Chapter 4: Dad and Brother Are Strange 1
A single cry was heard from the other side, surprised at the door suddenly opening.
"Oscar."
Esteban’s low toned voice caused Oscar to turn his head and avoid eye contact. There was only one person who dares to lurk around the king’s office door. He was the Great Ermano Empire’s first prince, Oscar Alle Ermano.
Oscar sighed at his misfortune. Since he was caught, he loosened his back and walked inside with confidence.
"Your Majesty, when will you give permission?"
Though the young boy was rely six years old, Oscar held a calm and mature tone. His silver hair, similar to his father, reflected against the sunshine and glimred; his erald green eyes, a trait inherited from his mother the queen, sparkled.
Esteban looked at Oscar with dull eyes compared to when he looked at Mabel... oh that sweet Mabel.
Permission, huh.
The permission Oscar sought for was the permission to see Mabel.
Though it was not difficult to allow soone to see a month old child, Esteban declined at that very mont.
"You may not."
"Why? You said, definitely said that you’ll allow to see her a month later."
"Because you’ll get too excited holding her, Oscar. And what happens if you drop Mabel?"
"Ugh..."
Esteban’s declination was not without reason. Oscar had once dropped Esteban’s treasured art piece into mangled pieces.
Oscar was saddened.
’I guess I can’t see her today as well... even though I had trouble sleeping from the excitent knowing exactly a month had passed since her birth... uwuu...’
He had even concluded his sword training practice early for this very mont, but it was to no avail.
Staring at Oscar, who looked like an abandoned wet puppy out in the raid, Esteban ripped the final letter sent from the holy capital and stood up.
"I guess there’s no helping it. Alright, follow , Oscar."
Oscar’s face lightened up like the blazing sun at Esteban’s words.
Esteban smiled, ruffled his son’s hair roughly, and stepped out of the office. It was ti to see Mabel anyways. Might as well use this opportunity to show Mabel her elder blood-related brother.
’Though she won’t rember anything since she’s too young.’
***
Who said the life of an infant was easy?
Those were careless words thrown by folks who don’t rember their experience as an infant... since humans easily forget!
My body itched badly from a need to move. I could not lie down to the side, nor could I lie face down, so it felt like I was training my body to withstand the yearning to move. The only thing I could do, in the end, was lie down in the cradle and stare at the nanny and maids busying themselves with work.
’Ahh... I’m so bored...’
Staring absentmindedly, the nanny smiled and ca over.
"Your Highness, it’s ti for your al."
"Nngh..."
The only thing I was glad for was that I was not drinking milk straight from the nanny’s breast... that would leave scars in my heart.
The nanny checked the temperature of the liquid inside the baby bottle, then flared at the maid who prepared the milk powder.
"Lalima, it’s way too hot!"
"Ah, I’m sorry! I’ll prepare it again!"
The maid, Lalima, hurried out of the door to prepare a new baby milk. The nanny stared at Lalima’s back and let out a long sigh before turning around to the next attendant, Xavier, who stood next to her.
"She keeps making mistakes every ti and it stresses out. I wonder if she’ll be able to find soone worthy of her at this rate..."
"It didn’t seem like Lalima had any thoughts about marriage!"
"Then there’s no helping it. I guess you’ll just have to marry Lalima, Xavier."
"Wha?! Why do you say that, ma’am?"
As Xavier recoiled in shock, the nanny laughed.
I could tell that those people had an intimate bond from their interactions with each other alone.
The nanny placed in charge of my upbringing was Madam Lupe. I vaguely rember hearing that she used to be mother’s personal maid while she was still alive.
Nanny also took care of Lalima due to an acquaintance’s plea, and the attendant next to her, Xavier, was her cousin.
It was fun and pleasing to listen in on their conversation. They seed to know each other well. It was especially interesting when Lalima and Xavier fought over petty things like a couple of children and only to stick together closely, apologizing and looking like a romantic couple.
"Yawn..."
Looking at the ceiling boredly, a sudden sleepiness ca over . The mobile hanging from the ceiling spun in circles blurrily.
’Maybe she’s squeezing the milk out of a cow or sothing...’
My eyelids felt way too heavy.
Nod...
My head nodded off to the side.
Soon as I entrusted myself to comfort, sleepiness overca and I...
"How’s Mabel?
I heard a familiar voice and suddenly, I was wide awake, but I regretted my decision thereafter.
"You were nodding off a little bit, weren’t you? Ah, you cute little thing."
I locked eyes with the man who was my father.
’Sob... I should have just pretended to sleep.’
As I made an annoyed expression by blinking my two eyes, the nanny hurried over.
"Oh my, she shouldn’t be sleeping right now. It’s still not ti for her al."
"al?"
The man stared right back at . His gaze was too burdenso that I slowly turned my head to avoid his staring... but... in that familiar space I expected to be empty was a face that I was seeing for the first ti. It was a young boy who had on a glowing smile as he stared at .
"Your Majesty, the baby is looking at ...!"
The boy tried his best to hide his set of overflowing emotion that was hard to disguise when his two cheeks glowed glimred a bright red.
I creased my eyes slightly as our eyes t, staring and studying his face ticulously. I had so vague idea of who he was based on the information I had heard from the nanny and her two attendants.
’So... that boy who has a different mother is my elder brother?’
Oscar Alle Ermano... I’m sure that was his na, and even more certain after learning that he had similar facial features and hair color as his father.
The young boy’s green erald eyes sparkled, his eyes locked onto .
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