“Really.” Lith nodded. “Valeron is innocent. He’s a piece of Thrud, sure, but he’s also as untainted from his mother’s crimes as Elysia is from my mistakes. Neither Phloria nor Jormun would want me to take it on a child.
“Besides, how can I ask people to not blame our daughter for what I did if I’m the first one to hold Valeron accountable for his mother’s madness?”
“What would you do if I said no?” Kamila tilted her head to the side in curiosity but the smile never disappeared from her face.
“I wouldn’t burden you with my decision.” Lith shrugged. “Taking care of one baby is already hard and your mental health comes first. I would simply take Valeron with me whenever I go to the tower with Elysia.
“I would ask Solus and the Guardians to assist me in case I get overwhelmed. I’m thinking of stopping working for a while and bonding with Valeron the Second. He’s already past one year old and if I wait for too long, I’ll end up like Trion and regret my stubbornness.”
“According to what Grandma told me, he’s almost as smart as Elysia and so is Shargein. I would spend time with the kids and help them to socialize. I would tell them the same stories and play the same games.
“I’d work only when they sleep and bring Elysia to you when she needs to be fed. To be honest, I think it will do us some good as well. I’m afraid that Elysia might need playdates at her level or she’ll grow thinking to be surrounded by goldfish.”
“Sounds like a wonderful plan.” Kamila nodded. “Do you promise to not get angry if I tell you a secret,?”
“Punishing honesty is the same as asking to be lied to. Shoot.”
“I knew how you felt about Valeron but I also knew that you’d come around sooner or later. I’ve spent quite some time with him during my pregnancy without telling you anything because I didn’t want you to feel forced to do the same.” Kamila said.
“I have no objection to bringing him to our home. Valeron is smart and he’s also a very sweet child. I’m certain that you two will get along. Just keep help at the ready because I could be overwhelmed as well.”
Lith held her tighter and gave her a sweet kiss even though etiquette forbid public displays of affection. Luckily, those stuck up enough to care were all drunk and his wings wrapping around her on their own hid them from sight.
“Speaking of overwhelmed, since the day of our daughter’s birth we haven’t had a moment for ourselves. What do you say if tomorrow we leave Elysia with my parents, grandparents, or any of the many relatives who have badgered us to babysit her and we go out for a date?
“I promise you that if you give me the chance, I’ll make you smile over, over, and over like during our honeymoon.” Lith stared at her with the intensity of a thousand perverted faces, making Kamila blush.
“I don’t know.” She cleared her voice, hearing how squeaky it had become. “We haven’t been alone in a while and I’m self-conscious about my body. I need a bit of time to get back in shape.”
“Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?” He dragged her close to his chest, shattering any shred of hesitation she had left.
***
The following day, leaving Elysia and then the house was the hardest part for both of them. Once outside, hours passed before they kept looking at their respective bracelet, expecting to hear the baby crying at any moment.
Breakfast was a bit awkward, but by lunchtime, things went much better. They dined in the north of the Kingdom, in their old apartment in Belius to rekindle many memories about the time they had first met.
After that, Lith brought Kamila to Salaark’s beach house. Kamila loved the sun and swimming, but due to her job first and the pregnancy later she had been forced to avoid both.
She felt so insecure that she wore a one-piece swimsuit, but Lith said nothing but compliments. They called Elina a few times, keeping the call brief to make sure that everything was alright and avoid the temptation to run back home.
For dinner, Lith brought her to the Flying Griffon, the high-end resort where he usually took Kamila for her birthday. It was located near the top of Lochra Mountain and was surrounded by natural beauty.
Unlike normal hotels, the suite was on the ground floor, allowing the VIPs to watch the local fauna through the reinforced magical glass of the terrace and to take a stroll along the nearby lake simply by walking through a door.
The Flying Griffon also had a private Gate that allowed the hotel to have access to anything their clients might want and to Lith and Kamila to get back home in one step if necessary.
For first-time parents who couldn’t take the communication amulet off the table even for one second, it was very reassuring.
“I don’t get why you wanted to order room service.” Lith asked while pouring himself a glass of Red Dragon. “I had reserved a nice table in the restaurant hall since we already ate indoors for lunch.
“I thought you wanted to do something different for a while.” The place was cozy, but the sight of the king-sized bedroom made him nervous.
They hadn’t been intimate for a while and with Kamila’s depression, he was afraid of not being up to his usual standards. The Red Dragon helped to keep the edge off, but Lith could still feel his paranoia slowly delving into performance anxiety.
“I know and I’m sorry for ruining your thoughtful plans but I don’t want people to see me in a tight dress.” She replied through the bathroom door.
“Nonsense.” Lith said with a scoff. “I mean, I’m more than happy to have you all for myself but I assure you that even if you wore a bunch of rags you would still be stun-”
Kamila walked out of the bathroom, causing Lith to freeze like a deer in headlights and his grip to tighten to the point of shattering the glass.
“I know it came a bit shorter than I wanted, but be honest with me. How do I look?” Kamila’s flushed cheeks made her smile even more lovely than usual but Lith had a hard time focusing on her face.
She was wearing what on Earth was called a Virgin Killer sweater dress. It was made of thin and soft red wool, and had a halter neck with a hollow-out chest that left visible miles of cleavage.
It also left her back exposed down to the hips, showing more cleavage on the sides. The curve-hugging fit of the dress emphasized every one of Kamila’s soft curves and the fact that it ended way above the knee made it almost hypnotic.
Lith stared at her in silence for a while, crushing the glass shards into a fine powder that the pressure of his hand kept melting and fusing back together.
