Help! My Moms Are Overpowered Tyrants, and I'm Stuck as Their Baby!-Chapter 155: Unwelcome Reunions

"Nothing more," I repeated, giving Velka a half-smirk, trying to lighten the mood. "We've been partners for a group project. You know how it is."

Riven, who had been silently observing all of this with his usual smirk, chimed in at just the right moment. "Partners in crime, right? I saw the way you two looked at each other earlier. Like a couple of—"

"Riven!" I barked, silencing him with a glare.

It wasn't that I didn't like his humor because I did, in small doses but now wasn't the time. Besides, something about Velka's discomfort seemed... off. Something told me we weren't getting the full picture.

Before anyone could respond, there was a soft noise from the hall. A pair of small, eager voices carried down the corridor.

"Aeris! Arion! Stay out of trouble," a familiar voice called from the hallway.

The door to the foyer swung open, and in bounded two tiny figures, no older than four, giggling with excitement. Aeris and Arion, my younger siblings, appeared in the doorway, their faces lit with innocent joy. They were in their little formal outfits, matching mini versions of the royal armor, clearly adorning their usual playful grins.

"Elyzara!" Arion called, his voice high-pitched with excitement. "You're back! Did you see the fireworks? I want to see the big dragon!"

I turned to face them, managing a smile despite the unease that still simmered beneath the surface. "No fireworks today, little one," I said, kneeling down to their level as they approached. "But I did see something much better."

"Better than fireworks? What?" Aeris asked, bouncing on her feet. She had inherited my mother's fierce golden eyes and, despite her age, was already incredibly sharp.

"Well," I began, giving them a wink. "I've seen a lot today. But nothing beats seeing you two being as lively as ever."

They squealed in delight and rushed over to me, immediately climbing onto my lap with the enthusiasm only toddlers could muster. Their little hands grabbed at me, tugging me into their world of innocence and simple pleasures.

A sudden rush of emotion hit me—how different their world was from mine. Their smiles were wide, free from the burdens that weighed down the rest of us. They were too young to understand what had happened today, too young to know the political games that were being played behind the scenes.

But for now, they were my joy.

Mara, noticing the shift in mood, spoke softly. "They're a blessing, aren't they?" She walked over and knelt beside me, her eyes warm with affection as she glanced at the two siblings.

"They are," I whispered, brushing a lock of hair from Aeris's forehead. "I'd do anything to keep them safe."

"I'm sure you will." Mara's voice was steady, but I caught the flicker of something deeper in her gaze. "You're a force, Elyzara. Always have been."

I glanced at her in confusion, about to ask what she meant when Riven interrupted, eyes twinkling with mischievous intent.

"Well, I'm not sure what's worse," he said, chuckling. "Elyzara being the only one here who gets these little terrorists, or us having to watch you two lovebirds fawn over them all day."

The moment passed with a collective chuckle, and even Velka let out a low breath, though it was more like a soft sigh than laughter.

We spent the rest of the morning talking about the usual royal matters, about the playful antics of Aeris and Arion, about everything but the reality that loomed over us. Eventually, though, the conversation shifted again, and the weight of the day returned. I glanced at the clock in the corner of the room and saw the hours had slipped away faster than I'd realized.

"So, what now?" Riven asked as he stretched, clearly done with the small talk. "Back to the drama of the political stuff? Or are we taking a break from it?"

"The break was good," I replied with a sigh. "But we'll have to deal with the aftermath soon enough."

A sudden thought struck me, and I looked up at Velka. She'd been mostly silent during our time here, standing off to the side as if she were an observer rather than a participant.

"What about you?" I asked her, my voice gentler now. "Are you planning to stick around? The rebellion, the executions... You know that this could change everything."

She met my eyes, her expression unreadable for a long moment. Finally, she spoke.

"I'm still figuring that out," she said simply. "But right now? Right now, I think I just need to survive another day."

Her words hung in the air for a long moment, thick with unspoken understanding.

I nodded slowly, feeling the weight of the day finally sink into my bones. "We all do."

The laughter slowly faded, and the atmosphere in the room shifted, an unspoken tension settling in as I glanced at Velka once again. She stood a little apart, observing the ongoing exchange with quiet interest, but there was something in her posture that I couldn't quite place.

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Something that set me on edge.

I'd seen it before whenever Velka and I had shared a moment of closeness, however brief. It wasn't necessarily obvious, but today... there was a flicker in her eyes that I couldn't ignore. Something subtle, almost imperceptible, but too present for me to dismiss as just a passing thought.

As I sat there, lost in my own quiet contemplation, I didn't immediately notice the shift in the room's energy. The weight of my thoughts must have been more visible than I realized because I saw Verania's gaze flicker across the room, pausing for just a moment too long on Velka.

And when she spoke, her voice was as sharp as ever, but there was an edge to it I hadn't heard before.

"Velka," Verania said, her tone laced with a quiet authority that made everyone in the room pause. "You've been rather... close to my daughter lately."

There was no mistaking the way the words hung in the air. Verania's sharp golden eyes bore into Velka's, assessing her with the intensity of a predator watching its prey.

Velka, for once, looked taken aback, her usual cool demeanor faltering for just a second. "I—"

"Don't think I didn't notice," Verania cut her off, her eyes narrowing slightly. "It's not difficult to see. You've been around her a lot, lately." The words were casual, but there was an underlying coldness to them, a sharpness that made the temperature in the room drop by a few degrees.

Velka swallowed, but her gaze remained steady. "I'm here to protect her," she replied, her voice still measured but carrying an undercurrent of something deeper, something unspoken.

"Protection, huh?" Verania raised an eyebrow, her lips curling slightly into a thin smile that was anything but warm. "Is that really what you're after?"

I could see it now the subtle shift in Verania's demeanor. The way her gaze lingered on Velka, how it sharpened, how she seemed to observe her every movement. There was a coldness in her eyes, something territorial. Something that made my stomach twist uncomfortably.

As if on cue, Sylvithra spoke up, her voice a calm counterbalance to Verania's pointed tone. "Verania," she said gently, but the weight of her words carried through the room. "You're being too forward. Let Velka explain herself, if she wishes."

I could see the flicker of annoyance in Verania's eyes, but she didn't respond right away. Instead, she turned her gaze back to Velka, who was now visibly uncomfortable. Velka shifted her weight, a subtle but telling gesture. She had always been someone who kept her emotions in check, but something was different today. The tension between the two women was palpable.

"I don't know what you're implying," Velka said finally, her voice steady again, but there was an undeniable hint of defensiveness in her tone. "I've done nothing to disrespect the princess. I simply do my job."

Verania's gaze didn't soften. "We'll see, Velka," she replied, her voice like ice. "We'll see what happens when you get too close."