“Joohyun! Will you get them off that stupid dog and make them sit still!” Yujin barked, her patience wearing thin.

Muffling a laugh as she pressed her lips together, Joohyun lazily shrugged, lounging on a pile of pillows on the thick blankets spread out across the lawn in the shade of a large elm tree. A smile tugged up the corners of her lips as she watched the two princesses squeal with laughter as they threw themselves on top of Aoife, the large shaggy dog a patient victim as she laid in the sun. Chaeyoung tutted, getting up from the elegant whitewashed lawn furniture and walked over to their daughters.

“Come on, sit nice for some photos,” Chaeyoung said, picking a squirming Taeyoung up, the toddler kicking her legs as the layers of petticoats were ruffled by the movements.

“No!”

“Taeyoung,” Chaeyoung said, a slight warning in her voice as she settled her on her hip, “be a good girl for mommy.”

“No!”

Sighing, Chaeyoung shook her head as she looked at Joohyun, who was still lounging about, her green eyes sparkling with amusement behind the dark lenses of her sunglasses. “Joohyun, please come and get your children.”

Rolling her eyes, Joohyun climbed to her feet, stepping out onto the spongy grass and relishing the feeling of it beneath her bare feet as she walked over to her wife. “How come they’re always my children when they’re doing something wrong?”

“Because you’re the one who spoils them too much.”

Scoffing, Joohyun crouched down a few feet away from Aoife, who had two arms wrapped around her neck as a two year old tried to get her to get up and walk, as if the dog was a horse. Tongue lolling, Aoife looked unbothered by the insistent tugging on her fur. “Sunyoung, are you going to give mommy a hug?”

Two different coloured eyes turned to her, and the young princess gave her a gap toothed smile, sliding off the dog with some difficulty and not much elegance, before tripping over her feet and staining the white skirts of her dress with green grass stains. A round of amused laughter came from the assembled guests - all family - except for Yujin, who scowled. Barrelling into her mom, Sunyoung wrapped her arms around Joohyun’s neck and let herself be hoisted up. Giving her a kiss, the toddler laughing as Joohyun tickled her, she neared Chaeyoung, running a hand over Taeyoung’s long, dark curls and planting a kiss on her cheek too, while the princess reached for her.

“Are we going to have some nice photos for Grandma?” Joohyun lightly asked, giving her daughter a stern look.

“No!”

Chaeyoung let out a groan as Jennie laughed from the table she sat at beneath the gauzy gazebo. “Of all the words to be their favourite, why did it have to be no?”

“They get it from their mother,” Yujin dryly replied, shaking her head as she took a sip of golden wine, the photos forgotten for the moment.

“I completely agree,” Joohyun lightly replied, a smile curling her lips, “Chaeyoung can be such a stubborn cow sometimes.”

She met her mom’s flat look and arched an eyebrow, while Yujin let out a withering sigh and turned her attention to Seungwan, who had her lips pressed together and was trying to keep a serious look on her face as Yujin trapped her in conversation.

“Cow!” Sunyoung exclaimed.

Groaning, Chaeyoung’s eyes fluttered closed and she sighed, before giving Joohyun a pointed look as her wife laughed. “Yes, cow. And what do cows say?”

“Moo.”

Walking towards the collection of tables and sofa beneath the gazebo, Chaeyoung shook her head, a fond look on her face as she made her way back towards the group of people, all dressed in creams and pastels, as was the custom for Easter and the warmer weather. Joohyun had initially complained about coming to Gutrin for Easter, having followed through on her promise the year before, but her mother had gone to further extents than she’d thought, decorating the gardens with large handcrafted bunny statues, exquisite chocolate eggs made by Swiss chocolatiers, and had even had a hundred trained rabbits released onto the sprawling lawns, the floppy bunnies hopping around on occasion, but mostly basking in the sunlight as they enjoyed their Easter lunch. She’d begrudgingly agreed to come again this year, to much the same lavishness. It was for her daughters that she did it, knowing that they should have the chance to have a Grandma in Yujin, even if Joohyun would never be too fond of her mother, and while she still held her grudges, her mom doted on the two girls. That was all that Joohyun cared about.

Taking a seat at her chair, Joohyun held Sunyoung securely in her lap, moving crystal glasses and silver cutlery out of her daughter’s eager hands, while Chaeyoung took a seat next to her, passing Taeyoung off to Jennie, who beamed down at her niece as she reached out for her. There was a ring sparkling on her finger, and Joohyun looked at it with begrudging satisfaction. She’d given the ring to Seungwan the year before, with stern orders not to hurt her sister-in-law - Joohyun was rather fond of Jennie, even if they butted heads at times - and had let her best friend do the rest. It wasn’t as bad as she thought, the two of them being together, because even if it didn’t work out, she was sure that things wouldn’t change. She had proof in the fact that Lisa stood a few feet away, dressed in her customary black suit as she watched over them - specifically the young princesses - making conversation with Taehee while her dark eyes darted around, ever watchful. It hadn’t been nearly as uncomfortable as Joohyun had thought it would, having Lisa a constant shadow to their little family, and it was actually nice to have her around again.

A lot had changed over the past two years. Not only had Joohyun found herself softening due to motherhood, even more so than she had after falling in love with Chaeyoung, but they’d both relaxed more. Chaeyoung had been right in saying that she would’ve been afraid forever if her mother had been set free, an ever-present threat looming over their heads, but without the threat, they had become much more lax in their tight security. They still had numerous guards