The atmosphere was harmonious as the two families dined together. Someone had gone and collected the twins, Kailey and Riley, from their diligent work in crafting. They were happily getting along with Kefira's siblings. They instinctively knew how to pull on the heartstrings as they stole Kefira's "youngest child" position.
Reivyn had been surprised that his mother had calmed down so quickly. Like Kefira, he had heard the shouting match from down the hall. He hadn't put two and two together until entering the room, though, as he couldn't immediately recognize his mother's voice due to the muffling.
Once she had spotted Reivyn, though, she had calmed down at once. She seemed to take to Kefira just fine, too. Kefira had been worried that she had left a bad impression on her when she had fled the first time they had met, but her banter with his mother had apparently lifted her opinion. Ameliyn was able to converse calmly with Silfa, and Refix was able to hold a conversation with her father quite easily, as well.
Reivyn had been a little apprehensive that his father wouldn't have much in common with Kefira's father, but with the way they were getting along, he needn't have worried. Reivyn sometimes forgot that his parents were raised in a similar environment as Kefira's family. It only took a little bit of time to adjust back to the mindset of palace life. The years abroad had only broadened their horizons, not dampened them.
Reivyn felt as if he was finally able to fully relax. He treasured his time with Kefira, but there had always been that nagging feeling in the back of his mind that something was missing. Those missing pieces were filled in now, and he was at peace.
Kefira picked up on his change of mood, and she kept smiling up at him, truly happy for his reunion. Neither one of them had ever thought that his parents would arrive out of the blue as they had. If they had known that transferring schools the way he had would trigger a System Notification, they might have been able to predict the outcome, especially since Reivyn knew how capable his parents really were.
Ameliyn had brushed it off, but Reivyn understood just how expensive and manpower intensive finding the correct route in the time they had, much less making the actual journey, must have been. It was a testament to their wealth that they were able to drop dozens of gold coins on his sisters' projects after the trip without batting an eye.
There was no awkward phase of his parents not adapting to the environment in the palace. Even his sisters acted like there was nothing unusual about eating with the reigning monarchs of a Tier 4 empire. They had been happy to learn that their potential friend was their potential future sister-in-law, too. They hadn't worded it as such, but everyone knew the intention.
Reivyn hadn't dined with Kefira's entire family on more than a couple of sparse occasions, but this time the atmosphere was exceptionally more lively. It sounded like they were in a common mess hall instead of the dining room of the Imperial Family. Loud conversation and laughter chorused out from the room, and even the attendants were affected.
"So, mother, what about my proposal now?" Kefira addressed Ameliyn. Ameliyn didn't even blink at the address anymore. Kefira had taken the opportunity to smoothly turn her joke into how she actually addressed Reivyn's mom.
"About the girls?" Ameliyn asked. Kefira nodded her head. "I don't see why anything formal needs to be set up now." Ameliyn shrugged. "You can do whatever you want as long as they agree to it."
"What about housing them in my quarters, so they don't have to walk back and forth from the palace and wherever you're staying?"
"You want to take all of my children away from me?" Ameliyn frowned.
"We have guest houses," Kefira said. There was a glint in her eye.
"I'm sure Reivyn's parents would want a little autonomy, don't you think?" Silfa interjected.
"But Kailey and Riley are children," Kefira argued. "They're still only Tier 1. They would need the presence of their parents for a stable life as well as easy communication. They would need permission from their parents for everything, and it just makes sense for them to be close at hand."
"I seem to be missing a vital part of the conversation," Silfa said. "Why are we bringing Reivyn's sisters into the palace in the first place?"
"Oh, mother, I didn't have time to talk to you about it before everything happened," Kefira said. "The reason I met mother-in-law was because of the twins. They have a talent for crafting, and I wanted to enter a long-term cooperation with them where we provided training and education outside of the Magic Academy."
"What kind of talent do they have that prompted you to seek them out? Do you have an example of their crafting available to show me?"
Before Kefira could mention the flower crowns that she had commissioned earlier in the day, clapping and laughing came from where the two girls in question were seated. The three ladies looked down the table and saw that Trevor, Sophia, and Kayzor were staring at a little white statue on the table. It was a little man with a chef's hat, and he was holding one of the salt shakers in his hands.
"What...?" Silfa began but cut off in surprise as she Observed the little man.
There was a strange, subtle aura emanating from it. Kefira's three siblings were fascinated by the appearance of the strange cloth statue, and the five people involved didn't notice that they had become the center of attention for everyone in the room.
