Baby System: I'm the Beast World's Only Hope!-Chapter 237: Episode 236: Recording Years

Roxy froze, a chicken bone halfway to her plate.

Her plan?

Her plan was to wait twenty days, steal the Key, which was currently drooling in a stroller, open the Treasury Gate, and vanish into the ether, leaving him alone with a broken heart and a single-parent household.

She couldn’t say that.

But she couldn’t lie, either. Not completely. Not after the intimacy of the birth and the shared meal.

Roxy set the bone down. She wiped her hands on a napkin, stalling for time.

"My plan," she started, her voice steady despite the frantic drumming of her heart, "is to make sure he survives."

She gestured to Zale, who was fast asleep, his tiny chest rising and falling under the purple silk.

"He has legs, Caspian," Roxy said softly. "The court will hate him for it. They will call him a mutant. They will say he is weak because he cannot swim the currents like a true Mer."

She looked up at Caspian, channeling every ounce of her protective mother-bear energy to mask her guilt.

"My plan is to make sure he knows exactly who he is before the world tries to tell him otherwise. I am going to make him strong. Strong enough to walk on land, and strong enough to rule the sea."

It was the perfect deflection. It was true, it was noble, and it completely sidestepped the part where she wasn’t going to be there to see it happen.

Caspian stared at her. The suspicion in his eyes melted away, replaced by a fierce, burning pride.

"You are a warrior," he whispered, reaching across the table to squeeze her hand. "You think of his battles before he can even lift a sword. You are a true Queen."

He stood up, wincing slightly as his bandaged side stretched.

"I must return to the War Room," Caspian said regretfully. "The Leviathan carcass must be harvested before the scavengers come, and the council demands a report on the heir’s... condition. I will silence the whispers before they start."

"Go," Roxy said, forcing a smile. "Handle the council. I’ve got the baby."

Caspian leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Rest, my Pearl. You have earned it."

He swam out of the nursery, leaving Roxy alone in the silence of the Pearl Wing. The moment the doors clicked shut, Roxy’s smile dropped like a stone.

She slumped against the coral table, burying her face in her hands. The remains of the feast, the steak bone, the empty wine bottle, suddenly looked grotesque. A last meal for a condemned woman.

"I can’t just leave him," she whispered to the empty room. "I can’t just disappear and let him think I abandoned him because I didn’t love him." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

She looked at Zale. He would grow up hearing stories about the "Runaway Queen." He would wonder why his mother chose the surface over him. He would hate her.

"No," Roxy hissed, sitting up. "He won’t hate me. Because I’m going to tell him. I’m going to tell him everything."

The blue window flickered.

[What now? Do you want more wine?]

"No," Roxy snapped. "I need the camera. The Aether-Lens. The one I bought."

[Retrieving Item...]

A shimmer of blue light, and the heavy, crystal-lens device appeared in her hands. It was sleek, and cool to the touch.

"And I need a journal," Roxy added. "Waterproof paper. Indestructible ink. Something that will last a hundred years."

[Item: "The Chronicle Slate" added to inventory. Cost: 500 LP.]

A thick, leather-bound book with pages made of thin, flexible pearl-sheet materialized on the table.

Roxy pushed the food away. She set up the camera on a stack of coral books, pointing the lens at herself.

She took a deep breath. She smoothed her hair. "Record," she commanded.

The crystal lens glowed soft blue.

"Hey, Zale," Roxy said, waving at the lens. Her voice shook, so she cleared her throat and tried again. "Hey, little guy. It’s Mom."

She paused, the weight of the words choking her.

"If you’re watching this," she continued, forcing a bright, cheerful tone, "it means I’m not there. It means... well, it means life got complicated. But I need you to know something. I didn’t leave because of you. I left because I had to save myself. And because I knew your Dad would be the best father in the universe."

She spent the next hour recording.

She recorded a message for his first birthday. She sang "Happy Birthday" off-key, clapping her hands and pretending to blow out candles.

