A year has passed in such a pleasant routine. The brother and sister with similar names practically did not leave the room during this period of time. Every day the boy and girl became more active, and the bruises on their knees from constantly crawling around the room forced the restless mother to endlessly call the healer on duty.
Уставший бегать туда-сюда и обратно целитель убедительно попросил Катерину купить наконец мягкий ковер в комнату. Свою настойчивую он апеллировал отсутствием прибавки к зарплате. В ответ на его бесконечные жалобы Катерина взорвалась и ответила, что если не для подобных запросов, то зачем вообще королевская семья держит столь высокопоставленного целителя у себя на попечении. Вопрос между ними обсуждался столь активно и яростно, что для его решения потребовалось личное вмешательство мужа Катерины, его величества Адама Старлайта.
Adam agreed with the healer in his heart. He also believed that the royal healer's job did not extend to solving such minor problems. But he didn't dare to say his thoughts out loud. The next day, large carpets made of high-quality bearskin were spread throughout the room. The King was very pleased with his prompt resolution of this unpleasant issue.
A week later, when Kassia, Katerina's personal maid, went to inform him that Katerina's youngest son, Gray, had finally learned to walk, and the little princess took her first steps after him three days later. She watched Adam's strained and extremely contradictory smile. After informing her mistress in detail about the king's reaction, the hardworking maid caused her to laugh sincerely and melodiously, but a little gloatingly.
During this period of time, the king rarely visited Katerina's room to talk to her or play with the newborn children. He preferred to spend his time in endless meetings, attending various gatherings or indulging in nocturnal pleasures in the royal harem. He learned the news about the success of his children from the messages of the responsible maids. This practice only applied to newborns Grace and Grey. Adam loved his older offspring much more.
At the moment, the royal family consisted of 9 official members, excluding concubines. Among them were King Adam himself and his three wives. Light is the first son of the first Queen Eva, the eldest prince, who was 13 years old at the time. Lois is the eldest princess of 11 years from the second Queen Luciel and her son Luke, who was 8 years old at the time. As well as the youngest children, Gray and Grace.
The Province of Light was still going through a transition period that had already lasted for 10 years. Adam Starlight, after a long competition with his brothers, took the post of Governor of the province of Light. Although his candidacy was approved by the Senate of the Roman Empire, the approval was not finalized. Adam was now considered the king of the province of Light, but his brothers were always there, waiting for him to make a mistake in order to once again arrange the royal games for the title of Governor.
In a world where magic and martial arts flourished like never before, the average life expectancy of a "mortal" was approximately 140-150 years. Such powerful centers of power as Adam Starlight could confidently claim to live for at least 500 years.
Adam had a statuesque figure 190 cm tall, and a full beard could be seen on his face, which testified to his masculinity. His gaze was sharp and softened only under special circumstances. His blond hair was cut short and neatly styled to perfectly accentuate his masculine beauty. He was already 70 years old, but he looked like an exceptional man at the age of 35. His usual clothes consisted of a white tunic, made in the best traditions of the priests of the religion of light, wrapped around his muscular body and tied with a dark red belt with gold inserts. His image was completed by a red half-cloak.
King Adam's power was based precisely on good relations with the religious center of the province, the Church of Light. In the recent battle for the throne, his most prominent and loyal supporters were two cardinals – Allaric, the current cardinal of the church with the greatest prospects of taking the papal post. He was Adam's best friend.
The second cardinal who supported Adam in the struggle for the throne was Eve, the first queen, and also named the holy daughter of the Church of Light with the right to enter social life.
The current political climate has proved to be extremely unfavorable for mutual relations Catherine and her husband. This led to Adam's apparent estrangement from his younger offspring. Despite this, Adam still loved little princess Grace. Her sweet laugh warmed his heart, hardened by the ice of political intrigue. (to reveal more hints, to explain what I mean)
Gray, being a black-haired child, couldn't help but strain his blond father with his existence. Although Adam skillfully hid this aloofness behind a good-natured smile and laughter when he came to visit his third wife. His quick glances did not escape Katerina's attention, which further strained the unstable relationship of the couple.
