The Over-Break System

Taking a deep breath and raising her right hand to cover her mouth, Cinyah choked back tears and stepped forward, ignoring her son and standing in front of Selene.

Then, to the surprise of everyone present, she pulled Selene into her embrace and kissed the top of the younger girl’s head. A knowing look spread across her face as she did so, understanding that it hadn’t been long since Selene had lost her maidenhood.

Setting the loss of virginity aside, she knew that although Cynrik was rough around the edges, he cared greatly about this girl, so with acceptance, at that moment, she took Selene as her daughter and vowed that no matter what, Cinyah would shower the girl with as much love as she does Cynrik and Brance.

She was no stranger to Selene’s dark past and knew about how she had been treated by her bitch of a mother.

On more than one occasion, Cinyah had even gone so far as to try doing covert investigations on the woman, but not of her contacts had yielded any results apart from the woman’s strength.

The lack of motherly attention from a young age painted a picture in Cinyah’s mind that Selene may not have known the potential consequences of losing her maidenhood, so she couldn’t help but pity the young girl and wanted to ensure that she knew everything was going to be alright, even if the girl didn’t seem traumatized.

Above anything else, she wanted to convey that Selene was loved and that she would always have a pillar of support standing by her side in the form of a mother.

On the opposite side of the spectrum, Selene was utterly floored by Cinyah’s actions. She wasn’t a girl raised in a loving environment with tender care; that much was sure. Still, the moment that Cinyah embraced her she couldn’t help but melt into her new Mother-in-law’s arms, lulled in by the sense of motherly affection and parental security she had desperately wanted her whole life.

”From now on, just call me Mom, like the boys do, okay? There is no need for Mother-In-Law or even using my name; you are my daughter now.” Breaking the embrace after a solid minute, Cinyah took half a step back and reached down to hold Selene’s hands while making eye contact with her new daughter.

”Y…*Sniffle* yes…Mom.” Fighting unwanted tears from spilling over, Selene weakly smiled, showing unprecedented vulnerability to Cinyah, who reached up and wiped the young girl’s tears with her thumbs.

To her left, Cynrik couldn’t hide the tender smile on his face as he reached over and rubbed the small of Selene’s back for comfort. He had a feeling that once Cinyah found out about their Marriage, his Mom would wholly embrace his woman, but he didn’t realize it would turn out so dramatically.

But then he remembered that Cinyah knew most of Selene’s backstory and, piecing together the clues, could understand her reaction.

{Hah, Mom’s being Mom again.} Not far away, Brance wore a cheesy smile as he looked over at Gabby, who, although confused, had apparent joy and longing in her eyes, making it clear that she couldn’t wait for the same interaction.

Meanwhile, almost everyone was confused about what was going on at first. Still, when they heard Cinyah calling Selene her daughter, they understood that something crazy had happened in the month-long absence of Cynrik and Selene, and since none of them were stupid or slow, they pretty much got the complete picture.

”Cynrik Ayke Jetlensr,” Suddenly calling out his name, Cinyah released Selene’s hands and kissed her on top of her head before standing before her son.

”Yes, Mom? How may I be of assistance?” Jumping to attention, Cynrik said in his usual smart-ass tone, albeit slightly more restrained.

”I know I raised you better than to run off and elope with your girlfriend, and I am hurt that you didn’t think I would have been supportive. To make matters worse, your selfish actions have robbed your now wife of the dream of many young girls: to have a picture-perfect wedding.” Cinyah stated with her sternest ”Mom” voice filled with disappointment.

Staring into his mother’s eyes, Cynrik didn’t break character for even a second as he stood perfectly still, waiting for whatever consequences came his way.

”How do you plan on remedying this? And don’t give me some half-assed remark like, ”She said it was okay?” You have already messed things up in countless ways, and now it is time to take responsibility for your actions. The order of things is so out of whack, and I hope you know what to do.” Although her voice was stern, her eyes betrayed her thoughts.

She knew that Cynrik had already taken responsibility simply because of how Selene had taken their name. While she was curious about the Titles the two had, she didn’t pry into their personal information.

With a stern expression, Cinyah did something that caught both Cynrik and Selene entirely off guard; in a fluid motion, she brought up her right hand before gently tugging off the silver wedding band perched on her left ring finger.

Even Brance’s eyes shot wide open at this action, as he had NEVER ONCE seen his Mom take off her wedding ring in his entire life. In fact, he had even assumed it was an Artifact that couldn’t be removed as a sign of her unending love for Rikard.

Yet, here and now, Cynrik, Selene, and Brance watched as Cinyah took off her wedding ring, grabbed Cynrik’s left hand, and placed it firmly in his palm.

”In my family, it is customary that the Firstborn receives their mother’s wedding ring. Had you told me before you ran off like the reckless knucklehead you are known to be, I would have informed you and given you my ring beforehand.” Cinyah’s facial expressions transformed from the stern parent scolding her child to one of a loving and proud mother.

Leaning forward, Cinyah gently hugged Cynrik and whispered in his ear.

”You know what to do, so do it already; also, we will talk about how you stole her virginity without heeding our warnings later.” The icy edge in her voice sent a shiver down Cynrik’s spine, but he ignored it and freed himself from his mother’s grasp before turning to Selene.

’I had a feeling she would react like this, but I never knew about this tradition. Sorry Sel…’ In a rare occurrence, Cynrik actually apologized to someone; even though it could only be heard by Selene and Tobs, it was still a groundbreaking moment.

Wearing a smile, Selene quickly forgave him and presented her left hand to him, her eyes practically glowing and filled with joy.

Knowing what to do, Cynrik calmly grasped her hand and, using his left hand, placed his mother’s ring on Selene’s left ring finger.

-DING-

-An Artifact, Ring of Forever Promise, has been bestowed on your Eiginkona.-

-As you have already undergone the Marriage ceremony and Ritual, the Artifact has been activated.-

’Oh, that’s interesting; look at you getting even more benefits from being Married to the most handsome and powerful Demon Lord ever known to Exist.’ Cynrik thought with a cocky smirk plastered across his lips.