"Darlings, what is that?" Ameliyn called out to her girls.
Kailey and Riley looked up and noticed that everyone at the table was looking at them. They perked up at the ability to show off.
"He's The Head Chef!" Kailey announced.
"Isn't he cute?" Riley asked.
Reivyn just sat back and watched Silfa's expression. He knew that his sisters were unusually talented when it came to creating strange things, but he hadn't seen them in a long time. He had no idea to what extent they had advanced their Skills. Most of the time, he had been away from them, they had still been too young to unlock their first Class, so there was only so much they could have done.
They hadn't had the time to interact with each other more than the first double-hug they had tackled him with upon arriving, but they were having a grand time with Kefira's siblings all on their own. There were plenty of opportunities to spend time together in the future.
"Is that... a napkin?" Silfa asked.
"Yup!" Kailey affirmed.
Looking closer, Reivyn recognized the fabric of the little construct. The girls had taken the cloth and pinched it and tied it in knots to create the shape of a little person. They had appropriated several napkins from those seated around them to complete their little project. Reivyn had no idea how they had managed to create something strong enough to stand and hold a salt shaker out of a couple of napkins.
"What does it do?" Kefira asked. "I can feel... something, but I have no idea what it is."
"It enhances one's sense of smell and taste as long as they're within range of it," Riley answered.
"Interesting," Silfa murmured. "Were the dishes not palatable enough for you?"
"Oh, no. They were delicious," Kailey denied.
"That was the inspiration," Riley added.
"They said they wished they could recreate the feeling later whenever they wanted," Trevor said. "They were reluctant to go back to bland meals."
Silfa exchanged a look with Kefira. Kefira just smiled back at her mother.
"I see," Silfa said. "Do what you want."
"Thank you, mother."
The evening meal continued in a lighthearted manner. The twins were a big hit with their excessive cuteness, and the attendants snuck them larger portions of the desert when they thought nobody was looking. It couldn't escape Reivyn's Divine Sense, and he imagined they weren't doing it without permission, anyway, but the act of sneaking some sweets made it that much more fun for the girls.
Kefira and Ameliyn discussed bringing Reivyn's family into a guest house on the palace grounds. The guest houses were on the opposite side of the palace as the individual residents of the Imperial Family. There were still a lot of small details for Ameliyn and Refix to hash out, but their housing situation was handled. They just needed to find accommodation for the people they had brought with them. Having them stay in a hotel was no longer a viable option.
It was looking more and more like Reivyn's family would be permanently moving to Willowan. They still had a lot of followers back in Garoq, and there were apparently several groups scattered about different neighboring empires, as well. It would take some time to relocate all of their people. The organization that his parents had built wasn't made up entirely of loyalists from Vynn, though, and Reivyn suspected that many people who didn't know the full story would choose to stay behind.
I wonder what Teilon and Kimberly will choose? Reivyn thought. Going from their Tier 1 Region all the way to the presiding Tier 4 Region was one thing, but traversing multiple teleports millions of miles away is something else entirely. He would respect whatever decision they made.
The only slightly annoying thing for Reivyn was now that his parents had a place on the palace grounds, they demanded that he move over there with them. He had been getting away with staying in Kefira's personal courtyard because all of the security made it impossible for any kind of impropriety to occur, and his position as an Imperial Liaison made him "one of her people."
Now that he had a family living within the palace, some of the excuses for staying with Kefira were now gone. He didn't really have an argument prepared, and Ameliyn and Silfa both hid laughter behind their smiles as they ambushed the pair with the demand. It wasn't something either one of them had anticipated being an issue.
It wasn't done out of spite to keep them apart. In the grand scheme of things, it would hardly do that, anyway. It was partly due to Ameliyn's selfish request to keep her son closer to her for as long as she could, and Reivyn could hardly begrudge that of her after three years apart, and it was partly just the logical thing to do.
"I'll just have to get up a few minutes earlier to walk over there for the morning training with Serilla," Reivyn said with a sigh.
With his Divine Sense, Reivyn noticed his father's ears twitch. Refix turned his head to stare at his son, a gleam in his eye.
"Did I hear the word 'training?'" He asked. There was a manic light to his face.
"No, absolutely not," Reivyn denied. "You heard wrong."
Kefira gave him a strange look. That was not the response she had expected. Reivyn was one of the most diligent persons she had ever met when it came to training, and he actively sought to increase his training time as much as possible. Denying such a thing to his father was the last thing she had expected.
