Chapter 42: 40. Can’t hold out anymore

There was a moment when Dorothy almost blurted out, "I choose option three," but in the end, she restrained herself.

After all, although this option seemed wonderful—not only could she gain freedom, but even snag a wealthy, beautiful, and strong Angel as a wife—it appeared to be a win-win from all perspectives. Upon further reflection, however, it seemed to be a trap.

In a traditional witch family, family status is highly valued. Typically, the father is the external manager and head of the household, responsible for providing for the family and making major decisions. Meanwhile, the mother is in charge of internal matters, dealing with domestic affairs and the education of the children.

This division of roles is determined before marriage and is not easily changed afterward.

However, such traditional witch families have become increasingly rare over the years. Many couples among the new generation of witches play by different rules. They consider the family views inherited from the human era of gender relations to be outdated and decaying, believing that both spouses should be equal. Why make such clear distinctions?

Hence, the roles of the father and mother should be equitable and can simply be taken in turns...

In terms of general rationality, Dorothy fully agreed with the equality views of these new-generation witches, but realistically, memories from her past life made it difficult for her to accept such a dynamic, as her family values leaned more towards traditional witch families.

However, the new generation of witches nowadays are all strong and independent, unwilling to submit to others. The traditional, sacrificing type of witch, willing to bear children and take care of the household, is hard to find.

Therefore, Dorothy was quite aware of the situation and had long been prepared for a life of solitude. Marriage and childbearing were never in her life plan.

She often mocked herself by saying that she herself was her own wife and that her body was the companion of her soul—this was indeed a case of genuine harmony between heart and desire.

In short, single life is cool for a moment, constantly single is forever cool.

So, even if someone like Sophia, with the looks of a pure white maiden, completely danced upon Dorothy’s type, even if the Angel Witch’s graceful figure could make her inadvertently covet someone else’s body, but...

I refuse.

After all, the most common method used by witches to determine family status is based on strength. As a warlike race, might is right, and whoever is stronger holds the higher family status.

Unless it’s one of those smooth talkers who can make their partner utterly devoted, willingly sacrificing themselves for you.

But is Dorothy that kind of smooth talker? Does she qualify?

She qualifies for shit.

Given the power gap between her and Sophia, if they really were to marry, could she hold her own against the other half who was just one step away from becoming a Great Witch?

Not a chance. She’d likely be defeated, stripped of her armor, toyed with, and end up being the one to stay home and raise kids.

Although, in truth, she wasn’t exactly averse to child-rearing and managing the household, her remnants of dignity from her previous life prevented her from easily bowing her head.

So, farewell.

I, Dorothy, would rather die poor or starve to death—even if it meant becoming cannon fodder on the frontline or being dragged back home to take over the damned family business—I absolutely refuse to be the submissive one.

This statement concerns my dignity; there’s no "true fragrance," just a serious face.

And another thing, Sophia, why are you just looking? Could you please say something? Euphilia is only your teacher, not your birth mother? And even if it’s your birth mother, you can’t agree with everything she says, right? Where is your independence as a new-generation witch? Decisions about your life should be made by yourself...

Dorothy looked expectantly at the Angel Witch beside her, hoping she would at least indicate her stance.

Instead, the pure white maiden turned her head, stared at Dorothy earnestly for a while, then frowned as if showing some disgust, but eventually, she nodded her head.

"Teacher, although I feel I may not get along well with the young mistress, if it’s your command, I have no objections and am willing to comply," she said.

Dorothy: "..."

At that moment, she felt completely numb. How could this useless Angel not have a single independent thought? Surely, you can’t be one of those ultra-rare traditional witches, even more uncommon than a giant panda.

Thus, in the end, she could do nothing but make her choice with a heavy heart.

"Two, I choose two."

Although Dorothy wasn’t particularly fond of her biological mother’s cold notion of equivalent exchange when thinking about human emotions, once she used logic to suppress her sensibility, she surprisingly discovered that this concept was quite to her taste.

The discomfort in human interactions often stems from this inequality in relationships. As the saying goes, "one who receives a person’s money becomes subordinate to them." Once there is a debt or monetary disparity between two parties, equal communication becomes difficult.

The challenge of interpersonal relationships often lies in this fact. In contrast, the straightforward thinking of quid pro quo transactions is more comfortable. It is for this reason that many prefer dealing with clients over interacting with their own relatives.

However, when dealing with close relationships, people often dislike these direct transactions, as they may seem callous and indifferent, not intimate enough, hence the concept of human sentiment and social etiquette.

But debts of money are easy to repay; debts of gratitude are not.

From the perspective of human sentiment, Euphilia, as a mother, undoubtedly owed a debt of gratitude to Dorothy. She had given Dorothy life and brought her into this world. Such a profound debt could never be repaid.

After all, could Dorothy replicate Nezha by dismembering herself to repay her parents?

Besides, Euphilia never intended to harm Dorothy; she just wanted an heir. The opportunity to inherit the legacy of the Dragon Witch was something many yearned for but couldn’t obtain. How could this be considered harm?

The path Euphilia had planned for her was recognized by most witches as the road to success, leading to the pinnacle of life.

But unfortunately, people have their own aspirations.

It’s often said, "Dragons beget dragons, and phoenixes beget phoenixes, but the offspring of a mouse will dig holes." However, this saying is often incorrect. It’s not uncommon for the son of a tiger to turn out to be more like a dog. Therefore, it’s possible for a Great Dragon to give birth to a salted fish, and a strong woman like Euphilia just happened to have Dorothy, who was like a salted fish.

What parents think is good, the children may not agree with, and generational conflicts in families often originate from such clashes in perspectives.

Dorothy yearned to control her own life, but how could she repay her mother’s kindness of giving birth to her before that?

Some might argue that it’s only natural for parents to have children, that they wanted to have them, and that the children don’t owe anyone anything. But Dorothy found it hard to agree with this view.

She had previously thought that her mother had abandoned her, so she could naturally assume she didn’t have a mother. But now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up, she simply couldn’t ignore Euphilia’s opinion.

A life without parental blessings is hard to be truly happy, even if one doesn’t say so, a sense of regret lingers in the heart.

Dorothy herself didn’t know how to deal with this mess; she couldn’t make the choice herself. This kind of thing, like parental pressure to marry, is hard to judge as to who is right or wrong. Everyone has their reasons, but now Euphilia had given her the choice, allowing her a way out.

She said her life motto was equivalent exchange, but was it really just that?

Looking up at Euphilia, who was pretending to be indifferent and authoritative, Dorothy’s feelings were complicated. After thinking for a moment, she ultimately chose not to expose her mother’s façade.

"Two, I choose two, fifty years then fifty years, Mom, I won’t disappoint you."

Dorothy said this willingly.

However, the Dragon Witch began to feel uncomfortable.

"Hehe, you are brave. With that lazy demeanor, trying to oppose me after fifty years is absolutely impossible. You’ll see, sooner or later you’ll obediently come home with me. Consider it a 50-year vacation I’ve given you."

At her daughter’s changed address, Euphilia’s eyes widened, a feeling she had never experienced before surged in her heart, leaving the Peak Witch momentarily at a loss, barely holding back a smile, almost unable to keep it in.

Fortunately, her unparalleled martial skills allowed her complete control over her body, and she managed to keep a straight face, stubbornly sticking to her usual demeanor.

Tsk, but she always felt like her daughter had seen right through her.

How could that be possible? The child was only 16 years old; she had consumed more salt than her daughter had eaten bread. How could she possibly see through me? Illusions, all illusions.

The Dragon Witch comforted herself this way.