"Mind that lesser tongue of yours... boy," Adrianna hissed, her mana stirring around her like a crackling storm.
Lucius stood his ground, unfazed.
He didn't even blink.
A healer's mana flares were mere ripples to a seasoned fighter like him— noise without bite. His gaze stayed steady, almost bored, as if daring her to push further.
Without warning, Sia lifted her frail arm and gave Lucius a weak smack atop his head.
It barely counted as a hit— more a brush, yet the intention behind it was clear: Enough.
Lucius immediately caught her hand midair, his larger, rougher fingers gently wrapping around her thin ones. His anger melted into guilt within a heartbeat.
He bowed his head slightly, massaging her trembling hand, murmuring an apology under his breath, careful not to jostle her.
Mercy, watching from the side, exhaled heavily through his nose, one hand resting on the hilt of his sword instinctively.
Every damn time, Mercy thought grimly.
Whenever tensions rose, this scene played out like a cursed routine: anger, escalation, regret.
None of them ever learned.
His gaze briefly softened as he looked at Sia — pale, thin, and clearly weaker than even a few months ago.
It had started about a year ago.
First, it was simple — the kind of illnesses every traveler caught in the winter months: a cold, a slight fever, weakness. Nothing serious.
But it didn't go away.
Weeks stretched into months.
The symptoms worsened — the weakness deepened, her stamina withered away, and soon even basic tasks tired her out.
Lucius had fought the decision bitterly.
He'd pushed, begged even, to move her to one of the larger cities where the medical infrastructure and high-ranked healers could actually diagnose what was eating her alive.
But Sia had refused.
This is my home, she had said, with that maddening, gentle stubbornness of hers.
She trusted Adrianna.
She trusted Varis.
And against his better judgment — against every survival instinct he had — Lucius had let it go.
Now, with every ragged breath Sia took, regret twisted tighter in his gut.
He was yanked from his thoughts when Adrianna opened her mouth again, venom lacing every word.
"Siri... I still can't believe someone as calm and proper as you would even think about adopting this abandoned son of a bitc—"
She didn't finish.
The temperature in the room plummeted.
Lucius's mana snapped outward like a whip — sharp, lethal, radiating a wild, primal bloodlust.
His eyes locked onto Adrianna with a predator's intensity, and for a moment, it felt as if the very air grew too thick to breathe.
Adrianna stiffened instinctively, her body screaming at her to move, to protect herself — but she couldn't react fast enough.
Before Lucius's killing intent could hit her fully, Mercy intervened.
With one sharp stomp, Mercy's own mana surged out, wrapping around Adrianna like a thick, invisible shield.
It deflected Lucius's pressure effortlessly, but the room still felt suffocating, the tension strung so tight it could snap with a whisper.
"Lucius," Mercy barked, his voice sharp enough to cut steel.
"Enough."
Lucius didn't lower his mana immediately.
It hovered there, seething.
Mercy shifted his gaze to Adrianna, his voice dropping low and cold.
"And you," he said, disdain colouring his tone, "I expected better from someone of your rank and age. You shame yourself with such words."
The room fell silent except for Sia's faint, uneven breathing.
Mercy let out another slow breath, regaining his composure.
"The real issue here is Lady Sia's health," he said firmly, sweeping his gaze across both combatants.
"If you two genuinely care for her, then sit down, shut up, and act like it."
Finished, he leaned back in his chair and crossed one leg casually over the other, signalling that he was stepping out of the argument — a mediator, not a participant.
Finally, the real conversation began.
Sia, still leaning weakly against her cushions, made her position clear with the faintest shake of her head: she would stay in Varis.
No matter how persuasive Lucius's arguments grew, she had already decided.
This city, these people — this was her life.
And she wasn't going to leave it behind, not even to chase a miracle cure.
Lucius understood.
Gods, he understood — but he hated it.
He paced slowly near the window, arms crossed, wrestling with the bitter knowledge that the central cities, the towering capitals with their sprawling hospitals and legendary healers, might offer her a real chance.
But the journey would be brutal.
Crossing districts, enduring rough terrain, facing unpredictable dangers on the road...
It could kill her before they even arrived.
