The taste of battle flourished on her tongue. She was winning and the War Goddess in her was beyond thrilled, yet somehow, Illya began to feel the weight of defeat bearing down on her. She was winning, at least that's what she told herself as she looked at the bloodied corpse beneath her feet. She couldn't tell if she was simply losing her mind or if she was just feeling the high of the battle, nor did she care. She couldn't rest yet, there was still an enemy, there was still prey on the battlefield in front of her.
She could sense it. She could smell the fear. A cold tendril of panic unfurled inside of her, blood draining from her face as Illya locked eyes with her, but she had no time to dwell on such terrors. The look in Illya's eyes was no longer that of an Empress, but rather a beast out for blood. Before she could even think, Illya was already moving towards her.
|6 Years Earlier|162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtWtCzS4czp
Feb•21•xxxx
"YOU'RE WHAT?" Callisto cried out in horror.
"Papa I swear we didn't mean for it to happen! It just...did!" Astrid pleaded with her father.
Seimei, the court physician sighed heavily. "Well...that explains the sudden bloating."
Illya shook her head. "How far along is she?"
"By looks of the bump...two months." He replied.
Callisto almost dropped to his knees right then and there. "Two months....two months...SO WHERE'S THE BOY THEN?"
"I've hidden him. I'm not allowing you to meet him when you're like this," said Astrid.
Ea and Ri-is looked at each other, deciding it was as good a time as any to tell them.
"After Hecate was born we found letters in Astrid's room implying that she and the sender were in a...very intimate relationship," explained Ea.
"SO THEN HOW LONG HAS THIS BEEN GOING ON?" panicked Callisto.
"Several months it looks like," said Ri-is.
Illya pinched the bridge of her nose, shaking her head. "Astrid...oh Gods. When did...how...no don't answer that."
Astrid sighed, shifting on her feet nervously. "I turned eighteen in January. I know I'm not very...mature...and I still depend on you guys a lot but I'm not a little girl anymore either! And mama, you got pregnant when you were not that much older than me!"
Illya ignored her statement and put a hand on her hip. "It was that artist boy, wasn't it. The one that was at the ball last year."
Callisto paled even more. "He was here in our home, with you and I never saw him once?"
"Several times. He fought with Cheng too," added Sin.
Callisto flopped down onto the chair behind him. He felt the beginnings of a migraine coming on.
"I didn't think you'd gone that far with him." Said Illya.
Astrid frowned and rubbed her hand nervously. The tension was broken when a long, exhausted sigh escaped Illya.
"Okay. Well, she's gone and gotten pregnant. Nothing we can do about it now. Not like we can throw her down a flight of stairs or something. Seimei, make sure she has everything she needs."
Illya walked up to her daughter and gripped her shoulders. "I'm assuming you understand what kind of responsibility this is."
Astrid nodded, feeling very small under her mother's calculating gaze.
"And you understand that while we are here to help you, I am holding you accountable for your decisions."
Astrid nodded again. Tears welled in her eyes like they would whenever she got in trouble as a child. A flurry of emotions overwhelmed her. Relief, fear, anxiety. Callisto got up and made his way over to her. He pulled her in for a big hug. The last thing they wanted was to make her feel like everyone was attacking her.
Illya crossed her arms. "Of all my children, I didn't think our baby sea star would be the first to give me a grandchild!" She chuckled. "You realize your father is going to spoil her rotten right."
Astrid laughed through her tears. "I'm sure her papa will too....wait...her?"
Illya snickered, her eyes flickered briefly in violet and gold as she placed a hand over Astrid's baby bump.
"Oh great. Another princess for dad to fawn over," joked Sin.
Callisto let go of Astrid and grabbed Sin, locking him in a hug. "Don't be jealous! There's plenty of hugs to go around!"
Sin floundered in the embrace, trying to escape his father's grip. Laughter filled the room and the tension vanished as the family excitedly mused on about their new addition.
|7 months later|162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jZhnyR5vO
Sept•21•xxxx
It had become a habit for Ea and Tah Min to take morning strolls with each other in the gardens. They had gotten quite accustomed to it. They wouldn't talk about anything in particular, just idle chit chat to enjoy each other's company. On the off occasion, a rogue Ri-is or Yukimi would bust them holding hands or tease them for how close they were. As the months drummed on, they only got closer. Timid smiles turned into hand holding and hand holding turned into good morning and goodbye embraces. They never quite got further than that though.
