Yukio began to seriously suspect that her illness might be "Little Roland Energy Deficiency Syndrome."
"Little Roland Energy" referred to the energy of a cute young boy. When Roland was little, he was so adorable that Yukio often held him close and "absorbed" his cuteness, much like one might cuddle their favourite plushy when they are alone at their home.
But as Little Roland grew older, opportunities for such behavior dwindled. Bathing together became a distant memory of far past.
You read that right. Yukio frequently bathed Little Roland back then. In fact, Mrs. Kaur from the Kaur family often competed with her for the privilege of bathing the adorable boy.
This rivalry led to a long lingering tension between the two women.
Finally, at the suggestion of Roland's mother, they decided to bury the hatchet and bathe Little Roland together.
Don't even think it inappropriate for mothers to compete over bathing a young boy.
In their eyes, Roland was simply an innocent child. Which mother hasn't bathed her own child? What's wrong with that, just because they aren't his mother doesn't means they can't bath him like their own child?
She can clearly remember when Little Roland would snuggle and nuzzle against them in the bath, they would get get cuteness overdoes shot each time.
After all, he was just a child that time, too young to know the world dynamics better. It's perfectly normal for kids to be affectionate, right?
'After your bath, come and take a nappy with the aunties tonight, okay?'
Yukio had been utterly charmed by Little Roland since he was a child. Despite having two adorable daughters of her own, she had never felt this overwhelming urge to dote on them this strong. Yet, every time she visited Little Roland's home, she was immediately overcome with the desire to spoil him rotten.
This puzzled Yukio, but she dismissed it because Little Roland was just too cute to deserve every bit of it. Besides, if she thought about it too much, Mrs. Kaur might snatch him away!
Thus,Yukio and the others remained oblivious to the mysterious smile that would flicker across Roland's mother's lips whenever they scrambled to cling to Little Roland.
It was as if everything was unfolding according to her plan...
In short!
Yukio, long since captivated by Roland's charm, and she had recently been deprived of her "Little Roland Energy." Could that be why she had suddenly fallen ill?
Otherwise, how could one explain why the nightmare she couldn't shake off vanished the moment Roland arrived?
In truth, Yukio had even invited Haruno to sleep with her a while back, driven by a touch of fear.
Unfortunately, her daughter's presence couldn't prevent the nightmares.from haunting her. Once Yukio fell asleep, the bizarre dreams would return, leaving her with a splitting headache the next day.
Haruno had also told her that when she was asleep, not only was she impossible to wake up, but she would also mutter strange, eerie ramblings that even Haruno found terrifying. As a result, Yukio spent the entire night awake, now sporting two severe dark circles under her eyes.
After that, Yukio abandoned any thoughts of involving her daughter in this ordeal. It was better to let her silently endure it alone.
Yukio had almost despaired of her situation, but just now, Roland had woken her from the nightmare. Didn't this prove his special connection to her? Isn't it proving his energy which sooothes her.
Could it mean that Little Roland was the one destined for her?
If only that were true...
The term "destined one" sounded like a loving couple, didn't it? Well why wouldn't it, it is a term for the couple's in deep insperable love.
Ahem!
Alright, alright, Yukio knew perfectly well there was no such thing as "Little Roland Energy." But the fact remained that Roland had woken her up. If she had him by her side every night, could she finally sleep peacefully?
In other words, if she used illness as an excuse, wouldn't she be able to openly invite Little Roland into her bed?
Yukio: "..."
The moment this thought surfaced, even Yukio was startled. How could she be entertaining such morally depraved ideas again?
When Roland was a child, he didn't understand such things, so cuddling him to sleep was harmless.
But now, Roland was well aware of the relationship between men and women, and he even harbored feelings for her that went beyond familial affection. How could she still be thinking of letting him into her bed?
Even if she took a million steps back, if her true motive for letting Roland into her bed was to escape her nightmares, that would be somewhat justifiable. But when she searched through her heart, she realized that escaping nightmares was merely an excuse, a side benefit. Her real goal was the act of sleeping together.
Or rather, the potential "accident" that might occur while they were in bed together...
They were both adults. The meaning of "accident" hardly needed elaboration. If it needs for someone they are definitely in wrong place.
It definitely meant an accidental pregnancy!
No, wait! Wait! Wait! Not pregnancy—it meant accidental intimacy. Why did her mind jump straight to pregnancy?
Did that mean she had already subconsciously accepted that if they became intimate, she would inevitably get pregnant with his child?
Didn't that mean she was implicitly agreeing that if they were to have sex, she wouldn't even bother with basic precautions in front of Roland?
This...
Was this the kind of thought a mother should be having? Was this a thought an elder should have for their juniors.
It was utterly shameless!
What on earth was she thinking? She had just resolved to be reserved and tighten her boundaries, and this was how she was doing it?
Yukio repeatedly reminded herself that Roland was already her daughter's man. How could she harbor such thoughts about her own son-in-law? She had to restrain herself!
Despite these internal admonitions, Yukio showed no intention of letting go of Roland.
"Aunt Yukio, you should get some sleep first. I'll stay with you this time and make sure nothing happens," Roland said, unaware of the turmoil in her mind. If he had known, he would have done anything to fulfill her unspoken desires with best of his capabilities.
He could see that while some color had returned to her face, her mental exhaustion was still glaringly obvious.
After all, Yukio had been tormented by nightmares for over half a month, without a single night of restful sleep. Her mental state must be on the verge of collapse.
If this continued, she might die from exhaustion before the nightmares drove her mad.
Roland didn't want that to happen. Although he couldn't fundamentally solve Yukio's nightmare problem right now, he could at least offer her basic companionship and give her a way to property rest.
Hadn't Aunt Yukio said his voice could reach her dreams? If she had another nightmare, Roland could wake her up then.
"Alright, with you here, maybe we can try it," Yukio agreed. She wanted to see just how special Roland was to her and whether he could help ward off her nightmares, that was keeping her awake for so many days. She leaned comfortably against his shoulder. "Little Roland has really grown up. He can even make his Aunt Yukio feel safe now."
"Aunt Yukio you always takes such good care of me," Roland replied matter-of-factly. "If I couldn't even do this little thing for you, wouldn't I be betraying all the love you shown me?"
"You~ You always know just what Aunt Yukio wants to hear," Yukio said, deeply touched by his genuine words. "Well, this time, Aunt Yukio will indulge in a little... selfishness with you." With a sudden surge of strength, she easily pushed Roland onto the sofa.
Yukio nestled into Roland's arms, half her body draped over his, her hands clasped tightly around his waist.
With a touch of willful abandon, she draped one of her long, elegant legs across his body, perfectly capturing the image of a wife snuggling against her husband as she drifted off to sleep in their early married life.
However, what made both Yukio and Roland slightly awkward was...
The position of her leg seemed ill-chosen, as it was clearly resting against something quite firm and warm.
Yukio could clearly guessed what it was, and her beautiful face flushed slightly. This child has truly "grown up" now...
How unfortunate that even after growing up so well, he no longer belongs to me...sigh~
Perhaps driven by some unknown impulse or by her body own mind, Yukio didn't shift her leg from his crotch. Instead, she maintained her enamored expression and even couldn't resist a deliberate little rub from now and then.
They tacitly agreed to ignore the obvious, pretending nothing was amiss. Neither said a word to each other, both indulging each other's whims until sleep gradually claimed them both...