In Katerina's secluded chambers, an atmosphere of calm and serenity reigned, inaccessible to political intrigues and malicious rumors from the outside world. Her beloved children, like precious pearls, grew up in a cocoon woven of maternal love and tireless care.
Every day was filled with the warmth of gentle smiles and the ringing laughter of children, echoing off the walls of their cozy shelter. The boy and girl became more active and cheerful every day, their eyes sparkled with curiosity and thirst for discoveries.
A whole year has passed unnoticed since that memorable meeting, which became the last straw for Katerina. Only Cassia and the newborns witnessed her bitter tears on that ill-fated day when her whole world finally collapsed.
Adam never showed up to see the children. His absence spoke louder than any words–he seemed to believe all the rumors about her unconditionally, without even bothering to clarify the situation. This completely broke Katerina's heart, leaving only emptiness and coldness in it.
Since then, she has completely withdrawn from the secular world, completely devoting herself to her kids. Time seemed to be frozen in this small oasis of happiness, shut off from the outside world by an invisible but impenetrable wall.
Resentment and anger at her husband dissolved in an instant under a veil of absolute indifference, and their relationship turned into an empty formality. Only the twins, like two small suns, kept her from finally breaking up and deciding to leave the capital.
Fortunately, the faithful Cassia was always there, ready to listen to all the sorrows of her mistress with a neutral face, like a silent confessor. Her presence and support became another saving anchor and support for Katerina.
The twins grew up surrounded by the love of two women for whom they represented the whole world. It is not surprising that the second word that the children learned after the timid and gentle "mom" was the playful "Kasi". This childish babble moved the young maid to tears, whose heart was melting with love.
The twins' first steps turned into a real adventure – clumsy attempts to catch up with the naughty tail of the cat girl were accompanied by endless bruises and bruises. Katerina, overcome with anxiety and tenderness, constantly turned to the services of the healer on duty.
One day, an exhausted healer, tired of endless challenges, decided to take a desperate step. Summoning all his courage, he persuasively asked Katerina to finally purchase a soft carpet for the children's room. He explained his persistence by the lack of a salary increase, which, in his opinion, did not correspond to the frequency of calls.
This request was the last straw that overwhelmed Katerina's patience. Like a volcano that had been holding back its rage for a long time, she exploded, unleashing the full power of her aura. A wave of pressure flooded the city, causing even the strongest walls to shake.
"If not for such requests, then why does the royal family keep such a high—ranking healer in their care?!" her voice rang out, full of anger and indignation.
The situation was rapidly spiraling out of control, and Adam Starlight was forced to personally intervene, much to his annoyance. It was the first time he caught a glimpse of his children, whose existence he seemed to have forgotten.
Deep down, Adam agreed with the healer, believing that the work of a royal physician should not be limited to solving such minor problems. However, the grand governor did not dare to voice his grievances aloud.
Quickly assuring the emotionless Katerina that he would resolve the issue immediately, he hurriedly retreated back to the palace.
Sitting on the throne under the contemptuous gaze of his wife's personal maid, Adam hastily demanded that the carpets be delivered to her chambers, and also ordered the healer to carry out all her orders without question. It's a pity for this idiot who dared to anger the strongest man in the province of Light...
Being in a strange state, the governor of the province of Light kicked out all the others, asking only Cassius to stay. He sat on the throne for a long time without saying a word.
He was thinking hard and couldn't figure out why he was so uncomfortable in Katerina's company. She is extremely intelligent, beautiful and good-natured. To receive the love of such a woman, all his ancestors had to remain holy monks all their lives. And he understood this truth perfectly.
However, whenever he was alone with her, he experienced a whole storm of negative emotions: inferiority, guilt, disgust, and even fear.
He understood that his condition was by no means normal, but he could not control himself. This internal struggle exhausted him, making him feel even more guilty and seek solace in the arms of other wives and concubines. God, he got to the point where he eagerly welcomed the paperwork. Anything to avoid thinking about Katerina.
