Chapter 596

Chapter 596
Laughter echoed across the gardens, bright and messy and completely unstructured.
Clap—miss—clap—
“No, like this—!”
“You’re too slow—!”
“I’m not slow—!”
Seraphim stood between them, fully invested in the game, grabbing Ivanna’s hands and clapping in a rhythm that changed every two seconds.
Lana stood opposite, trying—failing—to impose order.
“It’s left, then right,” Lana insisted.
“It’s fast,” Ivanna argued.
“It’s wrong.”
“It’s fun.”
Seraphim laughed.
“Again.”
They started over.
Clap. Miss. Laugh.
Then—
Seraphim stopped.
Mid-clap.
Her head turned sharply toward the entrance.
A car.
Out of place.
Human.
Rolling over the gravel like it didn’t care where it was.
Her eyes lit up instantly.
“That’s my uncle.”
Ivanna didn’t hesitate.
“Let’s go!”
They ran.
All three of them.
No coordination.
No patience.
The car stopped just as they reached it.
The door opened.
Lys stepped out first.
Elegant.
Composed.
Untouched by the travel.
“Grandmother!”
Seraphim reached her immediately, grabbing her hand like it belonged to her.
Lys smiled down.
“Seraphim.”
Behind her—
Caleb stepped out, adjusting his sleeve.
Then Yara, already scanning everything with quiet judgment.
From the other side—
Ezra, taller now, no longer a boy.
And then—
Elyas.
Refined as always.
Controlled.
A child resting on his hip.
Seraphim turned immediately, pulling the twins closer.
“These are—” she paused, thinking—
“Twins.”
Lys’s smile softened.
“I can see that.”
Seraphim pointed proudly.
“This is Lana.”
Lana gave a small, proper nod.
“And Ivanna.”
Ivanna waved.
Too big.
Too fast.
“Hi!”
Then Seraphim continued, already moving on.
“Uncle Caleb.”
Caleb gave a small smirk.
“Aunt Yara.”
Yara raised a brow.
“…I’ll accept it.”
“Uncle Ezra.”
Ezra lifted a hand.
“Hey.”
“And uncle Elyas—”
She stopped.
Her attention dropped.
To the boy.
Still on Elyas’s hip.
Watching everything quietly.
“…Who is him.”
Elyas crouched slightly and set the boy on the ground.
He stayed close for a second.
Small hand brushing against Elyas’s leg.
Caleb stepped in.
“Your cousin,” he said. “You saw him before.”
A pause.
“When he was a baby.”
Seraphim frowned.
Didn’t remember.
Elyas rested a hand lightly on the boy’s shoulder.
“Lucien-Rhian,” he said calmly.
Then softer—
“Lucien.”
The boy looked at them.
Then down.
Then up again.
“…Hello.”
Quiet.
Shy.
Ivanna stepped forward immediately.
Too close.
“Why are you quiet?”
Lana pulled her back slightly.
“Because he just arrived.”
Seraphim crouched a little, bringing herself to his height.
“Do you play?”
Lucien hesitated.
Looked back at Elyas.
Elyas nodded once.
“Go.”
That was enough.
Adrian stepped forward.
Slow.
Careful.
Ivanna grabbed his hand immediately.
“Come.”
No space to refuse.
Lana followed.
Seraphim leading.
And just like that—
He was pulled into noise.
Into laughter.
Into something much bigger than him.
Behind them—
Elyas watched.
Calm.
Caleb crossed his arms.
“…He’s not surviving that.”
Elyas’s mouth curved faintly.
“He will.”
They followed at a slower pace.
They approached the shaded area where Alaric and Jaden stood, the light softer there, the air easier to breathe.
Caleb was the first to speak.
He didn’t even bother easing into it.
“You’re pregnant.”
Jaden didn’t flinch.
Didn’t deny it.
“I am.”
Yara crossed her arms, already unimpressed.
“…Of course you are.”
Jaden raised a brow.
“I decided to give Seraphim a sibling,” he added calmly.
Yara tilted her head slightly, lips curving.
“Right. Because one chaos wasn’t enough.”
Jaden gave her a look.
“Be useful or be quiet.”
Ezra snorted.
“I am being useful,” Yara replied. “I’m mentally preparing for the disaster.”
Alaric said nothing.
Which, somehow, made it worse.
Lys smiled faintly, watching the exchange without interrupting.
They all started to watch.
Ivanna already shouting.
Seraphim laughing.
Lana trying to impose order and failing with dignity.
Lucien disappeared among them.
Ezra didn’t move.
Not yet.
He stayed where he was, one hand lazily in his pocket, posture loose—
Like he didn’t care.
Like he wasn’t doing anything at all.
His eyes, however—
Were working.
