Chapter 1057: Morning with Family

Strax woke up to an extremely pleasant sensation.

Warmth.

Silence.

And a very beautiful woman sleeping peacefully beside him.

Mercedes lay with her back to him, her long hair spread across the pillow and one hand resting on the arm Strax had wrapped around her waist. Her breathing was slow and peaceful, and the serious expression she usually wore during the day had completely disappeared.

Strax smiled.

It was rare for him to enjoy a morning like this.

No paperwork.

No meetings.

No divine calamity threatening to destroy half the continent.

Just him, his wife, and a comfortable bed.

He moved a little closer, gently kissing Mercedes’s shoulder.

"Hmm... five more minutes, darling..." Mercedes murmured, pressing his arm against her waist.

Strax chuckled softly.

"I didn’t even say anything," Strax replied, closing his eyes again.

"You were thinking about getting up," Mercedes grumbled, snuggling against him.

"I was thinking about the exact opposite," Strax remarked, holding her a little tighter.

Mercedes smiled, her eyes still closed.

For a few seconds, everything remained perfectly peaceful.

Until...

BAM!

The bedroom door flew open with such force that it slammed against the wall.

"DAAAAADDY! MOOOOMMY! GOOD MORNING!" Vex shouted, running into the room.

Strax immediately opened his eyes.

So did Mercedes.

They both remained motionless for a moment, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

Vex, however, showed absolutely no concern about having woken her parents.

The little girl crossed the room in a few steps, jumped onto the bed, and landed directly between them.

"WAKE UP! IT’S ALREADY MORNING!" Vex announced with an enormous smile.

Strax let out a startled exclamation as the mattress sank beneath her.

"Vex! For the love of dragons, are you trying to assassinate your father?" Strax asked, catching his daughter before she could roll off the bed.

Vex began laughing.

"No, Daddy! I’m waking you up!" Vex replied, making herself comfortable on his chest.

Mercedes brought a hand to her face.

"Sweetheart... we have doors for a reason," Mercedes murmured, trying to recover what little dignity she had left that morning.

Vex tilted her head.

"But I used the door, Mommy," Vex replied, pointing toward the entrance.

Strax burst into laughter.

Mercedes slowly turned her head toward him.

"Don’t encourage her," Mercedes warned, narrowing her eyes.

Strax tried to control his expression.

"Sorry, darling," Strax replied, stroking his daughter’s hair.

Vex looked from one parent to the other.

Then smiled.

"You were sleeping all cuddled up together!" Vex remarked, apparently finding it extremely amusing.

Mercedes closed her eyes.

"Yes, sweetheart. That’s what couples usually do when they’re sleeping," Mercedes explained, sitting up and fixing her hair.

Vex seemed to consider that information.

Then she spread her arms.

"I want to cuddle too!" Vex declared, throwing herself against both of them.

Strax laughed and wrapped one arm around his daughter, pulling Mercedes closer with the other.

"Then come here, my princess," Strax replied, embracing them both.

Mercedes tried to complain.

She couldn’t.

Instead, she ended up smiling as she stroked Vex’s hair.

For a few moments, the three of them remained in each other’s arms.

Until the little girl’s stomach made a rather audible noise.

Strax lowered his gaze.

Mercedes raised an eyebrow.

Vex turned red.

"I’m hungry..." Vex confessed, hiding her face against her father’s chest.

Strax began laughing.

"Then I think our first mission of the day has been decided," Strax remarked, getting up with his daughter in his arms.

Mercedes sighed.

"You two are going to be the death of me," Mercedes murmured, climbing out of bed.

A short while later, all three were gathered in the dining room.

A large table had been prepared with freshly baked bread, fruit, cheeses, eggs, meat, and small filled pastries. A jug of warm milk stood near Vex, while Mercedes drank tea and Strax happily dug into a generous portion of meat.

The little girl, however, seemed more interested in talking than eating.

"Daddy, yesterday I managed to make three ice stars at the same time!" Vex announced, raising three fingers.

Strax smiled.

"Three? Your mother mentioned that you were learning to control multiple spells," Strax replied, cutting a piece of meat.

Vex nodded enthusiastically.

"And I can make them spin! But the third one still gets a little crooked," Vex explained, moving her hands to demonstrate.

Mercedes smiled faintly.

"That’s because you’re trying to control all of them with the same amount of mana, sweetheart. Each star needs its own independent circulation," Mercedes explained, placing a small portion of fruit on her daughter’s plate.

Vex made a face.

"But it’s hard to think about three different things at once!" Vex complained, picking up a piece of bread.

Strax began laughing.

"That’s exactly why you need to practice," Strax replied, resting his elbow on the table.

Vex looked at him.

"Daddy, how many can you make?" Vex asked, her eyes shining with curiosity.

Strax thought for a few seconds.

"Depends on their size and complexity," Strax replied with a shrug.

"Ten?" Vex immediately asked.

"I can," Strax confirmed with a smile.

"Twenty?" Vex insisted, leaning forward.

"Probably," Strax replied, picking up his cup.

"A HUNDRED?!" Vex asked, practically rising from her chair.

Mercedes set down her cup.

"Vex, sit properly," Mercedes requested, giving her daughter a look.

The little girl immediately obeyed.

Strax chuckled.

"There’s no point creating a hundred stars if you can’t hit your target with any of them," Strax explained, subtly pointing at his daughter.

Vex became thoughtful.

"So you prefer making fewer?" Vex asked, tilting her head.

"I prefer making exactly as many as necessary," Strax replied with a smile.

Mercedes nodded approvingly.

"For the first time this morning, your father has said something genuinely sensible," Mercedes remarked, bringing her cup to her lips.

Strax looked at his wife.

