and an undeniably handsome one at that — seemed momentarily caught off guard. Her composure faltered for just an instant before she frowned and used her power, freezing him in place.

But unlike how tightly she had held him in control back then outside the Trial Dimension, this time she was noticeably more gentle.

Was she trying to be considerate due to his previous condition?

Noel was nearly touched by the gesture, but naturally he didn’t let sentiment stop him. Instead, he used his Destruction Law and partially freed himself before asking, "Mother-in-law, do you want me to use the Scarf relic like last time to worsen my situation, now that it’s finally improved?"

"Is this how you repay your daughter’s savior?"

Clarissa’s eyes narrowed at his words, but in the end, she actually released her power, and Noel continued walking to her side.

He went right up to her throne before finally taking her into his arms, pulling her from her seated position, and hugging her tightly.

"That’s better," he said in a low voice.

He felt her body in his arms, and he couldn’t help but compare this moment to his last meeting with her thirteen years ago, where he’d needed to use his power to float from the ground just to meet her gaze.

This time? He didn’t need that.

And from how her head naturally rested against his chest, it was apparent who was taller now.

Noel could feel how her body was radiating power outwardly though, and he knew he was reaching the limit he was determined to test. But feeling mischievous, he decided to give it another push.

He lowered his hands slowly from her back to her waist, then finally to her butt, and squeezed deliberately.

He did it gradually, giving her plenty of chance to react.

But she didn’t make any move until he started kneading her ass with obvious intent.

She allowed him that brief, heady sensation, but didn’t let him become absorbed in it before she made her decisive move.

Noel found his body blown away from her, and he collided hard with the wall on the other side of the hall, nearly breaking through it.

In the end, the wall didn’t break, but his body?

Several bones definitely cracked, and blood already started staining the polished floor beneath him.

In theatrical manner, he groaned in pain before saying with a pained grin, "You’re being really harsh, mother-in-law."

Clarissa didn’t say anything in response to his words. But her aura, now flaring dangerously as she seemingly barely held herself from killing him on the spot, said everything that needed saying.

Is she really that angry and barely holding herself back?

Noel wondered as he observed her tightly controlled reaction, noting the slight tremor in her clenched fists.

’Well anyway, being remembered by her as a sexual offender is still better than being seen as a helpless cripple!’ Noel thought with dark amusement, already planning his next move.

And so, in the end, it was Selena — more than shocked and even genuinely scared at this point by his bold and insolent actions — who tried to mend the deteriorating situation and apologize to her mother while frantically checking on Noel’s condition.

But these small injuries?

His Regeneration Talent was already working at full speed, healing the damage rapidly, so Noel didn’t give them much mind.

And Selena, noticing his abnormal healing speed and the way his wounds were closing before her eyes, also became speechless in the end.

Her eyes seemed to twinkle with newfound fascination as a small, almost imperceptible smile formed on her lips, and inadvertently, she pressed her thighs together.