She recorded a message for his fifth birthday.

"Okay, by now you probably realized you have legs and everyone else has tails," Roxy said to the camera, leaning in conspiratorially. "Don’t let the other mer-kids bully you. Your legs are awesome. They mean you can run. They mean you can dance. If anyone makes fun of you, kick them. Seriously. Aim for the gills. Mama approves."

She recorded a message for his tenth birthday.

She pulled the "Chronicle Slate" over and started writing. She wrote down the recipe for the buffalo steak. She wrote down the recipe for the spicy seafood stew. She wrote down the lullabies from Earth "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and "You Are My Sunshine."

"Eat this," she told the camera, holding up the recipe page. "Make your dad cook this for you. Don’t let him feed you raw squid your whole life. You have a refined palate, Zale. Demand for something. I am sure grandmother would indulge you."

Then, she got to the hard part.

"Video Entry 18," Roxy whispered. "Coming of Age."

She stared at the lens. She imagined Zale as a young man. Eighteen years old. Tall, probably handsome like Caspian, with those striking eyes. He might be falling in love.

"Hey, Zale," Roxy whispered. "You’re a man now."

The tears started falling. She couldn’t stop them this time.

"I missed it," she sobbed, covering her mouth. "I missed your first steps. I missed your first words. I missed your graduation. I am so, so sorry."

She wiped at her face furiously.

"But I need you to know... I watched you. In my heart, I watched you every day. I’m so proud of you. You are the bridge between the land and the sea. You are the best thing I ever did."

She took a shuddering breath.

"If you meet someone... a girl, a boy, a mermaid, a human... treat them like they are the most precious thing in the world. Don’t be like the old kings. Be kind. Be like your father."

She reached out and touched the lens, as if she could touch the face of the son she wouldn’t see grow up.

"I love you, Zale. To the surface and back. Forever."

"Cut," she whispered.

The blue light faded.

Roxy sat in the silence, her chest heaving. She felt hollowed out. She had just lived eighteen years of grief in two hours.

She took the crystal memory card out of the camera. She placed it inside the "Chronicle Slate" book.

She wrapped the book in a piece of purple silk from birth.

"Hide this," she told the System. "Put it in my inventory. When I leave... I’ll leave it in his crib. Under the mattress. Where Caspian will find it."

[Item Stored.]

Roxy felt lighter, but also infinitely sadder. The task was done. The goodbye was recorded. Now all that was left was the waiting.

She stood up and swam over to the stroller.

Zale was awake again. He was chewing on his fist, staring up at the bioluminescent mobile with wide, curious eyes.

When he saw Roxy, he kicked his little legs and made a grabby motion with his hands.

"You want out?" Roxy cooed.

She unbuckled the silk straps. She lifted him out of the stroller and pulled him against her chest. He felt warm and solid. His heartbeat fluttered against hers, a rapid, strong rhythm.

She swam over to the massive clam bed and lay down, settling him on her chest.

He wriggled until he was comfortable, his head tucked under her chin, his tiny hand gripping a lock of her hair.

"You’re stuck with me for 5 more days, kid," Roxy whispered, stroking his back. "I’m going to annoy you so much. I’m going to kiss your cheeks until they fall off. I’m going to sing until your ears bleed."

Zale yawned, a wide, pink cavern of a mouth, and snuggled closer.

Roxy looked at the ceiling of the Pearl Wing. Everything didn’t matter right now.

Right now, she was just a mom holding her baby.

She shifted slightly so she could look him in the face. He blinked his mismatched eyes at her, looking wise beyond his hours.

Roxy leaned down. She pressed her nose gently against his tiny, button nose.

Zale crossed his eyes, trying to focus on her, and let out a soft, sleepy sigh.

Roxy smiled, though fresh tears leaked from the corners of her eyes and floated into the water.

"Mama is gonna meet you again," she whispered fiercely into the quiet room. "I promise."

A/N: Had to release only one Chapter today, because I clocked in sick :3 But I will be stronger before you know it!