***Almost six years after Lucina and Olivia's wedding***

  Daylight spilled into Adam's office in the Felswore mansion in Gauldrin during a bright summer's day. With the window closed, the only sound disturbing the serene silence was the scritching of Adam's fountain pen as he worked through a stack of documents at his desk. The harvesting season was still a ways away, but Adam wanted to get ahead of the paperwork as a few years of experience had taught him to always stay ahead when it came to his duties as a count. "…" He leaned back and thumped his head against his chair as he paused to take a breather and rest his eyes. Unbuttoning the top two buttons of his white shirt, Adam ran a hand through his long hair and redid his ponytail with the yellow ribbon as he relaxed. Muffled sounds of laughter outside the window caused a smile to play across his face just in time for an unannounced visitor to barge through the office door.

  "You won't even come down to greet us? How cruel," the now twenty-four-year-old Lucina teased as she strode into the office without knocking. Her plain green dress loosely hugged her body as she made her way across the room to lean against the window that looked out over the garden. "As your Duchess, that's highly disrespectful, Count."

  "Ah, I keep forgetting you're a Duchess since you seemingly have so much free time on your hands," Adam replied as his pen returned to paper and he continued his work. "You'll have to forgive me as someone with far too much to do."

  "What you call 'free time' is actually important work," Lucina waved her hand dismissively and looked out the window with a calm smile on her face.

  "Are they enjoying the flowers?" Adam idly asked without looking up from his work. "Vivian redecorated the gardens back in April and now they should be in peak bloom."

  "No wonder it looks so nice," Lucina mused as she watched Vivian and Olivia walk through the garden paths while happily chatting with one another. Even since their wedding, Olivia's love for pants was ignited and now all her formal clothes were various kinds of suits like the white and blue one she was wearing for her stroll. As the two adults meandered, two small children scampered ahead to admire all the flowerbeds. Lucina chuckled, and happily remarked, "Aiko seems especially pleased with Vivian's work." A butterfly landed in the five-year-old girl's long white hair while another fluttered onto her outstretched finger which made Aiko's green eyes light up with glee.

  "I'm glad." Adam softly laughed as he imagined what was going on outside. "When the flowers first bloomed, Henry was so excited to show his cousin to the point he started sulking when I told him I didn't know when you and Olivia would visit next."

  "That's because you spoil him too much," Lucina jokingly chided as she watched the four-year-old Henry take Aiko by the hand and lead her through the gardens. His short brown hair rustled in the wind and his yellow eyes twinkled as he was excitedly reciting all the information he'd obtained from Vivian and the other gardeners about the flowers as if he were an expert teaching their student. "You're lucky our Aiko is so mature and goes along with him. I worry about his future if he stays so pure."

  Despite Lucina's joke, Adam's pen momentarily paused as he asked, "Is Aiko still…?"

  "…" Lucina didn't immediately respond to Adam's question as her gaze lingered on her daughter out the window. While Aiko was clearly enjoying her time in the garden with Henry, it felt far too…passive. Henry was always the one leading. Henry was always the one starting the conversations. Despite being older by only one year, Aiko acted more like an adult accompanying a child while indulging their whims than a friend of the same age. That wasn't to say Aiko wasn't enjoying herself, Lucina could clearly see the flashes of childlike innocence and wonder in her eyes from time to time, but those were the exception and not the norm. "She's just bad at expressing herself," Lucina deflected Adam's concern. Lying, Lucina told Adam, "Plus, she realized the weight of what it will mean to inherit Holst which is causing her to try and act more mature than she is. Olivia and I are keeping a close eye on her and we're not worried." Lucina chuckled to herself as she remembered what Olivia once told her their 'system' had revealed to her about their daughter, and Lucina wholeheartedly concluded, "Even if she's a little different from her peers, she's our Aiko and we'll love her all the same."

  "…" Adam finally looked up from his work and studied the calm expression on his sister's face. He knew she wasn't telling him the whole truth and that his sister held quite a few secrets, but the loving look in her eyes as she watched her daughter playing in the garden was enough to put Adam's mind at ease. "I'm glad I can trust her with Henry since she'll soon have a few more heads to keep track of."

  "I can see that," Lucina remarked as her eyes turned to Vivian and the obvious bulge of her stomach. "You're already adding another one to the family tree. How diligent."

  "One?" Adam's voice took on a knowingly smug tone as he corrected his sister, "It was recently confirmed by Elder Arkin to be twins."

  "What!?" Lucina practically jumped off the window as she stared her brother down; his smug aura mocking her. "I wanted twins!" she demanded.

  "Try harder," Adam rebuked and returned to his work.

  "Ugh," Lucina groaned and walked over to plop down onto one of the room's couches. She despairingly ran her hands through her hair, and complained, "I am trying, but Olivia's the one who's still against it even though it wasn't that bad!"

