The fire in the hearth had long since died out, yet there was no rush to clean it. With March's spring warmth returning, the days were gradually lengthening. Sunlight bathed the second-floor family room of the main house in a cozy pale gold. Through the expansive floor-to-ceiling windows, one could take in the undulating lines of the mountains, though at this moment, those inside had no interest in admiring the scenery beyond.

Dorian sat on the sofa, blue-gold eyes fixed intently on the handheld game console in his grasp, ten fingers nimbly working the buttons. At twelve, the boy was beginning to show hints of the young man he would become; his round cheeks had thinned slightly, though a childlike innocence still lingered between his brows.

"Little Milkshake." Suolan's voice came from the stairwell, gentle as always. "Pause your game for a moment. Papa has something to discuss with you."

Dorian looked up to see Suolan entering the family room carrying a tray with three steaming cups. His keen sense of smell identified it as Suolan's special lavender honey tea, giving off a comforting herbal fragrance.

"What is it?" Dorian pressed the pause button and set the console aside.

"Wait for your dad to arrive." Suolan placed the tray on the coffee table and sat down beside Dorian, reaching over to smooth his ash-beige hair. "You need a haircut."

"Papa, I look pretty cool like this." Dorian tilted his head slightly but didn't actually dodge Suolan's hand.

"Does 'pretty cool' in your dictionary mean 'too lazy to groom'?" Lleuad descended from the third floor, his expression carrying its usual teasing air, red eyes brimming with amusement. "Though our Little Milkshake would be the cutest even with a bird's nest on his head."

Dorian couldn't help the slight upturn of his lips, though he deliberately rolled his eyes. He knew that while his parents might comment occasionally, if he truly wanted to keep any hairstyle, they wouldn't object.

Lleuad sat down on Suolan's other side. "So, it's time to discuss that matter."

"What matter?" Dorian's hand froze halfway to reaching for a teacup. He looked at Suolan, then at Lleuad, sensing that his parents were being unusually serious today.

Suolan picked up a cup of tea and blew on the steam. "Little Milkshake, how do you feel about your current room?"

"It's pretty nice. Why ask all of a sudden?" Dorian was somewhat puzzled. His bedroom was on the third floor, separated from the master bedroom by a spacious L-shaped corridor.

"You're twelve now. It's about time you had more space of your own." Lleuad's tone was a few degrees more serious than usual.

"You mean...?"

"We want to renovate the annex into your own personal space. You could have your own family room, bathroom, more room to move around, and decorate it however you like." Suolan explained.

The annex was located in the east wing of the villa, partly nested within the main house and connected through the ground-floor stairwell. The annex had only one floor, while the main house had three.

"But isn't the annex Papa's herbal alchemy workshop and the guest room?" For as long as Dorian could remember, the layout of their home had never changed significantly. Opening the annex door revealed half a corridor; go straight for the alchemy workshop, turn right for the guest room. It had been this way for years.

"The guest room has always just been for show. As for the workshop, we can reorganize." Lleuad shrugged. Their family rarely had visitors stay overnight; it might not happen even once in two years.

Suolan nodded in agreement. "The workshop gets divided into different spaces for different experiments anyway. Now it'll just be split between upstairs and downstairs. Your current room can become Workshop Two, and we'll reorganize the basement to make space for Workshop One."

"Won't that be too much trouble?" Dorian imagined the construction scene at home: dust filling the air, clamor of noise. These were major layout changes. Equipment and instruments would need to be moved, his dad's training room would have to shrink, and after putting up new walls, all the plumbing and electrical would surely need to be redone.

"Not at all. Having the workshop upstairs will actually be more convenient for daily use, and the basement environment is better suited for certain special experiments." Suolan reached over to stroke Dorian's hair, his expression as casual as if discussing a trifling matter.

"Besides, the annex is still connected to the main house. You can come find us anytime, and if you're hungry, just walk to the kitchen." Lleuad took a sip of lavender honey tea, listing out the various benefits. "You'll just have a space that's completely your own for sleeping, reading, watching TV, bathing."

