The presence of the baby girl and her happy giggle saved the Father of All Dragons from a long tirade and prevented a small scuffle between Guardians.
"We'll talk about this tomorrow." Salaark grunted.
While Lith contacted everyone he knew and pulled every string at his disposal to uncover the identity of the thieves of the Ears, Kamila called Jirni.
"My six months of maternity leave are about to end and I would like to know if there's a way to extend it." She asked. "I don't feel like going back to work as a Royal Constable again.
"The long hours and the overtime were hard before but now they would be unbearable. I don't want to be back home only for the meals and dedicate to my daughter the crumbs of my time."
"I hear you." Jirni nodded. "I'm sorry but there's no way to extend the leave. However-"
"Then I'd like to work part-time as a Constable or be demoted to my old job as data analyst if necessary. Anything that can give me regular hours and stability will do." Kamila loved her current line of work and until a few months ago she would have never considered quitting.
'It's not like my presence affects the crime rates.' She thought. 'There are countless criminals and hundreds of Constables hunting them down but there's only one Elysia. She learns new things every day and I don't want to miss any of her first times.
'I want to be with her when she starts crawling, stands up, or learns a new word. There's not enough time on Mogar to be a good mother and Constable. I'd rather be a good mother and a crappy Constable than a good Constable and a crappy mother.
'Even if it means quitting my job.' Kamila didn't want to be like her own mother, Kima, who only remembered having daughters when she needed something.
She was currently rotting in a jail and Kamila had not visited her once.
Also, she couldn't deny that the idea of Solus spending more time with Elysia than her and being demoted from Mama to whatever word Elysia would use for "Mommy Kamila" hadn't weighed on her decision.
"As I was saying, there is no way to extend the maternity leave." Jirni said. "However, you could take a sabbatical. With over thirteen years of loyal service, you are entitled to a one-year leave with fixed pay."
"Thank the gods." Kamila sighed in relief. "I hadn't thought of that. Thanks, Jirni."
"Don't thank me, yet." She dismissed the matter with a wave of her hand. "I'm willing to bet good money that you won't have to take a sabbatical. Just submit your application to send the message and the rest will take care of itself."
"What are you talking about?" Kamila said in confusion.
"You can't be so na?ve, child. Not after spending so much time with me." Jirni furrowed her brows in annoyance. "You will get full pay and regular career advancement because taking care of your daughter is your new job for months now."
"What?"
"Think about it, dear." Jirni assumed the slow, calm lecturing tone she used with small children. "You belong to a powerful magical bloodline. Elysia has already shown her attitude toward magic in the form of the six streaks in her hair.
"The Royals know she's Awakened so even if your daughter was born with an insignificant mana capacity, she's destined to reach the bright blue. When she gets the violet will depend on her attitude and whether or not Lith will share his method with her, but that's it.
"When, not if. The Crown knows she's going to be a powerful mage and a Divine Beast at that. The Kingdom can't afford Elysia to have an absent mother because she might grow resentful of the time you spend apart.
"If the Royals do this 'favor' to you, you'll be grateful to them and that will reflect on the way you raise her daughter. Her feelings about the Kingdom depend on what you teach her. If you love it, she'll love it too. As simple as that."
"It makes sense, but it's still a big deal. Showing such blatant favoritism is bound to arouse envy and anger. Our colleagues will hate me and Lith's enemies will have another argument to use against him." Kamila replied.
"No, they won't. It's not an exception the Crown will do just for you. It's the rule." Jirni said.
"Since when?" Kamila blurted out in surprise. She had never read or heard of such a law.
"Since the founding of the Kingdom." Jirni replied. "Ancient magical bloodlines and the four founding pillars have always benefitted from this policy. Orion and I were offered this very option every time I gave birth to one of our children."
"Really?"
"Yes. It was actually addressed to Orion but extended to me out of mere formality." Jirni's face twitched in discomfort so lightly that if not for their familiarity Kamila would have missed it.
"I have been raised under… peculiar circumstances that along with my personality made me unsuitable to nurture a healthy child. It's the reason Gunyin has grown into a responsible, disciplined man and Phloria was such a dedicated soldier.
"My sons were considered failures by the Kingdom due to their lack of magical talent but they are the apple of my eyes no less than my daughter."
"What about Tulion?" Even Kamila's Awakened senses failed to perceive Jirni's frustration and the regret for all the things she had missed.
"That's no one's fault. Sometimes a good tree can produce a rotten apple." Jirni was happy to change the topic and deny any allegation of Orion being a bad parent. "Or rather, it produced a stubborn apple who took his sweet time to ripe."
She grunted, glad that Tulion had turned a new leaf and showed no sign of falling back into his old habits.
"You said made." Kamila pointed out. "Are you going to take the offer to stay home this time?"
"I am." Jirni nodded, her eyes brimming with determination. "I've changed a lot since Phloria's passing and I'll be damned if I miss a single moment of my child's infancy or repeat the mistakes of the past.
"I'm going to stay with my family and may the gods help anyone who tries to take me away from them."
***
After a few pleasantries and asking Jirni for updates about her pregnancy, Kamila ended the call and joined the rest of the family for breakfast.
To keep the children from pestering Solus about the events of the previous day she shared with everyone her decision of taking a break from her job and the information she had received from Jirni.
"That's wonderful news and an even better decision, dear." Elina gently squeezed Kamila's hand. "I wish the Kingdom cared so much about every child, though. Being a working parent is hard for everyone, not just the magical bloodlines."
"Please!" Aran snorted. "They gave sis Kami a break only because Elysia is a girl. They are a lot of work."
"Hey!" The entire female side of the family replied as one.
"What?" Aran shrugged. "Lith was a perfect son and gave no problem to our parents. Just like me. Isn't it true, big bro?"