"You know I’m an excellent teacher," Strax replied, raising an eyebrow.

Mercedes laughed.

"You’re also an excellent example of how not to organize your schedule," Mercedes remarked, smiling over her cup.

Strax sighed.

"I deserved that," Strax admitted, shaking his head.

Vex began laughing.

Then she looked at her father again.

"Are you going to teach me something today?" Vex asked, holding her glass of milk with both hands.

Strax immediately smiled.

"Of course. Actually, I was thinking about teaching you a few things that could really help improve your ice control," Strax replied, watching the little girl’s excited expression.

Vex practically bounced in her chair.

"REALLY?!" Vex asked with an enormous smile.

"Really," Strax confirmed with a nod.

The little girl immediately looked at Mercedes.

"Mommy, are you coming with us?" Vex asked, clearly hoping for a positive answer.

Mercedes sighed.

"Unfortunately not, sweetheart. I have a meeting with the central market administrators, then I need to review some mining reports, and there are still documents concerning the new warehouses," Mercedes explained, resting her cup on the table.

Vex made a small face.

"But that’s so much..." Vex remarked, looking at her mother.

Mercedes smiled.

"That’s what happens when we have a kingdom to manage, my love. Time is scarce," Mercedes replied, stroking her daughter’s hair.

Strax laughed.

"Then it looks like it’s just the two of us today, Vex," Strax remarked, leaning back in his chair.

Vex flashed an enormous smile.

"THEN I GET TO SPEND THE WHOLE DAY WITH DADDY!" Vex celebrated, throwing her arms into the air.

Strax smiled.

"Exactly," Strax confirmed, extending his hand toward her.

Vex slapped her little hand against his.

Mercedes watched them with an affectionate expression.

"Don’t teach her anything dangerous," Mercedes warned, pointing at her husband.

Strax placed a hand over his chest.

"Darling, you’re talking to me," Strax replied, pretending to be offended.

"That’s precisely why I’m warning you," Mercedes retorted, raising an eyebrow.

Vex began laughing.

"I’ll take care of Daddy, Mommy!" Vex promised with a smile.

Mercedes closed her eyes for a moment.

"That’s exactly what worries me," Mercedes murmured with a sigh.

A few hours later, father and daughter were walking through a region far from the city.

The Snow Kingdom seemed even quieter away from the buildings. Enormous pine trees covered in snow rose on either side of the path, while the cold wind swept between them, carrying tiny white snowflakes through the air.

Vex walked happily beside Strax.

Or rather, she glided.

The little girl had created a small layer of ice beneath her feet and was using her magic to move forward without taking any steps.

Strax watched her for a few seconds.

"You really enjoy doing that, don’t you?" Strax asked, keeping pace with his daughter.

Vex smiled.

"It’s much faster than walking!" Vex replied, spinning on the small frozen platform.

Strax raised an eyebrow.

"Until you find a rock hidden beneath the snow," Strax remarked, pointing toward the path.

Vex looked down.

Then slowed a little.

"I’m paying attention," Vex replied, making a small face.

Strax smiled.

"Good. Your mother would kill me if I brought you home injured," Strax remarked, continuing to walk.

Vex began laughing.

"She’d pull your ear again!" Vex replied, pointing at him.

Strax sighed.

"Probably," Strax admitted, instinctively rubbing one of his ears.

After a few more minutes, they reached a large clearing surrounded by trees.

The place was spacious, relatively flat, and far enough from the city that they didn’t need to worry about nearby buildings.

There was only one problem.

Snow.

Lots of snow.

Strax stopped in the center of the clearing and observed the gray sky.

Small snowflakes continued falling.

He sighed.

"It’s really frustrating how it’s always snowing here," Strax muttered, extending his hand and watching a few flakes melt against his skin.

Vex tilted her head.

"I’m used to it already, Daddy," Vex replied, gliding over to his side.

Strax looked at his daughter.

"Well, I’m not," Strax replied, snapping his fingers.

A small white flame appeared above his hand.

Vex’s eyes widened.

The flame began to grow, rapidly transforming into an intensely hot sphere of fire. The air around it shimmered, and the nearby snow began melting.

"Daddy...?" Vex called, watching the sphere increase in size.

Strax smiled.

"Watch," Strax replied, launching the fireball toward the sky.

The sphere shot upward, leaving a luminous trail behind it.

When it reached a considerable height, Strax closed his hand.

The fireball expanded.

A wave of heat swept across the clearing.

The snow began melting rapidly, disappearing from the rocks, tree trunks, and ground. The icy wind weakened within the heated area, and patches of earth and dormant grass emerged beneath the white blanket.

Within seconds, the entire clearing was free of snow.

The fire remained suspended high above, resembling a small white sun, radiating enough warmth to keep the area comfortable without affecting the surrounding trees.

Strax placed his hands on his hips.

"There. Much warmer," Strax remarked, observing the result with satisfaction.

Vex stood motionless.

Looking up.

Then down at the ground.

Then back toward the sky.

"DADDY!" Vex exclaimed, her eyes shining.

Strax looked at her.

"What?" Strax asked with a smile.

"YOU MADE A SUN!" Vex shouted, pointing at the glowing sphere.

Strax began laughing.

"A very small sun. And a temporary one," Strax replied, stroking his daughter’s head.

Vex slowly turned around, observing the snow-free clearing.

"It’s so warm!" Vex remarked, spreading her arms.

She took a few steps across the damp grass.

Then looked at her father.

"But I like the snow..." Vex murmured, making a small face.

Strax raised an eyebrow.

"Want me to bring it back?" Strax asked, pointing toward the sky.

Vex thought for a few seconds.

Then smiled.

"No! This is fun too!" Vex replied, running across the clearing.