Chapter 4078: Surprised Guest (Part 1) "Besides, there’s two reasons my children can’t use dimensional magic that easily." Morok said after thanking Jirni and Orion for their care. "First, dimensional magic requires a powerful core, and my twins are not even Awakened." He said, and everyone nodded for him to continue. "Second, that’s Friya’s thing. It’s her twins you should be worried about." Everyone turned to look at Friya in suspicion, keeping their eyes on her face for a couple of seconds before staring at her womb. "This is ridiculous. How can you take him seriously?" Friya said. "There’s no way something like that will ever happen." "See, Kami?" Lith said. "That’s how you jinx something properly. You challenge Mogar by telling them what they can and cannot do." *** Quylla had a good laugh when she woke up and heard about the flying twins’ accident. When she heard about Friya’s claims, not so much. "Way to jinx it, sis." She sighed. "As for you rascals, who had the brilliant idea to leave your mother’s side?" Orikan and Jirya had no idea what she was saying, but they had heard their mother arguing long enough to recognize when she was angry. So, they pointed fingers at each other. "Gods, not only are they smart, they even got their father’s sense of humor." Jirni’s wide eyes and furrowed brow were the closest thing to dread she had ever expressed. "It was a rhetorical question!" Quylla groaned. "I didn’t expect you two to answer me. I can’t deal with two geniuses-" The twins pointed fingers at each other again, trying to shift the blame. "Thank the gods they are not that smart." Quylla sighed in relief. "Yet their ability to dodge accountability is alarming." "Don’t worry, I’m sure they act like this only because they are cornered." Morok caressed her hand. "I’m sure that as soon as they learn how to get their stories straight, they’ll be as thick as thieves." "That and the talent to shift the blame on others is what worries me!" Quylla replied. "Nonsense." Morok tutted. "I’m certain that between your constant discipline and my free spirit, the twins will grow into responsible, happy children." "What makes you think I’ll be the boring parent and you the fun one?" "Because you’ve done nothing but scold people since the moment you woke up. Am I wrong?" Morok said, making her swallow down the next reprimand. She looked at the twins, who pointed fingers at each other until she relaxed her expression. ’Damn if I hate it when he’s right.’ *** Maybe it was because of the twins smiling at Morok and pointing fingers when Quylla wasn’t smiling, or maybe it was because Quylla had seen the effects of Kamila’s depression after giving birth, but Quylla refused to stay in bed. From the following day, she stood up and resumed her duties as a bridesmaid. She needed a chair since she was still very weak, but protocol allowed it for both pregnant women and new mothers. Also, Quylla did her best to smile a lot and complain little, just like Morok did. ’There’s no way I’m going to let my babies think they can’t be themselves around me. I’m not that much of a buzzkill. I hope.’ She thought. By the day of the wedding, Quylla could already stand up for several minutes and conjure chore magic spells. "This is it." Friya swallowed hard at the sight of the long line of carriages that transported her guests to the start of the long, blue-and-white carpet. "How do I look?" "Amazing." Nalrond sighed. "So much that if not for the security arrays, I’m sure I’d have to break a few bones and teach a few people a lesson today." Friya’s bridal gown was a magnificent long white dress that covered her down to her ankles and left her back, neck, arms, and shoulders exposed. It showed little cleavage, but pregnancy had grown her already remarkable bosom to staggering proportions. Yet that wasn’t what worried Nalrond, nor the reason Friya’s bridal gown resembled one from Earth. The white of her dress emphasized the seven-colored streaks amid her waist-long hair, and so did the precious gems embroidered on it. Each gemstone was of one of the seven elemental colors and shaped like a small scale. As a whole, they formed a feathery pattern to reaffirm Friya’s loyalty to both the Kingdom and the Hydra bloodline. "Thanks." She giggled. "You look very handsome." 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺 Nalrond wore the Mogar equivalent of a black tuxedo, with no stripes or trappings since he had no noble title or military rank. It was the plainest suit a groom could wear, yet the man it covered was far from unimpressive. Between his bronze skin and muscular build, Nalrond exuded the aura of a seasoned warrior, while the many holograms and constructs that decorated the park were a testament to his magical skills. The honor guard for their guests was formed by holograms of all Friya’s most notable ancestors, beginning with Oghrom and Juria and ending with Phloria. Nalrond had no intention to disclose his past, so he had the Myrok on the left and the Ernas on the right. The constructs of giggling pixies and fairies flew across the park, leaving a trail of glittering sparks of light as they passed. The extensive refreshment area and the playground in the park were all comprised of hard-light constructs that Nalrond had personally conjured and sustained by special arrays. He hated to admit it, but ever since Dawn had taught him real Light Mastery, his skills had progressed by leaps and bounds, making what he had always believed to be impossible possible. Just one construct would have been enough to make any noble or Awakened envious of Nalrond’s talent, but the arrays turned envy into utter disbelief, if not even in the compulsion to eat their own hearts out. "I can’t believe I have to wait on a carriage until I get permission to enter my own home." Lith grumbled, sitting in line right before the Royals. "Of course we have." Solus rebuked him. "Today, Friya and Nalrond are our hosts, and we are the guests. If we don’t get ourselves announced, we’d pass as low-importance nobles, like those who’ll enter via the Warp Gate." According to tradition, the most important guests entered last so that once the valet announced their names, all the other guests would be aware of their arrival. It granted them the privilege of not having to speak their name once and forced everyone else to go and introduce themselves to the newcomers. Such a privileged spot was always reserved for the Royal Couple, so by putting Lith and his family before the Royals but after the rest of the Ernas family, Friya was doing Lith a great honor and publicly recognizing his authority as the true lord of the land. Everyone else was let inside before Lith, even the members of the Awakened Council and its representatives. Much to her own surprise, Jiza Gernoff was among those invited to the ceremony. She was a woman 583 years old, but due to Awakening, she looked barely in her early forties. Jiza was 1.62 meters (5’4") tall and wore a turquoise gala dress embroidered with topazes that highlighted respectively her light blue eyes and shoulder-length blonde hair streaked brown all over.