The Thermal Barrier glowed faintly along the windowsill.
The wind and snow were kept outside, not even their sound getting through. Heavy curtains hung over the windows, and the room stayed warm enough to make getting out of bed unappealing.
Louis woke with a slight tingling ache, simply because his arm had been pinned down too long.
He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling.
On his left, Sif had pressed almost her entire body against him, one leg draped across his waist. Her breathing was even, her sleeping posture utterly unguarded.
Her body temperature ran high, radiating a wild, straightforward heat.
On his right, Emily lay close while maintaining just the right degree of restraint.
Her hand rested on his chest, her body naturally curled up, her breathing soft and slow.
The two women clung to Louis like octopuses.
Louis did not move. He merely kept staring at the ceiling, a faint, helpless smile forming at the corners of his mouth.
Since his eldest daughter had been born six years ago, he had had no more children. His two wives seemed to have reached an agreement at some point without his knowledge.
Then the competition had begun, with a clear objective: a third child.
Louis sighed inwardly.
Even with a Peak Knight's physique, sustained combat of this intensity was hardly easy.
He carefully withdrew his arm. Sif frowned and instinctively pressed closer again. Emily stirred slightly but did not wake.
After several minutes, Louis finally sat up in bed.
While washing up, he stood before the mirror and glanced up.
The man in the mirror no longer quite matched his memories.
His features were harder, his gaze steadier. Time and responsibility had worn down the sharp ambition of his youth, leaving only a patient, enduring resilience.
Three years