  "That's because you were passed out for the end of it," Adam remarked as he recalled the day Lucina gave birth to Aiko. Even with the help of Arkin and other faithful of Alm, Aiko's birth was a difficult one that taxed Lucina's body to the point she lost consciousness from the pain.

  "I've been working on my health!" Lucina sat up and patted her forearm triumphantly. "And for all we know, that could have been a fluke since I was already quite healthy! Besides, I can always leverage my title as Harbinger to have R'eldrun help with the next one!" The Harbinger of Zulm giving birth was a time of celebration for the temples, as it was for all children conceived by the faithful, but Aiko's birth was three weeks early which meant the priests R'eldrun sent didn't arrive in time. "I could easily keep a few priests of Lady Alm around for the final months of pregnancy, just in case." Lucina groaned and rubbed her temples, "If only the magic was more flexible." The ritual to conceive a child between a same-sex couple was, as was quickly found out after Aiko's birth, quite peculiar in how it worked on couples who already conceived a child. When first performed, a 'father' and 'mother' were designated where the mother would be the one to carry the child, but what Olivia and Lucina didn’t know was that this was a permanent choice. Since Lucina was the designated 'mother', Olivia could no longer be the one to get pregnant with their children despite being more than willing to.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  "I'm not sure why you're trying to convince me, since I'm not your husband, but that doesn't sound like a bad plan. Though, you shouldn't abuse your power as Harbinger," Adam replied and let out a sigh as he finished a stack of documents. As a peaceful silence started dawning, Adam quickly spoke up while rummaging through one of the drawers of his desk, "Ah, that reminds me…"

  "Hm?" Lucina looked over to her brother and watched him take out a folded piece of paper.

  "I was going to send this to you via letter, but since you're here, I need your help with something." Adam held out the folded paper toward Lucina.

  "…" Lucina stared into her brother's eyes for a few seconds before getting off the couch and groaning, "And you just said not to abuse my powers."

  "Do as I say not as I do," Adam simply replied as Lucina took the paper. "Besides, this isn't an abuse of power. I'm just a brother asking his sister for a favor."

  "The fact you consider murder a 'favor' is quite telling." Lucina unfolded the paper and read over the details contained within about the person Adam wanted killed. Frequently visited establishments, daily schedules, and even their favorite clothing style were gone into detail for the target. Lucina let out a bemused mumble, "And people say I'm the crazy one, yet my brother is the one contracting his sister to kill his wife's admirers."

  "Admirers are one thing," Adam corrected as he leaned back in his chair. "So long as they know their place and never step forward, I'm honored to have such a wonderful wife as Vivian be recognized for her brilliance and beauty. But…" Adam matched his sister's gaze and a sharp glint slithered behind his eyes. "It's something completely different when I catch one of them hanging around the mansion."

  "And you let him get away?" Lucina teased as the rot behind her eyes festered upon reading each word of the dossier. "You're getting sloppy."

  "We Felswores aren't known for our knights or our shadows, we're a breadbasket relying on Holst for protection." Adam's fingers lightly tapped against his desk as hatred smoldered within his heart. "So, Duchess of Holst, I'm kindly asking for your help taking care of the worms writhing their way to my front door. I refuse to allow something to happen to Vivian or, gods forbid, Henry."

  "Relax," Lucina placated as she tapped the paper against Adam's desk to get him to focus on her. "Olivia would be filled with worry if anything like that happened to them, so I'm more than willing to help you out. As usual, the body will never be found."

  "…Thank you." Adam's fingers stopped tapping and he took a deep breath to quell his anxious mind. It wasn't often, thankfully, but there were rare occasions when Adam would catch hints of Vivian's stalkers around the mansion's exterior grounds, or even worse catch them in the act of watching Vivian from the fence line. They would think themselves safe by hiding under cloaks and masks, but Adam was persistent. A scrap of clothing torn off and left behind on a sharp branch, a careless footprint left in the mud, listening to the voice that cried out when caught and the haggard breathing of them running away; all were clues Adam would use to track down any who dared cross the line.

  "You act like me helping you is some divine intervention, and not the usual," Lucina joked to lighten Adam's mood.

  Adam stifled a laugh, and replied, "And I am forever grateful, our Harbinger."

  "Ugh, never call me that." Lucina shuddered, "It sounds creepy when you do it."

  "Unfortunately for you, I'm happily married." Adam twirled his ponytail around one of his fingers.

  "As am I." Lucina memorized the information in the dossier and burnt the paper with her fire magic so that nothing was left. As she was about to turn and leave, a thought crossed her mind and she asked, "Are Mother and Father down in the villa? I didn't see their personal servants on my way up here."

