Damien's life continued as normal. The sun was shining bright, Adrian was welcoming and there was always good company and something to drink at his hunting camp.

Not everyone seemed to enjoy it as much as Damien did, however. Young lord Anselm, who had gradually become a regular participant in their hunts, was growing more and more distant, often drifting into his own world that none of his companions could understand.
Anselm was always one to blush at Adrian's jokes about women, but now every time the topic was mentioned he became even more withdrawn and defensive of the fair sex, sometimes almost snapping at the other men. He had never liked those jokes, but now couldn't bear the thought of ladies being abused or ridiculed.

Not since he had fallen in love himself.
He wasn't even sure himself how exactly it had happened. Ever since he met her, he liked the company of lady Leandra, thought her gentle, wise and kinder than he had thought people could be. All he knew was that with her he had found a completely different world and he never wanted to leave it.

Damien's home was becoming less welcoming as well, with a little baby always demanding attention. Damien left almost all the childcare to Anna, but it still meant less fun for him than he would have liked.

And Anna was becoming more and more desperate, cursing her useless husband and needy son. Her life was suddenly much smaller and duller, filled with diaper changes and other annoyance. This definitely wasn't the life she had imagined or ever wanted.

She wanted to curse Adrian for forcing the marriage and getting her stuck with what may very well be his child, but it usually only lasted until he visited. When he rode in on his horse, his personality radiating from him, Anna could only smile and accept his attention.
She would claim it wasn't love, just the force of his charisma, but it seemed to come eventually to the same thing.

At least her house was a safe place where the usual stupid rules of the society had no power. Here the fact that she and Adrian enjoyed each other's company had nothing to do with her love for Damien and there were no insults or constraining boxes.
Even most guests seemed to understand it, whether it was in their selection or in the place itself. Damien's half-sister Alysanne was maybe the only one with reservations, always fearful about everyone's good reputation. Delia, however, was completely different from her mother.

Delia was young, fresh and innocent-looking, and above all eager to experience real life. It only took one chance meeting for Adrian to notice how good looking she was and to want to meet her closer.

"I haven't seen you here before, have I? I'm sure I would remember such beauty."
Delia blushed against herself. Finn's rather clumsy attention was one thing, but she had never before been complimented by a real nobleman. Her heart beat madly in ecstasy mixed with panic - hadn't each and every interaction her family ever had with the nobility ended in disaster?
"Thank you, my lord?" She desperately tried to appear grown-up and calm, but even Jocelyn's advice didn't prepare her for this. But surely he had to be a different kind of nobleman? If he was stuck-up, arrogant or vindictive, he wouldn't be here, would he? Damien's house surely wasn't a proper place, so maybe...?
And she definitely didn't want to insult him by refusing the attention.

Anna watched them for a while, Adrian being his usual smooth self, Delia eventually trading confusion and worry for genuine enjoyment. The girl was so obviously inexperienced and trying to hide it it was amusing.
She would have watched further, but then Damien appeared behind her and soon she was too distracted to pay much attention to anything and anyone else.

Adrian and Delia meanwhile snuck out of the house to relax in the soft grass, shaded by trees and far enough from anyone's sight.
"This is almost like being on an adventure. When you travel to foreign and mostly unfriendly lands, you must always take every opportunity to rest. But never let your guard down at the same time, of course." Adrian said, putting his arm around Delia as she laid down next to him.
"Have you been on many adventures? Will you tell me about them?" Delia wanted to add "my lord", just to be sure, but stopped herself. Just moments ago had Adrian told her to be informal around him and that she was too pretty to bow. "...Adrian?" She finished instead, tasting his name like a strange fruit.
"Of course. This was n the far south, where the sun never stops shining and people are strange and dark-skinned..."
Delia listened with bated breath.

Some time later Tristan became a toddler. Anna was definitely happy and thought he couldn't grow too fast. She couldn't wait for the kid to be able to take care of himself.
"Maybe soon you'll be able to get out of those diapers, what do you think?"
Tristan just grinned at her, happy that he had his mother's attention for once.

And once little Tristan was back in his crib, Damien and Anna got in their own bed and started the real celebration. Damien called it the "thank the Watcher we survived" party and Anna added with a laugh "And let's try not to make the same mistake again."
They got lost in each other's embrace and hot kisses and soon they forgot not only Tristan, but the whole world as well.

While getting rid of the baby's diapers wasn't as fast as Anna would like, Tristan was still growing fast. He was an active child who loved all contact with people and Anna enjoyed playing games with him from time to time.

Still, most of the time he was left to himself, his bottle and a few carved toys. Both of his parents learned to deal with his temper and grouchiness and thought it a lesser evil than constant attention, as long as the baby was provided for.
"After all, most great men become so by taking care of themselves. It will only be good for him." Damien said while planning another meeting with his grownup friends.

Delia visited even more often than before and always when Adrian was supposed to come. Somewhere deep down she knew she should be even more nervous than before, that beginning an affair with a married noble couldn't possibly be safe, but mostly she managed to ignore that knowledge. Adrian was kind to her and with him she always felt beautiful and wanted. And she was sure she could trust him.
She just had to do her best to not think about his wife.

And so life continued, sometimes demanding but usually smooth and easy. Until Anna discovered they had not been careful enough and she was pregnant once again.