Chương 1433: Interlude: Warmth I

The young woman had finished her morning bath before the sun was up, and made her way to one side, through the superblocs, around the cabins, through the tunnels and off into another inner tunnel, which led to a small green area, with a small shrine, the mountain walls flowing upward to reveal how it had been cut into the mountain a hundred steps downwards to this singular small spot, where the woman could pray in peace within the morning.

The rays of first light illuminated the sky, peering down onto the shrine, illuminating the simple stone. A platter of fruit awaited the woman, which she cut smaller and smaller, before placing them under the cloth, and a bell, which she run at the end of each of her prayers. The Prayers of Ten Bells was a typical prayer for every morning, the most important, some would have stated.

Once she was done with her morning walk and prayer, she returned back to the estate, finding her twins already up, each cuddled up with their greatmothers, while their greatfather mixed tea for the group. The twins remained half asleep, the pair's eyes opening and closing lightly, until they finally noted the shimmering silver sun, and the boy stirred, letting out a light groan, his sister doing the same as she turned towards the entrance, noting the shimmering silver, the girl also stirring.

"Jirot, Jarot, you woke up so early?" Vonda asked, hiding the awkwardness within her smile.

"I wanted to pray with mummy," Jirot said, rubbing her eye.

"Mmm," little Jarot agreed.

"First, let us bathe," the woman said, reaching out to her twins, allowing them to reach for her hands, the pair waddling away beside her to the nearby baths. The one armed Jarot had awoken them with an anxiety within his heart, for the children had asked him to wake them up so they could go pray later with their mother. They still wore their clothies, the children's sleep remained troubled every so often, and little Jarot still did not eat as much as he should, the boy so much thinner than his twin sister.

Except, what could he do? The Iyr already forced them to remain within their pathetic fortress for one hundred years. Mulrot sipped at her tea lightly, feeling the dark thoughts from her husband.

"Enough, now."

"Hmph," the old man grumbled, sipping his own tea, closing his eyes as he fell deep into his thoughts. Vonda washed the twins, the pair waking up slowly from the hot water, though Jirot had almost fallen back asleep. Vonda lotioned their bodies while they pulled up their clothies, drying their hair lightly with the towel, before dressing them.

They sat patiently as their mother styled their hair, sweeping Jirot's hair back, slipping upon a clip into her hair, while parting Jarot's hair in the middle, smiling at the pair, who had begun to allow her to style them differently recently, though they still preferred to look the same. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Let us pray over breakfast and then eat," the woman said, noting the pouts.

"We will pray together properly at noon with your sisters and brother."

"Okay, okay," Jirot replied.

"Mummy will feed you breakfast to apologise, okay?" Vonda said, leaning in to kiss their foreheads, nuzzling their noses, and the children surrendered to their mother. The trio prayed together over the fruit, the twins repeating after their mother the prayers she had learnt as a young woman, and once they were done, she cut into the fruit and fed them from her fingers.

"I am going to pray everyday and then I will be as smart as you, mummy," Jirot said, tucking her ear behind her ear and opened her mouth for another piece of fruit.

"Am I smart?"

"Mhmm!" Jirot chewed on her fruit, about to reply, but she remembered it was rude to speak with her mouth half full, so continued to chew.

"Mummy, I will feed you," little Jarot called, picking up a piece of the apple, offering it up towards his mother, but she was easily double his height, even close to triple, so she had to lean down to eat from his fingers. After biting it, she brought his hand to his lips, allowing him to eat the last half.

"I might be smart, but I did marry your father." Jirot cackled, accepting the fruit, eating it from her mother's fingers, but after time passed, she fell deep into thought.

"Mummy?"

"Yes?"

"Oh no!" She reached for her head, shaking it lightly.

"Mummy! How can you do this?"

"What did I do?"

"I thought you were so smart, mummy, but… you married daddy?" Jirot gasped.

"I married your father so I could steal you away," Vonda joked, brushing her cheek tenderly.

"Mummy, it is not fair if you are so beautiful, so smart, and so strong, not fair at all."

"It must be this way, since you are also so beautiful, so smart, and you will become the Demon Lord, and so strong," Vonda said, tickling the girl's nose, causing her to giggle.

"You are right, mummy, you are right," the girl confirmed, cackling lightly, reaching up to grab her mother's head, the pair nuzzling one another.

"Jarot, did you eat all the fruit?" Vonda asked, and the boy nodded, burping lightly.

"A potato and some milk?" The boy groaned.

"Just half. You may share mine." Vonda smiled, leaning in to kiss his cheek, only to find a trio of silver scaled Iyrmen shamble towards them, each wearing their blankets still. Konarot rubbed her eyes lightly, before yawning, while Vonda guided them away to bathe too, helping them change.

She washed them quickly with cold water, the triplets waking up almost instantly, and once they were clean and their hair was brushed and combed straight, they returned back to find Jirot and Jarot lazing to one side, each so tired after eating so much. They could even see how round little Jarot's stomach was.

Sonarot smiled with satisfaction, for how could Jarot refuse to eat from her fingers, and she was glad little Jirot had offered her half of the potato, the pair exchanging knowing glances, for Jarot probably didn't understand two halves made a whole at this time. It wasn't long until a particular troublemaker stormed onto the scene, complaining and crying, until Jirot hugged her, causing the girl to calm down instantly.

"Are you too tired?" Jirot asked, brushing the girl's hair.

"Huu…" The girl groaned.

"Wow! You washed your face and chewed on your teethleaf already? You are such a good girl!" Jirot kissed her sister's forehead.

"Come, we must wash our hands, and then we must eat."

"No!" Virot complained.

"You do not start now," Jirot grumbled, rubbing her forehead.

"Why you cannot be like Damrot, who listens so well?" Konarot exchanged a look with her mother, while her greatfather fell into a rage to stop himself from laughing.