No matter who you are or how you were raised, everyone has that one single memory from their childhood.
The moment that you got caught doing something you weren't supposed to be doing by a parent or guardian, and in the brief moment that they stared at you before speaking, you knew a fear like no other.
Gabbrielle Tathamet was experiencing that moment right now.
Her father and newest mother were standing right above her signing table and staring down at her, causing her heart to temporarily stop.
'M-Maybe they don't know that it's me…'
In her disguise, she forced a smile onto her face. "E-Emperor, Empress…! To what do I owe this hon-"
"You know you cannot hide from me, daughter."
"…It was worth a try."
"Change back, please."
The blonde-haired, pale skinned dragon woman with glowing green eyes looked around the store.
After seeing that it was relatively empty, the young woman changed into a much younger, more charming, red-eyed dragon princess.
She pulled off her phony glasses and looked up at her father with the closest thing to a pitiful expression that she was capable of making.
"Am I… in trouble..?"
If she was before, she certainly wasn't now.
Maker of dragons or not, her father could barely find it in himself to be mad with his sons, much less his daughters.
Abaddon's relatively blank expression softened considerably and he pulled up a chair beside Gabbrielle, and Erica did the same.
"No… but I do believe I'm owed an explanation for this."
Out of all of Abaddon's children, Gabbrielle was the only one who was completely aesexual.
She had no sexual interest in men, women, humans, dragons, or anything else in between.
Even though she was part succubus by her father's heritage, her disinterest had always been something that had never changed no matter how much time had gone by.
She liked people just fine, and was capable of love and happiness, but when it came to sex, the very idea of touching someone else in that manner seemed to repulse her.
But apparently she knew enough about it to at least write the scenarios perfectly.
"I just… started because I was bored." She finally admitted.
Gabbrielle began writing several months ago before Luxuria was destroyed.
Her inspiration came from when she accidentally wandered towards the back section of their home library, where Lailah kept all of her dirty books.
…It didn't seem like a bad idea to her at the time!
None of her family were book nerds back then, so hardly anyone else went in there but her!
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAnyway, Gabrielle cleared her way through Lailah's entire dirty book collection in a week and a half.
With nothing else similar to read, Gabbrielle created a of her own.
Just to see if she could do it.
She disguised herself with magic and went to a publisher in the demon city with her manuscript.
Where the doujin Abaddon introduced were a hit with men, these romance s really set women's imaginations on fire.
Before Abaddon's people evolved past capitalism and the concept of material wealth, she had wracked up quite a bit of money that was independent from her allowance as the third princess of a Demon Lord.
Though she didn't exactly know what to do with money, so she usually just ended up giving around 30% to families who weren't as well off as hers, and keeping the rest in a storage ring in her nightstand.
"I am sorry for not telling you about my work… I was embarrassed." She admitted.
Abaddon and Erica both wrapped their arms around her and held the young girl in their embrace and she stopped shaking immediately."You don't need to be embarrassed about this, my dear. I'm just happy that you found a wonderful talent that has earned you a fame and notoriety all your own." Abaddon said honestly.
"Really..? You don't care that it's smut..?"
"Well, I do wish you found an interest in children's books..."
"Father!"
"Joking, joking!" Abaddon laughed.
Gabbrielle didn't seem to find it funny, and she headbutted him hard in the sternum.
Erica finally mustered up the courage and tried to make herself say something motherly.
Without exception, the part about marrying Abaddon that his new wives seem to find the hardest was establishing a normal repertoire with his children.
Even if the marks they bare link them to the children by blood, that doesn't give them an instant bond.
Things like that are built, not fabricated.
"I-I umm.. I enjoyed your book quite a bit, Gabbrielle. I could feel the love and care that you put into it flowing off of every page. I've read it six different times and am anxiously awaiting book two!" she said honestly.
Gabbrielle's blush intensified as she became somewhat small and meek.
"If I asked you to stop reading it because I was too shy… would you?"
"Nope!"
Gabbrielle couldn't explain why, but her new mother's honest refusal made her smile just a bit.
She released her father momentarily to reach behind her and grab the leather backpack hanging off her chair.
Opening up the flaps, she pulled out a thick stack of papers all bound together.
