“I should have known,” was the first thing my mother said to me as I crossed the threshold of the Felidae Manor after six months away at the Capital.

Lounging lazily on the living room couch, surrounded by a pile of pillows, mother was waiting to welcome us the moment we got home. My eyes went immediately to her belly. The bulge was clearly visible after nearly half a year of pregnancy. My little brother or sister was well on the way.

Shaking her head, she teased, “I should have known that the moment I let you out of my sight, you’d return with another girl.”

She turned to the courtyard where Artemis was stretching her wings after hours cooped up within the narrow confines of the carriage we had taken to reach here. There were very few Pluma in these parts and, unlike at the Capital, the transportation hadn’t been made with them in mind. The carriages at the Capital were practically rooms on wheels. Compared to that, the ones here were quite cramped, forcing her to stay with her wings folded tightly for hours on end.

“And this time, it’s a princess… and not the one we were expecting.”

I could only shrug with a helpless smile. “Things just turned out this way.”

“They always seem to.”

I could hear the slight reproach in her voice. Marriage was a family affair and first Ceres and now Artemis… it was twice now that I had married without soliciting my parent’s opinions. Which was excusable seeing that the one orchestrating my marriage to Ceres was the Duchess, who had played with the entire nation in her palms, and that I had called my parents through the mind crystal network the moment I had become aware of the situation with Artemis.

Mother was just miffed about not being able to attend her son’s marriage twice in a row. Half a province away the first time and half the nation away the second.

“Anyway…” Mother shook her head and gestured to the seat across from her. When I sat down, she continued, “That’s not important. What I really want to ask is… how are you two getting along?”

I knew that question was coming the moment we had set out for home. And I had the answer prepared. Closing my mind, I searched for the mark of my bond to Artemis within the void. Grasping it firmly with my mind and simultaneously reaching out for the light mana in the atmosphere, I spread out my palms and opened my eyes.

There, floating in between my palms was a hologram of our mark in all its intricate beauty. It displayed the fine artistry of the Prime Minister, my penmanship in bringing it to life, and most importantly, showed off its dark red hue, letting all know that, yes, we were getting along. Quite splendidly, in fact.

Mother nodded in satisfaction. “That’s a relief. I was worried that her being royalty and that public duel would create problems.” She frowned and grumbled. “Quite a silly idea, that. Who in their right minds makes prospective life-partners beat each other up in public? I’m quite surprised you managed to get that mark as dark as it is.”

Oh. Me too. I expected it to be an uphill ride all the way. Instead, with how proactive Artemis had been in integrating into our family, it had been really smooth.

Leaning forward, mother patted my cheek proudly. “As expected of my son. A right heart-stealer. If you keep this up, the girls will have a hard time keeping the ladies off you once you hit your contract limit.”

Without giving me the chance to embarrassedly refute her claim, she turned to the hologram in my palms. “And I see you have been making rapid progress in the Aspect of Radiance to be able to do something like that.”

I released my hold on the light mana and the hologram dissipated into motes of red light. While it was true that my skills had grown at a rapid pace due to my burgeoning fame across the nation, the boost to my comprehension faculties had tapered off as the fickle public began to forget me over the months. Still, the Swayamvar was on every lip, and by association, I too was mentioned from time to time. My proficiency in the Aspect of Radiance was taking steady strides towards Mastery.

At the peak of my fame, my rate of progress shocked even me. I could understand why someone practising mother’s form of Mastery would be tempted to make the headlines as often as possible. In fact, for someone as publicly visible as the Emperor, this was an extremely appropriate technique.

I could hear the yearning in mother’s voice. Even though she got mentioned quite often due to her status and position, giving her a no doubt sizable boost to comprehension speed, it couldn't be compared to my current fame.

“I’m nowhere close to your level,” I declined modestly. “Back when father fought the Sun Wolf, you projected the battle onto a giant screen from nearly half a kilometre away. I’m still ways off from achieving that.”

“It’d be a wonder if you were,” chuckled mother.

Reaching forward, she flicked my forehead. “Don’t try to comfort me, boy. You didn’t have the years I had to perfect my magic.” Leaning back into her chair, she caressed her inflated stomach lovingly. “You have the Swayamvar to look forward to… the people of entire nations to impress. Me? I have a daughter to raise. I’ll leave the headlines to you for these years. But once your sister’s old enough,” she looked up with a glint in her eye. “You can bet I’ll leave my mark on the world.”

My eyes widened. “A sister?!”

“Ah!” Mother clicked her tongue regretfully. “I meant for that to be a surprise.” She lowered her voice and whispered conspiratorially. “Don’t tell your father. I quite enjoy getting him to beg.”

“I won’t,” I promised. “But what of her bloodline?”

“Your father’s. All of it.” Mother smiled fondly. “She’s going to be a right little tigress.”

I couldn't help but smile too. It felt good seeing mother’s long cherished wish for another child finally get fulfilled.

As for that other wish of hers… It seemed like I’d have to make a splash on the international scene. While mother was tied up by her responsibilities to my sister, I’d just have to make the world ask whose son I was.