"Oh, so you admit to your slacking?" Refix quirked an eyebrow at his son.
"Uh..." Reivyn didn't know how to respond.
"He's been very diligent ever since I've known him," Kefira spoke up in his defense. "He's been helping my cousin Serilla to unlock and Level a bunch of weapons Skills lately in an effort to push her beyond Expert Level with her Swords Skill."
"Is that right?" Refix said, stroking his chin. A sly smile formed on his lips. "You know, I have some small experience with that kind of training. Reivyn's going to be busy with those obligations everyone's been talking about. How about I help you out? I can be responsible for the training of your courtyard."
"Wait..." Reivyn started, but it was too late.
"That sounds like a great idea!" Kefira agreed happily.
Reivyn put the palm of his hand on his forehead and sighed.
"Excellent, excellent! Then it's official," Refix said, nodding his head.
Kefira had a happy smile on her face when she noticed Reivyn's unusual reaction.
"What's the matter?" She asked.
"Kefira," Reivyn said with a sigh. He gave her a forlorn look with a shake of his head. "You realize you fell into his trap?"
"Trap?" Kefira asked, taken aback. "What trap?"
"You're part of your courtyard," Reivyn pointed out. "You've just agreed to give the responsibility of your training over to my father."
"And?" Kefira still wasn't getting it.
"Do you think my Skill Levels got so high just because of my natural talent?" Reivyn asked. "There's a reason I have a habit of always training so hard, and it's not just because I want to improve. If I don't keep up with my training, the demon will get me."
"Oh, come now," Kefira said with a chuckle. She brought a glass of fruit wine to her lips to take a sip.
"Do you think you should be drinking that?" Refix's voice rang out.
Kefira paused, the glass touching her lips. Her eyes darted between Reivyn and his father. Reivyn sighed once more and motioned for one of the attendants as Kefira lowered the glass of wine hesitatingly.
"Water," Reivyn said. "For both of us, please."
Reivyn looked at his father's predatory smile. His canines were on prominent display.
----------------------------------------
Loud yelling startled Kefira awake. She couldn't tell what words were being shouted, but it didn't sound frantic or like anyone was angry or in danger. It faintly reminded her of her time with the volunteer army for some reason.
She quickly got out of bed and got dressed for exercise. Reivyn's father had told her to be prepared to train alongside her subordinates. According to him, it was right and proper for the master to sweat just as much as the servants, if not more.
It was still dark out the window, but now she was awake. She wouldn't have been able to go back to sleep with all the racket coming from outside, anyway.
Her house was devoid of any maids as she made her way out of her room and down the stairs. She walked out the door and headed toward the back, where her little training field was. Stepping around the corner of her house, she found her staff.
All of the maids were lined up in exercise clothing. They each had an implement of everyday work in their hands, and they were brandishing them like weapons. One maid had a cleaver and was repeatedly chopping it down onto a log that had been brought from who knows where. Another maid was holding a duster and stabbing it out like it was a spear.
"What?" Kefira was surprised as she looked around at the activity.
She spotted Serilla chopping away with a hatchet, and Kefira walked over to her. Serilla was moving as quickly as she could. Her arm was going up and down in a repeated fashion, striking another log with the blade of the hatchet in the same spot over and over again. She was careful to use the same amount of strength for each strike, and she never let the blade get stuck in the wood. Despite that, it didn't seem like the cut was getting any deeper, no matter how many times she struck.
"Where's Reivyn?" Kefira asked, walking up to her cousin.
Serilla glanced up at the question. Her eyes were wide and wild, and Kefira felt a sinking sensation in her gut.
"Faster! Faster!" A shout reached her ears, and she turned her head in the direction it came from.
Rounding a corner in her courtyard, Reivyn came running on all fours. There was a harness attached to his chest, and he was pulling a sled behind himself. Refix stood on the sled, brandishing a whip that he would strike out above his son's head to keep him motivated. There didn't appear to be anything weighing the sled down, but Kefira could tell that Reivyn was struggling to keep it moving.
"The enemy is at the gates, and you need to get these supplies to the front line!" Refix yelled, cracking the whip. "Move, move, move!"
Kefira could see the sweat pouring off of Reivyn's forehead as he struggled to keep the sled moving. She expected to see deep ruts behind the sled, but there was no such thing. There was something off about the whole situation.
"You better find something to do before he finds it for you," Serilla whispered, going back to her chopping.
"What do you mean?" Kefira asked.
