Page 34 of The Dark Elf's Secret Twins

“This here is Kenji.”

Kenji’s skin is paler, almost completely white in comparison. He wears long silver hair that cascades over the side of his face. He shares the same nose as his mother and seems to have my lips.

“Hello Kenji,” I say politely, shaking his hand. “What a handsome pair of boys you are.”

“They’re still learning to speak, so try to look past their broken English,” says Cyra. She retracts, taking a step back to observe the first meeting between me and our children.

“Hi Daddy!” exclaims Kenji, approaching me for a hug. “Miss you!”

“Wonder where you are!” says Colson as he joins in.

I’m overwhelmed by a wave of pride and joy as I take them into my arms.

“I missed you too,” I whisper to them.

In some inexplicable manner, I can feel through their bodies that they’re my own flesh and blood, that they’re a literal extension of my being. Pulling back, I draw their attention to my basket.

“Look here, I got you a few treats from the bakery this morning.”

I hand them each a packet of nimond beans as well as some nimond pastries.

“Try not to have too much before your next meal, okay? These are just treats so you’ve got to eat well, and healthily too.”

Hmm, look at me already being a father.

Glancing over at Cyra, I can’t help but melt at the way she smiles at us. There’s a sense of admiration on her face, seemingly totally relaxed as she comes over.

“Did you both get some nice candy?” she asks.

“Cyra, I got this for you too.”

She looks at me curiously as I pull out a small velvet cake.

“Maybe you can share it with the other maids, or not! It’s totally up to you.”

She takes it and chuckles in disbelief.

“I… Thank you, Lykan, you didn't have to.”

“I wanted to.”

Our eyes come to level with one another as we share a piercing gaze. Kenji jumps in between us, snapping me back to reality.

“Play!” he demands. “Play now!”

“Alright, alright,” laughs Cyra. She stands and offers me a hand. “Do you want to join in?” she asks.

“Of course,” I reply with a smile. Taking her hand, she hoists me up to my feet. “So what is it we’re playing?”

“Hide and seek,” exclaims Colson.

Just then, there comes the sound of the garden doors opening. We spin around to see Nasthyn resting under the shade of the garden entrance.

“Hello there Lykan.”

“Hello Nasthyn.”

“Do you want to join in?” asks Cyra.

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