Chapter 5

Cooking in the kitchen with her dependable ally Lilia, Zenith couldn't help but think back to the stressful past few months she had.

Time as a new mother was difficult, to say the least, much more so when somebody like Paul is the father. He may have gotten better but he's still Paul, he can't help but get into trouble without thinking.

Luckily they were able to get a dependable maid in Lilia. Without her, the family may as well have been doomed. From helping safely birth Rudy to helping around the house Lilia had been a literal lifesaver.

It was because of Lilia that they were even able to survive without some part of the house falling apart or Zenith dying from over exhaustion and for that, Zenith couldn't be more thankful. Lilia was hard to get close to but Zenith was slowly breaking into her ice cold heart.

Zenith had noticed the slightly strange air between her husband and maid but she didn't want to pry too much, even she had things she didn't like to talk about after all. As long as Paul remained faithful Zenith would endure unless the situation required otherwise.

But that was a huge 'if'. She may as well be asking Paul to stop bragging by asking him to be faithful to her. Zenith knew Paul lied as easily as he breathed, she knew that even before she slept with him.

So when she had gotten pregnant with her beloved Rudy and Paul actually stayed with her and even remained faithful for the past few months she couldn't help but be shocked. Paul Greyrat, a man who had slept with hundreds of people was staying with her and supporting her with all he had.

He was far from perfect but his efforts definitely warmed Zenith's heart and she made sure to make how happy she was apparent every night. She wouldn't mind giving Rudy a little sibling sometime soon.

Speaking of Rudy, Zenith was worried about him at first. He always had this serious look on his face that seemed almost emotionless. His face was like a mini version of Lilia's, in fact, if he didn't look just like her and come from her womb she would have thought he was Lilia's son.

Her Rudy was such a handsome child. She didn't want to praise herself but she made that boy. He had small patches of sandy blond hair, a perfect mix of her and Paul's hair, and bright golden eyes that she adored so much despite their unknown origins.

His lack of expressions was worrying at first but Zenith didn't mind anymore since just the other day she got a clear view of how much their genius son cared about them. When Rudy said that he loved them while crying she couldn't help but be happy, overjoyed even.

Rudy was a quiet child, unnaturally so if her fellow mothers could be trusted, and also unusually intelligent but he was her son and nothing could change that. Even Paul shared the same opinion on the matter.

"Zenny… at first I thought that the Young Master had been possessed on birth." Lilia spoke up abruptly, her hands never pausing when making the food despite her strange and borderline offensive words.

"Huh?" Zenith let out in surprise. Lilia had never gotten particularly close to Rudy beyond her duties and she did find it odd but thinking he had been possessed? That was… surprising? Zenith didn't know how to feel about it.

On one hand, she could understand where Lilia was coming from but on the other, she was offended as Rudy's mother and the one who had birthed him. He could be the Demon God himself and Rudy would still be her child!

"But after his outburst the other day I changed my opinion. He always seemed so intelligent even after just being born, it was off putting. But now I believe he may have been simply aware from the beginning or at least from very early on." Lilia explained awkwardly, not meeting Zenith's eyes the entire while.

"It doesn't matter, does it? I always knew Rudy was a genius, he only proved it. I was worried at first that he didn't love us or understand our love but now that I know that wasn't the case I only feel relieved, I don't really care about the reason." Zenith explained with a soft smile, the happily crying figure of her son flashing through her mind.

"That's true… I apologize for my rude words." Lilia apologized sincerely, putting her kitchen utensils down and bowing to Zenith. Normally she wouldn't say such a thing even if it was how she truly felt since it would be grounds for her to lose her job.

But she knew and trusted Zenith. Zenith had been nothing but kind to her and while was a unique case due to their past Lilia could confidently say that she trust him as well, at least partially.

But because of this trust, she felt even more guilt at her assumption. Rather than confiding in her employers she instead kept her silence and analyzed their child without restraints. Her worries had solid reasoning however her acts were still incredibly rude and so she felt the need to apologize.

"It's fine Lilia. I can understand where you are coming from. It might be because I'm his mother or maybe because I love him so much, but I think I was always aware that he cared for us, you included, so I never entertained the thought." Zenith explained as she forced Lilia to stand up straight and brought her into a gentle hug.

Pausing slightly Lilia didn't know what to do. The normal response would be to return the act of affection, but she was her maid, that would be something far out of the norm. Her emotions and logic fought but, in the end, neither mattered as Zenith broke the hug.

"Now why don't we get cooking before the food is ruined?" Zenith asked with a wide smile on her face, a smile gracing Lilia's face as well.

"Yes, mistress." Lilia responded gracefully, her soft smile never leaving as she returned to cooking. It was only cooking, something she had done thousands of times, yet somehow it seemed much more enjoyable today.

However, the harmonious mood between the two was shattered when a loud noise came from the front yard. It was a sound that the two women recognized. It was the sound of a tree falling to the ground.

A tree that Zenith took care of endlessly for the past year. A tree that Zenith loved more than Paul at times. And that tree had just been broken.

Without a word, Zenith stripped herself of her apron, threw it onto a nearby chair, and stomped outside, a cold fury on her face that encouraged Lilia to keep her silence.

"Paul! That better not have been my tree!" Zenith shouted angrily as she left the house. In front of her was Paul 'discreetly' holding the broken tree upright while Rudy looked at him like he was a fool.

"What are you talking about? What about your tree?" Paul spoke up dumbly, playing innocent despite the tree having a very clear line in the stump where it had broken.

"Paul… you're sleeping on the couch." Zenith declared with a wide smile on her face that didn't quite reach her eyes before turning around and going back inside. She didn't want to see Paul's smug face for a while.

"Wha-?! Anything but that! Zenith please!" Paul shouted desperately as he dashed inside, cold sweat dripping from his every pore.

"Idiot." Rudy spoke up as Paul went inside making him nearly trip from shock and Zenith smile faintly from inside.

What a happy little family she had made.