Across from him, Adrianna dug in her heels.
She still clung to her treatments, stubbornly claiming progress, pointing out the rare days when Sia seemed stronger, almost normal.
But everyone knew the truth: those good days were fleeting illusions.
Mercy leaned forward slightly, his voice thoughtful, but unyielding.
"This happens," he said, "because you're overworked. Split between too many patients."
Lucius immediately nodded, shooting a sharp glare at Adrianna, reminding her about their last conversation they had a few months ago.
The logic was simple.
The human body — even a gifted healer's — had limits.
Divide your attention, divide your strength.
Sia wasn't just another patient.
She was family.
But Adrianna's oath to Varis's people weighed heavily on her. She couldn't, or wouldn't, abandon the others who needed her.
Mercy exchanged a meaningful glance with Lucius.
Lucius caught the silent message and moved to strike.
He softened his stance deliberately, lowering his voice to something almost gentle.
"I'm not here to insult you," he said, words chosen carefully. "You've done everything you could. But Lady Sia isn't just another name on a ledger."
Adrianna's jaw tightened.
She said nothing, but her fingers twitched against her robes.
Lucius pressed further.
"I'm willing to support the others," he said, "to fund extra shifts. Hire more healers. Triple yours and theirs salaries if needed."
Adrianna's mana trembled around her, offended.
"I don't need your damn money," she snapped, old pride flashing through.
"I know," Lucius said, calm as a still lake.
"This isn't about you. It's about them. The ones you're too honourable to leave behind."
He paused, letting the weight of his words settle.
"If I can make it easier for you to focus on Sia — without guilt, without sacrificing others — isn't that worth considering?"
The silence grew heavy.
Adrianna closed her eyes briefly, waging an internal war she didn't want anyone to see.
Duty. Loyalty. Pride. Love.
They were all pulling her apart at the seams.
Lucius didn't push her further.
He simply gave a small bow and turned toward the kitchen.
"I'll give you some time to think it through," he said over his shoulder.
"And while you're at it..."
He smirked faintly, a flash of the old Lucius showing through.
"Someone has to make sure we don't starve."
He disappeared into the kitchen, the soft clatter of pots and pans soon following, leaving Mercy, Adrianna, and Sia alone with the choices that could no longer be delayed.
***
Lunch was almost ready when Lucius felt it—that faint ripple in the air, the presence of someone familiar... and someone entirely unexpected.
Others in the house noticed too, subtle shifts in their mana senses, small pauses in movement and the brightened mana signatures of the newly arrived guests.
Without hesitation, Lucius broke into a wide, genuine smile and made his way to the door.
Standing there, bathed in the soft afternoon light, was Lady Rebecca, accompanied by Sir Edward Greenwich.
Edward greeted them with his usual easy charm.
"I told you, didn't I? That I had informed Lucius and Mercy beforehand, right?" he said, lying through his teeth without even flinching as both Mercy and Adrianna arrived as well to greet and welcome them.
Lucius and Mercy shared a brief glance, a silent agreement to play along, which others noticed but didn't mind; these two do that way often. Although if someone like Sir Edward needed to lie, it meant whatever had brought him here wasn't just a casual visit or the need to escort Rebecca.
It was serious.
Inside, Rebecca found her way to the couch where Sia sat, despite the cramped space. She squeezed herself beside her old rival, unwilling to be apart even by an inch for some reason.
Adrianna mirrored the gesture, seating herself firmly on Sia's other side—subtly, but unmistakably, boxing Lucius out from sitting beside his mentor.
As they settled, Adrianna, half in mischief and half in genuine affection, leaned over toward Rebecca, placing her arms on Sia's lap,
"You know," she said casually, "Lucius carried Sia around princess-style... Whole arms and everything."
Sia's reaction was immediate. Her cheeks flushed bright red, and she buried her face in her hands, knees drawn up slightly in a desperate attempt to hide her embarrassment, even though Adrianna's leaning posture didn't spare her.
Adrianna, sensing blood in the water, leaned closer with a devilish grin.
"Oh yes, swept her right off her feet," she teased mercilessly.
Rebecca laughed through her hands, half mortified, half delighted, as Sia sputtered weak protests no one listened to.
