The crowds roared as we stepped into the sunlight, a huge smile exploding across my face. Honestly, it had been touch and go for a few months. The media constantly debated whether I was a good or bad queen after the murder on the front steps. But I kept a low profile, continued doing my best, and things gradually shifted as people realized I had their best interests at heart and truly wanted to fight for the underdog.

Plus, it probably helped that I'm the mother of a super-adorable little prince, and had just given our nation its first princess.

The crowd called out her name, and I smiled, pleased and bewildered that they already knew it. I looked at Sinclair, confused, but he just shrugged and smiled.

Together, my little family and I stepped to the edge of the terrace. I lifted the baby so the crowd could see her. They went wild the moment her face appeared, shouting about her beauty and how glad they were to meet her.

I laughed, tears welling up as I saw my entire nation feeling exactly what I felt about my little girl—pure, unadulterated joy that she was finally here.

"And you thought Ariel wouldn't cause a fuss like Rafe," Cora murmured with a smirk, joining me. The crowd cheered when Jesse came forward—the Little Duke was also a favorite.

"I know," I laughed, turning to my sister. "Poor Rafe got none of this."

"But look at him now," Cora said, pointing to my son. I turned to see my mate smiling down at Rafe, who was waving at the people. I burst into laughter; it was so typically Rafe. He loved to wave and say hello—he just didn't realize he was saying hello to thousands.

Sinclair raised his hand and waved too, but I simply smiled, holding my baby close, peering into her face. She scrunched and frowned before opening her eyes slightly, turning towards the sound of the crowd.

I laughed with delight. Even though she couldn't see, it looked like she was trying to see them as much as they were trying to see her. I lifted her higher, whispering what she could see if her eyes were more developed, but she just sighed and closed her eyes again, snuggling against me.

I grinned but looked up at my husband; I knew the baby needed to go inside. Her princess duties were done; she was hungry and needed sleep. Sinclair nodded, leaned forward to kiss my forehead, and then we waved one last time before going inside.

"Come on, Roger," Cora laughed, tugging him inside.

"No, this is fun," he replied cheerfully. "Give me Jesse; we're staying out—"

"Ridiculous," she sighed, though I could tell she found him funny. "Didn't you get enough attention as a child?"

"Not nearly," Roger sighed dramatically. "Dominic took it all when he was born. It was very traumatic—"

I grinned and looked up at Sinclair just as he rolled his eyes, but he didn't retort, and Henry laughed behind us.

"You got plenty of attention, Roger," Henry sighed as we headed back to our living quarters. "Your mother couldn't get enough of you—thought you were very funny."

"Just like I can't get enough of you," I murmured to Ariel. "Or you!" I ruffled Rafe's hair.

"What about me?" Sinclair asked as we reached our door, smiling as he opened it.

"Oh, now that you've given me two children, I'm totally done with you," I said, looking at him with wide, earnest eyes, but unable to keep a straight face.

"Liar," he laughed, pulling me close.

"All right, Ella," Cora said, kissing my cheek. "We'll be just down the hall, in case you need me?"

"Thank you, Cora," I said, stepping away from Sinclair as he said goodnight to his brother and father. While I didn't anticipate needing Cora, it was good to know a doctor and sister were nearby.

She gave me an extra squeeze as I said goodbye to the rest of the Sinclairs and stepped into the room with my mate and my children. My children. Plural! I laughed in wonder.

"Happy?" Sinclair asked, smiling as he closed the door.

"Ecstatic," I sighed, grinning at him before looking at the kids. "But also exhausted and busy. Do you think you can get Rafe down, or at least distracted, while I get ready to feed Ariel?"

My mate smiled, stepped closer, and cupped my chin. "Did you hear that?" he asked.

"What?" I asked, confused.

"You just said the most beautiful sentence in the world," he laughed, shaking his head. "Asking me to take care of our son while you get ready to feed our daughter. Our family, Ella—not that it wasn't before. But it's growing—which is what we've always wanted."

"I know," I cooed, pressing closer and biting my lip as I looked into his face, my eyes shining. "You're right. It's perfect."

My perfect mate smiled before kissing me—a long kiss that made me lose myself. It was so long that Rafe squeaked in protest, playfully slapping Sinclair's chest because he was bored.

I burst into laughter again and pulled away, apologizing to Rafe as I took the crown off his head. "So sorry, prince," I said, wrinkling my nose as he giggled and reached for the circlet. "But you're going to have to get used to sharing Mommy and Daddy."

I went into the closet, getting newborn pajamas and a sleep sack for Ariel, who I knew would want a nap soon. She gave a few fussy cries, clearly hungry and unable to communicate that need through the bond.

"Poor daughter," I sighed, changing her quickly and laying her in Rafe's old wheeled bassinet while I changed into something more comfortable for breastfeeding. "Just a minute, then we'll get you settled."

I kept my word, emerging from the closet quickly. I grinned when I saw Sinclair thanking a kitchen worker as they left, having just delivered a cart full of food.

"Ah, Rafe's favorite distraction," I said, smiling at my mate and son as I settled into my nest with Ariel bundled in my arms. "Food!"

"He's a hungry boy," Sinclair said, smiling as Rafe reached for the tray, almost wriggling out of his dad's arms. "But half of this is for you!"

"Oh!" I said, genuinely surprised, then laughed at myself for forgetting to eat, so distracted was I by my love for my family. I leaned back against the pillows, getting a fussy Ariel ready for her second feeding before thinking about my own.

"Yes," Sinclair murmured, handing Rafe a slice of apple and wheeling the cart over to me. "I figured you would forget to eat."

"I'm going to be forgetting a lot of things over the next week or so," I murmured, relaxing as Ariel latched on, smiling down at her. "You're going to be overworked, monitoring the nation as well as me."

"Best duty I ever had," he sighed, getting Rafe settled in the little pop-up highchair we kept in the corner, moving it close to me and setting out some snacks. I turned to smile at my son, glad he was close too.

"Do you think Ariel's going to keep Rafe up all night?" I asked. "She's going to be up every couple of hours—"

"Ella," Sinclair said, interrupting as he sat on the side of the bed and placed a hand on my knee. "I want to talk about all of that, of course. But you really need to tell me more about what happened when you were visited by the Dark God."

"Oh," I said, looking up at him with sadness. It wasn't that it had left my mind—I had just been enjoying ignoring it and basking in the happiness of this moment.

"I know," he sighed, leaning forward to stroke my face. "But it's been killing me, my love. Please."

"All right," I replied, nodding, knowing he needed to hear it. I took a deep breath and began to tell the tale.