"When you do it, always keep the Dragon Scales active, like this." Kamila gently held his hands. "They will pass your honest feelings for Jormun and Valeron both. As you said, he's a smart boy. "It will be hard for him at first, but I'm sure he's also strong enough to make peace with it." "Are you sure?" Lith asked. "Yes." Kamila replied. "Not only because he can see your sincerity via the Dragon Scales and the mind link, but also because he'll have me. He'll have Elysia, Sal- I mean, Grandma, and Grandpa. He can ask them to tell him the truth, and they will." "Fuck me sideways. He'll lose two fathers in one day and discover that his mother was a monster." Lith clenched his teeth at the thought. "He'll lose one father, but not because Jormun gave up on him." Kamila corrected Lith. "The other will still be there, waiting for him. And Valeron will still have a mother, me, and at least two siblings." She caressed her womb. "You didn't let Ezio define you. I'm sure Valeron will be just as strong. Also, don't forget that, compared to your Earth sperm donor, Thrud was a saint. At least she loved her son and fought to her last breath to protect him. "Never let him forget that. Thrud was your enemy, not Valeron's." "Thanks, Kami." Lith sighed, realizing there was no painless solution. He could only do his best as Valeron's father and cross his fingers when push came to shove. "What about the Camellia?" "Again, he's a smart boy." Kamila gave him a soft, loving smile. "Craft his branch of the Camellia and give it to him. Let Valeron choose what he wants. If he attaches it to the Camellia, hug him tight. If he doesn't, hug him tighter. "Valeron must know that by choosing a father, he's not giving up on the other." "Thanks, Kami." Lith stood up, walking to her seat to hug her from behind. "Have I ever told you that you are a genius?" "Yes, but not today." She said while giving him a soft kiss. "And not often enough. Now that we kicked the elephant out of the room, we should start thinking about what to have for lunch." "Didn't we just eat lunch?" Lith stared at the picked-clean bones of the two rotisserie chickens on her plate. "We had one, sure, but I'm talking about second lunch." "Is there a third lunch as well?" Lith was flabbergasted. "No, just ice cream snack time between second lunch and tea time." She giggled. "Fine, I'll go buy the groceries for second lunch." Lith needed sheer willpower not to roll his eyes and ooze sarcasm when saying "second". "Don't forget the ingredients for the ice cream." She stood up, yawning. "There's no point going for groceries twice." "Thanks for the advice." Lith grunted. "Are you coming with me?" "No, all these emotions also made me sleepy. I need a nap. Wake me up when you are done cooking." She pushed the crib into the bedroom without leaving the flabbergasted Lith the time to realize what had just happened. *** The second lunch, the ice cream snack, and tea time passed uneventfully. Between meals, Lith and Kamila toured Belius with the kids, who divided their time evenly between exploring, napping, and bickering. Elysia pushed Valeron to be bolder, Valeron warned Elysia to be more careful, and their parents had to shadow them both. Elysia was the one who would try to sneak away from the stroller but Valeron followed her to protect her. When dinner time came, Lith was pleasantly tired and rethinking all of his life choices. "Remember the rules, kids." Lith sighed in exhaustion. "We are not at Grandma Elina's home. You must behave, or everyone will be mean to us. Okay?" Elysia and Valeron nodded, shapeshifting their onesies into comfortable but less casual baby clothes. "This is the Velorian." Kamila pointed at the restaurant's door. "Mommy and Daddy had their first date here, wearing these very clothes." She was wearing her lucky clothes, a light blue shirt and a black pencil skirt, while Lith wore a red shirt over white pants and black shoes. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮 Elysia and Valeron exchanged a worried look, gulping hard. They had no idea what any of that meant, so they held their small hands for courage and stiffened like they were going to war. "Magus Verhen, Lady Magus, I can't believe you are really back." Even the receptionist was the same. Xilo hadn't changed much since their last visit. His livery was new but had the same cut as the old one. His black hair had given more ground to his forehead and gained a few gray strands, but that was it. "And we're not alone." Kamila pointed at the stroller and the constipated-looking children it carried. "Elysia, Valeron, this is Xilo. Xilo, allow me to introduce you to our children. Elysia and Valeron." The plural made no sense to Xilo, just like Valeron's appearance. He looked nothing like the couple, and Xilo was certain Magus Verhen only had one kid. Yet professional pride made him swallow all his questions and smile. "Hello, young Magi. Welcome to the Velorian." Elysia gave the best curtsy she could while sitting, and Valeron gave the receptionist a bow with a flourish of his free hand. "Did they just…" Xilo went a bit pale, but his smile didn't fade. "They are very smart." Lith replied. "Can you show us to our table?" "But of course!" Xilo gave them a bow before turning around and leading the way. "This is our Magus Table. I hope you will enjoy it." It was just a corner table with plenty of space and privacy. The only notable changes were that it was more spaced from the others and, even though the design of the chairs and table matched the rest of the furniture of the Velorian, they were of higher quality. The stroller split and turned into raised chairs for babies, allowing Valeron and Elysia to look over the table. "We've changed as little as we could, to preserve your memories and give our VIPs the experience of dining as a Magus." Xilo handed them the menus and was flabbergasted when the kids extended their hands as well. "Can they read already?" "No, but give them a menu anyway." Lith chuckled as Elysia held the printed paper upside-down and Valeron turned it sideways. "What's this Magus Special?" Kamila asked, noticing there was no description below the name of the dish. "Something I taught the Velorian's cook when I went for groceries." Lith replied. "He also provided the ingredients." Xilo smiled. "It's been a huge hit." "Then we'll have roasted potatoes, assorted grilled vegetables, and meatballs as appetizers." Kamila nodded. "Then this Magus Special, a few assorted skewers, and a fillet steak." "To share?" Xilo asked. "No, one serving each." Kamila replied, almost making the receptionist's poker face crumble. "This will do for now. We can order the rest later." "The rest? I mean, drinks?" "Only water, thank you. We don't want to teach the kids bad habits." She pointed at the toddlers. 'Too late for that.' Xilo thought. "Excellent idea." He actually said. "The food will be served in a minute."