BXBX NOVEL Chapter 497 496: Work And Play
We got to play with the little ones for a few more minutes before they both turned back towards Mother and whined, reaching out for her and demanding to return to her warm embrace.
Alessandra nuzzled into Mother\'s chest before searching for milk, whilst Lakshmi rested her head against Mother\'s chest and promptly fell asleep, deciding that this was enough excitement for the time being.
Seeing that, we all smiled before quietly talking, little Alessandra glancing between us all as she heard our voices all around her.
"They\'re already so adorable..."
The Countess smiled over at me, nodding her head as she looked back towards the two babies resting against Mother\'s chest, one asleep and one feeding.
"You can already see where they\'ll take after Julie or one of us... Lakshmi\'s a tad lazy, just like you Chordeva~!"
The Marquess rolled her eyes at her wife, a smirk on her lips as she replied "When presented with such soft \'pillows\' like that, why would anyone refuse to take a nice nap~? Right, Jahi?"
Her eldest daughter shared a look with her before smirking as well, glancing over at Leone and I as she nodded.
"That\'s true... it feels great to rest atop of them... or between them~!"
The Countess gave the two Demoness\' a chilly smile, making them shudder as she turned towards the rest of us.
"So, what are you all going to do now then? Stick close and remain inside the Palace, or..?"
Taking a seat on the bed, I looked towards the tired expression of Mother as she supported Alessandra and Lakshmi, answering the Countess after a few moments.
"For the next week or so... yes. I think it\'d be best to remain here and be available. There are three of you, sure, but I imagine there will be some times that you all want to... spend some intimate time together instead of watching over the children."
The Marquess grinned, her ruby eyes sparkling as she spoke in an excited voice "Yes~! I would like that, Kat... Maybe we\'ll get extremely lucky and have another one on the way~! From either Ria or Julie..."
She licked her lips slightly as she looked over the two women, making the rest of us smile wryly as she openly displayed her voracious appetite, uncaring of the fact that she was saying so in front of her daughter and daughter in laws...
"Well... she\'s not wrong. I think we\'ve been spoiled by the... \'availability\' of Julie, so we\'ve come to require that taste on a regular basis."
Unsurprisingly, the Countess also made her desires known, looking towards Mother with a smirk as she stroked her shoulder, making her blush as she avoided my gaze.
"We\'ll try and take over for a few hours here and there, but do try and give us a heads up; each of us has something that we\'ll be trying to do during this week, so knowing in advance would help planning immensely. But... we should probably let you rest some more now, Mother... You look exhausted."
She smiled tiredly at me, her amber eyes slightly dull as she nodded, sighing as she leaned back into the soft pillows.
"That\'d... be nice... ahh... Though, I know I\'ll be hungry in a few hours, so..? Wake me up when dinner is ready..."
It didn\'t take long for her to slip into being asleep either, joining Lakshmi quickly as she rested her head against the mountain of pillows, her breathing evening out.
Alessandra looked up at her curiously before resuming to drink, the baby Elf uncaring of the rest of us now.
Smiling at that, I stood up and backed away, freeing the bed for the Countess to lie down beside Mother and watch over the two babies, making sure that they didn\'t move or try and escape from the bed, whilst the Marquess got up and began to quietly pull another bed over, creating some more space for them to lay on.
We all nodded before exiting the room once more, letting Mother go back to sleep in peace for the time being.
After all, I had no real idea on how babies were in this world, but if they were even remotely similar to those that I was used to, well, she might not get many chances to sleep peacefully.
For now though, we all returned to our bedroom, and I grabbed Leone\'s hand and whispered into her ear, making the Princess pounce on me as we began to Dual Cultivate, spending some time to strengthen ourselves whilst also enjoying the pleasures of the flesh for a little longer.
Anput and Jahi mirrored us on another bed, until we all eventually were seated and focusing on the mana inside our Core, honing our own mana with the bundle that our partners had transferred to us.
Of course, it was only right that we continued for a little longer after that, stepping into the bath and having some more fun before returning to the bedroom, where we each fell into our individual studies for the time being.