He scanned the garden once, slow, casual.
Then again—
Sharper.
More precise.
Not with the nobles.
Not near the tables.
Not with the servants.
A slight frown touched his face.
“…You’re late.”
“Or,” Yara’s voice cut in smoothly from beside him, “you’re desperate.”
Ezra didn’t even look at her.
“I’m not.”
“You are standing still in the middle of a party,” she continued, stepping closer, arms crossing, eyes already tracking exactly where his had been, “while everyone else is moving.”
A pause.
Then, dry—
“That’s either desperation or stupidity. I gave you the benefit of the doubt.”
Ezra exhaled through his nose.
“Don’t start.”
“Oh, I already started,” she said pleasantly. “I just haven’t decided how far I’m going yet.”
He finally glanced at her.
“…You’re annoying.”
“And you’re obvious."
She tilted her head slightly, studying him now like he was something mildly entertaining.
“Let me guess,” she went on. “You arrive, you don’t greet anyone properly, you don’t follow the children, you don’t even pretend to listen to mother—”
A small smile.
Sharp.
“You’re looking for your little kitchen boy.
Ezra’s jaw tightened.
Just slightly.
“Watch it.”
Yara’s brows lifted.
“Oh, I’m right.”
He looked away again, scanning the garden—but faster now, less patient.
“Mind your business.”
“I would,” she said easily, “if you had any.”
A beat.
Then she leaned in just a little—
Voice lower.
More precise.
“You only come to Noctis during holidays,” she said. “And every time, you disappear at the same hours.”
A pause.
“You think no one noticed?”
Ezra went still.
Not dramatic.
Not obvious.
Just—
Still.
Yara smiled.
Slow.
Satisfied.
“There he is.”
Ezra’s gaze snapped.
Followed instinctively—
And found him.
Near the far edge of the garden.
Half in the shade.
Trying to look like he wasn’t waiting.
Lysa.
Ezra’s expression didn’t change.
But something in his posture did.
“…You’re done,” he muttered.
Yara stepped back, amused.
“Oh no,” she said lightly. “Now I’m interested.”
Ezra turned to her fully now.
Calm.
Too calm.
“Don’t.”
Yara held his gaze for a second.
Measured him.
Then—
Smirked.
“Relax,” she said. “I’m not going to ruin your little romance.”
Ezra rolled his eyes, already stepping away.
“You’re insufferable.”
“And you’re in love,” she shot back instantly.
He didn’t respond.
Didn’t confirm.
Didn’t deny.
He just walked.
Then—
Movement.
Another arrival.
All of them turned.
A carriage this time.
It stopped smoothly.
The door opened.
Kairos stepped out first.
Composed.
Grounded.
The kind of presence that didn’t need to prove itself anymore.
He turned immediately, offering his hand.
Jess stepped out.
And the shift was immediate.
She wasn’t the same.
Refined.
Controlled.
Dressed with quiet authority, the kind that came from being seen—and accepted.
Not just a woman.
A Luna.
Kairos’s hand lingered just a second longer than necessary.
Then—
He turned back to the carriage.
Three small figures followed.
Boys.
Close enough to the twins’ age to feel like part of the same world.
Kairos helped each one down, steady, patient.
Once they were all on the ground—
He leaned slightly and pressed a brief kiss to Jess’s cheek.
She didn’t move away.
Didn’t react dramatically.
She simply… allowed it.
Jaden blinked.
“…Wow.”
Lys’s smile softened.
There was something quiet in it.
Almost disbelief.
They made it.
Kairos and Jess approached.
Together.
Not forced.
Not distant.
“Thank you for the invitation,” Kairos said, voice calm, steady. “The boys were eager to come.”
Jess greeted them next, her tone polite—but warmer when her eyes reached Lys.
“It’s good to see you again.”
Lys inclined her head slightly.
“And you.”
Then Jess turned to the boys.
“Come.”
They stepped forward, varying degrees of confidence.
She rested a hand lightly on the first.
“This is Orion.”
The boy stood straighter.
Proud.
The second shifted closer to her side.
“This is Vale.”
Quieter.
Observant.
The third looked around like everything was too much and not enough at the same time.
“And this is Darien Sol.”
He gave a small wave.
Jaden crouched slightly, softening his posture without thinking.
“Hey.”
The boys looked at him.
Then at each other.
Jaden pointed toward the gardens.
“Seraphim is over there.”
In the distance—
Laughter.
Shouting.
Ivanna’s voice clearly louder than necessary.
“Go,” Jaden added.
That was all they needed.
The three boys ran.
Not as fast as Ivanna.
Not as controlled as Lana.
But fast enough.
And just like that—
They disappeared into the same chaos.
Seven children now.