Azel’s eyes fluttered open in the real world.
He didn’t recognize the ceiling.
The faint glow of icy crystals embedded in the stone walls gave the entire room a bluish hue, almost as if the moon itself had been trapped indoors.
The air was crisp, biting with a cold that was oddly refreshing rather than uncomfortable.
And then he realized — he wasn’t alone.
In fact, his body was utterly trapped.
His arms were stretched wide across a bed that felt far too vast, yet neither reached the edge.
And atop his chest, curled like a kitten, was Lillia.
Her tiny hands clutched his tunic as she mumbled incoherently in her sleep, her head resting on his stomach.
To his left, Edna lay snug against him, her warm breath tickling his ribs as she snored faintly, her mature form pressed into his side with a softness that was... hard not to notice.
On the other side was Medusa, equally close, her long purple hair sprawled across the pillow, her cool skin contrasting sharply with the heated weight of Edna.
It was, strangely enough, like a scene out of a dream.
One happy family.
Azel let out a small sigh of relief, the kind that leaked from a man who hadn’t realized how tense he’d been until now.
The sound, however soft, was enough to stir them.
Lillia was the first to move.
Her lashes fluttered, her eyes opened halfway, and then she fully woke, as though sensing something important.
In an instant, her little arms wrapped around his neck as she scrambled upward.
"Papaaaa!" she cried, her voice thick with the tears welling in her eyes. "Where did you go?"
The force of her hug nearly choked him.
"Uhm... Lillia, you’re choking me," Azel managed with a strained smile.
She loosened her grip but didn’t let go, staring at him with those glistening eyes that made his chest ache with guilt.
He’d been away longer than he should have.
"Daddy just went to see someone," he soothed, brushing a hand through her hair. "I’m back now."
That reassurance seemed enough, but before he could move further, he realized something else — his arms were pinned.
Edna had tightened her embrace without waking fully, clinging possessively to his side, her hand clutching his wrist.
Medusa was no different, her slender fingers wrapped around his other arm, ensuring he couldn’t move if he tried.
"You’re not standing up from this position until tomorrow," Edna murmured in a sleepy but firm tone, finally waking enough to press her face against his chest. "I don’t see why you need to stand up."
"Me too," Medusa added, her crimson eyes opening slowly, her voice carrying a worried edge. "You collapsed, Master. We were so worried. Please don’t do anything like that again without warning."
Azel exhaled, a mix of guilt and fondness. "I won’t."
He turned his head toward Edna, her messy silver hair tickling his jaw. "But darling, what if I need to eat?"
Edna cracked one eye open, her lips quirking mischievously.
"I’m enough of a delicacy for you, am I not?" She leaned closer deliberately, letting her body press more intimately into his side.
Azel blinked. "...In front of the kid?"
That snapped her out of her playfulness.
Her cheeks flared red, and she pulled back, flustered, hiding her face against his arm.
Azel chuckled softly.
It was remarkable, really, how she managed to be both brazen and bashful in the same breath.
But deep down, he knew — it was about time to seal things with her.
Edna was his first true relationship in this life, and while she was shameless enough to tease him, she had held back in many ways.
That restraint... he respected it, especially with how perverted she was.
"Sorry..." she whispered, embarrassed. He managed to brush her head with his chin.
Azel smiled, brushing off the tension. "Anyway, how are the sailors? And the executioners?"
Truthfully, he had no plans to reward the executioners.
They’d been utterly useless during the voyage, one shotted by a Kraken.
Medusa, ever the observer, answered first. "The sailors have been given guest rooms, though not in the main palace like us. Apparently, they’ll be working with the Winter people, helping with the fishing expeditions outside the gates."
She paused, her tone shifting to thoughtful. "Though the fish here are monsters in their own right, it should be fine."
"And the executioners?"
"They’re still unconscious," Medusa said without pity. "And... we also met your family."
That made Azel blink. "My family?"
Medusa coughed softly. "Ahem. Mistress introduced herself as your wife."
He turned his head toward Edna, who was now positively glowing red.
She buried her face deeper against his arm, as if that could hide her expression.
"Well," Azel said after a pause, "that’s good. She’s my first wife after all."
Edna’s blush only deepened.
She hadn’t expected him to claim her so openly. For all her teasing and bravado, when it came to such words, she was as vulnerable as any woman.
Medusa, meanwhile, wasn’t finished.
"Your father left a message. He wishes to see you when you wake."
She gestured toward the far end of the room, where folded garments rested neatly on a stand.
"He also asked that you remove your Empire clothes and wear something worthy of Winter royalty... or something along those lines."
Azel sighed and then he stretched his body, and the bed creaked softly as he sat up, peeling his shirt from his torso.
Lillia, no longer clinging as tightly, scrambled into Edna’s lap, watching with bright curiosity.
And then, in the brief moment Azel discarded his shirt, Medusa snatched it up like a thief.
"Young master," she said with an utterly shameless grin, "I’ll keep your shirt safe. You can get changed in the room over there."
Azel stared at her. "...Safe? Or are you going to sniff it?"
Her grin only widened.
Edna smacked her lightly on the head. "Medusa!"
But the purple-haired beauty only laughed, hugging the shirt to her chest like a prized treasure.
Azel rubbed his forehead, amused despite himself. "It’s always lively with you three."
Still, as he rose to his feet, he couldn’t deny it — the warmth in his chest, the comfort of waking up with them around him, the sound of Lillia’s voice calling him "Papa."
It was chaos, yes.
But it was his chaos.
His family.
And then he looked at the garments and took them in his hand only for his lips to thin down.
"Why the hell is this shirt like this?" Azel wondered with a deadpan expression.