"Is everything clear?"
The children nodded in unison. Their faces were serious, for they understood the importance of such a ceremony.
In truth, such a solemn introduction was unnecessary. Catherine had long ago explained all the important details to them clearly and thoroughly. That had happened about a year earlier, when Grace and Gray began pleading with their beloved mother to teach them magic.
They had repeatedly watched Catherine perform various miracles: lighting candles with a snap of her fingers or using the wind to keep them from falling. They had even seen how Cassia used advanced magic to hide within their shadows.
Unaware of what the twins were thinking, Adam continued to play the role of a strict and all-knowing father.
"According to the general memorandum of the Roman Empire, magical cores are classified from E to S, and in rare cases even SS. Their rank depends on throughput capacity, while the type depends on affinity to magical elements.
For example, I possess an S-rank magical core with an affinity for the rare element of light.
This does not mean that I cannot use magic of other elements, but my mastery of light magic is virtually unrivaled. Magic of other elements is limited to basic spells in order to avoid overloading the core."
Adam expected an enthusiastic reaction, but instead saw only impatient looks. The twins, having let his boasting pass straight through their ears, asked in unison:
"And what about Mom's?"
Genuine curiosity was written all over their faces. Unlike their father, their mother had always been with them. Naturally, little Gray and Grace were far more interested in her condition.
They had asked Catherine herself more than once, and even Cassia, but both always answered mysteriously.
"Very strong," they would say. Whatever that meant.
This vague answer only fueled the curiosity of the two little ones even more. It wasn't that Catherine was hiding secrets from them—she simply didn't want their expectations to grow too high.
Unlike her, Adam had no such concern. He cleared his throat a little awkwardly, but still spoke:
"Your mother is an exception. She has a core of a special type—a Colorless Adaptive Core with SS-class throughput.
The more she uses magic of a particular element, the better her control over it becomes.
Theoretically, she can use any existing magic at the highest level. From elemental magic to specific magics such as shadow or crystal." As he said this, Adam cast an awkward glance at his third wife.
He still could not come to terms with the fact that she was so talented. Her abilities were so absurd that they frightened him.
Meanwhile, the children did not try to think so deeply. Their eyes lit up. They stared at their mother with undisguised adoration and a touch of fanaticism. To them, their "father's" words meant only one thing. Mom was the strongest.
"Fu-fu-fu, well, what did I tell you, you little rascals? Your mommy is the strongest," Catherine said proudly, pushing out her chest. But then she immediately added in a serious tone:
"But remember, a core's evaluation isn't everything. It can be improved with rare resources or through hard work.
Take your Uncle Aurelius, for example. He originally awakened a B-class earth-element core, but through relentless training and the search for rare resources, he developed it to A+, nearly reaching S-rank."
"Got it," the children replied in unison, a spark of anticipation flashing in their eyes.
"And what about Cassi? What kind of core does she have?" the girl asked curiously.
Catherine thought for a moment:
"My dear, Cassia isn't human. She's a beastkin from the cat tribe. Her body is structured differently. She doesn't have a core, but she has an innate affinity with shadows, which is why she can hide within them.
You don't need to delve into the details. Just know that beastkin develop differently. You'll learn more when you grow up..."
"That concludes our little lecture," Adam interjected. "We're heading to your awakening ceremony, which will be personally conducted by the cardinal of the Church of Holy Light, Allaric."
"Okay / Umu."
Adam took little Grace by the hand and headed for the exit. Gray, smiling, clung to his mother's neck. He clearly had no intention of walking on his own.
Catherine was amused by his behavior. Nevertheless, she didn't refuse her little devil. She lifted her son, rose lightly from the bed, and followed her "husband."
Passing the royal palace, the library, and the coliseum, the family arrived at the Building of Ceremonies.
It was a majestic circular Acropolis, surrounded by snow-white marble columns.
Upon the massive slab connecting the columns rose statues of departed heroes of the Province of Light. There was no roof—the open space allowed sunlight to pour in, creating a solemn and reverent atmosphere within.
At the center of the structure, on a slightly raised base, stood the altar—monumental and austere, shaped like a truncated pyramid. Its summit was a spacious platform capable of accommodating up to five people.
The location of the ceremonial hall, as well as the altar itself, had not been chosen by chance. It was precisely here that the concentration of light energy was the greatest, not only in the Province of Light but in the entire Roman Empire.
The Hall of Ceremonies was not used solely for the awakening of magical cores. In truth, that was not even its primary purpose. It had been created to perform rites, offer sacrifices, and pray to the god of the province—Apollo, whose statue towered above the altar.
