When Count Gray left the children immediately explored the house that we are about to live in. Though there isn't much to explore.
"Mom! Look!" Aiden shouted pointing at our small backyard. I looked to see what he was pointing and it was a lemon tree. At the center of our backyard.
"Oh my, such a fruitful tree." I stated, the tree was very much in full bloom, the lemons are ripe and ready to be pluck.
"We should make lemon juice tomorrow!" Asher said, I giggled at my cute children. "Then its settled, tomorrow we will make lemon juice." I said to them, they all yelled in excitement. Well, at the very least they don't seem that much affected by being dethroned.
"Its getting late, we should go to sleep. We have a long day tomorrow." Tomorrow would be the first real day of us being exiled. "Mother, can I sleep with you tonight?" Arlo my baby asked. Aiden and Asher gasp "Us too!" they said in union.
I couldn't help but laugh at their silly gestures. "Alright, alright. You three win. The first one in the bed gets to be in the middle." I said to them and almost immediately the tree of them ran as fast as they could to the nearby bedroom.
"I win!!" I heard Asher shouted, I chuckled. Of course my ever so competitive Asher would not admit defeat.
Before going to the bedroom, I took a quick look at the kitchen. It was a pretty small kitchen compared to what we used to have in the palace, no this kitchen could not even be compared to the palace kitchen. From golds to woods. That is the perfect description of this kitchen. My children and I are used to seeing golds and jewels all around the kitchen and dining hall in the palace but now you can't even see a speck of gold in this house.
"How pitiful" I mumbled to myself.
Although there's not an ounce of gold in here, I'm very much thankful to the count that he filled the kitchen with food. All the food is in one small room in the kitchen which is powered by magic stone so it wouldn't rot.
But a magic stone is only good for atleast a week max, after that you would have to buy another magic stone to replace the old one. So we would have to find a way to make money in a week.
I sigh deeply. "You can do this Nova. You can't give up, you have three children to feed." I told myself pumping myself up.
"Mom?" I turned my head toward the door. "Arlo? Do you need something?" I asked worriedly, he looks down and in low spirit.
"Are we a burden to you?" Arlo's question shock me to the core, my eyes widen in disbelief. I grab his hand and pull him towards me. He must have heard what I said earlier.
"Don't you ever think that! The three of you will never be a burden to me! Arlo! Promise me you wouldn't think something like that ever again!" I shouted in anger. I couldn't contain my emotions and I started tearing up.
Arlo didn't answer me instead he started crying. I hugged him tighter and kissed his forehead. While hugging Arlo in my peripheral vision I saw the two boys Aiden and Asher peeking at the kitchen door.
I turned my head towards them. I motioned my hand back and forth to call them. When they saw me calling for them they immediately ran towards us.
"waaaaaah!!!" Asher and Aiden cried, just like Arlon they must have heard what I said. I couldn't helped but took a deep breath.
With the three of them in my arms, I felt complete. Weird considering I just lost my husband I wouldn't thought I would ever feel this complete.
A husband could always be replaced but my children could not.
"Stop crying, There will be even more hard times a head of us. We have to be strong and brave to face the days a head of us." I said to them, they all nodded in response and with their tiny hands they wiped their tears and snots away.
I carried them in my arm, yes all three of them. It wasn't hard since the three of them are barely five years old. They just had their birthday last month.
When we reached the bedroom and I gently lay the three of them to bed. "It's been a long day, we should get some rest." When I finished tucking them in the bed, I too made my way to the bed and lay with them.
I was in the corner right of the bed then laying next to me is Arlo and in the middle is Asher and on the far left is my ever so matured Aiden.
"Mother? Will we be ok?" Asher asked. I looked at him and smiled before caressing his golden blond hair. "Of course we will." I answered.
"Good night mother, I love you." Aiden said before closing his eyes with a smile on his lips. "Good night Aiden, I love you more."
"Me too! I love mother most!" I chuckled at Asher's competitive spirit even at the brick of dozing off he could not let anyone beat him.
"I love you too. Goodnight." I said to Asher and then look at Arlo who was blushing. He covered his face with the blanket before mumbling the word 'I love you' although his voice was muffled I heard it loud and clear.
"I love you too, Arlo." I said kissing his forehead.
Minutes later we all doze of to sleep. The fallen Empress and her sons slept in a wooden small house in the exiled land.