"Hurry," Serilla replied, not looking up from her task.
Kefira was bewildered as she looked around at the frantic activity. It seemed like everyone was giving as much effort as possible in whatever task they were doing, and she was the only one standing about. She stood out like a sore thumb.
Reivyn slipped on the cobbled ground, and the sled came to a complete stop. There was no sliding like one would expect from such a vehicle in motion. It was moving one moment, and the next, it was at a complete standstill.
"Ahh! Reivyn's wounded!" Refix's voice rang out. "Kefira! Come get your boy and carry him to the healers! Move, move, move! His life depends on you!"
Kefira moved automatically, not having time to think about what was going on. She ran over to Reivyn panting on the ground. She unstrapped him from the sled and picked him up over her shoulders. His weight staggered her. She should have enough Strength Stat despite being a Caster Class to easily carry him, yet she almost collapsed to the ground when she hefted him over her shoulders.
Kefira hadn't fully understood what the implications were for giving responsibility to Reivyn's dad, but now she finally grasped what Reivyn meant when he had said she had fallen for his trap. She could choose to ignore Refix's Commands if she really wanted to, but now that he had authority, she was inclined to do as he said as long as it was within the scope of his responsibility.
"Don't just stand there; run some laps!" Refix called out to her.
Kefira took some staggering steps, caught up in the rhythm of Refix's training. She only took a glance back to see Refix leap out of the sled and approach some of the maids.
"You'll never clean all the dust that way!" Refix barked at the maid with the duster. "Thrust, thrust! Keep your balance! Clean that dust!"
"What kind of meal are you preparing?! Even slices! A quarter of an inch apart. How could you possibly have the face to serve something so embarrassing?"
"That firewood isn't going to chop itself! You still need to get it stacked, and you haven't even cut one piece yet! Let's go, go, go!"
"Kefira, pick up the pace! Your man is bleeding out. You don't want to be responsible for his death, do you?"
Refix continued to shout at all of the members of Kefira's courtyard. Each person was doing their own thing. All of the tasks seemed to have something to do with the tasks that maids would perform on an everyday basis, and yet it was simultaneously intense weapons training. Kefira struggled to maintain a jogging pace with Reivyn over her shoulders.
"Why are you so heavy?!" She finally gasped.
"Gravity-infused weights," Reivyn replied.
"What?! What's the purpose of that?" Kefira nearly screamed.
"My dad is a firm believer that one has to be exhausted while training. It's more efficient that way. At least as long as you already have a foundation built."
"But you're getting to rest right now?"
"Not really. Even without doing anything, an increase in gravity puts a strain on the body. He's probably letting me recover just enough to begin training in earnest after you run a lap or two."
"It didn't seem like the others were exhausted," she pointed out.
"He was gauging their abilities, most likely. Also, he just hadn't gotten to them yet. He was focused on me first, and I imagine Serilla is next."
The two stopped talking as Kefira had to focus on her breathing. She didn't know if the Gravity was tailored for Reivyn or her, but it was enough that both were struggling, and she had just started. She ran an entire lap around the outer edge of her courtyard at Reivyn's indication, and she dropped him off once she made a complete lap.
There was no time to rest, though, and she immediately joined the rest of her staff in the exercise that Refix had concocted for them. They had scuz brushes on the ground, and they were running back and forth, pushing them ahead of themselves. There weren't enough weights to go around for everyone, so Refix had to come up with a way to put them in a position that would tire them out as quickly as possible while adhering to the nature of the training.
Having everyone run about in a posture that they weren't used to activated muscles in ways that they were rarely used. Refix had everyone go through several rounds of calisthenics with variables added in. There wasn't any exercise that was done in a normal manner that Kefira could see.
Reivyn had begun training with his weapons immediately after she had dropped him off while she and the staff continued to expend their energy. It wasn't long before Refix determined that everyone was sufficiently "warmed up" before he had them get down to business in earnest, too.
He stalked behind everyone with his rod in hand, and he was liberal with "granting instruction." Everyone present, besides Reivyn, was at least Tier 3, and the strikes from the rod weren't anything that would cause any kind of damage. It stung, but that was it.
Kefira's courtyard resembled a recruit training field with a senior instructor prowling about.
"Dust is the greatest enemy of all time for a maid," Refix said. "Stab it! Kill it! Eradicate it from existence!"
"HaaH!" A maid screamed as she assaulted her imaginary foe with her duster.
"Excellent!"
What is happening? Kefira thought for the thousandth time that morning.