Dubbed in Rome "the Radiant" and "the Shining One," the god-patron of light and all arts was embodied in stone with such beauty that any man would feel insignificant, and any woman would feel warm moisture beneath her tunic.
Be that as it may, at this moment the entire active nobility of the prefecture had assembled around the altar, standing in the shadow of the fallen heroes.
All members of the royal family were present, including children and concubines, centurions Claudius and Aurelius Starlight, as well as representatives of all noble houses and numerous church acolytes.
Allaric, Eve, and Fulvius—the acting cardinals of the Church of Light—knelt before the altar itself, preparing for the beginning of the ceremony.
All the men were dressed uniformly in neat, pure-white togas with wide sleeves.
The women wore light stolas. The soft fabric flowed around their figures, emphasizing the curves of their hips and the lines of their waists. At first glance, their appearance seemed quite chaste... But a lingering look made it clear that every detail was designed to attract attention.
Deep cuts at the chest barely concealed the roundness of their bodies. High slits along their legs allowed one to catch accidental glimpses of smooth thigh skin, the glint of golden garters, or the movement of bare feet in sandals.
Gray found himself in such an environment for the first time. If someone had closely observed the boy's behavior, they would have noticed that he kept glancing at his mother. He was sincerely captivated by her beauty when he first saw her in ceremonial attire.
All sorts of thoughts surfaced in his young mind—anything but sacred ones. Right now, the boy very much wanted to taste his mother's milk.
Although he didn't know where these chaotic feelings came from and didn't even think about their source. Gray, being a clever child, understood that now was not the time for such things. Still, nothing prevented him from secretly admiring the beautiful.
When the governor appeared, all those present ceremoniously paid respect to their ruler with a loud cry:
"Long live His Majesty!"
Adam surveyed everyone with a calm gaze, lingering on Eva, Allaric, Claudius, and Aurelius.
He gently smiled at his first wife, who returned the gesture. Their exchange of looks did not escape Catherine's notice and stirred irritation within her.
Ignoring this, Adam approached the three men to exchange greetings in the Roman manner—a mutual grasp of the wrist. It was yet another tradition demonstrating the absence of hidden weapons in one's sleeve.
With this gesture, people seemed to say to one another: "See, I have no weapon. We are friends."
Having finished the formal greetings, Adam gestured for everyone to relax. Quiet whispers immediately rippled through the crowd:
"Merciful Light, that's Her Majesty Catherine! They say she's the most beautiful woman in the world!"
"I never believed that nonsense before. But today I realized I was wrong."
"I still believe that the sacred grace of Her Majesty Eva has no equal."
"Look at Princess Grace! She's too adorable! Like a miniature version of her mother."
"Only our governor is worthy of possessing such priceless treasures of beauty."
Catching these comments in passing, Adam smiled proudly with a triumphant grin. Who doesn't like it when their wife's beauty is praised? Who doesn't like being envied?
Meanwhile, young Gray felt a vague irritation—especially from the male gazes sliding over his mother. Something inside him stubbornly protested against such attention. He wanted everyone around to know, "She is his, and his alone."
Giving in to the impulse, he hugged Catherine tighter, burying his face in her neck. This was how he decided to demonstrate his right of ownership.
Unfortunately, his jealousy-filled gesture was perceived merely as an attempt to hide his own embarrassment.
Which was hardly surprising, since his appearance was also being actively discussed by the crowd.
"That's His Highness the third prince. Why does he have black hair? The king is fair-haired, and the queen is silver-white. Something's not right here."
"You've heard that the third majesty and the governor haven't been getting along lately. Ahahaha. I'm sure there's a wonderful story behind the prince's appearance..."
"I heard that the king's youngest son was cursed at birth by a heavenly eclipse, when darkness descended upon our province."
While Adam responded to greetings and Gray struggled with a bout of jealousy, young Grace was growing increasingly nervous. The girl shifted awkwardly from foot to foot. Her cute face twisted, and her eyes darted about in search of a safe place.
Children should not be underestimated. Though they cannot match adults in the art of reading an atmosphere, their instincts allow them to sense the intentions of others, especially when those intentions are not carefully concealed.
And right now, Grace was trembling under the intent gaze of the crowd that was studying her so closely. She felt a mixture of uncertainty and fear. It seemed to her as though she had been forcibly dragged out of her little paradise and thrown straight into a spider's lair.
She clutched her father's hand tightly, hoping to demonstrate her anxiety. Sadly, Adam, with his powerful cultivation, did not notice the change in the little girl's grip.
