Monster Harem In The Tower-Chapter 265: Motherfather

Two soft white shapes emerged further from behind the sofa.

Not objects.

Hair.

The tips of white hair stood up at strange angles, like fake ears—twitching slowly, as if sniffing the air.

Lilia froze.

Her heart slammed wildly in her chest.

Then—

a pair of eyes appeared.

Is that a head? she thought.

The next second, the entire face rose into view.

A small child.

Messy white hair. Eyes glittering unnaturally. And the lips—

stretching into a wide smile.

"Hehe."

The small voice came out light. Cheerful. Completely out of place.

"AAAAAAAA—!"

Lilia screamed on reflex.

The child immediately stood up—too fast—then turned and *ran*.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Small footsteps slapped against the floor, heading for the stairs.

"W-wait—!"

Lilia swallowed hard. Her hands shook as she pushed herself up, her breathing short and uneven. Her mind still hadn’t caught up with what had just happened.

A child?

At this hour?

How did they get in?

She stared at the dark staircase.

Silent.

"Whose kid..." she murmured softly.

She tightened her grip on her phone, its screen glowing dimly. After hesitating for a fraction of a second, she stepped forward.

Slowly.

Each stair creaked softly under her weight.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Lilia stopped halfway up the stairs.

From above—

a suppressed giggle echoed.

"Hehe... hehe..."

Not the sound of fear.

Not the sound of someone hiding.

More like... waiting.

"Who are you...?" Lilia’s voice barely came out.

No answer.

Then—a small shadow flashed across the far end of the upstairs hallway.

Fast. White.

It slipped into one of the rooms.

Click.

The door closed.

Lilia stood stiff.

Her chest rose and fell rapidly. Her ears rang. Every instinct screamed at her to turn back and run out of the house—right now.

But her feet kept moving.

One step.

Two steps.

The upstairs hallway was dark. The lights were off. Only her phone’s glow illuminated the wooden floor and the closed doors lining the corridor.

She stopped in front of the door that had just closed.

Silence.

Too silent.

Lilia raised her hand—hesitant—then touched the doorknob.

Cold.

"H-Hey..." she said softly. "Did you... get lost?"

No answer.

She took a breath, then—

Click.

The door opened.

An empty room.

The bed neatly made. The window closed. The wardrobe slightly ajar—empty.

"...Huh?"

"Here~"

The voice came from right behind the door.

"Hehe."

Lilia turned with a stifled scream—

And the child’s face was right there, smiling wide as if it had never meant to scare anyone at all.

"Found you~ Heheh...."

Startled, Lilia bolted, scrambling to find the light switch for the room. Despite her fear, she forced herself to move—this was the house she had lived in since she was a child.

She had never seen anything frightening here in her entire life.

Click.

The bedroom light turned on.

White light immediately chased away the darkness.

The small child—the same kid from earlier—started hopping in place, giggling, not scary at all now.

"Hehe!"

Lilia let out a long breath, her shoulders dropping at once.

"...Hah. Thank God."

Her heart was still pounding, but this time from relief.

"Hey... hey..." she said, raising a hand in a calming gesture. "Who are you?"

The child stopped jumping.

"I’m Ruby!" she said cheerfully.

Lilia rubbed her face briefly.

"Ruby... okay." She took another breath. "How did you get in here?"

Ruby suddenly went quiet.

Her head lowered. Her shoulders trembled slightly.

Lilia tensed on instinct.

"Huh...?"

Ruby gently rubbed her eyes.

"I want to see Papa..."

Her voice was small. Almost crying.

Lilia fell silent for a moment.

Her tone softened.

"O-oh... Papa?" she said quietly. "This isn’t your papa’s house, Ruby."

She crouched down to meet the child’s eyes.

Ruby lifted her head.

"This is Papa’s house," she said confidently. "You’re Girlie Papa."

"...Huh?"

Lilia let out an awkward chuckle.

"Hehe... what are you talking about." She patted Ruby’s head. "Cutie, I don’t really understand, but your parents must be looking for—"

Her hand brushed against something strange.

Soft. Warm.

And moving.

Lilia instinctively stepped back half a step.

"...What—is that alive?"

Ruby laughed instead.

"Girlie Papa, what are you saying?" she said casually. "Of course it is. These are Ruby’s ears."

"E-ears...?"

A pair of white rabbit ears stood on top of Ruby’s head, twitching gently.

Lilia stared blankly.

"Okay... I’m definitely still half-panicking," she muttered.

Ruby suddenly turned toward the small table in the room. A framed family photo sat there.

She walked over, picked it up, and pointed at it with her small finger.

"This is Papa."

Lilia looked over as well.

"...Nathan?"

She swallowed.

"Nathan... is your father?"

"UN!" Ruby nodded firmly.

Then her finger shifted, pointing at the other figure in the photo—A mature woman standing beside Nathan.

"And she is the Motherfather," Ruby said.

Lilia frowned.

"...Huh?"

----

A few minutes before all of that happened—

Ruby was rolling around inside the Tower, on top of green grass.

"Papa..." she murmured softly.

She hugged her knees, her rabbit ears drooping limply.

Her body felt itchy.

Ruby raised her hand and—without realizing it—scratched the air.

Srttt—

The air split open.

A thin black slit appeared, like a tear carved into the fabric of reality. Beyond it were light. Color. A place completely different from the Tower.

Ruby stopped moving.

Her eyes widened.

"...Huh?"

She moved closer, pulled the sides of the slit apart, and peeked inside. A strange scent. Warm air. And something that felt... familiar.

A strange place...

But...

"Can I meet Papa?"

Ruby turned her head and let out a small shout.

"Mamaaa~!"

A large shadow appeared behind her. A tall figure with a heavy presence—Domina.

Ruby ran up to her.

"Where is Papa?"

Domina looked down, her gaze calm.

"Papa is at his home," she replied flatly. "He’s resting. Maybe."

Ruby’s eyes immediately lit up.

"Papa’s home...?"

She turned back toward the black slit.

Domina did not know that the black slit had appeared there.

Ruby clenched her small hand.

"Papa home... Papa home..."

She scratched the air again.

SRRTTT—

The slit widened.

She stuck her head inside and heard—

"FAAAAAHHH—"

Ruby jolted, her ears snapping upright.

"...Loud," she muttered.

She hesitated for a fraction of a second.

Then she smiled softly.

"I want to meet Papa."

Without a second thought, Ruby stepped into the black slit.

And the slit sealed shut behind her.