“So, when you’ve got time… will you tell me about your past?”

Elise retracted her hand, pulling Naya close. Up close, Naya gazed at Elise’s breathtaking face—indescribably beautiful.

Crimson eyes like blood-red jade, corners curving slightly.

A natural cool elegance softened by a trace of tenderness.

“Mm… but right now, I’m really thirsty. I’d like a glass of water first.”

“Makes sense. After all… you lost quite a bit of moisture last night.”

Flustered, Naya pushed Elise away.

They each began changing clothes.

Elise had only healed the external wounds—just enough for Naya to walk and close her legs. Internal soreness remained: dry mouth, aching back.

They stepped out, heading downstairs to the dining room for food and water to replenish and quench thirst.

Soon—

*pitter-patter pitter-patter*—rapid footsteps echoed.

“Mama! You’re finally up!”

Eliya launched herself into Naya’s arms, nuzzling enthusiastically against her chest.

Nidia followed close behind.

“Mother, good morning,” Eliya murmured briefly to Elise before resuming her adoring cling, giggling softly.

“Eliya, c’mon, stop rubbing. I need to eat breakfast.”

“Breakfast? It’s lunchtime! Mama, what were you and Mother *doing* last night? You woke up so late! I missed you—I haven’t been woken by you in two days! Waking up without you feels like ants crawling all over me!”

“Well… your mother and I were…”

Flustered, Naya hesitated, then offered a gentle excuse: “We were discussing biology. Got carried away… talked late.”

“Biology?”

“Mm. Y’know… the study of how to make baby Dragonkin.”

Eliya’s eyes lit up.

“Can I study with you too, Mama? I’m so curious!”

“You’ll understand when you’re older. Now, let Mama eat, okay? I’m hungry.”

“Okay~”

But Eliya stayed stubbornly seated on Naya’s lap.

That morning, a maid had woken her—not Mama, not Mother. She’d clung to bed, insisting on waiting. No Mama to tuck her in last night; no Mama to wake her today. Tossing, turning, near tears… she’d finally risen with the maid, too considerate to disturb Naya’s rest.

Now, Eliya happily nestled against the soft cushion of her mother’s chest. She shot Elise a sideways glance and let out a tiny, tsundere “Hmph.”

Elise blinked, baffled. *Is she… upset with me?*

Occasional moments were fine—but lately, Mother seemed to monopolize Mama. Even bedtime stories felt distracted. Eliya’s quiet dissatisfaction had been building.

“Mama… you smell so nice.”

Since snuggling close, a sweet, intimate scent had clung to Naya. Eliya shifted, straddling Naya’s lap, and sniffed her neck.

Naya froze—*I didn’t shower. This is… last night’s scent.*

She gently pushed Eliya away. “Eliya, no more. Let Mama eat.”

Elise watched with an unreadable smile.

“Eliya, come here. Let Mother hold you. Don’t bother Mama.”

“No.”

Eliya shot Elise a glare and hugged Naya tighter.

Naya glanced between them, torn.

Elise’s eyes crinkled—a blend of maternal warmth and playful rivalry, the latter subtly winning.

“Eliya… don’t you feel for Mother? She was tired too. *I* was the one who kept Mama up discussing ‘biology.’ She’s innocent.”

The little pink dragon girl’s thoughts were transparent.

In her world, Mama revolved around *her*. If attention shifted? Mother’s fault. Mother stole Mama.

It started with separate beds. Then bath time—once shared play, now just quick washes. Fewer splashes, fewer giggles.

To Eliya, Mother was the villain slowly claiming Mama.

But now… *Mama* chose the late talk?

Eliya faltered.

Naya stroked her pink hair softly.

“Sweetheart, Mother’s been working hard arranging our trip—tying up tasks, clearing her schedule. She’s exhausted. That ‘biology talk’? My excuse to let her sleep in. What if she collapsed before we leave? And… haven’t we missed a full day together as a family?”

Swayed, guilt flickered in Eliya’s eyes.

“Mother…”

“Come. Let her hold you. She loves you deeply—she’s just been giving most of that love to me.”

“Mm!”

Eliya released Naya, arms open.

She settled into an embrace slightly cooler than Mama’s.

“Mother… you’ve worked so hard~”

Awkwardly, she nuzzled Elise’s chest.

Holding her daughter, Elise felt a foreign warmth seep into her heart.

She rarely held Eliya.

For so long after her birth, Eliya was just an experiment—a step toward a stronger Dragonkin. Not a daughter.

Distance had lingered.

Now, cradling her, something unfamiliar bloomed: kinship.

She’d never known this warmth. Her own parents had been cold. She never understood home.

Naya taught her.

“I’m sorry… Naya. Eliya.”

Elise kissed Eliya’s hair.

She admitted—even the child in Naya’s womb carried remnants of her old ambition: to craft the perfect Dragonkin. Not pure love.

Past sins were unchangeable.

But from this moment on?

She would love her wife. Her daughters. Wholeheartedly.