"You think you are so handsome, I will forgive you?" Jirot accused, holding up her finger like a blade.

"Yes," Adam replied, standing taller than his daughter, and yet her presence loomed over him.

Jirot inhaled deeply, her chest rising as she did, clenching her fists as though ready to brawl. Her eyes narrowed, the girl tilting her head slightly as she thought of how to deal with her father. She shook her head and walked over to her mother, placing a hand on the woman’s knee, sighing. "I do not like it when daddy is right."

Adam closed his eyes, doing his best not to crack. Vonda reached down to rub the top of her daughter's head, while Virot stirred within her bosom, glancing up towards her mother, before smiling her toothless smile.

Adam hoisted his daughter up, planting a firm kiss on her cheek. “I’m sorry, dear. Daddy needs to work for the Iyr.”

Jirot huffed, looking away from her father, though she grabbed his collar to trap him.

“You are helping?” little Jarot asked, who clutched at his father’s collar a moment later once Adam hoisted him up.

“I am.”

“I help too?”

“You’re already helping by behaving so much, aren’t you?” Adam planted firm kisses on his son’s forehead, nuzzling against the boy’s nose, feeling the warmth of his face against his own, the boy’s gentle breath against his neck once little Jarot nestled his head against it.

“You are always working!” Jirot accused, holding up her finger at her father once more.

“Ahaha, I’m helping the Iyr, dear…”

“You cannot work tomorrow, okay?”

“Not tomorrow?”

“You cannot!” Jirot warned, her eyes glaring deep into her father’s eyes. She even went so far as to cross her arms, punctuating her threat.

“Tomorrow?” Adam glanced aside, pretending to close his eyes while he peeked at his younger sister, who stared over towards their commotion. “Okay, okay, I will not work tomorrow.”

“I will not forgive you.”

“Oh dear, oh dear, even though I am this handsome?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, fine. Daddy is going now so he needs his goodbye kiss.”

Jirot grabbed her father’s head and planted a firm kiss on his cheek, but let go of his head and crossed her arms once more. Jarot kissed his father’s cheek gently, before the rest of the children did so.

“Larot, kiss,” Konarot said, but the boy remained frozen still, like a statue.

“Larot!” Jirot called, rushing over to her youngest brother. “You must kiss daddy.”

‘Just kill me already,’ Larot thought, but thankfully his father had some sense, and only ruffled the boy’s hair.

“Virot, will you kiss me twice as much for your papa?” Adam asked, while the girl yawned, squirming as Adam nuzzled against her cheek, and she twitched, glaring at her father. She was finally distracted by her mother’s finger.

“How he can do this, mummy?” Jirot asked once her father had left to work.

“He is working hard for you, my dear Jirot.”

“I want to help daddy with birthday…” The girl’s leaf shaped ears slumped, and she pouted up at her mother.

“Let’s ask him when he comes back?”

“Okay…”

“Jirot,” Jaygak called, picking the girl up, tossing her up, catching her with ease before holding her close. She hoisted Jarot up too, pinning the pair to her. “Jarot, are you causing trouble for your mother?”

“No…” The boy flushed slightly, smiling innocently towards his aunt.

“What about you?”

“I do not trouble mummy!” Jirot gasped, offended Jaygak would even suggest such a thing. “I do not!”

“Then who should we trouble today?”

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

“Mmm. Nano?”

“Which nano?”

“Nano Gan.”

“Grandaunt is away.”

“Huh?” Jirot furrowed her brows. “Babo?”

“Babo Jarot? He’s also away.”

Jirot pouted. “Why?”

“They’re working for the Iyr.”

Jirot threw up her arms, her eyes widened with shock. “Always working!”

“I’m not,” Jaygak said, nuzzling against her neck. “So who should we trouble?”

“Baba?”

“Which baba?”

“Baba Tona?”

“Oh?” Jaygak smiled.

“Baba?” Konarot asked, her tail swaying lightly.

“You wish to go see him too?”

Konarot slowly nodded her head, smiling slightly, her expectant eyes piercing Jaygak.

“Okay, let’s go.”

“Dunes,” a voice called, causing the Aswadian to tense up. “You should go with them and speak the tales of our Order.”

Dunes’ eyes fell to Amira, who held Ranya in her arms. The look of betrayal in his eyes caused Amira to smile.

“Baba! Baba!” Jirot squealed, rushing up to the man, who was in the middle of speaking to an older man.

“You have come?” Tonagek asked, turning his attention to the arriving children, while the older man beside him stood to leave.

“I come to trouble you,” Jirot declared, rushing up to hug her granduncle’s leg.

“Careful,” Jaygak called, smiling awkwardly, while Jarot also hugged his granduncle’s other leg. ‘I told you not to hug his legs!’ Jaygak’s eyes fell to the Family Elder of the Gek family, nodding her head, the older man returning a nod of his head.

Dunes watched as the grandson of Hadi Tanagek left, the awkwardness emanating from the old man. He had all but forgotten who these people were, only recalling it upon seeing their tattoos, that which looked just like the Kan’s family tattoos, but with the colours inverted.

