The heavy, lacquered door to the Master Suite felt cool and reassuringly solid beneath Aina's fingertips. She paused, allowing the last, bitter remnants of the courtyard confrontation with Jamie to drain from her focus. She let out one deep, silent breath, and the tumultuous, internal storm of jealousy and possessiveness was instantly suppressed, locked away beneath her cold exterior. When she knocked—two sharp, authoritative raps—she was once more the calm Aina.
"Enter, Aina," Lady Elara's voice called out immediately, warm and unhurried.
Aina pushed the door inward and stopped dead. Her perfectly constructed composure nearly fractured.
The room was bathed in soft, amber light filtering through the thick velvet curtains. It was opulent but lived-in, smelling faintly of citrus and aged leather. Lord Alaric was not seated at a desk reviewing reports, as was his usual afternoon habit. He was perched on the edge of the enormous four-poster bed, leaning over his wife. Elara was reclining against a pile of pillows, a serene, private smile gracing her lips.
Alaric had one hand affectionately placed on Elara's lower abdomen, his face bowed low as he placed a tender kiss there. Elara was stroking his hair, her fingers tracing the crimson threads at his temples. It was a moment of profound, simple intimacy, entirely at odds with the severity of their positions as Lord and Lady of Blackhaven especially at this time of potential economic turmoil.
Aina's deadpan expression faltered for a micro-second, a flicker of true awkwardness passing over her face. She immediately took a precise step back, pulling the door partially closed.
"My apologies, Aunt, Uncle," she said, her voice dry and formal.
"I think I came at a bad time so I'll just leave and come back another time."
"Nonsense, Aina," Elara responded cheerfully, waving a languid hand and motioning her back in.
"You were given permission to enter, come in, my dear. There's nothing here to be ashamed of."
Aina walked in stiffly, pulling the door shut behind her, but she did not approach the bedside. Her eyes were fixed on her aunt. She focused her Flow Perception, sending out a narrow, cold probe of energy.
The internal architecture was unmistakable. Deep within her aunt's core, Aina perceived a tiny, secondary focal point. It was a minuscule, flickering spark of nascent life, already greedily absorbing and utilizing the protective and circulating energy of her mother's Flow. The little spark was actively weaving itself into the complex spiritual tapestry of Elara's being.
"You really are expecting."
Elara smiled, a broad, warm expression that filled the room with genuine joy.
"Why,what did you think."
"I followed Elias' perception and thought you were getting fat." She responded, the last part of her statement coming out like a whisper. Elara heard it though and let out a laugh.
"Well, you are still children after all." Alaric said.Aina wanted to respond that she wasn't a child but kept quiet.
" I promised my husband that I would give him a family, and I am simply fulfilling that promise. And you, my dear, will have a new little sibling to mentor. I know you are elated, Aina. Don't try to hide it. I know how much you enjoy caring for Elias."
Aina's deadpan exterior remained flawlessly intact—no muscle twitched, no sigh escaped. But her mind was reeling with unexpected, pure exhilaration.
'A sibling! A new, tiny life in need of guidance and protection!Are you a bou or girl? Well it doesn't matter, your big sister will love you no matter your sex.'
Alaric straightened up.
"Its part of life Aina. One day, you'll have children of your own."
Aina's gaze drifted to the ceiling as she imagined fictitious scenarios where she blasted a man away after he annoyed her or men running away when she tried to talk to them.
'Hmmmm, doubtful but OK.
"So, any reason you came to see me?"
Aina blinked, dislodged from the her imagination which was beginning to run wild and regained her focus on the matter at hand. She cleared her throat.
"Righ. I recieved a letter from my father. He wished to know how i was faring and how you in particular are faring," she stated, her posture correcting itself instinctively and glancing at Alaric to see his reaction.
" I wished to confirm if I should include this… joyous news in my reply."
Alaric frowned at the mention of Elara's brother and made a non-committal noise. Elara nudged her husband, her brow furrowed as she pondered for a moment.
"You should, Aina. Tell my brother about this. That way, he won't be able to feign ignorance or claim he was too busy when our second child arrives."
"Yes Auntie."
Elara paused, her smile returning, softer this time.
"And how is Elias doing? Because I've been so busy I haven't had the chance tor properly interact with him. Only my gets the chance to teach him the sword occasionally but I want to hear it from you since you spend the most time with him."
Aina's expression remained rigid, but her voice was careful, hesitant.
"He is performing well despite his clumsiness. I have no doubt he will be ready by the time a year is up. But..."
"But..."
She paused, choosing her words with extreme care.
"He has no real depth of personality. No outward passion. It is almost as if the version of himself he presents to us is not his authentic self, but a meticulously constructed persona designed to meet our expectations. He doesn't seem like a 'Magician'. Only recently has he seemed… more cheerful."
Alaric exchanged a look with Elara, and both parents suppressed a knowing smile.
"Ah, 'more cheerful'," Elara chuckled lightly.
"And we can attribute that change entirely to Little Miss Thorne, can't we, Aina?"
Aina's eye twitched.
"Oh? You dont seem too happy about that."
Aina's cheeks, despite her iron will, flushed a deep, uncomfortable pink—a rare display of true embarrassment. She turned her head slightly away.
"I am not jealous, Auntie," Aina mumbled, the sentence muffled by her denial and her tight control.
Elara waved the objection away kindly.
"Of course you are. And that is fine. You are his primary mentor and protective elder sister. You perceive him this way because you are older and play the role of the authority figure. Perhaps he cannot fully open up to you because he fears your judgment."
'I don't judge him! I am his sister, I only want him to be perfect!'
"I want him to open up to me," she whispered wistfully, the words barely audible, a profound crack in the ice that was her personality.
"Pardon?" Alaric asked, leaning forward, unsure he had heard correctly.
Aina's blush deepened instantly. The crack sealed over with a sudden, forceful burst of willpower.
"It is nothing."
She executed a crisp, perfect bow.
"That is all, Aunt,Uncle. I wish you a good afternnon."
Without another word, she turned and marched out of the room, closing the door softly behind her, leaving no trace of her sudden, raw emotion behind.
Inside, Elara smiled, settling back into her pillows.
"She is a good girl, darling. I am glad the children are getting along just fine."
Alaric lay back on the pillows beside her, running his hand affectionately over her stomach as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"I hope things continue being peaceful."
''Me too" she responded ,giving him a peck on the cheek.