The morning after the balcony's stillness, the villa stirred to life like a waking giant. Warm light spilled across polished marble floors as maids shuffled quietly, preparing breakfast. The rescued children were already exploring the courtyard, their laughter bright and awkward as if they hadn't yet remembered how to be kids. Mira trailed behind them, keeping a gentle eye while her younger brother and sister clung to her hands.
Drathan stood at the bottom of the staircase, arms crossed, watching the chaos with a bemused smirk. "Feels like a daycare in here now."
Kenshin stretched on the bannister, yawning. "A daycare with swords and trauma."
"Best kind," Seme muttered, sipping from her coffee as she passed them both. "At least they ain't screamin' anymore."
The household had shifted overnight—less tense, more alive. The wolf hybrid siblings, now introduced as Kael and Rina, had taken up posts near the gate, their sharp eyes scanning the road beyond the walls. Their ears twitched at every distant noise, though they softened whenever the rescued children waved at them.
In the kitchen, the elven twins Lyra and Lyna were carefully arranging plates beside their mistress—the white-haired elven princess, Elyndra. Sunlight caught in Elyndra's silver hair, making it shimmer as she offered a serene, practiced smile to anyone who passed. It was only when Drathan stepped inside that her composure faltered.
"Morning," he said casually, stealing a piece of fruit from a platter.
"Good morning, my lord," Elyndra replied softly. Her voice was like cool water over stone—calm, but with an undertow.
Drathan eyed her for a beat. "Still strange calling me that, huh?"
Elyndra hesitated, then nodded. "It is… stranger still to be free. My home… it was raided, months ago. Bandits. They did not know who I was. They only saw gold, silk, and fear."
Lyra and Lyna froze in place. Mira, pausing by the doorway, turned her head slightly but said nothing.
"They burned our forest halls," Elyndra continued quietly. "I sent the twins to flee… but they returned for me. We were taken together. Sold together."
Drathan leaned on the counter, expression softer now. "Guess I didn't just buy some maids. I bought a damn princess."
Her lips quirked faintly. "You could have sent me away."
"Thought about it," he admitted. "But you three looked… lost. Like you needed a place to stand again. So stand here."
Elyndra bowed her head slightly. "Then… I shall stand here, for as long as you'll have us."
Across the courtyard, Kael and Rina watched the scene. Rina fidgeted before blurting, "We ain't got fancy stories like that. Our tribe… kicked us out. Said we brought bad luck 'cause crops failed. Truth is, they just needed someone to blame."
Kael snorted, though his jaw tightened. "Bad luck's workin' out fine so far."
"Damn right," Kenshin called from the stairs. "You two fit right in with this circus."
Laughter rippled through the room, light and warm.
Drinks were poured, breakfast devoured in loud, overlapping chatter. Someone cracked a joke about Kael and Rina scaring off tax collectors just by standing at the door. Seme muttered dark humor about mounting any future attackers' heads on the walls as decoration, and Mira nearly spit out her tea.
By noon, the household had found its rhythm—chores assigned, duties split, and peace slowly settling like dust after a storm.
The tranquil air was briefly broken by a firm knock on the villa's gate. Kael opened it cautiously, revealing Velra and Guildmaster Aelira standing there. Aelira's sharp eyes softened just slightly at the sight of the children running around.
"Well," Aelira said with a small smirk, "looks like you've turned this place into a damn orphanage."
"Correction," Drathan replied smoothly, "a luxury orphanage."
Velra laughed and shook her head. "We just came by to check in… and maybe steal a drink."
"Then you came to the right spot," Kenshin said, already waving them inside. "C'mon, grab a plate. Food's still warm."
Within minutes, the courtyard was buzzing again—platters passed around, glasses clinking, conversations flowing from battle stories to who snored the loudest on missions. Aelira actually chuckled at one of Kenshin's cruder jokes, though she hid it behind her wine.
Her gaze, however, lingered on Elyndra and her maids. A faint crease appeared between her brows as if she recognized something. Eventually, while everyone else laughed over drinks, she quietly stepped out to the patio where Drathan was leaning against the railing, letting the breeze wash over him.
"She's not just any elf, is she?" Aelira asked, eyes flicking to the trio through the open doorway. "That silver hair… the way she carries herself. High blood, maybe even royal."
Drathan glanced sideways at her, then back at the courtyard. "Picked up on that, huh?"
"I've met ambassadors from the Great Forest," Aelira murmured, admiration threading her voice. "She moves like one of them."
Drathan exhaled slowly. "She hasn't said exactly who she is, just that her home was raided. I want you to look into it—anything you can find about the elves of the Great Forest. Might give her some closure… or a chance to go back someday."
Aelira nodded once. "I'll see what I can dig up."
They stood there in companionable quiet for a moment, the sound of laughter and clinking glasses drifting from the courtyard. For tonight, the world's chaos felt far away.