"Gods, baby tears should be classified as tier one Forbidden Magic." Elina sighed. "Do you realize the kind of trouble you’ve put Surin and in?"
On the one hand, Elina wanted to make it clear that Surin’s second word was mama and that dada was the third. On the other hand, she felt terrible at the thought of destroying the happiness of her husband.
"So-y?" Elysia had no idea what she had done wrong this ti, but apologized tentatively to stay on the safe side.
"Is that a statent or a question, young lady?" Elina grunted.
"Sorry!" Valeron the Second bowed.
"What trouble?" Raaz stopped spinning. "What can these two adorable bundles of love have possibly done?"
"Please, sit down, dear." Elina exhaled sharply. "We are going to need it."
"You knew how to speak all along?" Raaz asked Surin the mont Elina was done bringing him up to speed.
"Da!" Surin giggled and nodded.
Raaz was outraged, but there was no point scolding a baby that young.
"I’m disappointed in you two." He frowned at Elysia and Valeron. "Surin trusted you. I trusted you. You hurt Grandpa Raaz."
"So-y! So-y!" Elysia cried, quickly followed by Valeron.
Raaz didn’t hesitate to show his displeasure, but just like Elina, he was easily pacified.
"So, how do we settle this?" He asked Elina while rocking his grandchildren in his arms.
"We could ask Salaark which word Surin learned first, dada or mama." She replied. "But that would achieve nothing except hurting one of us. What matters is that today Surin said both those words.
"The order doesn’t count. She said mama first only because I was the one with her. Were you here, instead, she would have said dada. Let’s call it a draw."
"I agree." Raaz nodded.
They sat together for a while, listening to their daughter calling them every now and then to make up for the lost ti.
"Lady Elina, do you mind if I ask you a question?" Seeing the happiness of her hosts, Ophya decided she couldn’t wait for a better mont.
"Only if you take out the lady title." Elina replied with a smile. "I’m not a noble and you are no servant."
"I’m still your son’s employee." Ophya shook her head, making her golden hair sparkle in the sunlight and enrapturing the gazes of the babies. "I’d rather keep my distance and avoid crossing certain boundaries."
After spending months taking care of Garrik and Ryla first, and then of the toddlers, Ophya and Vyla had filled the gaps in their understanding of human customs. They had taken many trips to Lutia, and now the only thing that drew attention to the handmaidens when they interacted with people was their beauty.
They could have left Lith’s service for a while now, but they had decided to stay. Ophya and Vyla had one guest room each, not those of the servants’ quarters. Also, they ate delicious food at every al and had free access to all the facilities of the Verhen Mansion.
Lith had given them free access to the inner and external training ground, and even to his official magical labs built inside the Mansion. He had no use for them, and by giving the handmaidens the ans to deepen their mastery over the different branches of magic, Lith also improved the quality of their services.
Ophya and Vyla knew that once they left the Mansion, food and lodging would be at their own expense. Building a lab would have taken much more money than they had earned and years of work building their reputation in the Awakened community.
They had lived long enough with the Verhens to learn about the power plays of the Awakened Council and how difficult it was to establish a solid network of trustworthy relationships.
In the Verhen Mansion, instead, Ophya and Vyla had everything they needed, and whenever their magical studies hit a wall, Lith and Solus always offered the handmaidens the guidance worthy of a Council Elder.
Sure, Lith and Solus shared nothing of their personal research with the handmaidens, but they had no qualms about teaching Ophya and Vyla everything they knew about the common branches of magic.
On top of that, the handmaidens enjoyed living with the Verhen family. Syrook had kept them as pets, treating them as disposable objects. Salaark had been a fair employer and a polite host, but had considered them servants.
With the Verhens, instead, it was easy for Ophya and Vyla to forget about their working situation since everyone treated them as family. No one had a snobbish or disdainful attitude toward them, always saying please and thank you.
Elina had taught them how to prepare everyone’s favorite dishes, not with the attitude of a noble matron instructing a newly hired cook, but like a loving aunt passing down the family recipes.
Raaz never looked at them inappropriately and was always ready to lend them an ear and listen to their problems.
The one with whom they had bonded the most, however, was Rena. The triplets were small living cyclones no less than Selia’s children, and their growing magical powers and flawless teamwork made everything three tis worse.
"I insist." Elina said.
"Fine, Elina." Ophya nodded. "But this doesn’t answer my question."
"You can ask anything you want." Elina replied with a smile.
"Thank you." A quick call on the amulet, and Vyla joined them. "There’s sothing we have been wondering for quite so ti, but we didn’t know how to bring it up without sounding inappropriate.
"I haven’t found a way yet, so I’m just going to say it. If I’m crossing any boundary, I apologize in advance."
"Look, I understand your doubts, but I can assure you that Lith is our-"
"Why do you have yet to Awaken?" Ophya asked, cutting Elina short.
"I beg your pardon?" Elina asked in surprise.
"It’s not a hard question." Vyla shrugged. "Why didn’t you ask Lith, Tista, or even Aran and Leria to Awaken you?"
"Because we are not mages and don’t want to live that long." Raaz replied. "Being an Awakened takes a lot of ti and effort that we prefer using to do what we love. I’ve never been good with books, and staying away from my wife and daughter for long would be torture."
"That’s not what I asked." Ophya said. "I understand your reasoning and don’t expect you to beco a Council Elder. I only asked you why you didn’t Awaken."
"Why would we Awaken if we had no interest in prolonging our lives or practicing magic?" Elina tilted her head to the side.
"Why?" Vyla echoed in honest shock. "Are you seriously asking this?"
Raaz and Elina exchanged a puzzled look and then nodded at her.
"Because even if you don’t practice Accumulation and limit yourself to Invigoration, it would keep you healthy. You wouldn’t need Lith’s rejuvenating sessions anymore because you could treat yourselves.
"More importantly, in case of an enemy attack, you would be capable of healing yourselves and others just by breathing. You wouldn’t need to carry potions around or learn complex spells.
"One breath of Invigoration and you would heal any wound you’ve suffered. Regrow a lost limb. Save one of your wounded children from the embrace of death."
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