Supreme Magus

Chapter 4490: A Small Miracle (Part 2)

"You can." Lith caressed the young boy’s head. "I think it’s a perfect name. Camellia, the mom’s flower."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you." Kamila lifted Valeron in her arms and burst into tears. "This is the best date ever. Thank you, Val. I love you so much."

"Mom?" Valeron looked at her in worry until he realized she wasn’t in pain, just happy. "I love you too, Mom."

Solus burned with envy, but she could only swallow it up and smile.

"Can we go out to play now?" The baby boy asked, and his siblings cheered with approval.

"Of course." Lith nodded. "I’m sorry for bothering you, Solus, and thanks for coming so quickly. You can go back home now."

"No problem." She sighed. "Call me again when you need a ride back home. Bye."

The tower disappeared, leaving everyone standing on the soft grass that covered the Garden’s cave.

"Is it me or was she a bit... hissy?" Kamila asked as the children went back to playing in the stream.

"How would you feel if Val made a flower for Solus and named it after her?" Lith snorted.

"I... " The thought hit her like a sack of bricks falling from a skyscraper, and a burning envy rose from her gut. "I would probably strangle her on the spot in a fit of rage. Poor Solus."

"And poor Tyris." Lith said. "And Grandma. They took care of Valeron long before we entered the picture, and you can bet they’ll be hissy too. Heck, if Thrud were alive, you’d just have made a mortal enemy.

"I wouldn’t be surprised if she came back from the grave just to bite your feet in your sleep."

"Don’t say that even as a joke!" Kamila went pale. "I never believed in ghosts, but after seeing your Demons, the idea isn’t so far-fetched anymore."

"Okay, sorry." Lith raised his hands in apology. "Bottom line, limit the gloating to a minimum. Many people are going to be angry at you for this."

"Why me? I didn’t do anything!" Kamila whined.

"Do you expect them to take it on a baby? The baby they love and who just gifted something to a person he cares about?" Lith asked.

"No." Kamila groaned. "I’m farmed. Thoroughly and completely farmed."

"Let’s not get ahead of ourselves." Lith grabbed her by the waist and pulled her close. "That’s the plan for the night. We still have the entire evening ahead of us."

He spoke with such a serious tone and intense stare that Kamila spouted gibberish in reply, turning red up to her ears.

***

The kids ran out of steam less than an hour later, just as Lith had predicted. Valeron was still tired from his uncanny endeavor and fell asleep after an abundant meal. Elysia let her competitive spirit get the better of her and tried to one-up her older brother.

She planted her small hands in the ground and poured out all the mana she could muster. She only obtained a few blades of lush grass, but she consumed all her stamina in the process.

As for Raldarak, he just ran, flew, and dug through the dirt like the excitable baby he was, tiring himself up quickly.

Lith had prepared a picnic for everyone, but it was way too early for dinner, and the babies snored as soon as the last drop of food entered their hungry mouths.

"Time to bring them back home." Lith said. "There’s no point bringing them with us. The kids will be much more comfortable in their crib than in the stroller, and no sudden noise will disturb them.

"Moreover, we can have some time all to ourselves and start our real date."

"Don’t say that." Kamila tugged Lith’s sleeve to draw his attention. "There is no real date to start. This has always been our date, and so far, it’s been amazing. I’m not just talking about the camellia, even though, even in my wildest dreams, I never expected to have a real flower named after me.

"I mean, what you did for Val is amazing. He spent the day like a normal kid. He had lots of fun and was free to express himself like Val and Ely always do. Even if no magical flower sprouted, it would have still been a small miracle."

"So, you want to keep them with us for dinner and the rest of the night?" Lith asked in confusion.

"Heck, no!" Kamila replied in horror. "It’s been months since we... since you... you know. I need some us time. Badly."

She cleared her throat in embarrassment, turning to a shade of purple.

"I couldn’t agree more." Lith sighed. "Let’s go home. And remember, gloat with caution."

The tower reappeared a second later, and Solus welcomed them with a warm smile.

"I hope you had fun." She said. "Everyone is waiting for you."

"Thanks- What do you mean, everyone?" Kamila’s question received its answer when she walked out of the tower and into the Mansion.

A firing squad of murderous glares of varying intensity seemed to bore a hole in her head.

"Congratulations." Tyris stepped forward first, her kind smile reaching nowhere near her cold eyes. "The camellia is a beautiful flower. There is no woman on Mogar who wouldn’t kill to receive such honor."

"Or at least a bit of gratitude." Salaark’s stern gaze softened at the sight of Valeron’s sleeping figure and hardened like steel when it shifted to Kamila. "What can I say, some people have it all, Kami, and you are among them. Congratulations."

Elina, Rena, Quylla, Friya, and even Tista all gave Kamila their own insincere felicitations for Valeron’s display of filial love, hiding their envy beneath plastered smiles.

"Thank you, but I really didn’t do anything to deserve such a wonderful gift." Kamila felt the heat rising and opted for a cautious approach.

’On that we can agree.’ More than one woman inwardly grunted.

"I mean, it’s all thanks to Lith. He planned this wonderful date. Without him, Val would have never tapped into his Bahamut powers so easily." When that failed, she resorted to the last trick in the book.

Throwing her husband under the bus.

"Ah." Elina said, her voice carrying the warmth of an ice age. "That’s true. It’s just like the magical Camellia all over."

"Mom!" Lith felt the silent accusation in his mother’s voice along with the fiery gazes of the rest of the women in the room. "How many times do I have to say that it was just a spur-of-the-moment thing?"

"I guess it’s my fault, baby." She sighed. "I’m sorry that carrying you in my womb for nine months and taking care of you all my life wasn’t enough to inspire such wonderful thoughts in you.

"At least Val loves you so much that he took you as his role model even when it comes to gifts."

"You’re right, Elina." Salaark sighed even louder. "Clearly, we have not done enough to deserve any gratitude or display of affection from Lith."

Rena, Tista, and Solus nodded at those words, expressing how sorry they were for being so inadequate in their respective roles.

’We’re going to talk about this later.’ Lith grunted via a mind link.

’I’m sorry! I got scared and panicked.’ Kamila whimpered in remorse.