"Magus Menadion! It’s short- I mean, such an honor to meet you." The Baroness regretted her slip of the tongue, but the delicate, petite woman in front of her didn’t fit the legendary figure she had imagined at all. "I know." Menadion grunted. ’Why is everyone taller than me?’ She inwardly groaned. "Sergeant Verhen." Trion was shorter, less handsome, and far less impressive than Lith. The Baroness couldn’t find anything kind to say to him so she said nothing. "Baroness." He replied just as dryly. "And who’s this young lady? Why does she wear a costume in the middle of the summer?" She pointed at Onyx’s cat ears and tail. "It’s not a costume. I’m an Emperor Beasts. See?" She lifted her long, luscious hair, revealing the smooth skin on the sides of her head where her human ears were supposed to be. The Baroness tried to touch one of the cat ears but it bent sideways, dodging her fingers. "I see." She said right before fainting. "I told you we can’t half-ass our shapeshifting!" Abominus rebuked Onyx. "Humans are impressionable and you look creepy." "I’m not creepy!" Onyx countered, her long tail wiggling. "Aran says I’m pretty." "And you are!" Aran hugged her. "Isn’t it true Uncle Lith?" "She’s adorable and I dare anyone say otherwise." Lith said. ’I know that Aran loves Onyx no matter what form she takes but if he develops a soft spot for cat girls like some people back on Earth, Mom’s worries might not be so groundless after all.’ He inwardly added. "Don’t worry, young lady. My beloved Mirias faints easily. It’s none of your fault." The Baron was so used to making his wife faint with his social blunders that he always carried ammonia salts on himself to reanimate her. "Oh, gods. Did I make a fool of myself again?" She asked. "No, don’t worry, dear. It was a justifiable reaction." The Baron replied. Once the Baroness got up and was steady on her feet again, the introductions resumed from Abominus. "Nice to meet you, milady." He gave her a small bow and kept his eyes yellow with a vertical pupil to give her a clear indication of his nature. "Remarkable." She nodded after giving a curtsy in reply. "It’s almost indistinguishable from a human." "Magus Verhen is a Divine Beast, dear." Eiros wasn’t used to being the one clearing his throat in embarrassment to correct his spouse, and he found the experience unpleasant. "Oh, gods, how rude of me! I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to-" "It’s fine." Lith stopped Mirias before she could go hands and knees down on the ground. "Please, relax, Baroness Wyalon. You are among friends, not at the Royal Court. No one is judging you." "Thank you, thank you." Mirias sobbed, incapable of holding the joy she felt from someone of the stature of a Magus referring to her as a friend. "Please, call me Mirias or I’ll call you Supreme Magus Verhen." Stay connected through freewebnovel "Gods, no." Lith said with a smile. "That way it would take you a whole day just to finish one phrase, Mirias." The Baroness chuckled and smiled, glad she hadn’t made things awkward with her guests from day one. "We already know each other, Mirias." Kamila said. "But you haven’t been introduced to our crown jewel, the little Countess Verhen." She took Elysia from the stroller, holding the baby in her arms. Elysia was wearing a Phoenix onesie that Salaark had sewn for her and giggling in joy at her mother. "Beware though. She can smell when someone is afraid of her and is a real rascal." Kamila invited the Baroness to hold the baby. "Nonsense, Lady Verhen, she’s adorable." Mirias couldn’t see a shred of mischievousness in the pink, fluffy bundle that Elysia was as she took the little girl in her arms. "Six streaks. She truly is blessed by all the gods of magic." "Wa?" Elysia stared at the newcomer with interest, sniffing at the Baroness like a hunting dog on the prowl. "Is this normal?" Mirias asked. "Yes." Lith replied. "She-" "Waagh!" Elysia roared as she shapeshifted into her Tiamat form. The poor Baroness shrieked in fear and fainted again while keeping her arms extended and stiff to protect the baby girl from the fall. Elysia flapped free from the hold, giggling in amusement as she flew circles over her victim. "Bad Elysia!" The Baron grabbed the small Tiamat on the fly. "That’s not nice or funny. My wife may be a scaredy cat but she’s a gentle soul. She tried to make friends with you and that’s how you repay her?" "Ba!" Elysia scoffed, ignoring the hairy stranger and turning to her parents for support. What she found, instead, were reproachful scowls and clicking of tongues. "Ba?" Despite her age, she understood that if no one else found her joke funny, it was no joke at all. "So-y." Elysia gave the Baron an apologetic nod as she shapeshifted back into her human form, her round big eyes filled with regret. "Don’t say that to me, young lady." Eiros replied. "Apologize to my wife. If she forgives you, so will I." Lith and Kamila nodded but what made Elysia understand how deep the hole she had dug for herself was, was Raaz’s stern gaze. When even her grandparents glowered at her, Elysia knew she was in serious trouble. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦 "I’m so sorry, Lady Verhen." Mirias sniffled as she returned to her senses and was on the verge of tears from embarrassment. "I have no excuses for my behavior. You warned me and I knew Elysia could shapeshift. Please, believe me when I say that I was just surprised. "I have nothing against beasts, Divine or otherwise." "Don’t apologize. It’s not your fault, Mirias." Kamila said. "Elysia has been rude and unwelcoming. What do we say to our good friend Mirias, young lady?" "So-y." Elysia lowered her head and joined her hands as Kamila put the baby before the Baroness. "It speaks!" Mirias fainted again, making Eiros run to her side and Elysia burst into tears. "So-y! So-y!" She bawled, thinking she had done something wrong again but having no idea what. "Oh, gods." Kamila sighed. "Lith, use the Dragon scales or this will take us all day." Lith shapeshifted his hands and reassured Elysia it wasn’t her fault this time. "Still, this wouldn’t have happened had you behaved like a good girl from the start." He said. "Now our friend is a bundle of nerves and scares easily." More salts reanimated the Baroness and this time Eiros had her sit down and gave her a cup of strong tea spiked with alcohol. "And he is Valeron the Second." Lith put the baby boy in Mirias’ arms. "He’s handsome. He looks a lot like his father." She said while caressing his small hands, making Valeron giggle and puff his chest out with pride. He had prepared a whole routine to impress his hosts but after what happened with Elysia, Valeron kept his mouth shut and did his best impression of Surin. No one ever fainted around her and people always showered her with praise. "Thank you." Lith and Kamila exchanged a quick glance, not wanting to point out the boy was adopted and make things awkward again.