Gedeon smiled and stood resolutely on his feet.
"Great! And for so long I wanted to visit another planet and see my sister."
"Well then, put on something more decent," Avilena meticulously examined his outfit. "And forward!"
He quickly changed his clothes and in a couple of moments he found himself on Xantari in the tower of Lantas.
"Here's your little brother, darling! And I rode on!"
Avilena waved to her friend and went about her business.
Farenia clasped her hands and gasped when she saw her older brother:
"Deo! How you have grown and become prettier!"
She closed her arms around him with a squeal of delight.
"And you have grown wings!" Gedeon was sincerely happy, examining her with curiosity.
"Yeah, there was someone to reward. Well, you finally here!"
"How do you live here?"
"Well, everything is as always, I recently gave birth, counting my third one, I hope that this is the last one for the next ten years."
Gedeon noticed the silent presence of the officer he had seen three years ago next to his sister in the Azaren Palace. He did not smile at all, sitting next to the crib at a distance and peering intently at the arriving guest with his sparking blue eyes.
"I don't remember your husband's name," Gedeon whispered to his sister.
"I have two of them, and this one is not at all the one you thought about. The first is Lantas, and the second is his father Lamronius, but they are like twins. I don't know how you will distinguish them, but I'm no longer confused."
Farenia sat her brother down opposite her husband to get acquainted.
"I am Lamronius!" He introduced himself restrainedly. "I didn't suspect your existence, Prince Gedeon."
The young man shuddered from his piercing gaze and focused to gawk at the baby sleeping in the crib.
"You look like your sister, young talent. How are the King and Queen doing?"
"Amazing!" The young man blurted out in a hurry. "There is continuous Prosperity all around!"
"Lam, why are you so unfriendly?" Farenia was indignant. "I haven't seen my bro for three years, and you glare at him with your gaze, scare him, as if he's guilty of something."
She patted her brother's shoulder for support.
"I'm just surprised by his talents, that's all!" Lamronius justified himself. "This is very strange for such an age!"
"What kind of magic did you get?" The sister asked her brother mockingly. "I don't remember you even having anything planned."
"Nothing special," Gedeon joked, hiding his eyes. "Just sparkling creation."
"Oh, really? What about summoning the all-consuming flame? This is the power of an adult vampire, where did you get it from?" Lamronius said suspiciously. "And even rare love magic! Who awarded you such valuable gifts?"
"Lam! Why did you pester him? You always have the same problem - envy of other's abilities," Farenia scolded her husband.
"I don't know how I got them," Gedeon answered. "Perhaps through mutual love for the princess..."
"Bro! You're scaring me! Which princess are you talking about?" Farenia was amazed. — "Do you already have an intimate relationship with a noble girl?"
"Luanlia, she lives with us on Zaria. She and I are close."
"What? Luanlia?" Lamronius exclaimed in an indignant tone. "Where did you get her from? She is an outcast and unworthy of being a princess! Child killer!"
Gedeon looked at him with horror, realizing that the executioner of his beloved from her past life was sitting in front of him.
"Is she?"
Farenia laughed nervously.
"Oh, yes, I remember they recently told me about Luanlia, what a sensation she made at Zarmina's reception. Vamps now sigh sadly for her energy."
Lamronius frowned at her words, shaking his head disapprovingly.
"Clear! Adivaris finally found her after a thousand years. Rohen, of course, knows better who to bring closer to him."
Gedeon, with concern in his eyes, quietly asked his sister:
"When are you going to have the reception? Do you live by the Code? Maybe you'll come back to us on Zaria? There is no need to give birth every year!"
Farenia cast a concerned glance at Lamronius.
"The last thing I want is some kind of paternity competition. If they force me to look for a new chosen one, then I will ask to become Erin's subject. Everything is so uncertain with us now: Rohen usurps power, introduces his own rules, and appoints a chosen one at his own discretion. We don't know what will happen next. So far no one has pinned me to the wall and forced me to choose."
"Rohen is also in charge in Azaren. Erin is more of a nominal Ruler, and he will never contradict his friend. I don't think you'll be able to avoid the attention of men there. Selestra moved to Ornalion and does not have new kids, but guests from Azaren come to her often," Gedeon noted.
"I promised that no one would touch you," Lamronius said gloomily to his wife. "And I won't let anyone make you a Lamori."
"What does it mean?" asked Farenia.
"Public Lover! He or She cannot refuse love to anyone," Lamronius explained. "Such magic was used on particularly rebellious princesses who avoided communication with men in every possible way. It doesn't work right away, but after some time the effect is amazing. Such a bewitched woman begins to love everyone. Your friend Avilena once went through this ritual in a past life, and it still affects her. She is kind of libertine person, as a Lamori should be."
"But this is violence against someone else's will," Farenia was indignant.
Lamronius reluctantly answered her:
"For thousands of years, we have not solved the problems of our race. I'm sorry, dear, we caused a lot of suffering to women, also forcing them to love us with the help of magical love spells. I hope the inscrutable Rohen will find better solutions."
"You said - inscrutable. What does it mean?" Gedeon decided to ask the ancient magician.
Lamronius glared at the young man with a piercing gaze.
"You live with him on the same planet. Don't you feel its power and multidimensionality? None of the clairvoyants can still understand and comprehend his being. From what heights did the Phoenix appear in our world and who is he anyway? The Source never responded. The most ancient Rulers found themselves helpless before the immense conquering power of the young syrinx. When I first met him, I decided that the guy was just lucky, and with the help of secret magic he picked up unimaginable gifts for himself. But his greatness continued to grow stronger day by day, and soon it turned out that no one was able to resist him, suppressing the will of anyone who crossed his gaze. He only seems meek and modest, but there are unimaginable forces behind him. He came from somewhere outside. I have never seen such creatures in my entire endless life. A little more and the Supreme Power of Xantari will completely pass into his hands, and one can only guess what actually awaits our civilization. I was expelled from the Rulers for pandering to the phoenix and I don't decide anything now."