"The scars never faded," Elias growled, glaring at the spot she refused to cover with make-up. His loud voice instantly shook Elios awake, who stirred in his mother's arms.

"In my eyes, it has," Adeline argued. "The spot you injected me with Dorothy's blood also never faded."

Elias narrowed his eyes. How could he forget? His own children drank from Adeline.

It happened one afternoon when he was occupied with an emergency meeting, and the next thing he knew, he found his wife nearly dead on the floor, the twins' face buried into either side of her neck, draining the life from her. They had been too young, too naive, and too foolish to distinguish mother from food, human from prey.

"And like my stretch marks, they'll never fade, but I've embraced it," Adeline said, reaching forward to grab his limp hand.

ELias scowled, but walked to her anyway, tightly holding her hand.

"They were children and didn't know right from wrong," Adeline finalized. "But I lived the Turning, didn't I? I'm well and alive, and I get to live centuries with our children."

Elias resisted the urge to say she barely made it out alive. He had nearly lost all rationality when she didn't wake up immediately after the blood was injected into her.

Elias closed himself off to everyone but his own children, who had cried by his side, apologizing for what they've done.

It was the one time that Elias nearly struck them. The only time. But at the sight of their large, dripping wet tears, and their apologetic expression, he had lowered his hands and grabbed both of them, holding tightly onto his children. Elias loved them too much to ever hurt them.

"Don't you think it was a blessing in disguise, my precious angels?" Adeline cooed to Elios who peered up at her with large, dewy eyes.

Elios reluctantly nodded his head, happy he'd spend a very, very long life with his mother. He heard humans usually lost their mothers when they grew old.

"And what about you, Adelia?" Adeline said to her daughter.

Adelia lifted her head and stared at her mother for a few seconds. Then, she reached her arms down, wanting to be held by her tender arms as well.

If there was one thing she realized, it was that her mother's body was warm. Her father's body was cold, but her mother wasn't.

It was a phenomenon that no one could explain. Adeline hypothesized that it was because she was initially a human.

"Mama…" Adelia finally said, her lips still tugged into an adorable pout.

"Always Mama, but never Papa," Elias retorted, lowering Adelia to the ground. Instantly, Adelia ran to her mother, jumping into her arms.

Adeline laughed, contentment filling her chest. She had both of her healthy babies in her arms. It was all that she could ever ask for.

"Always Mama, and always Your Majesty," Adelia responded, staring cheekily up at her father.

Elias narrowed his eyes. "Naughty children will be gobbled up by the monsters under their bed. Or maybe experience the worst nightmares known to man."

Adeline sighed. "Your bullying is why they call you 'Your Majesty,' and never Papa."

"I am just teaching them to bully others before they bully you," Elias muttered, plopping onto the spot beside her. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, yanking her upper body to lean on his chest.

Unfortunately, Adelia was in the way, and she vehemently stared up at her father. "Your Majesty had the whole day with Mama. Give her to us."

Elias narrowed his eyes at his daughter. "A whole day is not enough when you steal her from me," he snapped.

Adeline felt like a rag doll being yanked between children. Except, one was actually a kid, and the other was a manchild. "Adelia, you never told me how your school day went," Adeline said, finally changing the topic. "Did my precious angel have a good day?"

Adelia scrambled back onto her mother's lap, shoving Elios aside for once to have all the attention on her.

Adelia was stern-faced for a split second, debating which part of her day was most important to tell her mother. Should she tell Mama about all the correct answers she got, or maybe the cafeteria served her favorite fruit tart, or maybe she made a new friend.

"Oh, I know, I know!" Elios shouted, showing no irritation despite being pushed by his younger sister.

Elios remembered his father's teachings. Adelia is the youngest, so Elios should never roughly handle her. Elios was the big brother and he should protect his little sister. He puffed out his chest, eager to report Adelia's day.

"Adelia made a new—"

"The cafeteria served my favorite fruit tart, Mama!" Adelia shouted, glaring at Elios. He always took the spotlight, didn't he?

"Really?" Adeline repeated, grinning. "Which one? You like all the fruits in the world, except lemon."

Adeline found it amusing that Adelia despised the one fruit that Adeline adored.

"Oh, oh, I know," Elios eagerly said. "It was—"

"Strawberry rhubarb tart," Adelia interrupted, finishing her brother's sentence with a glare.

Adeline paused, before bursting out laughing. "You two are twins after all," she teased, patting the top of their heads.

"And and… I made a new friend today," Adelia shyly said, playing with the two strings on her mother's morning dress.

"Oh?" Adeline inquired, curious of who it could be.

Adelia, like Adeline, was closed off. Adelia preferred to be alone, thus, didn't have many friends. Well, except Auntie Lydia and Uncle Weston's children. She was exceptionally close to them, enough to call them cousins.

