Orpal read about the pregnancy on the news like everyone else. Yet while the rest of the Kingdom sent congratulations and rejoiced, the Undead King triple-checked his plans to ensure no one of his Thralls would get near Kamila.
The Gernoff didn’t take the news well either.
"Constable Kamila Verhen is nothing but a dot on our map." A slight tremor in her right hand was the only sign of how upset Jiza Gernoff was. "Pregnant Kamila Verhen, however, makes Tezka the Suneater look as scary as a puppy dog.
"Suspend all operations regarding the Verhen Mansion. If the Guardians consider us a threat, they’ll erase House Gernoff from the face of Mogar."
***
Verhen Mansion, a few days later.
"Well, it seems we have beco official mbers of the Brood." Lith said while opening the many packages he received on that day. "Dragons don’t give out gifts only for weddings but also for newborns."
Each box ca from one Dragon bloodline and contained at least a couple of Adamant ingots and white crystals. It wasn’t much, but there were lots of Dragon bloodlines and as many packages.
"Don’t get used to it, little brother." Surtur helped Lith to arrange the gifts in the Mines and the Crucible. "You are considered the first mber of a young and poor bloodline. Everyone sooner or later goes through this phase and knows how hard it is.
"Our siblings want to ensure you have enough resources to protect your children and expect you’ll return the favor to younger bloodlines once you are established."
Each Dragon bloodline had sent gifts only for Raldarak, but that only until their gesture had stung the Phoenixes’ pride. Salaark’s Nest had sent twice the ingots and crystals as materials for Raldarak’s armor and a belated gift for Elysia’s.
At that point, the Brood couldn’t back down and matched the Phoenixes’ gifts.
The Dragons claid it was just an oversight. That they had never intended to skirt their duty toward Elysia. Yet Lith didn’t believe for a mont that so many Dragon clans could have forgotten half the package just to realize their mistake the mont the news of the Nest’s richer gift spread.
Beggars couldn’t be choosers, so he thanked everyone and stored the materials, taking care that the shares of the two children wouldn’t get mixed up.
"Oh goody!" Lith snorted. "So I have to cough up one Adamant ingot and one white crystal every ti Grandpa has a one-night stand?"
"I resent that!" Leegaain snarled.
"Only once you are established, but yes." Surtr chuckled. "Consider that no Dragon likes it more than you do, but without their help, would sixteen years be enough to get enough materials for two armors? Even with the tower?"
"They would, if I’m okay going broke." Lith pondered. "Let’s be honest, this stuff isn’t enough for an armor unless I have the corpse of a Divine Beast to coat with it. Let alone a weapon."
"That’s not sothing anyone will give or expect from you, little brother." Surtr replied.
"I know." Lith sighed.
***
"Congratulations, Kamila!" Kelia was one of the few people truly happy at the news.
Friends and family had been much harder than the Royals to placate. Filia, Frey, and Rena’s father-in-law had taken the secret as a personal offence.
"I can’t believe you’ve hidden my grandson from !" Zekell grunted, and the children nodded.
"Technically, you’re not the grandfather, Dad. But that’s not the reason we kept you in the dark." Senton saw the hurt in his father’s face and rushed to explain. "It’s because whenever there is a pregnancy in the family, you get the look."
"What look?" The blacksmith asked.
"This look." Sirma, his wife, shoved a mirror in his face.
Zekell’s reflection was starry-eyed and had a huge grin ear to ear that was so out of character that even he found it unsettling.
"Everyone in Lutia knows that look." She said. "Not to ntion you start giving discounts."
"Blasphemy!" Zekell shuddered in horror. "I would never do that, and you know it, woman!"
"You actually do, Dad." Senton gave Zekell a hot tea to recover from the dreadful news.
The blacksmith refused to believe such slander, but he kept his ledgers as he kept his shop, clean and neat. Numbers couldn’t lie, and they showed lower prices whenever soone in the family was expecting a baby.
"Fine. I forgive you."
"Auntie, Mom, why didn’t you tell us?" Filia asked.
"I’m sorry, kids." Kamila caressed their heads. "It was a very important secret, and one slip of the tongue would have ruined everything. Don’t be angry with your mom. I’m the one who asked her not to tell anyone."
"Not even Dad?" Frey asked.
"Not even Dad." Kamila replied, and she was telling the truth.
Kigan had told Vastor, and he had respected Lith’s wish for secrecy.
"We too forgive you, Auntie." Frey nodded. "Mom, when are you-Ouch!"
A glint of pain in Zinya’s eyes and a nudge in the ribs from Filia cut him short.
"Congratulations, Aunt Kami!" Filia rushed to hug Kamila and threw her brother a glare that brooked no further questions.
"Congratulations." Frey joined the hug but looked around in confusion, not knowing what he had done wrong.
"Have you already decided on a na for the baby?" Kelia had no idea what the problem was, but there was no doubt Zinya had one.
"Yes, Kelia." Kamila nodded, grateful for the tily change of topic. "We called him Raldarak to honor both his grandfathers."
"Hi, Ral." Frey patted gently on her womb. "I’m Frey, your maternal cousin. Sorry for the late introduction."
"That’s kind of you to say, but there’s no need to apologize." Kamila chuckled. "It’s not like Ral-"
A soft but undeniable feeling in her abdon cut her short.
"Ral?" She asked, receiving another inner nudge. "Are you listening?"
Everyone thought she had gone crazy, but Kamila felt a third nudge.
"Ral says he doesn’t mind." She plopped on a chair, her expression too stressed for her words to be a white lie to console Frey.
"Are you alright, Kami?" Zinya rushed to her side.
"Ral kicked every ti soone ntioned h- Calm down, we’re talking about you, not with you!" Kamila replied to her sister before turning to her womb. "And then when I asked you-know-who a question, he replied with Dragon scales!"
"Gods, this is amazing!" Cheers and congratulations filled the room, making Zekell and the others feel privileged for learning about Raldarak’s feat first.
"Amazing, my sorry arm!" Kamila whined. "What about my privacy? Will he listen to everything I do? Even in the bathroom? Dragon children have a great mory and I don’t want to be poopy mommy!"
She actually worried about other things, but they belonged to a kind she wouldn’t ntion in front of small children or her in-laws.
"Don’t worry, dear." Sirma said. "You had no such problems with Elysia and… the little imp only reacts to his na, correct?"
"Elysia was conceived back when Lith’s life forces were still at odds." Kamila sighed. "Now they have been perfected and even improved. The little imp, even though calling him demon lord would be more appropriate, might act differently."
"What is he doing now?" Zinya asked.
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