"So you agree to it?" Adelyn asked when she felt Eira pulling away slightly in her arms.
Eira looked at her and nodded with determination. "Eira will be a brave girl for Mama."
Adelyn smiled, her heart softening, and gently rubbed her hair. "Good."
On the side, Karl had been trying to hold himself back for quite a while. However, seeing the tension in the air easing, he could no longer restrain himself.
"So, sister-in-law," he finally spoke, "does that mean you won't treat me the same as Eira?"
Adelyn immediately closed her eyes upon hearing that.
When she opened them again, she looked straight at him, clearly no longer in the mood to entertain his antics. "How old are you?"
Karl blinked, but quickly answered, "I'll be twenty soon."
Adelyn pursed her lips slightly. "So you are aware that you're turning twenty?"
He nodded seriously.
"Then act like it," she said bluntly. "You're no longer a child. Stop behaving like one, or you'll be taught the hard way."