-
MORNING came and I was the first one to woke up. I quietly got up from the bed leaving my three sons still sleeping.
"This is it. The first day of being exiled." I said to myself. First I should make breakfast for my three piglets. I looked around the kitchen to see what I should cook.
"Do I even know how to cook??" I suddenly asked myself. I remember seeing my nanny how to cook. How hard could it be?
I puffed my chest and with confidence on my shoulder I grab four eggs from the small box that Count Gray left us, I also grab the first meat I saw. I didn't know what kind of meat it is but isn't all meat cooked the same?
I grab the pan and placed it in the stove which is powered by mana stone. Specifically it's a fire mana stone widely used for cooking.
"I remember my nanny just putting the egg to the pan and it would cook." I said to myself. So I did what my memories told me to do.
I crack the eggs all together and put them to the pan.
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Why isn't it cooking?!" I yelled in anger, it has already been a few minutes! I remember my nanny cooking it very fast!
Maybe I should turn the heat up? Out of frustration and impatience I turned the heat up I smiled in pride when I saw the eggs quickly being cooked!
I turned around to slice the meat, and when I turned back I saw smoke coming from the pan with the eggs!
"What the hell?!" I shout in confusion, it was literally just a split second!
I quickly turned the stove off and tried fanning the smoke out the window. I cough a few times because I inhaled a good amount of smoke it took me literally minutes before I could get all the smokes out of the kitchen.
When I looked at the pan, the eggs... were burnt. Like black burnt not an ounce of white and yellow could be seen.
"Ha. What now? I can't feed this to the kids." I mumbled.
"Mother?"
I turned around at the sound of that voice. It was Aiden looking at me with widen eyes. "Mother! Are you hurt?!" Aiden ran towards me and immediately held my hand. He inspect it as if looking for bruises.
I couldn't help but smile at Aiden's action. "No. Mother is fine baby, it was just an accident." I said to him.
When I saw my reflection at the mirror I was horrified, my golden hair is covered in black dust and my face is the dirtiest it has ever been. I assumed due to the smoke.
"Are you cooking Mother?" Aiden asked me, my face flushed red in embarrassment.
I laughed awkwardly. "He-he-ha, Yeah. I tried but I guess I still need practice."
Aiden just smiled at me. He then went to the box of food he took a look at it before turning his attention to me. "Mother, why don't we do fruit platter for breakfast? There's apples and strawberries here. Asher and Arlo would love it." He said.
I sigh in defeat, that's probably for the best. "You're right." I couldn't help but be sad. Something as simple as cooking an egg was hard for me.
"Mother, don't blame yourself. We are nobles by birth cooking is not something they taught us." Aiden said probably trying to console me.
My mature Aiden…..please don't grow up too fast.
"Mother you should wash your face first. I'll take care of breakfast." I smiled and almost tear up at Aiden's words.
"Go on Mother, I can do this. Don't worry about my brothers I'll wake them up."
I don't know if I should be happy or scared at how Aiden's maturity is so much a head of his years.
I couldn't contain myself, I grab his hand and pulled him closer to me so I could hug him. "Aiden, don't grow up too fast, you're still a child you should focused on being one." I said to him kissing his forehead. He nodded in response. "I know Mother, don't worry."
I kissed him one more time in the head before going to the bathroom to wash up my face. I also took this opportunity to take a shower. Even taking a shower on my own feels weird.
I was used to maids washing my whole body while I just lay on a gold bathtub. But then and now are completely different things. I could only focused on what I have now.
When I got back to the kitchen my three cute cubs are already on the table waiting for me. Asher and Arlo are still half asleep while Aiden is busy getting the table ready.
"Good morning my triplets." I said to them.
"Good morning Mother!" Asher yelled in high spirit. I went to him and kissed his head good morning, then I went to Arlo "Good morning Mother" he said smiling from ear to ear. Just like his brothers I kissed him the head which made him blush in embarrassment.
"Aiden, Thank you for taking care of breakfast. " I said to Aiden, he didn't say anything he just hugged me before sitting at his chair.
"Let's eat." I said before sitting down. We then started eating, even though its just fruits we enjoyed every little bit of it.
"Mother what are our plans?" Arlo asked me while chewing his apples. Both Aiden and Asher looked at me as if waiting for an answer.
Of course I have no intention of hiding anything from my children, they deserve to know.
"For now, the first thing we need are weapons."
-
[End of Chapter]