I was sleeping.
And for once, it was peaceful.
The luxurious fabrics of my crib wrapped around me like a warm cocoon, the room was dimly lit, and the gentle quiet of the nursery was the first moment of true rest I had since being born into this ridiculous world.
No dramatic declarations.
No terrified maids.
No absurdly large crowds screaming about my future conquests.
Just silence and warmth.
It was nice.
Until, very suddenly, it wasn't.
A strange feeling crept over me, an overwhelming sense of being watched.
It wasn't just the usual feeling of eyes on me no, this was something far more intense.
It felt predatory.
Like something or rather, someone was staring at me with unblinking focus.
A chill ran down my spine.
My newborn body was too weak to react properly, but my instincts screamed wake up wake up wake up I slowly opened my eyes.
And immediately regretted it.
Two very large, very intense pairs of glowing eyes were staring at me.
One golden, fierce, and burning with obsession.
The other violet, sharp, and shimmering with quiet intensity.
My heart froze.
My mothers were back.
And they were hovering over my crib like two war generals evaluating a sleeping dragon.
What. The. Hell.
I let out a tiny noise of confusion.
Verania's face lit up immediately. "She is awake!"
Sylvithra tilted her head slightly. "She must have sensed us."
Of course I sensed them. How could I not? These two were like forces of nature, and they had been watching me sleep like two extremely powerful, extremely unhinged stalkers.
Unfortunately, I had bigger problems.
Namely:
I was hungry.
Like, really hungry.
A deep, insatiable emptiness gnawed at my stomach, growing worse by the second.
I had been too tired to notice earlier, but now it was undeniable.
I needed food.
Immediately.
And before I could even think of how to communicate that I started crying.
It wasn't intentional.
It wasn't planned.
It just happened.
A sudden, loud, wailing cry escaped my lips , and my mothers lost their minds.
Verania immediately shot up, eyes wide with pure panic. "WHAT IS HAPPENING?!"
Sylvithra, usually the calm and composed one, was suddenly tense as a drawn bowstring. "She is distressed."
Verania whipped around, glaring at the nearest maid. "WHY IS SHE DISTRESSED? WHO HAS CAUSED THIS?"
The poor maid nearly collapsed in fear.
"I—! Y-Your Majesty, I—!"
Another maid scrambled forward, bowing so fast I thought she might break her neck. "M-My Empresses, she is simply hungry!"
The room went dead silent.
Verania and Sylvithra both froze.
Verania blinked slowly. "She is… hungry?"
Sylvithra's expression shifted instantly from panic to cold calculation. "Of course. It has been several hours since her last feeding."
Verania, still recovering from her near-heart attack, immediately picked me up, holding me with the utmost care.
"I see," she muttered. "That… makes sense."
I wanted to scream.
Of course it made sense.
What, did they think I was dying?
I was a baby! Babies cry when they're hungry! That's literally all we can do!
But no.
Of course not.
Because in their overly dramatic, warlord-filled minds, my first cry had to mean some catastrophic event.
[ New Mission: Survive your mothers' constant overreactions. ]
I already hate this mission.
Despite all of that, the moment I was fed, I calmed down immediately.
Verania let out a long sigh of relief. "There. She is at peace again."
Sylvithra gave a satisfied nod. "Good."
The maids in the room visibly relaxed, as if they had just narrowly escaped death.
I, meanwhile, was just glad this disaster was over.
Or at least, I thought it was over.
Because Verania suddenly perked up.
"She has been fed. Now it is time for her bath."
Wait.
Wait.
What.
A maid stepped forward hesitantly. "Shall we prepare the bath, Your Majesties?"
Sylvithra gave a small nod. "Yes. Everything must be perfect."
Excuse me?!
Bath?! Now?!
I just suffered through a crisis!
Could I at least get a moment to relax?!
Unfortunately, nobody cared about my opinion.
And so, within minutes, I was whisked away, carried into an entirely different room, and placed before the most absurdly extravagant bath I had ever seen.
It was not a bathtub.
It was a miniature royal pool.
A golden basin filled with warm, sweet-smelling water, surrounded by rose petals, enchanted steam, and glowing runes that purified the water with some kind of mystical nonsense.
I stared at it, completely dumbfounded.
This was supposed to be a baby's bath?
This looked like some kind of ancient divine ritual.
[ Reminder: Your mothers do not know how to do anything normally. ]
Yeah, no kidding.
Before I could even attempt to process my fate, Verania was already removing my tiny silken wrappings with practiced ease.
Sylvithra, standing nearby, watched with quiet amusement. "She looks concerned."
Verania giggled.
Giggled.
Like a child.
"She is simply not used to it," Verania cooed. "But worry not, my little empress. You shall love your first royal bath."
I will not.
Unfortunately, I did not have a choice.
Because moments later, I was lowered into the warm water.
…And, okay.
Fine.
Maybe it wasn't the worst thing in the world.
The water was perfectly warm, the scents were soothing, and the way Verania gently washed my tiny limbs was shockingly relaxing.
Sylvithra trailed a finger through the water, watching me with a soft, unreadable expression. "She is very calm."
Verania grinned. "Of course she is. She is a queen, even in infancy."
I ignored them.
For once, I just… let myself relax.
And before I knew it I was drifting off again.