“Mother, this is Jayra, my mate,” Bartos immediately introduced to his mother, the glow on his face evident from everybody to see.
“Wow, Brother rarely smiles, but look at how wide those lips are stretched right now,” Bella couldn’t help but tease Bartos.
Meanwhile, Jayra flashed her sweetest smile at Bartos’s mother and politely said, “Greetings, milady. I’m Jayra, a royal mage from the Kingdom of Ebodia.” She then followed up by giving the older woman a courteous bow.
Inwardly, Jayra had never felt this nervous in her whole life. She could only hope that Bartos’s family would like her somehow despite her poor background. She was far from nobility back at Ebodia, being but an orphan that the chapel inside Ebodia Castle took in and took good care of.
Add to that, she was only lucky to have been accepted as an apprentice in the Royal Academy for Mages at the Magi Tower of Ebodia because of her great potential and mana. She made it work, of course, and apart from hard work, her capabilities eventually brought her to where she was now. Still, she could only hope that it would be enough for Bartos’s family.
“Yes, Bartos had told us about you. You’re with Princess Xenia, our King’s mate, correct?” the older woman coolly smiled at her. “I’m Lady Livia, mistress of this estate and Bartos’s mother. It’s nice to meet you Jayra.
“Likewise,” Jayra courteously nodded
“Indeed,” Lady Livia nodded back. “You and Bartos had been traveling since this morning, yes? Come now, child. Let’s get you warmed up and fed.”.
“Let’s go then!” Bella cheered as she comfortably hooked her arms around Jayra. “To dinner!”
“You two know each other already?” Chancellor Talon questioned, surprised at his daughter’s sudden familiarity with their guest.
Bella laughed as she replied, “This? It’s just that I got too excited that I traveled all the way to the castle just to meet Jayra first. Well, I already saw her with the Princess during that one time out from a distance, but it was only yesterday that we finally got the chance to properly meet and talk.”
“I see,” Livia nodded before she went and began leading them to the dining room. “Alright then. Let’s head to the dinner table and eat.”
Smartly, Jayra followed along with Bella’s constant tugging. As she made her way through the house, she couldn’t help but admire the interior design lining of the estate’s walls. And it didn’t even stop there as they reached the dinner table. Jayra gulped at the selection in front of them. It was indeed a feast! This was simply far too many for all of them to finish all at once.
‘Do they think I’m a glutton or something?’ Jayra comically thought to herself.
Walking into the room, Bartos pulled out a chair for her and motioned for her to sit. “Please take your seat.”
At this, Jayra felt Bella finally releasing her arm from her tight and affectionate grip. “Thank you.”
“I hope the meals are to your liking, my dear,” the lady of the house warmly commented. She rarely smiled like Bartos, but Jayra was no longer intimidated seeing how warm their welcome had been to her.
“They all look good, milady…” Jayra expressed with a genuine smile.
“Then let’s all dig in!” Bella excitedly chimed in as she took her own seat. “Wow! Now I’m wondering if Mother will also prepare a feast for me once I find my mate!”
“Hopefully, you’ll be blessed like your brother, dear,” Talon commented.
Curtly settling into her meal, Jayra remained quiet as she listened in on the conversation. Bartos had been so thoughtful by helping her out by putting some of the dishes onto her plate. She couldn’t help blush at his actions.
“Once you’ve reached your age limit to experience the Mate Pull, we’ll have you marry Admiral Osman,” Livia casually stated.
Almost immediately, Bella choked on her own food as she struggled to compose herself. “Mother! He’s too old for me!” she exclaimed.
By the sidelines, Jayra turned to Bartos and whispered, “How old is the Admiral?”
“Hmm, he’s forty-one right now,” he replied.
“Precisely! I’m just twenty-five, Mother!” Bella snorted with a pout “Can’t you at least find someone near my age? Like someone in Brother’s age group, at least.”
Once more, Jayra turned to Bartos and asked, “How old are you?”
“I’m thirty-one,” he answered with a smile. He then asked back, “And you?”
Thinking about it now, it was funny how they didn’t even bother asking about each other’s age while here was Bella currently being bothered by age differences. “I’m twenty-eight, milord,” she answered with a grin.
“This is exactly why I should join that trial by combat,” Bella scoffed. “King Darius is thirty-one like Brother, so it’s better for me to try my luck in that. Who knows? I might end up being the Queen!”
“The King has found his mate, Bella. We should respect that,” Chancellor Talon nonchalantly chided. “How about Gilas or Gideon? They’re of the same age as your brother, yes?”
“Gideon is younger. He’s just twenty-eight father,” Bartos corrected.
Seeing the commotion, Bartos’s mother looked at Jayra and apologetically said, “Please don’t mind my daughter. She doesn’t mind her own words, unfortunately.”
“It’s alright, milady. I understand,” Jayra waved off with a smile. “Princess Xenia respects the traditions and customs of Cordon. She wants to win the Cordonians’ hearts, so she’s currently working hard to prepare for the upcoming trials. And I’m sure it’ll be an honor for her to fight Lady Bella in a fair and just match. She fully understands how the royal court works.”
“See? I’m looking forward to fighting Clara too! Please don’t make a big deal out of it,” Bella sighed. “Besides, it’s not like I’ll fight to the death… Oh! Right!” Bella then turned to Jayra and continued, “You should warn your Princess about Pinra. I’m sure she’ll join the trial by combat. That woman is very dangerous, and she’ll probably kill whoever her opponent might end up to be.”
“You say all of this, and yet you still want to join?” Livia worriedly asked.
“Well, yes… Please don’t worry, Mother,” Bella reassuringly smiled. She then turned to Jayra with an apologetic smile as she diverted the topic. “But enough about me. We have a guest! How about we all get to know more about my future sister-in-law?”
Hearing Bella called her as her sister-in-law made Jayra turn so deep red that she thought she was going to pass out. Just being treated like this brought an overwhelming feeling of belonging inside of her that she almost felt like she already belonged to Bartos’s family.
“No,” Bartos interrupted, signaling for Jayra to continue eating as he added. “Can we all just eat first? Jayra and I have been traveling since this morning. Right now, I want her furbished and settled in well enough that she can rest easy. You all can get to know her more tomorrow morning.”
Seeing his son’s caring attitude, Chancellor Talon chuckled and teased, “Looks like my son can’t wait to have his mate all by himself tonight.
“Father!”
“Alright then, let’s all focus on eating,” the chancellor suggested with a smile. “Maybe we can have some small talk over a cup of tea, coffee, or maybe some booze later in this cold weather. It’s not every year that snow comes early.”
Jayra smiled, “I would love that, milord.”
“Hmm… You should practice calling them Mother and Father, sister-in-law,” Bella commented with a smirk.
“Bella is right. Consider yourself already as a part of our family, dear,” Chancellor Talon seconded with a reassuring smile. Jayra then looked to the side. And sure enough, Lady Livia also gave her a reassuring nod.
Seeing all this, Jayra couldn’t help but feel a familiar swelling building in her eyes. Somehow, everything seemed to be going so perfectly in her life that she couldn’t help to feel a bit worried, thinking that it might all be nothing but a dream. Surely, this streak of good fortune wouldn’t last too long.
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