Although Cassia's brash behavior annoyed him greatly, it was justified, and Adam did not dare to reprimand her. After all, she was the only thread connecting him to Katerina and the twins.
It was only from the meager stories of the maid that he could find out what was going on in the remote manor. Steeling himself, Adam finally decided to speak.:
"Cassia, I know I'm very handsome. Can you stop glaring at me?"
"As you command, Your Excellency. Did you want something?" the maid asked politely, bowing her head, but extremely distantly and coldly.
"Tell me about the twins. How are they doing?"
"They're doing fine, Your Majesty," Cassia replied just as dryly.
"I want to hear the details," Adam demanded, this time in a more commanding tone.
'I know you're angry. But I'm still the damn ruler! Do you understand?! Show some respect, little slave. If it weren't for Katerina, I would have executed you for such insolence!' he thought to himself, squeezing the armrest of the chair, but still restrained himself.
"Well, Gray is growing up smart and collected. He likes to build towers out of wooden blocks that my mistress personally made. He's always disassembling magical devices, and then unsuccessfully trying to put them back together. He's..."
"That's enough, I want to hear about my daughter. Tell me about Grace," Adam interrupted her, grimacing in disgust at the mention of the boy.
Watching his behavior, Cassia had to make a huge effort not to spit in the man's face. However, her mood quickly returned to normal when she remembered the two children.
"Grace. She's a very good girl. Lively and carefree, constantly laughing or sleeping with a blissful smile."
"She loves playing with our hair and already speaks well for her age. He likes to hide and seek and catch up."
"Oh, just recently, her favorite toy, a big soft horse named Boney, had a split seam on her back. I sewed it up myself. Grace, meanwhile, circled around with an anxious face and warned: "Kasi, it doesn't hurt your neck! As soon as Boney says "wow," drop the needle!"
"I could barely contain my laughter at that moment. Ahahah... If Boney the teddy had suddenly said "wow," I wouldn't just have a needle... I would have thrown away my skates. Ahahah," Cassia was talking enthusiastically, but suddenly she stopped, remembering that she was talking to the governor.
Adam paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. It was only a few minutes later that he dismissed the maid, still a little distracted.
Cassia walked towards the manor, pondering the king's behavior.
'Is this man finally going to hold his head? Damn, I shouldn't get so lost when talking about twins. I still want to be the perfect maid! Perfect! I shouldn't give away my mistress's secrets. But... but... They're so adorable...'
'Okay, it's okay. This vain governor may consider this his victory. But I will never tell him how pleasant the caresses of the young master are and how funny it is to tease the princess and hide from her in the shadow of the mistress.'
'He'll never know how much Grace is attached to her brother, refusing to fall asleep without him by her side.'
'He will never see in little Grey's beautiful eyes all that love and affection unusual for his young age. And how sweetly he falls asleep on his mistress's chest, trying to reach his older sister.'
'Hehe, he worries every time he doesn't feel a little lump of happiness nearby.'
'Damn, this irresponsible, good-for-nothing man doesn't deserve my mistress! He can be an excellent ruler for as long as he likes, but he's a completely worthless husband! Lost in her own thoughts– Cassia moved towards the manor.
She did not notice how her footsteps became more light and hurried as she approached her mistress' chambers. It is there that a small family awaits her, bound by bonds of love and devotion.
Meanwhile, subtle but significant changes occurred with Adam after their conversation.
As if waking up from a long sleep, he finally decided to visit his third wife's palace a few days later. Their meeting was riddled with tension and awkwardness.
Katerina remained icily silent and did not utter a word, but nevertheless allowed him to spend time with the children.
Although his visit was short, it was the first step towards small changes. Since then, Adam began to appear in her palace every month, as if trying to fulfill his father's duty.
Involuntarily, Katerina caught herself thinking that maybe she should give him another chance. More and more often, she returned to memories of their first meeting, to that period of her life filled with romance and passion.
