1900 Three is a Crowd (Part 2)

"I'm sorry. I forgot you never saw me eating." Solus said while switching her stance from that of a famished troll to that of a lady. "The tower still needs a lot of repairs and I a lot of nutrients."

"Right, the tower." Lith sneered, his voice full of sarcasm. "Then why do you eat food instead of bricks and mortar? Is this a storage dimensional space then?"

He poked at her belly, making her turn beet red and Kamila laugh.

"Stop making me look like a ravenous glutton!" Solus said in embarrassment.

"You don't need any help for that. Or are you planning to skip dessert?" Lith made a tray with big bowls of ice cream covered in hot chocolate pass under her nose.

Steaming chocolate chip cookies spread their fragrance, ready to be used to scoop the dessert instead of spoons. There were lots of them and were Solus' favorites.

She looked around like a trapped animal, caught between her sweet tooth and her pride. She knew that if she got her hands on a bowl, she would be unable to keep up appearances.

"I'm glad to see you two in such a good mood." Kamila chuckled while they brought the empty plates away and made room for the dessert. "There are a couple of things that I want to discuss."

Suddenly, the siren made of ice cream stopped singing in Solus' ears and she clenched her teeth, preparing for the blow.

'First something good, then something bad. It's the rule of life.' She dryly thought.

"Solus, I know of your bond with Lith, but this is still our honeymoon." Kamila's words made Solus' stomach churn and her eyes look at the door, expecting to be thrown out at any moment.

"I was thinking that you could come here every other day. This way, we would get some alone time and you would receive regular nourishment." Solus' and Lith's eyes went wide at her offer.

"Really?" Solus said in amazement. "Can I stay here half the time?"

"Really." Kamila took her small hands in her own, smiling. "When I proposed to Lith, I knew that in a way, I was marrying you as well. I never planned or even thought of driving you away.

"I know how important you are to my husband and that makes you important to me as well. We need to spend time together and know each other better. What do you say?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" Solus jumped with joy, holding Kamila's hand with both of her own, as if she was accepting a marriage proposal.

She had actually feared that Kamila would have been jealous of her and that she would have tried to keep away the other women that had been hanging around Lith until that moment.

"Hold your Dragons, there are rules in this house." Kamila said and Solus replaced the jumping with a frenzied nodding.

"You can stay from breakfast to dinner. Spending the night here is a no-go. I want to keep our privacy and make full use of the most romantic time of the day." Solus nodded for her to continue.

"Also, no magic, no mind links, no work, no Invigoration. This is a vacation and you two are both work-addicts. I don't want you to make a breakthrough in some branch of magic and make me feel left out the whole time.

"I'm no mage. Try to remember it and to involve me in your conversations." Kamila said.

"Yes, Mom." Solus pouted.

Then, after noticing Kamila's glare, she quickly added.

"I mean, yes, Kami. Kamila."

"Kami is fine." She replied with a sigh.

Want to see more chapters? Please visit p a n d a -n o v e l .c o m Solus' reaction had matched Lith's, making Kamila feel as if she was about to have her hands full with two kids on a sugar rush.

"The last thing I wanted to discuss with you is the matter of Trion and Raaz." Kamila said.

"What about it?" Lith asked.

"I've seen plenty of victims in my line of job. Torture means taking away someone's dignity, their self-confidence, and making them understand that they have no control over their lives anymore.

"A good torturer humiliates their victim, destroying the certainties they had their whole life and breaking their mind along with the body." Kamila said, not proud of the way she had gained such expertise.

"If Night is even half as good as Jirni, I can easily imagine what Meln must have put Raaz through."

"What's your point?" Lith asked.

"My point is that by coddling him all the time you are doing him no favor. The more you treat Raaz like a child needing protection and make all the important decisions for him, the longer he will be haunted by the feeling of helplessness.

"You need to tell him the truth. Treat him like the person he was instead of a victim. Let him choose what he wants or doesn't want to do." Kamila replied.

"Are you sure it's the right thing to do?" Solus bit her lower lip in distress.

She had spent a lot of time with Raaz and she knew how his psyche was hanging by a feather.

"Yes, I am." Kamila nodded. "It will show him that you don't think any less of him for what he's gone through. Victims always blame themselves, thinking that somehow it's their fault for being captured.

"Also, making this decision will strengthen his resolve. Raaz needs to know the truth and realize that he's not alone. Of how many people Orpal hurt, even his own brother.

"The experience will be traumatic, but if he gets the support of his family, it might help him take a step forward."

"Trion?" Lith asked his shadow, who materialized in the form of his dead brother. 

"Yes, my liege?"

"Cut the crap. This is a family issue. This is about you and our father. It's the reason I conjured you and let you listen to the conversation." Lith said. "I want your opinion as well. I'm not going to force you to do anything."

"Thanks." Trion gave him a deep bow, but Lith stopped him.

"I'm not doing this for you, but for Mom and Dad. They'd notice your reluctance and be hurt at the idea that I'm abusing my authority. I'm not you. I care for them." Lith's words stung, but Trion preferred his honesty to a fake smile.

"I think Lady Verhen is right-"

"For the gods' sake, call me Kamila. Dead or not, you are my brother-in-law." She cut him short.

Being called liked that, her voice without any pity for his condition, made Trion feel human and a part of the family again.

"I think that Kami is right-"

"Don't push it." Lith's eyes blazed with violet fury. "The right to use such moniker must be earned."

"Fine!" Trion snorted in exasperation. "Kamila is right, but I'm afraid. Not only that I might make Dad's condition worse, but also to face him. Let's be honest, I've been a self-important asshole most of my life.

"The entire family gave up on me after I refused to answer your calls and letters. Mom was the only one who never stopped trying and I've made her cry countless times."

"Yeah, you are an asshole." Lith nodded.

"A piece of work." Solus said.

"A total jackass." Kamila agreed.

Trion looked at the two women with wide eyes. He could understand Lith's scorn, but after being welcomed as her brother-in-law he had hoped to garner at least Kamila's compassion.