  "It was finished just last month, so they're going to spend the rest of the summer and most of the fall down there." The southern border of Gauldrin was defined by an offshoot river from the Helker that ended in a large, scenic lake. Since Adam had taken over Charles' duties as count, Charles and Elizabeth were spending their newly found free time constructing and decorating a lakefront villa for the family to retreat to during the rare summer vacation. "Vivian, Henry, and I will most likely join them in a week or two, once I finish getting ahead of my duties enough to take a break."

  "And not enjoy the social season in the capital~?" Lucina sarcastically mocked as she returned to the couch. "What shut-ins you two are~."

  "Says the Ghost Duchess," Adam retorted and used the title many nobles were calling Lucina behind her back. "Many wonder if Holst even has a Duchess with how few appearances you make. Compared to you, Vivian and I are social butterflies."

  "Why should I bother keeping up appearances for them?" Lucina laid down on the couch and propped her head up on a pillow. "If Olivia or Cassandra aren't there then there's no point in going to those parties. It's all just gossip mills, anyway."

  "But Baron Lyllium does go to all those parties," Adam reminded.

  "Yes, and Cassandra has my complete respect for being able to deal with all that nonsense for the entire summer. Personally, I'll pass." Lucina stared up at the ceiling and her breathing started to slow. "Besides, going to the capital would just increase the chances of running into the Emperor. I'd rather fight in war."

  "Technically, that's treasonous speech."

  "What? Are you going to report me?" Lucina waved her hand in the air before letting it drop down to her side.

  "Maybe later." Adam resumed working on the piles of documents and the scritching of his pen started to once more fill the air.

  "Wow, how generous," Lucina's voice was getting low as she shifted on the couch to get into a more comfortable position lying on her back. "I'm pretty sure the assassination of your fellow nobles is also a serious crime."

  "But I never did anything," Adam innocently joked. "All I did was point you in a certain direction. It's not my fault my sister defaults to murdering her problems away."

  "If it works…it works," Lucina mumbled as her eyelids grew heavier and heavier. A long silence fell upon the office with the only sounds being the scritching of a pen and the heavy breathing of a tired Duchess. After some time, Lucina broke the silence by mumbling, "Hey?"

  "Hm?"

  "I'll…have another kid…right?"

  "…" Adam hesitated and he stopped working on the document in front of him, though his eyes remained fixated on the page. Even without seeing her face, he could tell what expression she was making from the envy and longing that infected his sister's voice. Picking his words carefully, Adam responded, "One day."

  "…" Lucina didn't immediately respond and Adam thought she had fallen asleep, until she muttered out, "I…don't want to wait that long…" Lucina's hand moved down to her stomach and gave it a soft squeeze. "I know why Olivia's worried…but…" Her words trailed off and soon the sound of soft snoring crept through the room.

  "…" Finally putting down his pen, Adam rose from his chair and walked over to the couch where Lucina was fast asleep. Even though she looked peaceful, her face was distraught and her hand never left her stomach. Adam watched her sleep for a few seconds before walking over to a cabinet along the wall and taking out a light, cotton blanket. Gingerly so as not to wake her, Adam draped the blanket over Lucina, got down on one knee, and lightly brushed some hair off Lucina's face. "Don't worry, Lucina," Adam whispered as his words were meant to ease his sleeping sister's mind, "I'll have a talk with Olivia." As he gently brushed her hair away, Adam was taken back to their youth and the days when his young sister would sleep in a barren room with only a single piece of clothing to keep her warm. Even if she was given a blanket it would be old and worn out, offering little protection from the cold. During that time, Adam would intentionally ruin his blanket with a drink and have the maids 'throw it away' by giving it to Lucina. Silently, from the sidelines, Adam would protect his sister; both then and now.

  "…" Lucina unconsciously turned her head to nuzzle Adam's warm hand as her mind relaxed.

  "If for whatever reason they can't stay in Wortrest, I'll make sure there's lodging for the priests here in Gauldrin." Adam retracted his hand and slowly stood up so as to not wake Lucina. "So, take a break here. I'll be right back." On silent footfalls, Adam left the office to join Vivian and Olivia in the garden. Their conversation was muffled by the closed office window which allowed Lucina to remain undisturbed and completely oblivious to what Adam was doing. But Adam didn't mind. The conversation he had with Olivia didn't last long as she, herself, was already aware of Lucina's desire but was still deliberating in her own mind about it as the image of Lucina unconscious and bleeding while the priests of Alm panicked still lingered in her mind. Adam made every promise and gave every suggestion he could to convince her to try at least one more time. And after leaving Gauldrin behind, returning to Wortrest, and putting Aiko to bed, Olivia surprised Lucina with a bedroom filled with three lit campfires. Campfires that had been prepared the day prior by Elder Arkin who received a letter from Olivia about the plan she and Adam agreed upon. And so, on that fateful night, with their love for each other burning bright, Olivia and Lucina conceived their second child.