In Which Laveria Meets with Her In-Laws

November 17, 1198

"Well, it's about time you newlyweds pulled yourselves out of your cave and paid us a visit!" Laveria's aunt--now also her mother-in-law--waved her finger in mock-scolding. "I hope he's been doing his fair share of the housework."

"I think the maid's been doing both of our shares," Donnie muttered, earning him a raised brow from his mother. She'd never quite gotten used to having servants at her beck and call--and, even though it was only the maid and the cook at their good-sized-but-not-a-castle house, Laveria doubted she would either. "But I try to pick up after myself, at least?"

Laveria opted to help him out. "He knows better than to expect me to do it for him."

"Good." Her uncle--now also her father-in-law--smirked. "You're the one working in that house, after all. He gets to go out and about as a knight, but when your clients come to you and you've been cooped up there all day, I'm sure the last thing you want to do is clean your own cage."

"It's certainly not a cage--but no, I don't want to clean it."

"Ah, to think of how we'd live without the people who actually do enjoy cleaning! Or are willing to make a job of it, at least. I believe for most of us, those domestic chores fall into exactly that category: necessary, but unpleasant."

"Hence the word 'chores'," her aunt quipped with a wink. "In any case, it looked to be quite a nice house when we were there. The maid's managing well in spite of the two of you?"

Laveria nodded. Her Aunt Alsina had been the one to find the woman actually--and she could expect the nicest of Christmas presents Laveria could manage for several years yet. "She's a godsend. I don't know how she does it."

"She is, but it probably helps that I'm not around most days, and you take clients in the study." Donnie turned to her and winked. They had the same eyes--being cousins twice over would do that--but he somehow managed to do more with them. "And when we are both around, it's not as if we spend that much time outside of the bedroom."

Her in-laws shared a knowing, unsurprised glance. Laveria supposed she ought to have been embarrassed. But, that was the sort of thing one could expect, marrying a Kemorin.

And even if she herself didn't spring from the line of Old Lonriad... well, no one married a Kemorin if they didn't think they could keep up with them.

"That's a fair point."

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