Almost immediately, the bewitching phoenix woman lost all of her cool.
"I-I-I-Is that..?"
"It won't be published until next month. I hope that you will not find it lackluster compared to its predecessor."
"T-There's no way I would do that!"
Erica gave her daughter such a tight hug that she nearly cracked all of her bones inside.
She plastered her cheek in kisses before she cracked open the manuscript and became immersed in the world that her daughter had created.
Meanwhile, Gabbrielle picked up a copy of her firstbook and handed it to her father, after much internal deliberation.
"Do you think that... You and mother would also like to read it..?" (Seras)
Abaddon smiled gratefully and accepted it gratefully. "I'm sure she will. Let's go find her and give this to her, hm?"
-
Several hours later, the night had fallen over Apollonir and the festival was at it's brightest, boldest, and raunchiest.
The streets were jammed packed with bodies and the sound of music, and everyone was dancing, drinking, or gyrating in some form or fashion.
That is, except for Abaddon, Seras, and Erica, who had been parked right at a picnic table for the past couple of hours, their noses in books and their focus in their own little world.
*Gasp!* "No..."Erica muttered in horror.
""What?!" Abaddon and Erica asked in horror.
"I-I can't tell you, you're not far enough yet!"
"It's okay, we're fine being spoiled!" Seras reminded.
Abaddon nodded his head furiously in agreement.
""What?!" Abaddon and Erica asked in horror.
"I-I can't tell you, you're not far enough yet!"
"It's too important to the plot! You guys haven't even gotten to the fourway with the head maid and knight commander yet- Oop!" Erica's eyes went wide as she involuntarily covered her mouth.
But it was too late, and Abaddon and Seras' worlds were forever changed.
""THEY HAD A FOURSOME WITH BLAIR AND CYRUS!?""
"S-Shut up and read! No more spoilers from me!"
"You know we can just read your mind, right?" Abaddon reminded.
"Do it and I won't be having sex with you for a month!"
Abaddon and Seras both gave Erica a look that screamed 'Be serious.'
"...A-Alright, but still don't peek and just read it for yourselves when the time comes!"
Abaddon and Erica didn't say anything further, and returned their noses back into their s.
Gabbrielle was sitting across from them, a large smile on her face that she had never displayed before.
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmShe had never imagined that having her parents read her work would feel so fulfilling and cathartic.
The idea that they were just playing up their interest because she was their child had never crossed her mind for even a moment.
She could tell that they were truly enthralled by her work.
As she sipped her iced coffee comfortably, she saw a few faces that she felt could have made this even better.
"Grandmothers! Grandfathers!"
Walking together in a group were Abaddon's parents, Imani, Yara, and Asmodeus, along with Seras' parents, Hajun and Kirina.
Once they saw one of their precious grand babies, four of the grandparents swarmed her and nearly suffocated her out of existence.
Kirina: "My sweet baby!"
Hajun: "How is it that she becomes more beautiful with every new day?"
Yara: "Easy, she inherited all of her looks from me!"
Only Asmodeus seemed to be a bit standoff-ish, likely due to the fact that he saw his son sitting at the table.
He and Abaddon made eye contact for a brief moment before the dragon sighed and put his book down.
"I'll be right back, girls... Seras, don't read ahead without me."
"...Fine." the war goddess put the book down, but she didn't look happy about it.
Abaddon kissed both his wives on the cheek before he stood up from the picnic table and he and his father walked towards an isolated place to talk.
Seras watched them leave, and tilted her head with a curious eye.
"What's that all about..?"
"Ah... father son stuff, I knew they'd work it out." Erica replied absentmindedly.
Seras nodded in mild understanding as she watched Abaddon and Asmodeus' backs disappear, silently wishing them a peaceful resolution to whatever was going on.
"Oh, I almost forgot, Pooki Snookems!" Hajun suddenly said.
"Eh?"
Seras received the biggest shock of her life as she watched her father take her mother's hand while the two of them blushed bashfully.
"We're.. getting back together."
"..."
"...Dear?"
*Thunk!*"
"Vovin's horns, she fainted!"
"Mother!"
"Help her up, quick!"