Steam curled softly through the bathroom, fogging the mirror and blurring the sharp edges of the world outside.
The door clicked shut behind the maid.
Draven stood alone.
Warm light reflected off white tiles. A glass shower stood to one side, unused. The tub was already filled, faint ripples moving across the surface from the rising heat.
Both twins rested in his arms, wide-eyed and quiet.
Draven stepped forward and sat on the edge of the tub, testing the water with his fingers first.
Warm.
Not too hot.
He shifted the babies onto his thighs carefully.
"You two need this," he muttered. "Can't keep smelling like forest and blood."
Lucifer blinked at him lazily. Elenya reached for the steam, tiny fingers grasping at nothing.
Draven started with them first.
He carefully undressed Lucifer, placing the small clothes and blankets aside where they wouldn't get wet. Then Elenya. He moved slower than he would have liked—his body still ached from the constant folding of mana inside him—but his hands were steady.
He didn't rush.
He didn't let the pain show.
After setting their clothes aside, he stood.
Shifting both babies securely against one arm, he grabbed the torn remains of his ragged shorts and pulled them free, tossing them onto the floor without a second thought.
The steam clung to his skin.
He stepped into the tub slowly, lowering himself into the warm water with controlled movements. The moment the water touched him fully, a faint hiss escaped his lips—not from heat, but from the raw sensitivity of a body still wrapped in tightly folded mana.
The warmth helped.
A little.
He settled back against the tub wall, adjusting the twins carefully in front of him so they sat supported against his chest and legs.
"Stay still," he murmured.
Elenya splashed immediately.
Lucifer stared at the water like it had personally offended him.
Draven dipped a hand into the water and gently poured it over Lucifer first, washing away dried dirt from his tiny arms. He cleaned carefully—behind the ears, under the chin, along the small fingers.
"You're fine," he muttered when Lucifer squirmed.
Elenya laughed when the water touched her, splashing more aggressively now.
Draven sighed.
"Of course you like it."
He cleaned her next, careful and thorough, making sure no dirt remained in the folds of her skin. Despite the exhaustion, despite the constant pressure of mana rotating inside him like a ticking bomb, his movements were deliberate.
Gentle.
After rinsing them both, he let them sit for a moment in the shallow warmth, supported securely between his arms.
The steam thickened.
The cat, somehow having slipped inside unnoticed, sat at the edge of the sink, staring at them with glowing eyes.
Draven glanced at it.
"Don't even think about it."
The cat blinked slowly.
Draven exhaled and leaned back slightly in the water.
For a brief moment—
Just a moment—
The forest. The soldiers. The bounty. The mark on his arm.
All of it felt distant.
Only the sound of water.
Only the twins' quiet breathing.
Only the steady, painful rotation of mana inside him reminding him that rest was temporary.
He reached for a towel within arm's reach, already thinking ahead.
He still needed to clean himself.
And then they would move again.
Warm steam drifted lazily through the bathroom, clinging to Draven's damp hair as he leaned back against the edge of the tub.
Lucifer rested calmly against his chest.
Elenya, however, was not calm.
She wriggled. Then she leaned forward.
"Ele—" Draven muttered, tightening one arm slightly to keep her from slipping.
She ignored him completely.
Tiny hands reached upward, fingers stretching toward his face.
"Stay still," he warned, his voice low but tired.
She blinked at him.
Then kept going.
"Ele."
He shot her a glare.
She paused.
Wide red eyes met his.
For half a second, there was silence.
Then—
Two tiny fingers jabbed straight into his eye.
"—AH!"
Draven jerked violently, one hand flying to his face as he fell back against the tub with a splash. Water sloshed over the sides.
"You little menace—!"
He clutched his eye dramatically, groaning. "My eye! You just tried to blind me!"
Lucifer blinked slowly, unimpressed.
Elenya just stared at him, head tilted, as if confused by the reaction.
Draven peeked between his fingers at her.
She was still staring.
Unbothered.
Suspiciously innocent.
His head suddenly snapped forward.
He crossed his eyes, puffed his cheeks out, and made the most ridiculous face he could manage.
Elenya froze.
Then her mouth opened—
A squeal burst out of her as she started giggling.
Draven lunged forward, grabbing her gently under the arms and pulling her closer.
"Oh, now you laugh? Assault your big bro and then laugh?"
He lowered his head and blew raspberries against her cheek.
Pbbbt.
Pbbbt.
She shrieked in laughter, tiny hands grabbing his wet hair as she kicked wildly.
"Got you," he muttered, attacking the other cheek with exaggerated seriousness.
Lucifer finally reacted—frowning slightly before reaching over and grabbing a fistful of Draven's hair as well.
"Traitor," Draven muttered flatly.
Elenya's laughter echoed in the steamy room, bright and carefree.
For a moment—
No empire.
No bounty.
No ticking mana bomb inside his body.
Just warm water.
Tiny hands.
And laughter.