Romilly chuckled, taking in the scene of the pouting boys. "What is going on here?"
Belinda eased up in her seat until she was upright, hands on her knees, her smile wicked. "Well, Your Majesty, you see, I told the boys that if they behaved themselves, I would take care of the dishes."
"I see," Romilly replied. The two boys in question were still cleaning dishes and avoiding any eye contact with him.
Belinda continued. "My only real stipulation was that they not start any type of food fight. That would have been a disaster to clean up on top of the dishes. I warned them that if any piece of food, icing, sugar, flour, or otherwise went flying, and someone retaliated—well, we know accidents happen. But if it was intentional, then they'd have to do the dishes and clean up any mess they made."
Romilly crossed his arms. He took a moment to watch the sagging shoulders of the boys. They were almost done with the dishes, and the countertops and floor were clean, which meant they'd taken care of that as well.
"Sounds to me like two naughty boys were doing something they should not have and got punished appropriately. I appreciate you sticking to your rule, Belinda. They cannot get away with everything."
She smiled, nodding, then stood slowly and walked over to the boys. Standing behind them, she put a hand on each of their backs and rubbed gently. "You two have done enough. I can take it from here. Now, remember, next time you come into my kitchen wanting to have fun, you have to follow the rules."
"Yes, ma'am," they said in unison, voices soft. They stepped apart, allowing Belinda to move into position to take over the last few dishes. They stripped off the long, bright yellow gloves they'd worn and placed them where Belinda pointed.
Eden scurried past Romilly without a word. He probably felt guilty for getting Archer into trouble. Romilly had no doubt in his mind that Eden was the source of the issue. His boy didn't seem the type to start a food fight.
When Archer was close enough, Romilly picked his boy up and put him on his hip, like always. Archer tucked himself into Romilly's side, burying his face in Romilly's neck. They left without a word, and as they walked, Romilly hummed softly.
He wanted his boy to know that he didn't feel any anger. He understood that Littles could sometimes get into things and make a mess. That was part of the fun of it all. As long as Archer understood that consequences would also happen, then they'd be fine. He couldn't spoil his boy and expect him not to turn rotten. That wouldn't be fair to anyone in the castle, or to the people of the horde they now ruled over.
When they reached the door to Romilly's rooms, he stopped and bounced his boy on his hip. "Look at me, little one," he said softly.
Archer pulled back. His eyes were red-rimmed, and it looked like he was moments away from crying.
"There, there, no need for you to be upset. I am not angry with you."
"You're not?" Archer asked, sniffing.
"No, I'm not mad. I know that boys can be mischievous, and Belinda did warn you what would happen. I am very proud that you did the dishes with Eden, and hopefully you learned your lesson." He smiled at his boy.
"Never trust Eden not to start a food fight, even when he's told not to."
Romilly chuckled heartily. "Yes, that is a good lesson to learn, little one. But also, that if someone tells you there will be repercussions, they are speaking the truth."
"Yes, Daddy," Archer said. The word settled over him, making Romilly so utterly pleased and happy.
They hadn't had a lot of time to sink into their Daddy-and-Little connection. When they were alone, they used the titles, but in front of others they were careful. Not because the family didn't know, but because it wasn't anyone else's business what they did.
Romilly didn't much care. He figured his boy would take more time to understand that everyone here loved him and wouldn’t judge their dynamic. No one judged Eden or Hadrian for how they behaved. And though Soren kept a cool demeanor, there was no doubting they would be a dominant partner. He didn't like to think of what his parents shared, but it was common knowledge that dragons were usually kinky in some way. Romilly fought back a shiver at the thought of his parent’s sex life.
"I have a surprise for you, little one. Part of the reason Eden was playing with you was to keep you busy. He volunteered to help, so do not think he was only spending time with you because I asked him to."
Archer nodded, and Romilly could see the relief in his demeanor. He could feel it too through their mate bond’s continual growth. All that was left was the bite, and it would be fully locked in. They'd be able to communicate telepathically and feel each other's emotions all the time, on top of all the magic that would be woven into Archer's life.
Romilly didn't explain the surprise any further. He opened the door to his rooms and then strode to where his office used to be. He could tell Archer was confused, because the boy scowled. He didn't speak, and for that Romilly gave him space. He wanted to know his boy’s thoughts, but he wouldn't push his mate.
"I had this crafted for you and filled it with things I thought you would like. I know you have Eden's space, but this one is purely yours to control."
Romilly opened the door and stepped inside. Archer's eyes widened. It would have been funny, if not for the way he immediately started to cry.
"Oh, no!" Romilly pulled his mate to his chest, bouncing him and cooing, letting his dragon come forward some as if to soothe him. The beast warmed against Archer's skin, sending waves of calm to their mate.
Archer cried for a while. When he was done, he pulled back, and Romilly swiped away the trails of wetness. He waited patiently, knowing his mate would find the words. His little one could explain himself better than if Romilly questioned him.
"I'm overwhelmed because this is amazing," Archer said, his voice breaking as he fought the sniffles. "It's so perfect and pretty, Daddy."
Romilly smiled at that. If the tears were from joy, he could accept them. That was fine. Fear, or pain, or sadness—those wouldn't do.