"Her name is Hazel and she reminds me of Auntie Lydia… they're both very loud," Adelia admitted.

"But her Uncle is scary!" Elios shouted, his eyes going wide. "I saw Hazel's Uncle drop her off in a black car and men in black walked out like Auntie Lydia's bodyguards, except much scarier!"

Elias was intrigued by the story, his fingers twirling Adeline's blond hair. He felt like his initial fears were foolish.

Elias had been surprised when she kept her human traits. Her skin was still warm, her cheeks would still flush with color, and she still had that shimmer in her eyes. It was as if nothing changed about her.

"Many of your classmates come from good families. You're also dropped off by bodyguards," Elias pointed out. "Your bodyguards are strapped with guns and tasers strong enough to kill a bear upon impact."

"No one is scarier than my Papa…" Adelia said.

Adelia couldn't help but want to defend her father's reputation as an intimidating person. She had seen many people cower and tremble at her father's presence. But what could be so scary about her father? He rarely raised his voice, always hugged her, and patted the top of her head. Although he did tease them too much.

"What a lovely compliment from my own daughter," Elias scoffed, shaking his head.

"But I called you Papa," Adelia said as if that nickname was a compliment.

"Because I am your father," Elias muttered. "You have no choice but to call me that."

"But Hazel's Uncle lives forever," Elios suddenly blurted out, causing Elias's attention to snap to him.

"No one lives forever," Elias mused. "Not even Pure-Bloods like your Papa."

Elias was stricken by Elios's statement, but had to keep a calm facade in front of their children. If the parents panic, then so will the children.

"Nuh-uh, I heard Hazel's Papa joke with Hazel's Uncle outside of the car that not even a gunshot to the heart will kill the latter…" Elios said.

"Don't make up lies about my friend's family," Adelia shot back, angry that he said something like that. "Elios is lying!""I'm not!" Elios yelled. "I was getting picked up today and—"

"You're a liar!" Adelia growled at him, shoving him back.

Elios gasped at her actions, his hands twitching to do the same. But she was shorter and lighter than him. She was weak as well. If he pushed her, it'd hurt her. So he sulked and turned to his parents.

"Adelia pushed me," Elios complained.

"Adelia—"

"Elios lied to Mama and Papa," Adelia shot back.

"I didn't—"

"One's a liar, and the other is violent," Elias chuckled. "We raise such great children, don't you think, darling?"

Adeline glared at him and pushed him away. "My children are not liars, nor are they violent."

"Oh, but my little monsters definitely are," Elias said, raising a brow.

Adeline ignored his comment. She turned to Adelia, grabbing her by the shoulders. "You mustn't shove your brother like that, my precious angel."

"But—"

"No buts," Adeline said, turning to Elios this time. "And you can't eavesdrop on someone's conversation, my little angel."

"But—"

"No buts," Adeline repeated. "Now shake and hug it out."

"I don't want to, Mama," Adelia grumbled, crossing her arms the same time Elios did.

"Me too, Mama. Who wants to hug someone so mean?" Elios said.

Elias stared at his children. "Listen to your mother."

Silence ensued. The twins looked at each other, almost as if sharing a silent conversation. Then they let out a loud "hmph!"

"Fine by me," Elias drawled out, standing up to leave.

The twins watched as he walked to the closet and took out a large t-shirt. Before the twins could run for their lives, Elias dragged the shirt over Elios, then grabbed Adelia and forced her into the shirt. The twins were stuck in the shirt, nowhere to go but to hug each other to make amends.

"And that's another photo for the album," Elias teased, taking out his phone to take a picture of the two.

Elias had an entire album dedicated to this shirt, for the two were always bickering like cats and dogs.

"I think we have enough photos," Adeline chuckled.

Adeline gestured to the bookshelves, where two entire rows were dedicated to Elias and the twins.

Two years ago, when Minerva was cleaning out Dorothy's tower, she stumbled across many vintage photo albums of the King.

Back in the days, photos were expensive, but Dorothy ordered her young grandson to get his picture taken every month. Now, there was a large album collection, but it stopped when he came of age.

"Not nearly enough, darling," Elias said, sauntering towards her, despite the twins that kicked each other under the shirt. magic

Elias ignored them, knowing they always made amends after a few minutes of being in that embarrassing "get along" shirt.

"Let's add another to the album." Elias helped her to her feet where he took a picture of the two of them, like selfies, but the background had the twins fighting.

Elias grinned into the picture whereas Adeline frowned. He took another, but noticed she was back to scolding the twins for arguing. But before the lecture could continue, a loud knock echoed in their bedroom.

"Oh, that must be Lydia and Weston!" Adeline chirped, "Come in!"

Instantly, the doors opened to reveal Lydia, Weston, and their children.