Lia's eyes widened. She clutched the edge of the blanket, and her tail twitched nervously. "My Lord, you don't need to worry. Bearing children for you is the least I can do." Her voice trembled with flustered honesty, her face glowing red.

"When we were at the end of our hopes you helped us so I want to serve you with all my heart."

Then Sophia's hand suddenly slammed the edge of the bed.

"Are you two crazy?"

Both turned toward her. "Why are you talking about children first? We should prepare for a wedding."

"Wedding?" Ethan and Lia spoke at the same time. Ethan's lips curved slightly, and he gave a small nod.

"Yes. We should have a wedding," he affirmed, his deep voice leaving no room for doubt.

Sophia's eyes lit up. "Yes, every woman deserves a wedding. So we should start training Lia." She leaned forward, her tone more excited than Ethan's.

"Wait a moment…I think we are forgetting something."Ethan muttered, pressing his forehead.

"Oh Yes…"

Ethan raised a brow. "But the children?" The question made both women stiff.

Sophia blinked, caught off guard.

Ethan's gaze sharpened at once. "Wait. Don't tell me you haven't thought about their reactions."

His voice carried a weight that pressed silence into the room.

Sophia bit her lip with her smile turning awkward. Ethan ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, shaking his head. "First, we should let the children digest the fact."

...…

"Mother…"

The soft voice made them all turn. Miranda stood in the doorway, her eyes wide as she looked from Sophia to Lia. Her lips trembled before she blurted out, "She is our new Mother…"

"Yes…From now on you will have another mother."

Miranda stepped closer, staring at Lia with innocent wonder. The adults held their breath as she paused. Then suddenly she jumped forward and clung to Lia's dress. "Then can I call you Second Mom? Will you play with me? Can I tour around with you? Also… can I touch your tails?"

Lia's face went bright pink, her hands fumbling. She forced a shy smile and nodded quickly. "You can."

Her fluffy tail moved hesitantly. Miranda grabbed it with a gasp and pressed her cheek against it. "Wow… it's so soft! I want to sleep on it. Please, Second Mom, sleep with me!"

Ethan leaned back, watching quietly, a faint smirk tugging at his lips as Lia blushed harder.

Ray, however, narrowed his eyes. He looked at Lia, then at Ethan, then his gaze landed on Sophia.

He walked closer, his small brows furrowed. "Did father cheat on you?"

Ethan almost lost his balance, his calm composure breaking for a second. "What are you talking about, brat? It's your mother who took her in." His sharp voice filled the room, making Ray flinch.

Ray blinked, confusion clear on his young face. He turned to Sophia. "Mom, why did you choose another woman for Father?"

Sophia placed her hand on her hip, a faint blush on her cheek, though her smile was bold. "I had to do this to bear the load. You see, at night we need to have a lot of work, so we need help. Aunt Lia is quite talented, but it seems we need more people."

Ray tilted his head, still confused. "But Mom, can't others help with the work? Why did we need another person to marry?" His eyes flicked to Ethan, who leaned back in his chair with a cool smile and casually looked at the sky through the window.

"Ahaa… what wonderful weather," Ethan murmured, avoiding the boy's sharp stare.

Ray then looked at Lia who averted his gaze.Finally his gaze fell on Sophia.

Sophia chuckled nervously, brushing her hair back as Ray pressed on. "You'll know once you grow up," she said at last. "Don't worry about it now."

Ray frowned but finally fell quiet. Ethan exhaled slowly, his gaze sliding back to Lia, who still looked shy and overwhelmed. His eyes softened as he caught the pink glow on her cheeks, her tail twitching nervously while Miranda clung to her.

Ethan smirked faintly. 'She'll get used to it. Slowly.'

...

The House of Blank slowly returned to its usual rhythm. Servants moved about, busy with their work, while the halls carried a calm atmosphere. Ethan and Sophia had already begun planning for their wedding, quietly discussing the details with a sense of warmth.

Oliver returned from the mines and bowed before Ethan, his clothes still carrying the dust of stone and earth.

"...."

"Can't you even take a bath..What's with this mess?"

"Lord, I was so excited that I didn't dare to waste time to groom up.."

He handed over the report with a firm tone.

"So, except for the fact that we lack manpower for mining there, all things are good and set well, right?" Ethan asked, glancing up from the papers on his desk.

"Yes, My Lord!" Oliver replied with confidence.

"That's great," Ethan said with a nod, a faint smile crossing his lips.

The Blackslate mine had been a focus of their efforts for weeks.Though Baron Bragot changed the deal from Metal mine to this at the very last moment this still wasn't bad.

Though the veins ran deep with valuable ore, the lack of hands slowed progress. The workers who remained were diligent, but the mine demanded far more men than they could spare. Still, Ethan ordered more people to be sent, determined to see the resources pulled from the earth.

Just as he finished issuing the command, the heavy sound of hurried footsteps echoed down the hall. Oliver rushed into the office, his face pale with urgency.

"My Lord… there seems to be trouble," he said quickly, catching his breath.

Ethan's eyes narrowed as he leaned back in his chair. "What happened now?" he asked, his voice low but edged with concern.

"My Lord, Sir Randall has asked for your presence in the Dungeon," Oliver answered, his tone serious.

"My presence?" Ethan paused, giving Oliver a sharp look.

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