Katerina often thought about her life before pregnancy. A life filled with romance and passion. They met when she was traveling the world, unencumbered and free. Appearing in the Church of Light to get acquainted with the culture of the most powerful Empire, Katerina noticed the gaze of a statuesque figure. The man looked at her with a loving gaze, his eyes shone with a warm divine light. She immediately realized that he was not affected by her illusion magic, which she used to hide her heavenly appearance.
This interested the inexperienced girl, which Adam took advantage of. He was an extremely interesting conversationalist, they talked about myths, legends and their own worldview. He had been courting her for a year. While caring for her, Adam hardly paid attention to the political crisis, he masterfully manipulated the entire politics of the province, forced the brothers to fight for the throne, while he received the full support of the church and the tacit approval of the Senate. While doing all this, he practically did not leave her side. Remembering how he sat by her bed, whispering sweet nothings to her while she peacefully drifted off to sleep after the first stormy night, Katerina did not understand at what point he became uninterested in her.
Comparing their previous close interaction and the current situation, when Adam appeared only a week after the birth of the children, citing an urgent visit from the Roman prefects. And when he appeared once a month to spend time with the twins, Katerina could only sigh dejectedly and give all her love to precocious Gray and Grace.
She dreamed 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 pronounce the first words "mom." Katerina often imagined how they could spend time together, playing in the royal garden or reading fairy tales before going to bed.
But instead, Adam remained in his capital, busy with state affairs, diplomatic work, endless banquets and concubines. After their first night together, she no longer saw in him the ardent and passionate gaze that had attracted her so much. Katerina understood that his duties were important, but feelings of loneliness and abandonment left her extremely disappointed with this man.
Fortunately, she was always accompanied by Cassia, who was ready to listen to all her complaints with a neutral face. And her children, who became more and more attached to their mother and maidservant with each passing day. What can I say when the second word the twins learned after the gentle "mom" was the playful cry of "Kasi", which made the young maid happy to tears, who endlessly made little Grace laugh and melted from the playful and gentle caresses of the young Mr. Gray.
The days passed in an atmosphere of carefree happiness and joy. Katerina, immersed in the world of her beloved twins, spent all her time with them. Their laughter and games filled the room with warmth and light.
Grace, with her tireless energy, loved the persistent pursuit of Cassia's ponytail. The little maid was either distracted or deliberately running away, turning the tail game into an exciting adventure, which the black-haired mischievous man enthusiastically joined.
Gray, on the other hand, found his happiness in drawing and architecture. His beautiful mother became his model for his inept hands. And the complicated magical devices scattered around the room served as a source of inspiration. The boy enthusiastically took them apart, and then, with childish tenacity, desperately tried to reassemble them.
Two more years have passed in this joyful atmosphere. The twins, who looked exactly alike, except for their hair color, turned three today. Grace sat in front of her mother, letting her play with her hair (do her hair), and Gray joyfully and selflessly massaged her back with his little hands to the adult woman he loved more than anything in the world.
The little girl continued to chirp and giggle nonstop. She liked it when her mom played (combed) her tangled white hair. Unlike her unfit brother, who only knew how to hurt her by messing with her beautiful hair. Mom did everything gently, from her touch the girl turned into slime.
At that moment, there was a knock on the door, and Adam Starlight, a monthly visitor to the small meeting, entered without asking. When Adam saw the cute scene, he smiled tightly, but, remembering something, he regained his calm and collected look. He cleared his throat and, after making sure that the three people's attention was focused on him, spoke in an authoritative tone that did not accept objections.:
"As you already know, three years in this world is an important period, it is at this age that the bone structure ends to form. At the age of three, most children are already able to move on two legs, have well-established reflexes and form basic habits. By this age, most children can already speak fluently and have a basic vocabulary of at least 300 words for easy communication with any adult. All of the above is a necessary foundation for a person to have a magical core. Thus, according to the laws of the Roman Empire, all noble children must make their first attempt at awakening. The magic core is the basic element for mana circulation, which is subsequently used to create spells. Everyone has a magic core, and everyone has a special one. Is everything clear?!"
The children nodded, changing their carefree smiles to a completely serious expression, ready to listen to their strict father.