Reborn As Noble

Javier grinned, his cheeky expression returning in full force.

”You look pretty scary right now, Mother. If your daughters-in-law saw that face, who knows how they’d react~”

Fransesca puffed her cheek. Her dangerous aura vanished instantly, replaced by the flustered warmth of a woman who had just been teased. She stomped toward him and slapped his arm over and over, each hit quick and light, making him wince and dodge while still lying flat on the cushion.

”I’m not scary!”

She huffed and stood up, placing both hands on her hips. She pursed her lips, then lifted one hand and swept her golden-brown hair over her shoulder in a slow, graceful motion, the strands catching the sunlight like spun gold.

”I’m Honey Bun’s beautiful mother~ Look at this skin~”

She caressed her own forearm, her fingers gliding along her smooth, flawless skin. Then she turned her face slightly to the side, tilting her chin, and let the afternoon light fall across her features.

”And look at this face. Still the same as when I was eighteen. You should be proud of me, Honey Bun~”

”Yes, yes~”

Javier chuckled, then glanced up at her from the cushion.

”So, Mother?”

”Hmm?”

He paused, his voice quieting.

”Just their heroes, right? The false goddesses’ heroes. I can’t hurt or kill them yet.”

”Yes~”

Fransesca smirked, her eyes glinting with dangerous understanding.

”Because it’s not the time yet. No matter what you do, no matter how tempting it is, you cannot kill them before the invasion begins. If you do, everything changes. The timeline breaks. They’ll know something is wrong, and the entire plan falls apart. So you must hold back, Honey Bun. No matter what they do. No matter what you see. No matter how much you want to.”

Javier gave her a playful wiggle of his eyebrows.

”Not even a little prank~?”

Fransesca raised her palm to her lips and let out a soft, melodic laugh, her shoulders shaking gently.

”As long as you don’t kill them... it’s up to you~”

Javier smiled and rested his head back against the armrest, stretching his body lazily. His eyes drifted toward her, a playful glint flickering in them.

”You mentioned earlier that only two people can learn, understand, and perfectly control the mana of the other continent.”

He paused, tilting his head with a teasing smirk.

”Father... and me. But what about you, Mother~?”

Fransesca’s expression softened. She raised one hand gracefully, palm facing upward. A swirl of unfamiliar mana gathered above her fingertips, shimmering in the afternoon light.

She glanced at Javier, her smile widening with quiet confidence.

”If I released this right now, my beautiful daughters-in-law would suffocate before they could even take a breath. Every living thing on this island would feel it. The birds would fall from the sky. The fish would float to the surface. The trees would wither at the roots.”

She closed her hand, and the mana vanished.

”Some power isn’t meant to be used. It’s meant to be kept. Sealed. Hidden. Because the moment it’s released, it stops being a tool and becomes a disaster.”

Javier flicked his tongue, turning his head away as his gaze drifted toward the ocean. He mumbled under his breath, his voice carrying a playful edge of frustration.

”Annoying... having a strong father and a strong mother. How am I supposed to catch up when both of you are monsters in your own right?”

He glanced back at her, tilting his head with a teasing grin.

”When will I be able to at least match Father’s power?”

Fransesca let out a soft, melodic laugh, covering her lips with her palm. Her eyes softened with warmth and pride.

”One day, Honey Bun~ One day, you will be able to reach your father’s power.”

Javier retorted playfully, rolling his eyes with a dramatic sigh.

”Yeah right. In a thousand years~”

He let out an amused laugh, the sound light and carefree as it drifted across the beach.

Fransesca smiled, shaking her head slowly. She reached out and gently caress his head, her fingers threading through his hair.

”Enough talk about serious matters. You came here to relax, didn’t you? No more mission talk, no more plans, no more talk about the other continent. Just relax and enjoy your day~”

Javier raised an eyebrow, his grin turning cheeky.

”What~? You’re the one who brought this up, Mother~ Suddenly assigning a mission to your poor, tired son. Do you have any idea how exhausting it is being me? Inventing new things every day, coming up with plans, managing my girls, keeping Buddy in line, dealing with my girls again, keeping Buddy from eating everything in sight...”

He let out a long, pretend weary exhale, his shoulders slumping dramatically.

Fransesca puffed her cheek, reaching out to swat his arm lightly.

”Oh hush, Honey Bun~ I know you love missions more than paperwork. You can lie to everyone else, but you can’t fool your beautiful mother~”

Javier chuckled, settling back into the long cushion, his body relaxing. Fransesca smiled, watching him for a moment longer before her eyes drifted toward the portable building in the distance, where the girls were resting.

”Honey Bun?”

”Yes, Mother?”

She stretched her body gracefully, the motion flowing through her like water, her golden-brown hair catching the afternoon light. She smiled at him, warm and gentle.

”I’ll go spend some time with your girls. Have a little bonding moment with them.”

”Okay, Mother.”

Fransesca glanced toward the approaching footsteps in the distance. Her lips curled into a teasing smile.

”Your twin is here~ Go have some fun with him. I’m sure when you start your mission on the other continent, he won’t be able to follow you there~”

Just as Javier was about to say something, Buddy appeared from the distance, sprinting across the sand with excitement. He skidded to a stop in front of Javier, his head bobbing eagerly.

”Cuquawked!! Cuquawked!” (Master! Master!)

Javier stood up and adjusted his trunks, placing both hands on his hips. He glanced up at Buddy, who was now staring at Fransesca and squawking once while bobbing his head.

”Cuquawked~”

”Oi! Stop flirting with my mother. You’re a pekko.”

Buddy’s head snapped toward Javier, his eyes narrowing sharply.

”Cuquawked!!? Cuquawked!” (Who the hell is flirting!? I’m just greeting her!)

”Yeah, yeah!” Javier waved a dismissive hand. ”So? What’s up? Why did you run here in such a hurry?”

Buddy jumped in excitement, flapping his wings, his head bobbing, his tongue lolling from his beak.

”Cuquawked! Cuquawked!” (I found another rare fruit we can stash! I can’t believe it! This island has rare fruit too!!)

Fransesca smiled, glancing between Javier and Buddy. She turned toward Javier and stepped closer, reaching out to pull his head down. She buried his face into her breasts, holding him there for a moment, and mumbled softly.

”You boys go have fun. I’ll be joining Liana and the others~”

( End Of Chapter )