"What are you doing, child?"

Peri looked up, startled by the familiar voice.

"Mama? Why did you get up? Do you need something?" she asked quickly, hurrying over. She helped her mother sit down on the bed before Beatrice could answer.

Beatrice gave a soft, helpless smile. "Oh, I'm feeling better now. The medic said it's fine for me to walk around a little."

Peri frowned lightly. "Still, you should tell me first if you want to move around."

Beatrice's smile grew warmer as she looked at her daughter. "Look at you—so grown up now, taking care of your old mother."

Peri gave a wry smile. "Old, huh? If we go out together, people would still think you're my big sister."

Beatrice chuckled and reached out her hand.

Peri took it, and with a gentle tug, Beatrice pulled her to sit beside her on the bed.

Once she was seated, Beatrice asked, "Did you have breakfast?"

Peri nodded. "Yeah, just now. I was planning to train for a bit, but then I got caught up in…" She trailed off, her gaze shifting toward the table.

Beatrice followed her daughter's eyes and noticed a half-finished crown resting there.

"Oh? For Hades?" she asked with a smile, clearly impressed by the detail and care put into it.

It was a crown made from thin, dark twigs woven together, with tiny pearls around the rim and frozen red petals decorating the tips of the spires of the crown.

Peri shyly nodded, a little embarrassed that she was making something so simple for her husband.

She wasn't even sure if it was any good. "I'm only good at making things like this," she murmured. "Unlike Luna, who's amazing at knitting… I don't really have any useful skills."

A soft sigh escaped her lips. She had never learned the things her mother once tried to teach her—things a wife could use to make her husband happy.

She couldn't cook, couldn't arrange clothes neatly, and couldn't even flirt properly.

Now that she thought about it, she wasn't particularly special at anything—except archery. And even that, she felt, was only a little above average.

Beatrice, sensing the cloud of self-doubt forming around her daughter, gently turned toward her and cupped her cheeks.

"Oh, my little Peri," she said softly. "Why are you being so upset?"

Peri lowered her eyes. "Sometimes I feel jealous of Luna," she admitted. "She understands what he needs without him even saying a word. She has that natural charm that can make anyone's heart race… unlike me."

Her shoulders slumped. "Sometimes I just feel disappointed in myself."

Beatrice's expression softened. She understood her daughter's feelings more than anyone.

Peri hadn't been ready to become a bride—none of them had expected everything that happened with Samarella.

Thrown suddenly into a new life, Peri was struggling to find her footing, trying so hard to become someone better… someone worthy.

Beatrice knew that Hades wasn't the kind of man who would neglect one wife for another. But she also knew—Peri's fears wouldn't fade just because of that.

"Little one," Beatrice began softly, "why do you think you aren't charming? Or that just because you don't know what most girls do, you aren't special?"

She took Peri's hands gently in hers and smiled. "You can do things Hades wouldn't find in anyone else. Instead of a housewife, he found a partner—someone who stands beside him, not behind him under his protection."

Her tone softened further. "And I'm sure you already know… Hades would rather have a woman holding a spear in her hand than a spatula."

Peri slowly nodded. It was true—Hades wasn't like most men. He never expected his brides to stay hidden within the four walls, tending to chores or waiting for him to return.

He never forced them to train with Avalin either; they had chosen it themselves. And he never stopped them either.

With Hades, both she and Luna knew they could share their opinions freely, make their own choices, and live on their own terms. Unless it was something truly reckless, he would never stand in their way.

Yes… he really was different.

Beatrice's smile deepened as she added, "And I've seen it in his eyes, Peri—the way he looks at you. It's more than affection. It's as if every little thing about you matters to him. Anyone who sees that gaze would know… he truly adores you."

Peri hummed softly, acknowledging her mother's words.

But after a moment, she whispered, "Mama… sometimes I feel bad for Luna. Because of me, she has to share Hades's love. And sometimes… I feel jealous when I see them together—when he talks to her so gently. It stings a little."

Her voice trembled as she asked, "Does that make me a bad person?"

There were certain things Peri could only share with her mother.

Beatrice wasn't just her parent—she was her first and closest friend, the one person who would never judge her. With her, Peri could always be honest, vulnerable, and completely herself.

Beatrice smiled softly and shook her head. "No, my dear. It's not bad to feel jealous of Luna sometimes. It only shows how deeply you love Hades. And though neither you nor he ever planned for this kind of relationship, fate had its own design. So don't carry guilt for the love you've received from Luna's share."

Peri exhaled a shaky breath and leaned into her mother's embrace, resting her head against her chest.

Somehow, hearing those words from her mother made the weight in her heart feel lighter. Luna had told her the same thing before—but it was different hearing it from the woman who had always been her safe place.

Sometimes, all it takes is a bit of reassurance from someone you trust completely to lift the quiet burdens you didn't even know you were carrying.

For Peri, that person was her mother.

And hopefully… someday soon, Luna and Hades will become that, too.

.....

"A lot of work," Vulcan muttered, staring at Hades as the two of them sat face to face atop a massive boulder.

Hades gave a wry smile. "I'm sorry for being such a disappointment." It was probably the seventh time he'd apologized that day.

The older dragon let out a huff, pushing himself up from the rock. "You lack the basic instincts of a dragon," he said firmly. "That's what's keeping you from reaching your true potential."

Ever since Vulcan had been ordered by his Queen to train Hades, his sharp eyes had been studying every move the younger one made. And while he could see that Hades was a fine warrior, he still lacked the very essence of what it meant to be a dragon.

"We are lazy creatures by nature," Vulcan said as he jumped off the boulder, landing with a heavy thud that cracked the ground beneath him.

Hades followed, landing behind him and listening carefully.

"When you live for hundreds of years," Vulcan continued, "you grow bored of meaningless fights. When you know your opponent can't even make your blood stir, why bother getting up? Just glare at the vermin and send him running."

Hades nodded slowly. "I understand. So I need to work on my *Gaze*."

Vulcan snorted. "That's not something you *practice*. It's something you *build*." He threw a glance over his shoulder. "And do you know what builds your Gaze?"

"Blood," Hades answered without hesitation.

Vulcan's lips curved into a small, approving grin. "Exactly. We are the apex predators—the kings of this jungle. If we don't hunt…" He looked ahead, his eyes glinting with quiet power. "Then who will?"

Hades hummed softly, showing he was listening.

Vulcan continued, his tone heavy with pride. "Dragons take pride in their wings. We are the rulers of the skies. Our very shadow should make our enemies tremble in fear."

Hades nodded. "Then I'll start building my endurance—to stay airborne for longer."

Vulcan frowned at that. "You haven't awakened your True Form yet?"

Hades hesitated for a moment. He'd heard about it from his mother before—

the *True Form*, a dragon's original shape.

Only powerful dragons could freely shift between their true body and a humanoid form, blending among mortals when needed.

But Hades was… different. Perhaps the first of his kind who could live comfortably in his human form without ever returning to his draconic one.

He finally answered, "No… I haven't awakened my True Form yet."

Vulcan turned silent as he stared at the sky, deep in thought.

Hades grew worried as he asked, "Are you perhaps reconsidering your decision to teach me?"

Vulcan seemed to be taken aback as he responded, "Teaching you is a duty the Queen has handed me. And I have never left any of her command unfulfilled."

Hades nodded in understanding and turned silent.

Vulcan crossed his arms and finally spoke, "Okay, I have decided. I will teach you. Not just to become a great warrior…but would also teach you how to become a dragon."

°°°°°°°°°

A/N:- Thanks for reading.

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