Aeris’s POV

The morning light filtered through the massive windows of our chamber, casting a soft golden glow over the room. I blinked groggily, still half-asleep, and turned my head slightly. The first thing I saw was Zephirion, lying beside me, his dark hair slightly tousled, his face calm and peaceful.

For a moment, I just watched him. He looked different like this—at ease, his usual intimidating aura completely gone. I reached out instinctively, tracing my fingers lightly over his jawline, down to his lips. But the moment I brushed against them, his golden eyes fluttered open, locking onto mine.

“Enjoying yourself, little blossom?” he murmured, his voice husky from sleep.

I jerked my hand back, feeling my face heat up. “N-No! I was just—”

Before I could finish, I attempted to sit up, only to freeze in horror. The moment I moved, a sharp ache shot through my body, my hips and legs screaming in protest.

I let out a strangled sound and collapsed back onto the bed. “Ow—! Ugh, I hate you.”

Zephirion smirked, propping himself up on his elbow. “You keep saying that, yet here you are, unable to move because of me.”

I shot him a glare and weakly hit his arm. “Shut up! I swear, I’m going to—”

“Going to what?” he teased, catching my hand and kissing my fingertips. “You can’t even stand.”

I groaned, covering my face with my free hand. “I swear, Zephirion, I will kill you.”

“Then I suppose I should make sure you can’t.” Before I could react, he slid out of bed and effortlessly scooped me up in his arms, holding me in a bridal carry.

“Put me down!” I shrieked, squirming.

He only tightened his grip. “Not a chance. You need to get cleaned up, and since you can’t walk, I’ll take care of everything.”

I wanted to protest, but my sore muscles refused to cooperate. Huffing, I let him carry me.

After an embarrassing morning routine where Zephirion insisted on helping me change, brush my hair, and even put on my slippers, he lifted me into his arms again.

“This is humiliating,” I muttered.

Zephirion smirked. “Oh? And here I thought you enjoyed being in my arms.”

I smacked his chest weakly. “Just get me to breakfast, you insufferable lizard.”

He chuckled but carried me to the dining hall. As we entered, Valerian and Caelum were already seated at the breakfast table, helping themselves to the feast before them. The moment they saw us, Valerian’s fork clattered onto his plate, and his eyes widened in delight.

“Aeris!” he squealed, standing up so fast his chair nearly fell back. “Oh my gods, you’re being carried like a bride! I knew it! You had a rough night, didn’t you?”

I immediately turned red. “I—”

Caelum leaned back in his chair, smirking. “Makes sense. I mean, Zephirion is him, after all.”

I sputtered in horror. “Excuse me?!”

Valerian grinned. “I can’t believe it! I’m going to be an uncle soon! This is amazing!”

Zephirion smirked and casually pulled out a chair with his foot before gently setting me down onto it. “Took you long enough to realize.”

I turned to him, gaping. “Zephirion!”

Caelum raised an eyebrow. “So it is true?”

I opened my mouth to argue, but Valerian gasped dramatically. “Aeris, don’t tell me you’re actually expecting?! Oh my gods, I’m so happy—”

“I AM NOT!” I shouted, my face burning. “And stop talking about it!”

Both dragons burst into laughter, and Zephirion simply smirked, enjoying every second of my torment.

I groaned and buried my face in my hands. This was going to be a long morning.

After the absolute humiliation I endured at breakfast, I decided that enough was enough. The two buffoons sitting across from me—Valerian and Caelum—needed to be put in their place. Zephirion had been enjoying his tea in silence, but I knew he was just waiting to see how long I’d last before snapping.

I glared at the two dragons, arms crossed over my chest. “Alright, you two idiots. How exactly are you so sure I’m going to be a mother soon?”

Caelum smirked, his red eyes twinkling with amusement as he rested his chin on his hand. “Oh, come on, Aeris. It’s obvious.”

Valerian nodded eagerly, barely able to contain his excitement. “Yep! I mean, look at you! You’re sore, you couldn’t even walk, and Zephirion had to carry you! It’s so clear what happened.”

I narrowed my eyes. “So? That only proves that I was punished, which Zephirion himself told you. But I never said anything about actually… you know…”

Valerian blinked, and Caelum’s smirk faltered just a little.

“…Wait.”

“Hold on—”

I leaned forward, a smirk of my own forming. “You two just assumed, didn’t you?”

They exchanged a panicked look.

“…Maybe?” Valerian said hesitantly.

I turned my glare to Zephirion, who was still calmly sipping his tea like he wasn’t the cause of this whole misunderstanding. “You. This is your fault, isn’t it?”

Zephirion looked at me with feigned innocence. “Me? I simply told them not to disturb us because I was busy making children. That’s all.”

I gaped at him. “That’s all?! Do you realize how misleading that sounds?!”

Caelum coughed awkwardly. “So, uh… does that mean we’re not going to be uncles?”

Valerian gasped dramatically, clutching his chest. “I already started thinking of baby names!”

I buried my face in my hands. “I hate all of you.”

Zephirion chuckled, clearly amused by my suffering, and wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. “You love me.”

I huffed, refusing to look at him. “Unfortunately.”

Valerian and Caelum just sat there, staring at each other like their dreams had been crushed.

“…Can we still hope?” Valerian mumbled.

Caelum sighed dramatically. “It’s okay. We’ll just have to wait a little longer.”

I turned to glare at them again. “Stop making it sound like it’s definitely going to happen!”

Zephirion smirked, resting his chin on top of my head. “It will happen.”

I slapped his arm. “Shut up.”

Caelum suddenly perked up, grinning mischievously. “You know, now that I think about it, it’s actually very strange that you, our Aeris, didn’t try to fight him off last night. No running, no screaming, no setting him on fire. That’s suspicious.”

I stiffened slightly. “…What are you implying?”

Valerian grinned. “Oh, nothing. Just that maybe—just maybe—you wanted to be punished.”

Caelum gasped dramatically, clapping his hands together. “Oh my gods, you did!”

I turned bright red. “I DID NOT!”

Zephirion only smirked, tightening his grip around me. “She did.”

“ZEHIRION!”

The Red and White Dragons burst into laughter as I struggled in Zephirion’s grasp, my face burning hotter than dragon fire.

I swear, if I don’t get my revenge soon, I’ll actually breathe fire on all of them.