The annual meeting slash festival for the Foundation of the Western Continent was quickly approaching. Deruth frowned at the number of letters he received from prestigious schools across the continent. The public was aware of his twins' achievements throughout the County and the Rowoon Kingdom.

"They work way too hard for a couple who wants to live a slacker lifestyle."

Plus, they are completely unaware of it.

Cale had been beating up someone in some tournament or something, while Rok had gone ahead and done some scholarly work just for fun.

He describes the twins as "terrifying." Who would do that just to pass the time when they want to slack off?

"Hello," he said, looking out the window, and Jour returned. Violan was also there.

"Welcome."

"Hehe! I heard my twins are causing trouble."

"They are still bearable, but they are always causing trouble."

She has not been here in two years. Deruth noticed how well she lived when he looked at her. Knowing her personality, he intended to offer her assistance. Jour will undoubtedly decline him.

"Hah, I knew they would be troublemakers as soon as they reached this age."

"Take note, out of boredom," Violan chuckles, handing Jour some photos of the twins getting into mischief.

"And they want a rich slacker life? Goodness, who did they take after?" Jour lamented.

"Both of you," Violan stated emphatically, "inherited your bold and stubborn personalities."

Jour flushed but eventually laughed.

"Rok also has a wife and a mistress."

"Haha, he definitely picked up on Deruth's charms."

"I know, right."

"Are you two praising me or dissing me?" Deruth frowned and set down his pen before approaching the seats where the two ladies continued to converse.

"Both."

Deruth frowned but sat on the other side of the two. Anyone would be furious with this kind of relationship, but Violan and Jour appear to get along so well. Unlike Zed Crossman, who could not keep his pants on and has been doing things for love's sake, he loves them both and will continue to do so.

Violan is his present, and Jour was his past. He did not want them to be associated with the terms legal wife and mistress.

And... They accepted each other, which made him happy.

"Dad is going to be furious; he worked so hard to train Rok."

"Cale has been cleaning up his messes."

"As expected," Deruth said, pausing to listen to their laughter. He did not realize it at the time, but he was in desperate need of this moment.

"I am going to see my twins before I leave."

"Feel free," Violan said with a smile.

.

.

"Ah... so tired... I hate that those princes are here," Rok sighed before retiring to their bed to feel worthless once more.

"You should take a bath," Cale says as she pulls him away from the tub. He had him dragged to the restroom.

A maid entered the bathroom to bring some towels. Of course, they will not go beyond the boundaries, but the maid did. They assumed the maid was after them, but—

"I see my peas have grown so fast." It wasn't a maid but Jour, their mother.

"M, mom...?"

"Yes?"

Before she could approach them, they both looked at him and sank into the bath.

"Huh?"

"Wait. wait! We're—"

"My babies are shy! Do not worry, I have seen them plenty of times when you were young!" Jour did not wait for them to complain, she just hugged them tightly regardless of whether she got wet or not and pepper them kisses for all she wants!

When she hugged them, they shrieked in shame and embarrassment.

There are two running princes barging into the bath.

"ROK!"

A platinum blonde and blonde hotties.

They looked at Jour, about to get angry, but after recognising her red hair, the princess stopped. Vicross, who had also arrived, had come to a halt.

"Ah! Hello Vichy! You have grown so much!" Jour exclaimed as he greeted Vicross. "You look as hot as ideal husband material now. Men in aprons are really handsome."

"Yes, Aunt. You are still as young as ever," Vicross said, handing the robes to his young master, who was unable to move due to embarrassment. He smiled a bit at Jour.

"Aunt?"

"Who are these hotties?" Jour inquired, referring to the princesses. Even though she came from a family of scholars, she was uninterested in politics.

"They're Rok's harem?"

"Harem?" Jour's brow raised.

There is also a running Deruth barging in the bath. "What happened?"

A sharp object scraped Deruth's cheek even before he could make his entrance.

"Deruth..." Jour sounded threatening. "Would you mind explaining what is going on with Rok's Harem? Is my son going to be a womanizing scumbag?"