Meanwhile, Lucius just chuckled under his breath, quietly savouring the rare sight of Sia, normally so composed, reduced to a flustered mess, that too in front of her friends.
The aroma of freshly cooked dishes filled the house, signalling that lunch was ready.
Lucius moved quickly, setting out plates and bowls with practised ease, while the others drifted toward the dining table one by one.
Sia moved slowly, her strength still trying to recover after experiencing such positivity around her, Rebecca and Adrianna remained glued to her sides, practically escorting her to the table.
In the end, Lucius ended up seated between Mercy and Edward—probably by design.
Conversation flowed easily at first, touching on small things: training mishaps, local news, and harmless gossip.
But soon, the topic shifted, almost inevitably, to the real matter at hand.
Edward spoke of the invasion into the northern stretches of the Outer Rim, where the corrupted beasts roamed thickest. The regions of Ghost bears, Azularam, and the Dire wolves.
A massive army, nearly a hundred thousand strong, had been formed—a union between the Empire and the Guild Association.
Lord Rartar himself was leading a significant portion of the forces, striking deep into the heart of these icy-wild territories.
The news fell heavily over the table.
Lucius and others noticed how Sia's expression barely changed.
No flicker of worry, no spark of pride.
Nothing.
It had been nearly ten years since she had last seen her husband.
The sheer coldness of her reaction caught others off guard—Rebecca, Adrianna, even Lucius, but deep down, he understood.
It wasn't indifference.
It was something deeper, quieter... and infinitely heavier.
Sensing the growing tension, Mercy steered the conversation elsewhere.
He casually mentioned the explosion that had recently rocked the area near the inner side of the Lunar Walls, between the defensive barriers and the Grand Line—the newly established, densely forested region.
Rebecca and Adrianna immediately perked up, firing off questions.
"What caused it?"
"Was it an attack?"
Mercy shrugged, crafting a plausible lie on the spot.
"Some prank, probably. Kids messing around."
It was weak, but it was the best he could do without revealing too much... Especially when the Culprit was sitting beside them.
Edward, sharp as ever, caught the half-truth.
He gave Mercy a long, considering look but said nothing, though his eyes did wander off onto Lucius for a solid second before re-focusing elsewhere.
If Mercy wasn't speaking openly, then it wasn't his place to force the issue here, besides, he did hear the explosion news from his fellow knights beforehand.
Adrianna, however, was less easily distracted.
Her attention shifted mid-conversation, narrowing in on the quiet and calm as ever Rebecca.
She stared—intensely, purposefully—for a few long seconds.
Rebecca fidgeted under the sudden scrutiny.
Then Adrianna spoke, cutting clean through the lingering tension:
"How long?"
The entire table turned toward her in confusion.
Rebecca blinked. "How long what?"
Adrianna simply pointed at Rebecca's midsection.
"You've been hiding it for over a month, haven't you?" she said, her voice somewhere between teasing and accusing.
"We're your friends, you know. We knights and healers... don't often get to celebrate good news. You could have trusted us with this."
Rebecca's mouth fell open slightly, realisation dawning—and then Mercy was suddenly behind her, his hands gently resting over her stomach.
They exchanged a quiet look, a silent conversation passing between their smiles,
Then, together, they turned to the table and said it aloud:
"We're expecting."
For a heartbeat, silence.
And then the room exploded with noise.
Lucius let out a loud, joyous whistle that echoed through the halls.
Edward grinned and condensed his mana, releasing small controlled bursts of wind that popped like festive firecrackers above their heads.
Adrianna clapped loudly, a wide smile splitting her usually stern face.
Even Sia, frail and tired, smiled warmly, reaching out to place her hand lightly over Rebecca's.
Rebecca immediately grasped it in return, eyes shining.
Laughter, cheers, and heartfelt congratulations filled the house, wrapping around Lucius and Sia like a warm blanket.
He laughed along with them, heart light, even as a small part of him ached.
He missed Lav and Sara.
They would have loved this moment.
But he buried that small ache deep down, refusing to let it mar the happiness in the air.
Today was for celebration.
Today was for family.
And somehow, somewhere along the way...
He had finally found one.