‘To think Adam was able to defeat the Radiant Blade twice over,’ Chosen thought, peeking towards his cousin.
Tanagek, too, was staring at his cousin, and when he thought back to how he had tried to fight the half elf the previous year, he let out a long sigh.
“Our cousin is so strong,” Chosen stated proudly, flashing a wide smile. “It seems the Rot family will conquer during our lifetime.”
“It is not just the Rot family.”
Chosen chuckled at his cousin’s words, and as he considered the half elf, he wondered if he would be able to keep up with the fool of a father. Then his eyes fell to Jurot.
‘I have so much to speak of to Faizal,’ Afraz thought, staring at the woman, only a few years her senior. His eyes slowly trailed towards Gangak. “Why did you stop him?”
“The crime of glaring at my greatchildren was paid,” the woman stated, but there was something deeper upon her mind, for as she considered the half elf, the Radiant Blade, the Amira, there were many others who would wish to harm her grandson, and so it was fine to keep the half elf’s oppression this low. Plus, the Amira would have seen how she was saved, and by Gangak of all people, and this much was enough to remind the royal family.
Afraz looked over towards the half elf, considering his heart, and as he reached up to his chin, he considered the boy for a moment, noting the heaviness on the surface of his eyes. ‘I see…’
‘Even though I said I’d be careful…’ Adam thought about the way the Radiant Blade had looked towards his children, his twins who were the sweetest children in the world. ‘No. It’s too late. I need to win so overwhelmingly that they can’t even think about it.’
A hand upon his shoulder distracted the half elf. “Thank you for fighting for my honour.”
“How dare she look towards my granduncle like that,” the half elf joked, though as Malfev smiled, the half elf’s lips went from an awkward smile to a grimace. “I should have beaten her a third time!”
Malfev chuckled, patting the half elf’s shoulder gently. “To have a grandnephew like you, I am truly blessed.!”
“I hope I don’t cause you too much trouble.”
“It is said no one is perfect.”
Adam side eyed his granduncle, who side eyed him in return, and the two smirked.
‘How is he like that?’ Maharan thought, staring at the half elf who had defeated such a legendary warrior, not once, but twice. Though the woman had yet to take a knee during the first clash, everyone had seen it, how she had trembled, and requiring so much healing to step forward to face the half elf…
‘Ahm is never going to believe this,’ Elif thought, sitting up tall and straight, especially with the Amira so close. ‘We are so close, but I’m still not an Expert. He wasn’t going to send her home now, was he? No, no, that didn’t seem like the half elf, but at the same time, he was a little thoughtless…’
Lani, the Sword of the Lady, stared towards the sky. ‘Was the sky always so big?’
Tanika, too, stayed in the corner, her eyes closed. ‘Father…’
A shadow loomed over the half elf.
“No,” the half elf said.
“You do not know what I wish to ask,” Uwajin said.
“You want to fight me.”
“How do you know?”
“I’m not your cousin because I’m an idiot,” the half elf said, and from the corner of his vision he noted the way the scarf blurred as his daughter glanced up towards him with an incredulous look. “I know what I know. If you want to fight, ask Jurot to beat you up.”
“Okay.”
Jurot stood.
‘Iyrmen…’ Adam thought, and his eyes fell to his children, who were currently all beside he and his wife, and while Vonda spoke with the Amira, his children remained mostly focused on him, save for Jirot, who was listening to the conversation about import fees. The way they looked at him, with such awe, the half elf’s cheeks flushed, and his heart throbbed, uncertain if his children should be looking at him this way, like he was too great of a figure. ‘I need to act like a bigger idiot…’
As the ringing of steel filled the air, for Uwajin’s heart was ablaze, Adam peeked down to his children to notice they were mostly looking at him.
Konarot smiled, her tail swaying behind her. “Daddy.”
“Konarot… is daddy cool?”
“So cool!” the girl replied, holding up a thumbs up.
Adam smirked. “I guess if Konarot thinks I’m cool, I must be cool.”
Konarot smiled even wider, her head slowly tipping downwards, her tail swaying slowly behind her.
“Kirot, do you think daddy is cool?”
“Yes. So cool.” The girl nodded, her scarf tails bouncing lightly, her own tail also swaying.
“Hmm.” Adam cleared his throat, peeking down towards the girl, his lips twitching into a smirk. He grumbled something approvingly, and then as he crossed his arms, he peeked down towards his son. “Karot? Do you think your daddy is cool?”
The boy flushed slightly and nodded, his hat threatening to fall over his eyes to protect his innocent eyes from his father’s cringe.
“Ohohoho!” the half elf called out as the clashing of steel continued. “I guess I must be super cool! Jirot, I’m the coolest aren’t I?”
The girl let out a soft hum, distracted by the fight for a moment, a finger upon her chin. “I think nano is cooler.”
Adam blinked. His heart throbbed. “I see, ehm, I see. Jarot, my Jarot, you think I’m the coolest, right?”
“Mmm…” The boy replied, and as he noted the look within his twin sister’s eyes, the boy smirked. “I think babo is cooler.”
“Which babo?”
“Babo.” The boy pointed towards his greatfather, who was pretending as though he wasn’t listening, but his ears turned red.
“How can you betray me like this!” Adam half exclaimed, but he lifted his twins up, hugging them both tight, peppering them with kisses. He knew it. He could always trust in them to bully him appropriately. Yes! This is the father they should remember, the father who could destroy the world, but instead chose to be bullied by his children.
Kitool blinked. noted how the question changed from the triplets to the twins, and considering the half elf’s worries, she couldn’t help but think on the half elf’s actions. ‘Why is he a genius in that particular way?’
The sound of steel no longer filled the air, for the children were not watching, and though Uwajin’s heart was lit aflame, when her adorable nieces and nephews were not watching, her arms no longer wielded her blade so firmly.
The Amira excused herself, realising the scene was a little too tense, and she would not be able to speak with them properly. She quietly excused herself, though left the children with gifts, and the great warriors with kind words, retreating away.
‘I should have realised aila would be an issue. I didn’t expect the half elf to pick a fight with her so openly…’ The Amira realised there was only one way to deal with the half elf now.
Kal Zahid looked out to the children, waving at them with a hand, and as he greeted a few of the Iyrmen, he also made his way out. ‘This time, the Amira can’t blame me…’
“Nano, I want to train!” Jirot called, her heart also lit aflame, the girl staring up towards her greatmother.
“If you wish to train I will train you,” Mulrot assured, and the other children also gathered with her.
The servants were too shocked by the situation they did not even think of the faux pas of watching them train.
As the stars began to twinkle, and the half elf sat at the edge of the bed, he inhaled sharply, and exhaled, trying to calm his heart.
“Adam,” Vonda called. The half elf had offered his children to all their babos and nanos that evening, and she assumed why.
“Yeah, I just need to relax a little…” The half elf inhaled deeply, and closed his eyes, thinking about the way the woman looked at his children. ‘Isn’t this place more of a patriarchy? When all the guys are disrespecting you, why are you looking at my kids like that? When they want to trouble you? You should focus on them instead!’
A moment passed, and the half elf’s eyes opened, glaring at the wall ahead of him.
‘Do I need to go to war to prove a point?’
Adam clenched his fists, cracking his knuckles, when the soft scent floated over towards him. “Darling.”
“Yes?” Vonda replied.
“I won’t go insane.”
“Thank you.”
“… I definitely won’t go insane,” the half elf repeated once more, as though he had spoken a lie. He blinked as Vonda pinched his nose. “Darling, don’t treat me like I’m your child…”
“You were so cute when you were small.”
The half elf flushed, for how could he ever defeat his wife?