“Baba…” Konarot called, her tail swaying gently, before it stopped as her granduncle ruffled her hair tenderly.

Tonagek set up the chess board, while Jaygak sat nearby, keeping the children within her sights. Dunes sat off to one side, speaking his tales to the Iyrmen and the shared estate’s children.

“I go first!” Jirot declared, before moving a piece.

“We are playing Demon Lord chess?” Tonagek joked, before moving his own pieces against her, setting up the Slumbering Claw opening, while the girl moved the pieces for a different opening, one he had only taught to Konarot once, having barely explained the concepts to her. As he reached for a piece, he paused. He could not move it, since it was trapped by the mages. He wanted to move his knight, but it would leave his flank opened.

Tonagek reached up, curling a finger over his lip, mimicking Konarot, who was watching the game with a concentration one might not have expected of a child. Tonagek continued to play a few more moves, but Jirot claimed three of his pieces while he claimed two of hers. It was after he lost a second knight, that Tonagek lifted up the king piece, and placed it to the side. He reached out to shake the girl’s hand.

“Well done, Jirot.”

“Kekeke,” Jirot replied, taking her granduncle’s hand with both of her own, shaking it hard, though it did little to his arm.

Konarot clapped excitedly upon her sister’s win, joined in by the rest of her siblings. “Well done.”

Jarot smiled wider, clapping his hands furiously, half cackling as he did.

“Do you want to play against Konarot?” Tonagek asked.

Jirot’s smile instantly dropped, and the girl blinked. “I… I bored now!” She then started to scramble down from her seat.

“Jirot,” Tonagek called, reaching out a hand. The girl stared up at him meekly but walked over to him, allowing him to ruffle his hair. “Come, watch Konarot play against me.”

“Okay…” The girl smiled sheepishly.

Jaygak raised her brows, having never seen this side of Jirot before. The girl hoisted herself up beside the woman, pressing her side against Jaygak’s. Her small legs dangled under the bench, while little Jarot climbed up beside the girl, holding his sister’s hand.

Dunes finished his tale, the young Iyrmen children clapping their hands. He threw a glance towards the other children, who hung around with their granduncle. The man stood up and limped away to retrieve a sheathed sword, before speaking of its tale to the children, who were considered his sister’s grandchildren.

As dinner was prepared, a plate crashed onto the floor. Jirot gasped, glancing up towards the Iyrmen who looked her way. She glanced aside to her brother, whose face contorted as he made to cry.

“Sorry,” Jirot said, hugging her brother, also feeling a coldness begin to rise within her. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay,” Jaygak said, lifting the pair up, her eyes scanning across their hands and their bodies, feeling for any wet spots. “It’s okay. Are you hurt?”

“Sorry,” Jirot replied once more, her tears streaming down her face, though she did not sob like her brother.

“It’s okay.” Jaygak held the pair close to her, allowing them to soothe themselves against her. She rubbed her cheeks against theirs, before leading them to one side to eat with them, while the rest of the families prepared the light meals.

Adam returned in the late afternoon, finding Tonagek had come to join them for their evening meal, along with Danagek, who sat beside Gurot, the pair of chonky boys listening to Lanarot reading a book to them. Mirot continued to cut away at the vegetables, while Sonarot and Tonagek assisted with cooking the meal.

“Oh, I see…” Adam held Jirot in his lap, glancing aside to Lanarot for a moment, the girl offering each of her cousins a piece of sliced vegetable. While other children may have refused to eat such vegetables, Gurot and Danagek eagerly accepted whatever food put in front of them. “We’ll talk about it later, secretly, okay?”

“Okay.” Jirot pat his shoulder gently, before throwing a look to her mother.

“You can’t cause trouble,” Jaygak teased, reaching up to pinch the girl’s nose. “You already broke a bowl.”

“You broke a bowl?” Adam asked.

“Sorry.” The girl pouted slightly, her smile suddenly disappearing.

Adam brushed through her hair. “It’s okay, I’m sure it was on accident, right?”

“It was on accident!” Jirot confirmed, nodding her head wildly, causing her hair to fall down in front of her face.

“It’s okay.” Adam tickled her nose, before the girl squirmed out of her father’s arms. She grabbed her brother’s hand and fled away, towards their aunt, who shared the sliced vegetables to them, much to boy’s dismay.

“She did not break the bowl,” Dunes said.

“What?”

“She did not do it. Jarot dropped it.”

“Jarot?” Adam asked, glancing to his twins, to Jirot who was feeding her younger brother, the boy eagerly accepting food from her fingers.

“It was not on purpose.”

“Of course, my children would never drop bowls on purpose,” Adam said. “Sure, maybe a cup or ten, but a bowl?”

“It was Jarot?” Jaygak asked, before her eyes fell to Jirot and Jarot once more. She smiled slightly. “I’m blessed to see Jirot behave in such a way. She has surprised me twice this day.” She smiled even wider upon feeling’s Adam glare.