Hadrian looked at Marisa Hollow, who was in the process of examining her brother’s fangs. He thanked Harika that his sister, a famous Lich, wouldn’t do the same to him.

“Dany, this is wonderful, now you can hunt dragons to extinction!” Exclaimed the woman. Did the entire family hate dragons? What for? Hadrian found them awfully cuddly, once his mana made them docile.

“And who are they?” Asked Marisa as she pointed at Hadrian and the children, who were looking at her with big eyes. Elidys broke from the crowd and went to hug her legs.

“Eli likes Mari,” the little toddler nuzzled the woman’s legs, and Hadrian was reminded that children needed a feminine touch around them. To feel safe and loved.

“Why, Mari likes Eli too. Nice name, by the way. Dany, you have an adorable son! Why wasn’t I invited for the birth? And where is your wife?” Asked Marisa, her brother, who scratched the back of his head.

“They are not mine. They, at least the three in the back, are Hadrian and Edwin’s. Elidys is a prince,” Marisa squalled at the implication, and Hadrian’s eyebrow twitched.

He had asked Edwin to not be bothered by the constant digs, but his patience was running out. If he heard Daniel imply that he was with his best friend in that way, he won’t be responsible for his actions.

“In fact, Edwin and Hadrian are thinking of getting married,” that smirk that Daniel send him sealed his fate. Hadrian lunged at the man and the chase was on.

Marisa shook her head at the antics. Judging by Hadrian’s reaction, he was not together with anyone, let alone a man. She gathered the children around herself and led them inside the house.

They then, as one, began to pull off their shoes. Almost like they were doing a chirography. Marisa could only dream of such children. One day, when she found someone nice, she was going to make sure she had at least two, and they were in sync like these four.

“Miss, I am hungry,” said one of the blonde twins. There was one major difference between the two. One had a red streak in his hair, probably Daniel’s doing, and the other was pure blond.

“And who might you be?” Marisa eternally awed when the boy blushed.

“I am Luciano,” said the fully blonde twin. “And this is my twin, Rael.”

“And I am Ben! Like Red Ben the Giant!” Ben had a hand outstretched for a high five, and Marisa obliged. That made him give her one of Hadrian’s lopsided smiles. Ah, so he was Harry’s protégé.

“And Eli is Elidys!” Then she was hugged again by the black-haired, ember-eyed toddler. Apart from Ben, they were all toddlers, she supposed. But little Elidys seem to be the youngest of the bunch.

“Well, I have mince meat sandwiches. More for us, since pointy fangs will be drinking blood. Good thing I bought more when Daniel told me that he was bringing Hadrian,” Elidys sniffed the air and then rushed in the direction of the kitchen.

The other three boys seem more reserved, and they walked behind her. Around them, the walls were filled with portraits of Daniel and Marisa in various stage of their childhoods.

Ben whistled at all the paintings and wished he had even one with their entire family for himself. Even one with uncle Sebastian in it, even though the vampire was sneaky and openly bribing them.

They made it into the kitchen to see Elidys attempting to get on a chair, but it was too high for him. The boy turned his ember eyes towards Marisa and raised his hands high.

The woman went and hugged him and then tickled him for good measure. Daniel had not told her he was bringing children. Or, anyone besides Harry. But he normally ate so much that Marisa now had enough food for everyone.

She placed the boy on the chair and then pulled the chair towards the table.

“Do you want crust, or not?” Elidys made a pouty face at the mention of crust, and the other three boys too shifted in their seats.

“It is the sign of being a big boy when one asks for a crust…” she got nods for that and smiled. Ah, children always wanted to appear older. And they were so easily led by the nose.

She still cut up their sandwiches in manageable pieces and sat with them at the head of the table to eat her own. As they all munched, the boys stole glances at her. To the point where Marisa worried she had something on her face.

“What?” She glanced at their blushing faces and was even more confused.

“Can you travel with us, aunt Mari?” Asked Ben. He had this hopeful look on his face that was hard to say no to. Well, Marisa was a dragon slayer, the same as Daniel. But there were no dragons in this town or the surroundings.

Pure attachment to this place and the house, where she had raised her brother and herself after a dragon had killed their parents, kept her here. But she could benefit from being with her only family, her brother, and adding these boys to the count.

“If Harry doesn’t mind. And this Edwin, too. By the way, where is he?” Then she was regaled with a story about an assassin, who was now known as uncle Sebastian, and a road trip in the desert towards a dungeon.

“Eddy said he will come back for us after he is done, and uncle Sebastian will keep him safe. He can change bodies. Cool, right?” Ben finished the explanation and Marisa cleaned her hands before petting his head. The boy leaned into the touch, and she figured that these children needed a mother figure.

She was warmed by the realization and their easy acceptance of her. Maybe she could give them what they required and get four sons out of the deal. Plus, the two she was getting once she met the man of her dreams. Preferably, a fellow dragon slayer.