"You could also have your own snack cabinet, even a small water dispenser, so you can make tea right in your room." Suolan added with a smile.

Dorian was clearly tempted. For a child entering adolescence, having his own territory was indeed very appealing. "Really?"

"Of course!" Lleuad laughed, also reaching over to ruffle Dorian's hair. "And you can decorate it according to your own taste. What color you want the walls, what kind of furniture, it's all up to you."

"Then can I put up posters and hang decorations? Grow wall-mounted plants?" Dorian offered more ideas.

"Of course. Don't you have a collection of rock band posters?" Suolan smiled. Decorations were no problem at all; Dorian had already put up several posters in his current bedroom.

Wait a moment... judging by Little Milkshake's attitude, could it be he wanted to cover an entire wall with posters?

"What about bookshelves? I want a whole wall of bookshelves." He had been feeling lately that his bookshelf space was too cramped, yet he couldn't bear to part with any books.

"No problem."

"And a better sound system?"

"Of course." Suolan agreed without hesitation.

"This is great! When do we start the renovation?" Dorian nodded excitedly, all doubts dispelled.

He picked up his teacup and took two big gulps, while another benefit occurred to him: his two fathers had been inseparable lovebirds for years, and as their child, he was sometimes forced to endure the trials of walking in on parental affection or overhearing private whispers. He would finally have a shelter to take refuge in!

"Anytime. It's mainly up to you." Lleuad said.

"Oh, that karaoke system we saw when we went shopping last time, would you like us to buy it for your family room?" Suolan recalled the entertainment equipment.

"Karaoke?" Dorian looked at his papa in surprise. This sounded far too cool.

"The one at that electronics store we passed by last month, when your dad suddenly stopped to look. Didn't you say the sound quality seemed pretty good?"

"mon bien-aimé, I remember you even said 'how fun it would be to have one at home.'" Lleuad finished the last of his tea.

"And then Little Milkshake said he wanted to try hitting the high notes." Suolan continued.

"Let's buy it! We can just keep it there and sing whenever we feel like it." Dorian was thoroughly enticed.

"Then it's settled." Lleuad snapped his fingers. "Our Little Milkshake shall have a complete set of the finest equipment."

The three exchanged smiles. This kind of inexplicable agreement to purchase big-ticket items on a whim was simply everyday life for this family.

Suolan set down his teacup and stood. "Well then, shall we go take a look at the annex now? We can start planning the renovation."

"Yes." Dorian also rose, anticipation written plainly across his face. The three went downstairs together, heading toward the door connecting the main house to the annex.

"Little Milkshake." Just before opening the annex door, Lleuad gently patted his shoulder.

"Hm?"

"No matter where you live, in our eyes, you'll always be our most precious Little Milkshake."

Suolan also promised gently, "The annex just gives you more space to do what you want. Your family will always be here."

"I know." Dorian felt warmth spread through his heart.

Opening the annex door, a clean corridor came into view. Dorian entered the larger room first. Despite the outdoor sunlight providing illumination, he still turned on the lights, surveying what would soon be his own domain, his mind already designing how to arrange it.

"I want this whole wall to be bookshelves." He pointed to the right wall of the herbal alchemy workshop, then gestured forward. "And the sofa and sound system can go over there."

"Where should the karaoke go?" Lleuad asked.

"To the right of the TV, I suppose. There should still be room for a low cabinet on the left." Dorian considered.

Suolan took out a small notebook he carried with him and began recording Dorian's ideas. "Anything else you need?"

"Hmm..." Dorian looked around. "I can't think of anything for now. I might need to flip through some interior design books for inspiration."

"No rush. Take your time. This is your space, and you have plenty of time to perfect it." Suolan closed the notebook.

This was the spring of Dorian's twelfth year. He was about to have his own little kingdom.