The dawn in late spring always looked too beautiful to Blanc's eyes.
As soon as the night vanished, he got up from the bed he shared with his wives, and after putting on some light clothes, he was out of the tent, breathing the fresh air of the real world.
The smell of grass, a hint of coldness, and the Silver Gardens in the distance made for an amazing start to his day.
It was the first morning out of the Silver Gardens for Blanc and the rest.
He did not really sleep, as the worries of revenge from the Metamorphs kept him awake throughout the night, even after his wives fell asleep beside him.
As always, he was first outside, preparing things for breakfast, though the lack of a constant source of water made it impossible for him to cook, so he opted for a basic breakfast from their supplies that were now dwindling here and there.
At the campsite nearby, the Metamorphs, or at least some of them, were starting their day as well, while also sending glances from time to time in his direction, curious, or perhaps due to precaution, as no trust could be built yet between them.
Even worse, a sense of hatred from last night's events.
But that did not matter, as they were already his allies.
And allies do not need to have the best relationships for an alliance to work, as long as their goals match their needs, whatever those might be.
With that in mind, he focused on the road ahead and all it entailed, ignoring the stares.
Soon, however, the time to wake everyone up had arrived, and after going from tent to tent, their preparations for the day ahead had begun.
Toilet, breakfast, and… that was it.
It was the first time in weeks that they had free time on their hands, unable to do anything that might further their progress in some way.
All except training.
Training either their bodies or their combat, but nonetheless, they trained.
Bowsmanship and aim training, which also involved Miyanna.
Swordsmanship led by Celine, Miyanna, and Blanc, sharing what they knew before sparring with each other.
Next, in between training, as a break, Miyanna taught them more on how to speak as a commoner, since, inside the Gardens, she only did it on occasions, correcting their speech here and there.
After a fruitful break, in which they learned many things, came hand-to-hand combat training, with more sparring after.
And finishing with a light training in physical endurance as a workout.
An overall boring but productive day, all things considered.
The issue, however, was that all this took them less than half a day before they found themselves sitting around, doing nothing.
That and the fact that their training drew the attention of many Metamorphs who stood and watched from inside their campsite, attempting to grasp their techniques with utmost curiosity.
Even Allegra was between them at some point, and watched for a good hour before walking away.
"It's getting awkward," Blanc sighed as he lay on the grass, watching the sky above, "The training is over, yet I still feel their eyes on my skin."
"That's because they are still there, my love," Celine giggled, taking a look towards the campsite, "It's like we are entertainment for them."
"Should I throw a rock?" Miyanna asked, grabbing a pebble, "Maybe they will get scared and run off like sheep."
"As long as they stay on their side of the fence," Blanc muttered, turning on his side to face his family.
They were relaxing in the grass, with Kael enjoying this day the most, with three books at his side, one of them already done for the count.
Lune was playing with her chakram, cutting the grass with the sharp plate of the circular blade.
While Blanc's wives were dressed lightly, thoroughly enjoying the touch of the sun on their skin.
"I think that the Metamorph men are only watching because of the two of you, beautiful wives," Blanc chuckled.
"And the women are watching because you are topless, husband," Celine added, matter-of-factly.
"Not worth mentioning then," Blanc cleared his throat, changing the subject quickly, "Though I wonder what happens inside at the moment."
"I am more curious if Celine's father received the message," Miyanna added.
"Surely by now," Celine nodded, "I only hope he sends one back."
"Why?" Miyanna wondered, "Are you worried about him?"
"I almost puked because of your assumption," Celine sighed, "But no, I know he is fine. However, I want information. We need it like water. From what happened with the Iron Line, all the way to the situation as he sees it, and his plans for the future, even crumbs of this are fine, I just need to know more."
"Sister Celine," Lune entered the conversation, "Why don't we ask Lord Certa? I'm sure he will be willing to share some basic details."
"He won't offer anything willingly, Little Flower," Blanc shook his head, "We would be indebted to him."
"If we were to ask things in exchange for part of our rewards, then maybe," Celine added, "But we would be at a loss, since Father could provide that instead."
"Let's just hope so," Miyanna said, closing her eyes, as she moved her hand along her stomach.
The rest of their day wasn't that much different, with conversations taking up most of their day as they relaxed, made the list of beasts they wanted, and planned ahead.
In some ways, they felt guilty as this felt very different from their recent lives and how they used to spend them.
But, they got used to it, and tried to make the most out of it for this singular day of relaxation.
Since, from tomorrow onward, things will start moving again, at a pace unknown to them, as the outside world has many more variables than the Gardens had.
They could only hope that they were ready to match its speed and not fall behind.
But until then, the married couple had to make sure that, at night, they spent more quality time together, deepening their marital bonds.