PART 1
Vulgabread's POV
In this world, it was already common that animals existed who had the ability to ascend to dragons, called Ascendant Beasts. This simply meant a creature whose bloodline and spirit contained the latent "Dragon Path," allowing it to evolve into a dragon or dragon-like being.
But I had never seen anyone have or say anything about fish becoming dragons or having dragon seeds. All I wanted was to at least find promising signs that these fish were good to develop into a high-blooded beast, as they are also well known to have an immunity towards dragon magic. The only perfect example I could think of at the moment was a salamander. These were animals that had a strong affinity core towards fire magic as they only absorbed fire. But my research was still going nowhere.
Looking at my fish pond, I wondered, with my hands on my hips, "How can I prove that they can evolve? Think, Vulgabread." I kept staring at the pond, but nothing came to mind. I will continue to search.
Wondering what else I came looking for, "What else did I want to take back home? Hmmm." Then I remembered. Moving a few rocks aside, there were five chest boxes. Out of those five, four were just filled with silver and gold. Because of the book I had written, it became a major success. It was just sad that books weren't available for everyone, as some people prefer to keep them secret. Hence, knowledge about magic was limited to a select few. Some books were passed down from generation to generation, while others were only available in some magic schools. This made me rich, as my books were part of the publicly available books for people to purchase. I had made so much money. My plans for this money are still in place; don't worry, kids, I will know how to use it once Astraga and Astraya awaken.
Moving the chest boxes, which were heavy, aside to reach the smallest among them, I brought the box closer to my chest, lifting it up and finally leaving the cave. It contained the needed equipment to test and know our twins' affinity. It was time to find out what affinities both of them would have once they awakened.
PART 2
Ashley's POV
As I waved my husband goodbye as he began his usual patrol of the seals I had set up, my first task was to prepare a nice breakfast for my twins, different from what their father had just eaten. Afterward, I moved on to cleaning our rooms, my body sore from our early workout. "Vulgabread can be such a bison in the morning," I thought with a blush.
Unfortunately, I would have loved to check the seals myself, but the seal was part of a contract I made with Derrick Ashborn, which stated that once cast, the caster must no longer look at the seals for the barrier again and must also remain within the barrier. This was a weak seal-barrier combination developed by Derrick Ashborn, known as the "God of Seals." As a member of the Ashborn bloodline, we specialize in seals and barriers. Some Ashborns are better seal makers than others, while some are barrier specialists. The barrier I made to protect this house is a type of contract barrier, a weak type of barrier casting done by the side branch families of the Ashborns.
The Ashborns are mainly split into two main branches and one side branch. The head of the household, Derrick Ashborn, had three sons. His first son, Osiris Ashborn, mastered seals better than any of his brothers. His second son, Ra Ashborn, mastered the barrier. Unfortunately, the third and last of his sons, Horus Ashborn, wasn't as skilled as his senior brothers. Over the years, the children of both the first and second sons also mastered seals and barriers to greater lengths, becoming great names, being used more often in battle, and seen as valuable assets. Over time, the children of Horus Ashborn became known as the side branch family, segregated to serve either of the two main branches. Most daughters of the side branch were either used as political tools or servants of high royals, unable to be truly free. Sons of the side branches were used as special guards to protect the children or heads of the two main branch families.
PART 3
Time had passed me by, and the twins had woken up, wondering where their father had gone. I told them he had gone for his usual patrol. Excitedly, they took the books their father had given them and went upstairs to read in their rooms.
"They are exactly like their father," I sighed to myself. "What am I going to do? Especially Astraga…he is too curious, which makes Astraya join in." They needed to realize that mana is a dangerous power. Unfortunately, I had lost most of my mana because I used the All-Devouring Seal for so long to protect them. If I hadn't met my husband, Vulgabread, I would have never experienced this motherly love I have for my kids. I had made a vow never to trust anyone, as my family used me as a political tool to serve the Duke's bastard son, Vulgabread.
I blushed again, staring out the window, and tried to remember how that day went.
***
Flashback
"You must be selected by a member of the Fula bloodline, as they are going to be influential people in the king's eyes," my mother said to me while she kept adjusting my clothing. "And stop covering your chest." She pushed my cleavage upwards with my tight bra.
"Mother, stop! Ahh, I'm too shy." I said, blushing. I wondered what he would think of me. "No, I shouldn't display myself in such a manner."
"These are your best qualities; show them," she said, openly displaying more of my cleavage. "We need this for our family to move up the pecking order of the side branch family. I will not allow Nancy to continue to look down on our family." My mother shook a finger in the air.
Sigh. "Okay, Mother." I willingly agreed.
As we arrived in a grand hall, I saw a line of thirty women, with me making thirty-one. We were all lined up in a way that felt like an assembly line.
"Please get in line, Miss. Stop staring," a man who gave off an air of importance said, directing me to where I should stand.
Everyone murmured nervously. I could already tell her "bosom plan" was working, as I was practically the woman with the biggest chest there.
"Presenting Mr. Vulgabread Fula," the man in charge of coordinating us women said with the highest esteem.
I watched him step forward. He was so charismatic, and his speech was knowledgeable. Apparently, he had studied at the academy. I could see why Mother wanted him to be part of our family; who knew how far he could go?
"Cough, cough. Good evening, ladies. As I am not a fan of these practices, I will keep it simple," he said as he faced us. So he doesn't like this type of arrangement.
He then said, "The only reason I'm here and agreed to this was that I heard my brother rejected one of you as his servants. Please, if you are here, kindly step forward."
My heart raced. Would I be sent home? "Mother, I'm sorry," I mumbled to myself. I stepped forward, figuring I might as well go home with pride, as other women chuckled behind me, hoping I would be sent packing.
To my surprise, he said, "So it's you, Miss? Well, I choose you then." He turned to the man who coordinated us, who was also in shock. "Uhm, are you sure, Mr. Vulgabread? There are many other better suitors."
"No, my decision has been made," he said, walking away as I stared at his back. He continued climbing the grand hall stairs to his room.
***
Present Day
Bringing myself back from my reminiscence, I hadn't realized how much time had passed. I went up to check on the twins. Upon entering, I saw the reason why I wanted to be a mother more than anything, as my children were sound asleep. Astraya was on the top bunk; someone must have tucked her in. And Astraga was underneath, sound asleep. I saw the books all stacked on top of each other. "You two are just a joy to have." As I closed the door, I heard a knock.
Knock, knock.
My husband was finally back.