"M-Mother…"
Vairon and Kaelira both took hesitant steps forward.
Liraxia's gaze fell on them with an amused glint. Feeling her gaze, they both shifted on their feet uncomfortably.
The maids and guards of the manor looked at the scene incredulously, never expecting to see the day where their fearless leaders would be behaving like scared children awaiting punishment in front of another person.
Kaelira's hands nervously twisted in her dress, while Vairon was putting on a pitiful performance, emphasizing his "injuries" so that she would see them.
Amused, Liraxia turned to them, completely ignored her whimpering son, and grasped Kaelira's sweaty palms.
"My dear daughter-in-law~ I have missed you terribly these past few years. Have you been well?"
Flustered, Kaelira's face turned a bright scarlet as her mind struggled to come up with an intelligible sentence.
"I-I, y-you, w-well, very good! M-Missed y-you, so p-pretty…"
By the end of her stammering bluster, Kaelira's voice had pittered out into a sound reminiscent of mouse squeaks.
Liraxia's eyes gleamed with sadistic mischief. She had always loved to tease and torment this lovable daughter-in-law, always finding that her blushing face was quite novel and adorable.
Just as she was about to speak, she paused, a momentary look of bewilderment flashing across her heavenly features. She shifted her grip from her hands up to her wrists, her divine sense traveling through her body.
Kaelira was dazed before a look of nervous confusion settled on her face. Her thoughts and the words she spoke ran on two parallel lines.
"M-Mother, is there something wrong?"
'Shit, shit, SHIT! Is it because I'm too sweaty!? Oh god, she's probably disgusted! I want to bury myself—no, first cut off these disgusting hands, then—'
Thud.
A sudden dull pain spread from her head, interrupting her thoughts as she hissed in pain.
With a roll of her eyes, Liraxia's sultry voice rang out in exasperation. "This girl! How many times have I told you to stop overthinking things?"
Kaelira clutched the new welt on her forehead with an aggrieved expression, but was relieved to hear that she had not desecrated the sacred hands of her idol.
Seeing her pull her hands away, Kaelira nervously asked, "T-Then is anything worrying? Am I okay?"
A strange light flashed in Liraxia's eyes, her expression unreadable as she answered ambiguously.
"No, nothing's wrong. You are doing fine. More than fine, actually~"
Before Kaelira could question further, Vairon stepped forward with a strained smile.
"Mother, you look just as beautiful as ever. I have missed you dearly."
Liraxia shot him a disdainful glance and rolled her eyes.
"If you don't know how to suck up to someone, don't even try. You look terrible."
Vairon's smile froze on his face. His eyes twitched as he was reintroduced to his mother's blunt and straightforward words.
But he quickly gathered himself, preparing to out his father, before her next words stopped him dead once again.
"If you are going to try and get me to mediate the issues between father and son, you are sorely mistaken. If you don't like being bullied, then just get stronger~"
Vairon's soul seemed to have left his body. He crouched on the ground, his head hanging low as he muttered despondently to himself.
At some point, Chayrith and Nyssara had walked over to them. Chayrith waddled over to his kneeling father and patted his back reassuringly.
Vairon lifted his head, his eyes slightly red, as he reaffirmed his eternal love for this supportive son of his.
"Son, I—"
"MY LITTLE CHAY-CHAY~~"
Before he could even immerse himself in the loving father-son moment, his single beam of light was torn from his hands, snatched away by his mother in the blink of an eye.
Grasping empty air, Vairon's expression took on an even darker shade as he turned his eyes toward the woman holding his son hostage.
"My goodness, aren't you just the cutest thing! This outfit looks so good on you~"
Liraxia held Chayrith close to her heart…or at least tried to.
'N-No, these are even more dangerous! How can there be such a powerful foe here!? I-I can't see a single path to victory…'
Chayrith's face, now smothered in between the unholy mountains resting upon Liraxia's chest, took on a purple pallor. His will to live dwindled as unconsciousness beckoned toward him.
"Liraxia, you are suffocating him."
Karliah gazed at the scene expressionlessly, though a trace of well-concealed envy was hidden deep within her eyes.
The swooning grandmother blinked her eyes, then turned her gaze downward, seeing the spreading new blue skin tone of her grandson.
"Ahh, sorry, Chay-Chay! Grandma didn't mean to, I was just so excited!"
She hurriedly removed him from his fleshy prison and worriedly held him up, searching for any signs of discomfort.
Freed from his humiliating demise, Chayrith's eyes blazed with renewed hatred and fear toward the weapons the women of his family carried around.
Seeing his fearful gaze, Liraxia's face filled with guilt as she tried to coax him.
"There, there. Grandma promises not to hurt you again, okay? I will be extra careful, I promise!"
Casting her a wary look, Chayrith begrudgingly lowered his guard before struggling to escape her arms.
But she had locked him tightly within her steel grip, refusing to let him go.
Turning to the depressing human puddle on the ground next to her, she spoke in a tone laced with authority.
"Get up! How much longer are you going to lie on the floor? Do you have no care for your face as the City Lord's husband?"
The puddle, Vairon, rose with a sigh of resignation, a lonely air clinging to his smaller frame.
With a snort, Liraxia continued, "Honestly, you're the host and you're here looking like this in front of guests! No wonder your father has to put you in your place every time he sees you."
Vaelor smirked smugly toward his wounded son, clearly enjoying his torment.
"Now let's get inside. I want to sit and catch up with everyone. Today is a celebration for both Chayrith and Kaelira."
As she walked away, Vairon froze, a look of clear confusion etched on his face, and Kaelira beside him was just as lost.
As they turned to look at each other, he turned back and questioned in a low voice.
"Today is Chayrith's birthday. The celebration is obviously for him, but what does Lira have to do with it?"
At those words, Liraxia paused, and those that had begun to follow her paused along with her, confusion now spreading among their faces as well.
Liraxia turned her head to look over her shoulder, dropping a single line before continuing on as if nothing had happened.
"Because she's pregnant, of course. Congrats to you both~"
"..."
"..."