Page 9 of Regal Rising

“You have done well. The imperial house will be appalled, but you have done well.”

She grinned, and then her expression sobered. “I wish things had turned out differently, but things unravelled the way they were meant to, and now, Reggie and her daughter are firmly tied to this time. They are good, and I can go for a while.”

“You are coming back to them?”

“Absolutely.” She laughed. “I have sung myself out of their consciousness, and now, it is on to the next thing. I think a clothing store is in my future. The omegas are going to get taller in the next few years. Oh, and assisting at Regis’s bakeshop.”

“They don’t know who you are?”

“No, and they won’t. Not until the imperial house comes to reclaim me. That could be forever.”

“Do you ever wonder about it?”

“The emperor was ill, so I wonder if he is all right, but that’s about it. He was kind, if too generous, with his staff.”

He chuckled. “Yes, well, that is how we got here, isn’t it?”

“You didn’t have to come.”

“He asked us to. He knew you wouldn’t listen to anyone else.”

She smiled. “He looked smart.”

Her uncle laughed, and they left the new palace for new projects to keep Kay close to persons of interest. Her other uncle usually had something to say about things, but he was focused on his own eventual partner. There was a thick column of events that had to be carefully tended.

* * * *

Ten years later.

Regis delivered to Denith’s restaurant and noticed something strange as he looked over the desserts they had ordered for their new menu. “Denith, are you doing all right?”

He nodded. “Yeah, just feeling a little weak lately. Shit, why did I tell you that?”

“Mom vibes. Everybody tells me when they are feeling gross.” She put two fingers on his wrist and felt a surge of energy leaving her. “Ah. Well. I hope you are feeling better. The new menu is going to be a stressor over the next few weeks.”

Denith nodded. “Yeah. Thanks. I feel a bit better. The desserts look great.”

“Here’s the invoice. The cake for the special order is in that small box. It’s a glossy finish, so watch your fingers.”

“Yes, Regis.” He smiled, and his eyes looked bright.

She nodded, took her delivery rack with her, and headed to the van. She had just enough time to pick Ira up from school.

The balance of being a mom and a business owner had been tricky, but no matter what happened, there was always someone to keep her from going mad and give her a break. Ira was a blessing. She was so sweet, so smart, and very intelligent. Regis knew she had gotten lucky.

She was going through dessert options in her head for the three weddings she was going to be providing for on the weekend. Having the shop was great, but having the bakery attached to the new palace was a delight. The whole group of them could get in on it.

Regis got to the school as the doors opened and grinned as Ira walked slowly past Miss Penny and headed for the company van. Regis got out and walked around to hold her daughter’s door. “Hey, little bit. How was school today?”

“Pretty good. Only two people left in my class have a problem with my age.”

“Girls or boys?”

“One of each. One from Lady Olyna’s family and one from Lady Fen’s.”

“Ah. Well, if they bully you, I will have a chat with the ladies and get them to rein their family in.”

“Thanks, Mom. I can handle the boy, but it looks like Lady Fen’s granddaughter is going to be an alpha. She’s hitting puberty hard.”

---