Marked Ones: Advent of the Demon Prince

"What do you think you are doing?" Lyrah's voice echoed through the top of the Oracle's tower.

The person she was yelling at was Rena. Unbeknownst to everyone currently taking up residence in the tower, the woman would practice sword swings along with her magic on a daily basis. Lyrah appeared to be confused as to how the red-headed woman was able to hide such activities in the four years they had known each other.

"You know, exercise is supposed to actually be quite…" Rena tried to argue.

"Don't give me that! Those are light jogs, long walks, and stretches. I am pretty sure that did not include complex sword drills, you dumb girl. Also, what would you do if you overused your mana on accident…" Lyrah mumbled.

"Aren't you the same person who is always looking at the future? Just look at mine and tell me if the exercises…"

"Gods above, Rena! Stop over-exerting yourself! I swear you are going to give me gray hair before I'm twenty."

Natali, Mylene, and Adellia giggled at what had become a nearly daily routine. Rena appreciated her friend's support, but felt like Lyrah was being a little too overbearing. She was like her brother in that respect. This, of course, was something that shocked her to some extent because the two never met until adulthood. The fact that they had similar personality traits was intriguing.

Still, Rena sighed and relented a little. "Can we compromise? You can come with me. I won't do the sword drills, but I do like to keep my magic training… I won't give up until I nail Mana Manipulation."

"Still trying to be like brother dearest?" Lyrah teased. "You know, why don't you just let him do all the heavy lifting in the fighting department? You are a mother now; that's plenty enough, I think."

Rena shook her head rapidly, "No. I'm not going to simply give up on growing stronger just because I'm a mother. Besides, do you think I'll be able to keep up with one of Lucius's children without ranking up? If they have the potential, he does, who knows what they will be like in an environment we can provide."

Natali nodded grimly. "Yeah, that's a good point."

No one pointed out how she looked at her own stomach rather than Rena's. Instead, Rena gave the girl a pitiable smile. She desperately wanted to go on the trip to Aedrider as well, but they needed someone to stay that could still reliably fight. On top of that, Rena had taken her position as 'first wife' rather seriously.

Though she had personally known Natali longer, she wasn't the one that would be making love to her. In that respect Lucius needed to get to know her. However, it would be unfair to take Kalliope's position as next for that honor. They had known each other for a long time and were very close. On top of that, Lucius's feelings were his own and Rena needed to respect that.

Never in her young life did she imagine she would find herself in the position of managing her husband's love life with other women. However, it did not bother her. Somehow she had grown rather used to the idea. Realizing Lucius was a noble of a beastman house where such a thing was not only common, but basically required, helped her cement that decision in her mind.

On top of that, getting to know Natali so well and hearing from Lyrah how much of a savior Lucius was to them in their isolation… it moved her. Perhaps that was intentional on Lyrah's part?

Rena eyed her best friend who caught her gaze with playful, silver eyes. 'She's such a dangerous rascal,' Rena thought with amusement.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Adellia walked over and placed a gentle hand on her belly. Rena and her had grown rather close during her time here. It seemed to make the Oracle very happy to be included in her biological grandchild's life, so Rena was all too happy to accept the doting woman's love.

Something that had surprised her was how well Rubellia and Adellia got along. Part of her was worried the two would be at odds given that Adellia had the biological connection Rubellia did not, but Rubellia had the memories of a life raising Lucius. Neither woman had a vengeful spirit though, and they got along swimmingly.

On the first night in the tower, the two of them had a very long chat on the balcony and discussed everything in depth. Rubellia also shared stories of Lucius as a child from the perspective of a worried mother, while Adellia shared stories of what it was like growing him inside her and the kind of life she had wished for him.

Both women were sad about the discrepancies, but they got along great. Neither had a desire to occupy a position as a preferred grandparent or preferred parent in Lucius's or the baby's life. They were content to maintain a position equal to one another.

"Rena, I think you ought to listen to the young lady." Rubellia scolded as she walked into the living area. She returned from the base of the tower with fresh laundry.

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"Though I carried twins and things were a little more difficult than normal, I also agree that you should be careful." Adellia said with a saccharine smile. "You never know what might happen, so it is best to take it easy."

"I feel like everyone in this tower is against me at the moment…" Rena complained. Though her tone was whiney, there was no heart in it. In truth, she was happy so many people cared so deeply for her.

"We can go train in the barracks below while you can still easily go up and down the stairs." Natali offered.

"Thank you, at least someone supports me." Rena giggled.

She looked out at the city in the distance. It was a beautiful afternoon and people were moving about below doing their daily tasks. They were too far away for her to actually see, but she could tell that it was a normal and peaceful day in the capital.

Thoughts of what kind of place her child would grow up in filled her head. Would they be able to find a place and settle down away from the politics of the Five Kings Union? Would they be able to keep the child from experiencing the pain of prejudice if they were born marked? If they could, would it even be wise to set them up with expectations of a world vastly different from reality?

'It doesn't matter in the end; you will be loved by us all. That is enough. As for a place? No doubt your handsome and powerful father will carve out one for us. He's headstrong enough to do that, you know?" She said to her belly while rubbing it gently. Though it was much too soon for the child to react in any noticeable way, she liked to think that these words made the child happy.