To her relief, Catherine had already noticed her daughter's condition and was heading toward her with her younger brother in tow. A gentle and soothing smile played on the mother's face as she tried to comfort her little angel:
"Don't worry, my dear, Mommy will always protect and support you," she promised, stroking Grace's hair.
"My sweet one, you shouldn't be afraid of attention, for only the most outstanding deserve it.
If people are looking at you, be proud and don't show weakness. Show everyone why you deserve to be called the most beautiful princess of the Alaz Continent!"
Feeling her mother's caresses and hearing her gentle voice, Grace calmed down. Her little eyes lit up, and her unruly body stopped trembling. The girl smiled brightly once more and began to eagerly await the ceremony.
Just like that, with only a few words, her anxieties were cast aside, leaving only anticipation.
"Umu," Grace nodded softly to her mother, letting her know that she was fine.
Gray, too, did not remain idle. Under his father's disapproving gaze, he wrapped an arm around his sister's shoulders and smiled with a sly grin that promised nothing but mischief.
"Little sis, want to make a bet?" Gray whispered into his sister's ear.
"A bet? What kind of bet?" Grace squeaked quietly, clearly intrigued.
"Whose core will be stronger."
"But we're twins. Everything about us is the same. It should be..." the girl objected, confused by her brother's foolishness.
"Who knows? Maybe not? I'm absolutely sure my talent is greater," the boy replied with a cunning grin, resembling a little fox.
"Stupid brother! I'm older, which means if anyone is more talented, it's me. But we're twins," Grace retorted immediately, rising to her brother's provocation.
Smiling as Catherine watched their bickering, she decided to intervene.
"My dear, although you were born on the same day and should have similar talents, that doesn't mean your cores must be identical."
"Usually, twins have the same core type but different throughput capacities. A mysterious phenomenon, I must say.
There have been cases where twins manifested cores with different elements that could mutually enhance one another. Fu-fu-fu. Quite enviable abilities, wouldn't you say?"
At this moment, the children knew nothing about the heavenly phenomenon of the rainbow they had caused. There were many reasons for that.
First, Catherine did not want them to become arrogant. She firmly believed that only diligent work could make a person great.
Second, the phenomenon had been interrupted by an eclipse, which might have affected Gray, something that worried Catherine greatly. But no matter how much she searched, she could not unravel the causes and effects of such an eclipse.
In the end, she came to the conclusion that it should not be something bad. Her maid was a user of shadow magic and remained very sweet and kind. Perhaps this would turn out to be a blessing.
Catherine had not grown up in the Roman Empire and did not fully understand their prejudices. But she knew for certain that when a gifted offspring was born in a tribe of shapeshifters, the full moon would light up the entire sky, as if celebrating the appearance of a new pack member. Elven children could cause flowers to bloom around them regardless of the season.
She had even heard rumors that seven years ago, at the birth of an elven princess, the legendary World Tree Yggdrasil swayed for three days and three nights, greeting a new genius.
The world was full of extraordinary prodigies. She would not be upset even if her son's element were altered by the will of fate. The type of power was not important—only how that power was used.
Lost in these thoughts, the mother failed to notice how Gray and Grace sealed their bet.
"Fine. It's a deal. The loser obeys the winner for the whole day!" Grace proposed, provoked by her younger brother's smug grin.
"Deal!" Gray replied.
"Father, when will the ceremony begin?" the girl asked impatiently, having completely forgotten her earlier worries.
"Don't worry, my dear, it will start soon," Adam nodded approvingly, noticing his daughter's enthusiasm.
He immediately stepped into the center of the Acropolis and raised his hand, asking for silence.
Once he was sure everyone had quieted down and all the crowd's attention was focused on him, Adam took the floor.
"Ladies and gentlemen, citizens and believers. I, the lawful ruler of the Province of Light, Adam Starlight, in the name of the great Roman Empire, welcome you all to today's historic event."
"Today, my two children, who for the first time in the history of the province manifested phenomena at birth, will take their first step on the path of practitioners! With the blessing of our merciful god, I declare the ceremony open."
"Tsk, what is he even talking about?" Catherine thought, feeling slight impatience and excitement. "Why so much pomp for an ordinary children's awakening? Won't all this pageantry make them too arrogant?"
Although Catherine mentally cursed Adam for attaching too much significance to the event, excitement was clearly reflected on her own face. After all, when had people ever been logical beings?
"The auspicious hour draws near. The first to ascend the altar will be my daughter, Grace Starlight."