Over the next few days, Pia behaved as if she was the queen of the house, the clan and Bainsburgh. According to her actions, everyone in this world should bow to her, concede to her demands and if she wanted them dead, perhaps they should go and jump in a well and drown themselves to death.

She threw a plate of broccoli on the floor shouting, "What is this rubbish you have prepared?" The glass of the plate shattered and the vegetable strewn across the dining room. "I am pregnant and I need to eat something that I would love to and not some filthy stuff you make in the kitchen," she barked at the butler.

​​

Others around the table were getting irritated by her spells of irritation. Earlier she used to scold the servants loudly, but this was the worst she had behaved. The butler cast a secret look at Dawn who was staring at the fiasco with the broccoli half inside her mouth.

The nutritionist had given this chart to the butler for the two pregnant women and he was following it to the hilt. Dawn seemed to enjoy this treat everyday. Her food holding capacity had increased as her bouts of vomit spells had decreased considerably. But Pia—she only got worse. She hated vegetables and didn't want to eat any greens.

"Get something meaty and juicy," she ordered, "if you want to stay here for another night!"

"Yes Ma'am," said the butler in a low voice and went to the kitchen. A servant came to collect the pieces of the glass.

Sedora continued to eat after flicking her hair to the side. Others stayed quiet because no one wanted to mess with this woman.

Pia fanned herself and said, "Mother, I don't know what to do. Maybe I am hormonal at this point."

"It's fine Pia," said Sedora. "You should eat what you like. After all you are giving birth to pure blooded pups. They need meat, since they are stronger than any of the Halflings we are expecting around us."

"Careful Sedora," said Dawn after eating her broccoli. "Another word about my pregnancy and I will forget who you are." Her voice was so damn dangerous that it reeks of lethality. It was as if she was ready to battle this woman in front of her. Her insults were getting annoying.

"You dare to speak to me like that?" Sedora answered. Her hair started to rise in curls around her head and her eyes flickered a golden yellow.

Daryn intervened. "I am sorry Mother." He squeezed Dawn's hand under the table. "Dawn is a little annoyed. She is also hormonal. Please forgive her."

"Ask your wife to behave in front of me," Sedora warned.

"I will," he said in a low voice.

Dawn was aghast at Daryn's submission to his mother. She got up from her place and walked back to her room. Daryn followed her. He knew he was in for a big fight.

"What is wrong with you Daryn?" she asked, turning towards him with a face red as beetroot in anger. "Don't even think for once that I am going to tolerate your mother's behavior. She was downright insulting and instead of scolding Pia she was threatening me? How dare she?"

"Baby, you gotta understand this. She is a different kind of woman. We don't cross her. We just accept her presence. She is something no one dares to even go against. You are pregnant and I want you to be away from her wrath. She is not the type of woman who we can rebel against. I— I can't explain you more, but baby please— please just calm down." He went to her and held her shoulders. "Let's go to the Silver Arcade. That ways we are going to stay away from her and we will be peaceful."

She removed his hands away and walked to the balcony. "This place belongs to me as much as it belongs to her or to Pia," she grumbled. "I won't go away from here." Her mind went to the time when Sedora's hair started rising when she was angry. What was it that she couldn't find about her and what was it that Daryn was hiding?

"I understand your emotions, but is it all worth it? I have hundreds of houses across the world. Why don't we go for a vacation?" he said walking up to her.

She turned to look at him. "Gods, Daryn. Look at you. The king of Lycae, the Prince of the Silver Clan—he is shuddering because of his mother. I don't believe you. I understand respect, but this—" she circled her hand in front of him, "this is strange, no disgusting! You are so goddamned afraid of her. Tell me what it is?"

Daryn became quiet. He looked past her towards the river and then raked his fingers through his hair. He bit his lip and shook his head. "It is nothing for you to bother. Just understand that she is a dangerous woman and at present everything in my life that I hold close to my heart, everything that gave me a chance to live and be happy is at stake. I want to protect you, our baby and my marriage against the woman who is sitting down there. She is watching us like a hawk to break us. So please darling, I beg of you to stay low, to stay quiet. Once our child is born, she won't be able to do a thing. My position as the king of the Silver Clan is already consolidated, but I want to secure that position for my child as well. Right now, Pia's pregnancy is jeopardizing my plans. And all I have to do is be patient." He looked into her green eyes with a begging request. "Please baby," he cupped her cheeks, "please let this time pass…"

She hadn't seen him appealing this way ever to her. Although on the inside she was beyond frustrated at his fear, she had to support him. "Okay Daryn," she replied, holding his arms. "I am going to overlook all this."

"Oh thank you darling," he said and hugged her tightly. He stroked her hair. "Let her leave and we will all be fine."

That night she slept little. She called Quetz a few times but there was no answer. By the time it was 5AM she couldn't hold her anxiety. She had to visit Ensmoire. Just as she began to write a note to Daryn, who was sleeping at that time, a voice came. 'I am back Dawn,'

Relief washed over the body but anger replaced it. 'Jeez! Where the hell were you?' Dawn berated him, putting the pen down. 'How dare you leave without telling me your whereabouts? Do you know how worried I was? I was about to come to Ensmoire.'

A sigh.

'Can't a dragon even travel to locations he would love to see?'

'Hell! Where were you?'

'I had gone to Amazon jungles.'

'What?' she clasped her hands as fury rose. 'I asked you not to go.' She didn't believe when Ileus had told her that her dragon was seen in the jungles of Amazon. But now her dragon confessed that he was indeed there. 'This is outrageous!'

'Calm down, Dawn,' he said in a strange voice. She hadn't been so angry with him previously.