He watched her for a moment, her golden hair messy against the pillow, her breathing soft and calm.

"How was your sleep?" he asked quietly.

Aurelya peeked one eye open, her cheeks already pink. "You didn't let me sleep," she mumbled, pouting as she turned away from him.

He chuckled under his breath. "Oh, you didn't like it?"

She hid her face deeper in the pillow. "I… liked it," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Lumberling laughed softly and brushed her hair aside. "Come on, sleepyhead. The others might already be waiting for us."

She groaned but eventually sat up, pulling the blanket over her chest. "You're the one who should hurry," she muttered, her tone soft but shy.

A short while later, the two made their way to the dining table. Though the air around the table felt strangely sharp.

Thessalia was the first to look up from her plate, her lips curving into a grin. Vaenyra sat beside her, quietly sipping her tea while sneaking glances at Lumberling, her expression thoughtful.

Even Liraeth, who usually stayed composed, seemed flustered, her cheeks slightly red as she avoided looking directly at him.

Thessalia leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand. "Well, well, where were you last night, Aurelya?"

Aurelya froze, her spoon halfway to her mouth. "I… uh… I was… just resting," she said quickly, her voice a little too high.

Thessalia chuckled. "Resting, huh? You look very well-rested. Though I didn't hear much resting going on."

"Thessalia!" Aurelya exclaimed, her face turning bright red. She grabbed a piece of bread and tossed it at her, which Thessalia easily caught, laughing.

"Oh, don't be shy. We're all adults here," Thessalia said teasingly.

Lumberling only shook his head with a faint smile. Vaenyra, meanwhile, kept her gaze on him, her eyes calm yet calculating, as if she was quietly forming plans of her own.

The teasing eventually faded into soft chatter, the morning air filled with the faint aroma of freshly baked bread.

Then, out of nowhere, Aurelya placed her cup down and turned toward Liraeth.

"Liraeth," she called.

Liraeth blinked, a bit surprised. "Yes?"

"You'll be starting your lessons with me," Aurelya said, making everyone pause for a moment. "So what do you want to focus on? The mage's path or the knight's path?"

Liraeth's eyes widened slightly, caught off guard. "You're… willing to teach me?" she asked carefully. She had long sensed Aurelya's mixed feelings toward her, not outright hostility, but not friendliness either. Somewhere between rivalry and silent distance.

Aurelya crossed her arms and looked away. "Don't make anything out of it. I'm only doing this because Lumberling asked me to," she muttered.

Liraeth's lips curved into a small, genuine smile. "Thank you. You're a nice person, Lady Aurelya."

Aurelya's ears turned pink. "Don't call me Lady. Just Aurelya is fine."

Liraeth nodded with a warm smile. "Alright, Aurelya."

Lumberling watched them with quiet satisfaction, a small smile forming on his lips. Seeing the two of them finally speak without tension brought a sense of relief he hadn't realized he needed.

Thessalia leaned closer to Vaenyra, whispering, "Well, that's new."

Vaenyra hummed faintly in reply, though her eyes flickered toward Lumberling once again.

Aurelya glanced back at Liraeth. "Don't expect me to go easy on you."

"I wouldn't have it any other way," Liraeth said, her tone bright and determined.

.....

After breakfast, Lumberling, with his lovers by his side, went out to see Skitz, his captains, and vice-captains off. Shade and even Kaeldron were there as well, both already geared up. Since Skitz was Kaeldron's mentor for now, the young lizardman insisted on tagging along.

Skitz, standing tall and confident at the front, gave a wide grin as he turned to Lumberling. "We'll be excusing ourselves first, my Lord," he said flashing his sharp teeth. "Wouldn't want to disturb you while you spend private time with your lovers."

Right on cue, Gobo2 snorted, elbowing his brother. "Heh, you think they'll…"

Before he could finish, Gobo1 smacked the back of his head. "Idiot! Don't finish that sentence!"

"Ow! What? I was just saying…"

"Shut up!"

Their bickering drew laughter from a few of the other captains, who quickly tried to hide it when Aurelya's golden eyes shifted toward them.

The laughter died immediately as everyone went silent.

Even Gobo2 froze mid-sentence, his mouth still open. "Uh… I mean… good luck, my Lord!" he said, trying to fix his words with a stiff salute.

Lumberling sighed but smiled, shaking his head. "You all talk too much. Just make sure you come back alive."

Skitz chuckled. "You know us, we always do." He turned to the group, his grin returning. "Alright, move out!"

The group of warriors mounted up. Seven captains, seven vice-captains, Shade, and Kaeldron, a total of fifteen riders, and one huge beast. Skitz took the lead, his cloak fluttering as the beasts beneath them began to march forward.

Lumberling watched as they rode off toward the horizon, dust trailing behind them. With nine True Knight levels among them, and Skitz already at Peak Knight One, he was confident they'd be fine.

"They are strong and loyal. You picked the right subordinates," Vaenyra suddenly said.

Lumberling smiled at her words and gave a small nod. "They are."

He turned back toward the courtyard, where the departing group had already vanished beyond the gates. "Now," he said, stretching a little, "let's prepare too. I'm excited to see the Stonepalm Duchy."

…..

Later that day, at the training grounds, Lumberling found Jen and Sylra practicing under the afternoon sun. Sylra was standing behind Jen, carefully guiding her hands as faint mana threads flowed from her fingertips.

Jen noticed her brother approaching and lowered her staff. "Where are you headed now, brother?" she asked.

"We're going to a duchy for a while," Lumberling said. "You'll stay here with Uncle Drake and keep training."

Jen frowned slightly but nodded in understanding. "You're coming with him, Sister Liraeth?" she asked, turning to her.

Liraeth smiled softly and nodded. "Yes. I'll be going with him this time."

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.