"Guys, this is Dereus, a dragon like you. Dereus, these are Draco, Azar, and our cute Kai."
"Hey! Why do you only call Kai cute? I'm cute too!" Draco protested.
"Yeah, I'm cute too," Azar added.
Dereus could only smile warmly at their interaction. Even Celea looked like a happy child now—more alive and less like a soulless doll.
"Alright, alright, excuse my mistake. Dereus, these are my three cute troublemakers."
Dereus let out a small laugh.
"I see."
His children. These were his and Kaia's kids. Dereus felt like crying.
Celea noticed and said,
"Alright, enough with the introductions. The guest and I are hungry. Let's go inside and cook dinner."
"Kai, you're making bread."
"Draco, you're making the salad."
"Azar, you prepare the table with Dereus and come back here to help."
"Yes, chef!" all three shouted at once, surprising Dereus.
Dereus and Azar were preparing the table while the others started cooking.
"You four seem to really care for each other," Dereus observed.
"We do. We are each other's family."
"Is Celea your mother?" Dereus wanted to know more about how his children had lived until now.
"She isn't. Celea told us our mother died protecting us while we were still in our eggs. She never allowed us to call her mother. She said doing so would be disrespectful to our real mother, who died thinking of us."
"Have you ever seen your mother?"
"Yes, and she is beautiful. We visit her grave once a week."
"Do you miss her?"
"I don't really know. I know she would've been a great mother, but whenever I imagine life without Celea, I can't picture it."
"It must be nice having someone care about you the way she does."
"Celea loves us… maybe a little too much."
"What do you mean?"
"It's just… to the point where she'd sacrifice herself for us. She'd jump into fire without hesitation. I'm scared I'll lose her…"
Silence.
"KAI!"
Dereus and Azar rushed to the kitchen after hearing the noise. When they entered, flour was everywhere, and the three were in the middle of a flour fight.
"Do you do this often?" Dereus asked.
"Do you mean trouble?" Azar replied.
"All the time."
Azar grinned, and Dereus smiled.
Moments later, Dereus and Azar were hit with flour too.
"Bahaha, you look like a ghost!" Celea laughed at Dereus.
Azar and the king joined the fight.
——
"Can you pass me the salt?"
"Here."
The five were now dining together.
"Celea, you still have some flour in your hair."
"Really, I wonder why."
They laughed and continued eating their steak, salad, and homemade bread.
"You four really know how to cook," says Dereus.
"We were raised by the best chef there is, after all."
Celea rose from her chair, made a small cinematic bow, and sat back down.
The dinner went on like that, with them chatting and laughing.
"Celea."
"Yes?"
Celea and Dereus were now sitting on the balcony after showering and changing into pajamas.
"Do you think I'll be a good father to them?"
Celea gave a small laugh.
"If I'd thought otherwise, you wouldn't even know you are a father, let alone be welcome in my house." Dereus gave a small smile.
"Thank you… for loving them so much and giving them the family I couldn't."
"Actually, I should be the one to thank you."
"For giving me the possibility to raise them."
"I owe you and your wife my life."
"Your life? How so?"
"The moment your wife entrusted me with her eggs, my life finally made sense. A purpose. They are my reason to live. I haven't had that in a very long time. It was like I was a soulless shell walking around."
"You know, I've never met someone like you before, and I'm sure I have a lot to learn from you."
"Well, you better be a fast learner, because you'll be entrusted with three morons very soon."
"You talk as if you would disappear from the picture very soon."
"Good night, uncle."
And Celea left.
"Come, we're making breakfast for the sleeping beauties."
"You are good at giving names."
Dereus laughed at the way she called his children.
"What do I do?"
"I'll make the pancakes. You make the eggs for now."
"Ah… Celea, how do I start?"
Silence.
"I'll do it. You make some tea. Do you know how to make tea?"
"I think I can do that."
The two of them started cooking—more like Celea cooked while Dereus spent thirty minutes on the tea, trying to figure it out without Celea's help. After preparing the table, Celea took a pan and a spoon.
"What do you need that for…?"
Celea gave a mischievous smile.
"To wake them up, of course."
Bang, bang, bang, bang
"WAKY, WAKY, IT'S TIME TO WAKE UP!"
Dereus covered his ears with his palms.
"You are quite evil. Next time tell me in advance before you make my ears bleed," Dereus said.
"I agree, Celea is evil," Draco said while going down the stairs.
"Ah, my ears…" Kai complained.
"Why do you keep doing that?" Azar asked.
"What do you mean why? Because I enjoy tormenting you, of course." Celea grinned innocently.
"Now sit down before it gets cold."