After Happily Ever After

Kaider

Kai smiled at the small girl in his arms as he rocked her back and forth. "You look very much like your mother," he whispered, planting a soft kiss on her small forehead. The new princess was only about two weeks old. "I bet you'll even get her strange personality," he said sweetly.

A laugh came from across the room and Kai turned his back to the balcony. Cinder looked up from brushing Genevieve's hair with a playful smile. "I heard that," she said.

Kai gave her a lopsided grin. "I know," he replied, walking to her, "It's what I was going for." Cinder narrowed her eyes and inspected his face. Kai shrugged. "It was a compliment." Cinder wouldn't understand, though. She would never be able to understand how much he liked her strange, but enchanting way of being. How much her whole self affected him.

Her Majesty rolled her brown eyes and went back to Genevieve, their seven year old daughter's, black hair. Kai smiled at the image of two of his three favorite women in the galaxy, from Earth to Luna, from Luna to Neptune, from Neptune to the sun, and back. He looked down at the small child again, who had now opened her brown eyes. "You're the third one, Nova. Not in any specific order, but you're the third one," he whispered.

"Yes, Kai, because she understands what you are saying," Cinder joked.

"Mommy, are you done brushing my hair? Can I go now?" Genevieve asked, looking up from her small toy.

"Yes, and why?" Cinder asked, dropping her previous conversation with Kai to attend to Genevieve. Genevieve's copper eyes looked around the room. Cinder sighed. "Where did you plan on going? Dad's office so you could use his port?"

"No," the small girl said, closing her eyes and crossing her arms.

Kai watched with amusement as Cinder narrowed her eyes playfully. "Don't forget mom's got cybernetic properties, Gen," Cinder whispered. She opened her eyes and Cinder said, "You know I don't want you to be so close to technology at this young of an age."

Kai set the baby down in the crib of the nursery and walked to Cinder, sitting down beside her. "Is Her Majesty afraid her daughter will become a better mechanic than her and run her own mother out of business?" he teased, earning a small glare from Cinder.

She sighed and closed her eyes. "Just go, Genevieve." The girl jumped up and ran out of the room, into the hallway. Cinder gave a small smile. A wonderful smile, Kai might add. "She can't get in anyway. Her ID chip isn't compatible with the room access."

Kai planted a kiss on her cheek, cupping her face in his hands. "How smart of you to get Cress to program it that way," he commented.

Cinder only shrugged, her eyes falling on the crib. She smiled and stood up, walking towards her youngest member of the royal family. Kai followed behind, his hands clasped behind his back. "She's beautiful, love," Kai murmured into Cinder's ear, wrapping his arms around her waist from behind as she picked Nova up. "Just like you," he added with another kiss on the cheek.

"Stop, Kai," she said with another smile. Recently, Kai had noticed, Cinder smiled a lot more. Like she was finally at peace now, finally content with the way things were. That made Kai happy.

"I like when you smile," he said, looking down at the small child too, with so very much love in his copper brown eyes.

Cinder looked up, her nose brushing his cheek. "You're just now telling me this? After twelve years?"

Kai felt his ears increase in temperature, followed by his cheeks. He shrugged. "Maybe I didn't say it, but I thought it." Cinder rolled her eyes playfully and went back to Nova.

A knock at the door interrupted their moment of comfortable silence. Kai let go of his empress and opened the door. A maid bowed down just enough to show respect and then smiled. "Your highnesses," she greeted with a smile. Kai bowed his head in recognition, as did Cinder. "Prince Benjamin has returned from his walk with Iko and his friend, Byeoh."