"Deal." Haug sighed. "This is the least romantic kiss I’ve ever gotten. When I tell this story at the Tavern, I’ll say you were in your human form." "Don’t you dare!" Dryna said, half giggling and half crying." *** Ernas Region, Ernas Household, a few days later. Jirni was reviewing her plans and checking on the improvements of the house’s array field when a sudden pang derailed her train of thought. "Tell Vastor to come here, now!" She yelled at her personal maid. "Did your water just break?" Dyta, Jirni’s cousin asked while watching a stain bloom on the bedsheets. "No, I want to discuss hydraulic pumps with him in person. Of course my water broke." Jirni gritted her teeth in pain. "Call everyone. After making us wait for so long, this little rascal seems to be in a rush to come out." Dyta already had her communication amulet in hand, alerting all the friends and family members involved in Jirni’s plans with a conference call. Giving birth was one of the moments when Jirni was at her weakest. Her mind was clouded by worry and pain and her body couldn’t react to an attack even if it came at her in slow motion. Her full focus was devoted to make sure that the contractions of her powerful body wouldn’t harm the frail little life she was birthing. Jirni couldn’t allow herself any distraction, let alone controlling the powerful arrays that defended the Ernas Mansion. ’Dammit, it should take hours for the contractions to reach this point.’ She inwardly cursed. ’This is the perfect moment for the Gernoffs to attack. The attention of the whole household is on me and no one is overseeing the arrays. ’In their shoes, I would wait for the moment the baby comes out to strike. The mother is too exhausted to fight, the father is too worried about her and the child to think clearly, and while the guards celebrate the newborn, an elephant could enter unnoticed!’ Jirni was being way too harsh with the Ernas soldiers and the Myrok staff that protected her house. They were all elite soldiers capable of keeping a calm mind under any circumstance, yet they were against the Gernoffs, and every single enemy was an Awakened. The slightest distraction was enough for an opponent of such a caliber to slip past the guards. Even an elephant, if it had been trained and Awakened by the Gernoffs, would get inside. "Where is Orion?" Jirni yelled as Dripha’s head emerged. "Where is everyone?" She felt betrayed by her own body. Jirni had never given birth so quickly and all her meticulous plans were now ruined because of it. She was the only Awakened in the house and there was no one capable of holding the fort. "Mom, what the heck!" Quylla rushed in front of Jirni’s bed just to see the newborn halfway through the finishing line. "If I weren’t already coming here, I would have never made it in time." "Language!" Jirni gritted her teeth. "These are the first words your little sister is going to hear. Make them count." "Great Mother almighty!" Orion arrived second because he never strayed much farther away from his wife. "I went to the bathroom for one minute and this happens?" "I’m doing fine. Glad you asked!" Jirni’s tone managed to make it sound like a streak of swear words. "I’m sorry, dear, you…" Orion looked down the line to understand what kind of encouragement Jirni needed. "Are almost done. One more push!" "Thanks for your wise advice, dear. To think that I was about to take a nap!" She replied with a hate-filled snarl. "I was too far to hear what you said, Mom, but judging from the tone it was uncalled for!" Friya walked through the door next. "Guard the perimeter, now!" Jirni yelled. "No way." Orion held her hand and Jirni squeezed it with all her strength. "I’m not leaving you alone." "I was talking to her!" Jirni pointed at Friya. Your journey continues at freewebnovel "I’m not leaving you alone either, Mom." Friya said. Jirni was about to say something very rude when suddenly the pain dulled and she felt about 3.2 kilograms (7 pounds) lighter. A desperate cry filled the air, proving that Dripha’s lungs worked to perfection. "You did it, Mom." Quylla held the baby while Orion cut the umbilical cord. "It’s over." ’No, it has just begun.’ Jirni thought amid pants, trying to catch her breath enough to use Invigoration. "Thank the gods." She actually said. "Give her to me." Orion washed and cleaned the baby with chore spells while Quylla cleansed the bed and healed her mother. "Gods, she’s beautiful." Orion wrapped the baby in a dry, warm cloth while Dripha did her best to burst his eardrums. "I’ll be the judge of that." Jirni grunted, taking the baby in her arms while relief washed over her body. "Nine months of wait, all this pain, and she’s identical to her father." The moment she was in her mother’s arms, the baby stopped crying. Dripha had light chestnut eyes and a head of thin brown hair. There was not a single hint of Jirni’s blue eyes or golden hair. "She’s perfect." Jirni’s eyes welled with tears as she checked Dripha with Invigoration and found nothing wrong with her. "Congratulations, Jirni!" Kamila rushed into the room. "And I thought Elysia’s birth was quick. I Warped here as soon as I received the call and it’s already over." "Where’s Lith?" Jirni panted. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 Kamila was a good protection, but the Gernoffs were too smart to harm her and the Guardians wouldn’t move a finger unless the baby inside her was in real danger. "You caught him in the middle of an experiment." Kamila shrugged apologetically. "He’ll come here in a minute. Just the time to wrap things up." "Congratulations, Jirni. She’s beautiful." That warm voice filled Jirni with dread, freezing her in place. "Zogar is going to be here soon. He was in the middle of a class when he got the call." "What are you doing here, Zinya?" Jirni asked. "I was worried for you." Zinya sounded offended by the cold reception. "Can’t I celebrate a joyous event with my friends?" "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that, it’s just-" "Can we come in?" A small voice from the outside confirmed Jirni’s worst fears and cut her short. "Of course." Quylla gave the all-clear and Filia and Frey entered the room. ’No! Gods, no!’ Jirni thought. ’Kamila is fine. She knows about my situation and Lith sent her to me. Zinya, instead, has no idea what kind of mess she’s just walked into. If something happens to her while Zinya is here, Vastor might think it’s one of my schemes. ’That I manipulated her to come here to exploit the protection of his Eldritches. I can’t afford to anger Vastor and compromise the feeble trust between us. If I lose him, I lose my most powerful ally!’ "Congratulations, Aunt Jirni." Frey looked at the baby who returned the gaze with a curious expression. "Can I hold Dripha?" "Get in line, young man." Quylla mock snorted. "I’ve waited nine months for this moment." "Where’s your… dog?" Jirni asked while handing the baby to Quylla. "Outside." Filia said. "Playing with his friends."