With the sun going down and the day near a close, we wanted to remain inside and focus our efforts on the mind instead of the body, improving our magics in the peace and quiet of the Palace walls.
I kept track of the time with my pocket watch, letting me know when a good time to leave and make my way to the kitchen would be so that I could place an order for our large family with the Pigkin chef.
When the time came, I walked through the halls in silence before reaching the kitchen, where most of the Knights and some new faces - the Saints and Saintess\' - ate together, chatting and enjoying their meal.
Seeing me, the Knights waved before answering the questions of their new companions, all of whom were curious about who I was.
Finding the chef, I talked quietly with her for a few moments, asking her if she could prepare a tray of food meant for someone who had just given birth, only to have her smile at me and tell me that Lady D\'Arcon had her prepare a whole assortment of dishes for us in advance.
Nirinia approached during that conversation, the Djinn helping as I loaded three carts with the food, plates, utensils and more before we made our way through the halls as quickly as we could without risking the precious cargo of food; one cart in front of me, one cart behind Nirinia, and a cart between us.
When we returned to the room, everyone made their way into the main room, with the Marquess helping Mother into a chair whilst the Countess carried the two babies, who were fast asleep in her arms.
Mother too was still drifting in and out of sleep, but when I uncovered one of the carts and let the smell of excellent cooking waft into the room, her nose twitched before her eyes opened fully, locking instantly onto the plate meant for her.
A slab of lean steak, a bowl of fried rice with egg, some grilled corn and steamed green beans as well as a few other smaller dishes, providing a wide array of foods for her to eat and replenish the energy lost from giving birth, as well as bolster what she\'s going to continue to lose by feeding the two girls constantly.
She got to work cleaning her plate off instantly, rotating evenly from each portion until her plate was left empty; by the time I finished handing out everyone else\'s meals, she was handing me her plate and asking for me, an innocent expression on her face as she held her plate out quietly.
Smiling wryly, I gave her another portion of steak and some more rice, before scooping some more vegetables onto her plate as well, which she began to eat at a more reasonable pace this time.
Sitting down, we all dug in, watching as the two little ones were roused by the scent of food, their curiosity piqued as they looked towards the various plates with wonder.
Alessandra was ticked off when she tried to grab a piece of corn from the Countess, who swiftly pulled it away and ate it for herself, making her daughter glare at her before she turned and reached for another piece, only to be restricted by the Countess\' mana.
Babbling angrily at her Mom, Alessandra turned to see Lakshmi sitting on the Marquess lap, observing her own Mom with wide eyes as she tore into a thick steak.
Pouting at how her sister was allowed to \'roam free\', the little Elf glared up at her Mom before huffing, her chubby cheeks puffed out slightly.
We all had to chuckle at that, though I did decide I needed to study up some more on how babies act in this world...
That felt too mature for her, but then again it is an Elf, and this could be natural..?
As if sensing that, the Countess smiled wryly at me as she said "Elven children will be smaller longer, but their mental capacity is... a tad higher compared to other babies right off the bat. No idea why, but..."
Poking Alessandra\'s cheek, the Countess chuckled again as her daughter looked away from her, continuing on speaking despite the slight frown on her face.
"This is apparently normal."
"Aye, your Mother told me that you were a prick as a baby... So proud and arrogant despite being just a few days old~! She always laughed at how you changed from insufferable to so shy~!"
The Countess glared at the Marquess, who grinned back at her, not backing down.
"Mother, will I ever get to see them again? Your parents, I mean. We haven\'t seen them since... what, before we came back to the March when I was a kid?"
Looking towards Jahi, she sighed before shrugging her shoulders, saying "Maybe soon. I imagine that the letters I sent reached them. It all depends on whether your Grandfather\'s businesses require immediate supervision and whether or not someone pissed off your Grandmother... I wouldn\'t count on it being within a week, but certainly in a month or two."
Jahi nodded before returning to her meal, leaving the rest of us curious about the two Haniel\'s that we had only ever heard about, but never seen.