Back then, she was very young and even inexperienced, despite her strength. She traveled the world, unencumbered and free as the wind.
Having appeared in the majestic Church of Light to get acquainted with the culture of the most powerful Empire, Katerina suddenly felt someone's gaze on her. Turning around, she saw the statuesque figure of a man whose eyes shone with a warm divine light and looked at her with undisguised admiration.
With surprise, she realized that he was not affected by her illusion magic, which she usually used to hide her heavenly appearance.
This intrigued the inexperienced girl, which Adam took advantage of. He turned out to be an incredibly interesting conversationalist; they spent hours talking about myths, legends, and personal development.
For a whole year, he persistently but delicately sought her favor. While caring for Katerina, Adam seemed almost oblivious to the political crisis raging around him. He masterfully manipulated the entire politics of the province, forcing the brothers to fight for the throne, while he himself received the full support of the church and the tacit approval of the Senate.
And all this time he practically did not leave her side. Katerina fondly recalled how he sat by her bed, whispering sweet nothings while she peacefully drifted off to sleep after their first stormy night.
She couldn't understand at what point she became completely uninterested in him. Comparing their previous close interaction and their current estrangement, Katerina found the situation excruciatingly painful and confusing.
She could only sigh dejectedly and give all her boundless love to Gray and Grace, who seemed to be developing beyond their years.
The twins seemed to share their mother's emotional state.
On the days of his father's visits, Gray became unusually serious, carefully watching his every move, as if trying to solve a complex puzzle. Grace, on the other hand, became even more playful and noisy, as if trying to lighten the tense atmosphere with her fun.
Katerina no longer dared to dream that Adam would be with her more often so that he could see how his children were growing up. How they get back on their feet for the first time, how they utter their first words.
He has already irrevocably missed all these precious moments.
"It would be nice if he just appeared from time to time so that the children would not grow up without a father," she thought bitterly, trying to find at least some positive in the current situation.
Katerina felt torn between the desire to forgive and the fear of being rejected again. She wasn't even sure if he was really looking for her forgiveness. Each of his visits left behind more questions than answers.
In this strange mixture of joy and rare anxiety, two more years flew by.
Today, the twins, who looked like two drops of water, except for the color of their hair, turned three years old. Grace sat in front of her mother, letting her gently comb and braid her snow-white curls. Gray, not wanting to stay away, massaged his beloved mother's back with childlike enthusiasm with small hands.
The little princess did not stop chirping and giggling, enjoying every touch of her mother to her hair.
"Mommy's hands are so nice," the girl thought, turning into a little happy cloud. "Not like that stupid little brother who only messes up my beautiful hair!"
Suddenly, the idyllic scene was disrupted by a knock on the door, followed without waiting for an answer by the appearance of Adam Starlight, their monthly guest.
Once in the room, the guest was momentarily confused, his face twitched into a faint semblance of a smile, but quickly returned to its former detachment.
Adam cleared his throat to get attention and spoke in an authoritative tone, without engaging in controversy.:
"I am glad that all of you are ready. Well, it's time for your awakening ceremony." After making sure he had their attention, he continued:
"As you already know, three years is an important milestone for young citizens of the Roman Empire. It is by this age that the formation of the bone structure is completed. Children acquire the most important skills: they learn to walk, have well-established reflexes, as well as a basic vocabulary for conscious communication."
Adam paused, carefully studying the faces of the silent children before continuing.:
"All this creates the necessary foundation for the awakening of the magic core. The magic core is the basic element for mana circulation, which is subsequently used to develop the user. This core is unique to each person and is hidden deep in your body."
"Our great Empire is famous for its laws that ensure the rights of its citizens. According to the Universal Development Law, everyone in the empire has the privilege of participating in the Magic Core awakening ceremony one day. This is a great glory and honor for the whole of Rome, as well as an important stage in the life of citizens. Is everything clear?"
Gray and Grace nodded simultaneously, realizing the gravity of the moment.