Deruth paled and trembled. Jour is beautiful in every way, even when she is angry, but her rage is dangerous.

Violan, who had arrived as well, smiled and approached the princes.

Violan introduced Crown Prince Adin and First Prince Alver Crossman to Jour as "Rok's Mistress and legal spouse, respectively."

*crack*

"My baby... is married?"

Rok shivered. "I am..."

This is when Rok, who grew up without a family, realized that mothers are terrifying.

"Wait! I can explain! Mom!" Rok was carried to the other room with his buttocks exposed as if he were a sack of rice.

Cale: Good luck, Hyung-nim!

Rok: Save me, you bastard!

.

.

After the misunderstanding was cleared up, Jour breathed a sigh of relief. She was hugging her baby while Cale sat across from her and the princes sat across from her.

"I thought it was real. So it was just playing house." Jour smiled and kissed Rok's cheeks.

Alver and Adin watched her adore her son.

"I have no objections to you falling in love," she said, "but I would prefer it if you could spend a lifetime with someone who truly loves you back."

Cale remained deafeningly silent. The princes were also deafeningly silent.

"Thank you for looking after my troublesome kid; Rok literally attracts all of them."

Cale: pfft!

Rok: ... *While throwing daggers at his sibling*

"Why did you visit, Mom?"

Jour looked at them and said, "I just missed you. Your grandpa also wants to tell you not to slack with your studies."

Cale teases, "Hyung lost his muscles! Tell Grandpa that Hyung wasted his good looks!"

Jour laughs so hard.

"My Babies."

"Hm?"

"Happy Birthday," they say, now ten years old.

Deruth, who was listening, came to a halt. The date is November 8th. He just thought he was a failure as a father. He has no idea what his children's birthdays are.

He felt Cale lean on him as if he sensed something.

"Thank you, Mom; this is the best day of my life," Rok said.

"It is the first time our family has been complete," Cale added. When the Twins said that, Violan became emotional as well. They usually shook when they finished each other's sentences, but today...

It is the most fluffy and heartfelt word they have ever heard from the vicious twins.

A family without a brand.

Jour left the county that day. Rok and Cale are flaring really well like socks fitted perfectly to a feet.

She giggled with all her guard lowered but—

"So you're here?"

She turned around, and the familiar uniforms of the people after her surrounded her.

She took out her dagger and fended off their attacks as she tried her best to move.

*bang! Bang! bang!*

She ended up in a tight situation.

*bang! Bang! bang!*

*bang! Bang! bang!*

*bang! Bang! bang!*

*bang! Bang! bang!*

*bang! Bang! bang!*

*bang! Bang! bang!*

*bang! Bang! bang!*

*bang! Bang! bang!*

*urk*

She laid on the ground looking at the people after her.

She gazed at them and sees nothing but that small lights permeating.

"Rok.... Cale..."

.

.

.

*snap!*

The twins dropped whatever they're holding. They looked at the necklace ring that fell to the ground.

"What's wrong?"

Both of them felt ominous.

"Dad."

"Yes?"

The twins remained silent. They remained silent, their gaze fixed on the rings they were wearing.

The ring glowed brightly and made its way into their bodies.

"This Ancient power."

They were both in excruciating pain in their chests.

"Mom..."

They did not bother looking at their father and began running outside the mansion, despite the rain.

"ROK! CALE!" Deruth chased them down.

He can see their anguished expression.

"Not here."

"She's not here."

The twins kept murmuring.

It was a pleasant afternoon that has now turned ominous.

"She is not... here."

They said this as they looked into the bloody pool where their tracking device had been left behind.

Jour Thames is not here.

Cale was on his knees, and Rok stood there, his fist tightly gripped.

Deruth, who had arrived, looked at them as well.

"She's dead." they both said, "Mom's dead."

Deruth hitched his breath as he opened his arms widely to embrace his children rightly.

"She's dead."

They both cried while all wet by the rain.

TBC