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Raerdel sat at the kitchen table where she had sat for the last two days—and nights. The babies slept peacefully in the early morning hours after having their mid-evening bottle and changing before going back to sleep. She had been using the playpen as a crib since she dared not sleep in her room but did not wish to be separated from them. Shortly after the sun came up on the third day of her vigil, the door to the mansion opened and she heard Sin’s footsteps enter. She put her head down on the table with a gasp of relief that he was alive and home. He walked through the kitchen and got an apple out of the fruit basket. It appeared he didn’t find his prolonged absence odd, even after the recent events. “Are you all right?” Raerdel asked softly. “Me? Yes, I’m fine. The wards needed to b