Their bashful antics were of endless amusement to Ri-is and Yukimi. They would often be in the gardens in the early hours of the morning whenever Yukimi ran out of herbs. Ri-is would go along with her to keep her company. Occasionally joined by Tobi, they'd more likely than not, end up running into Ea and Tah Min. Yukimi came from a big, bustling family so she enjoyed Ri-is' solitude and Ri-is had spent a lot of time by himself so he welcomed the warm companionship of Tobi and Yukimi. Ri-is found that Tobi was a good source of comfort whenever he was feeling overwhelmed or stressed. Ri-is did notice instances where Tobi was unusually possessive or slightly obsessed but he was always very kind to him. Tobi was, for the most part, a loveable goof he cherished.
Ea and Ri-is weren't the only ones to enjoy the wonders of not being antisocial. Crown Prince, Zur-sin had also found himself in a peculiar relationship of sorts. Ever since the vacation night he spent with Dez, they had been getting along much better and had gotten noticeably closer. They still fought, mostly due to Sin's unrelenting need to be the menace that he is, but aside from that, they were good friends...whether they were willing to admit it or not.
Their increasing closeness hadn't gone unnoticed. Nikiro was the first to take note of their growing intimacy. He wondered for a while if he was jealous or just being weird considering what had happened between him and Sin, but Sin was getting over it in his own way and if Dez was helping him to do that, then who was he to stand in the way of that? Kashino was still with them. Nikiro often busied himself with Kashino elsewhere. He was still tense around Sin, but for the most part, things had calmed down and as much as it displeased Nikiro, he did find that Sin went out of his way to spend less time with him.
The second problem child, Avarice had mellowed out quite a bit and was trying to interact more with his family. In fact, he found it much easier to be with Hecate than his other siblings and Hecate seemed to be the most at ease whenever she was with him. So it worked out for Illya quite well. Not only was she bonding with them but she also had a very willing babysitter. By this point, Illya and Callisto had become good friends with Bellany and the Hatakes. Whenever they had an evening free from work they would sit out in the gardens or the balcony or go out to drink and chat. It had become some sort of tradition almost.
The most drastic change, however, was concerning Astrid's pregnancy. Albus had been visiting frequently. They hadn't married yet though. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't because Callisto wouldn't allow it. In fact, it was Albus who refused to have any kind of public ceremony. He had stated that it was because if word got around to his family, it would cause trouble for them and he didn't want that. No matter how much Illya and Callisto tried to reassure him, he remained adamant about it and so he was simply known as a frequent companion and rarely as her fiancee.
Callisto and Illya didn't care if he was a royal or he was a noble or just a normal citizen. As parents who were giving away their daughter, they'd be lying if they said they weren't a little concerned about his family. Call it paranoia from having experienced family drama around their marriage themselves. When they brought it up, Albus refused to speak of his family, almost like he couldn't bare to have their memory resurface. It was clear in the way rage flashed in his eyes every time they spoke of it and it was because they knew this feeling all too well, they decided not to push it.
During this time, Sana had not bothered to launch another attack. Illya had a sneaking suspicious why but she didn't pursue the matter, feeling it unwise to do so while Astrid was pregnant. One thing was for certain, they were happy at the moment. There was no war, there was no conflict, there was peace and there would be peace for the next several years.
|6 Years Later|162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlYv8rJ3hGj
Jun•29•xxxx
Twin tails bounced along behind a petite frame as she skipped along the winding path of Solaria's entertainment district. Both Astrid and Albus had become notable patrons of the arts and would often travel to the entertainment district to conduct business. Acting, modelling, sculpting, painting, singing, dancing, you name it, they sponsored it. On this particular day, Astrid had brought her daughter along to watch a play that Albus had a hand in, specifically when it came to costume and set design.
At some point, while Astrid carried out the mundane formalities of greeting guests and whatnot, her daughter managed to slip away and go "exploring." She laughed whimsically as she balanced on the edges of the path. She was a very sweet and fearless five year old with a love for all the fantastical things in life. In true Aurelianus fashion, she had inherited her mother's bluntness and recklessness, a trait that seemed to run in the family. There were no kids around that were her age so she was often off in her own little world. However, today she was dragged out of it with alarming force.
"YOU!"
The little girl spun around, losing her balance and falling into the pond. She sat up to see a tall disheveled man looming over her. He wreaked of alcohol and as the stench invaded her senses, she knew his presence wouldn't bode well for her.
"You're the Queen's granddaughter right?"162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlIFW6pkpQW
The man smiled, flashing his yellow teeth in a crooked, bone-chilling grin.
And then he reached for her.
162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwR1NW6k9zG
162Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTYc1qZdqq
