"Hi, little siblings," Clover smiled, peeking into the two cribs.
Ha Neul and her brother were well fed and tucked in their movable cribs. While her twin was dozing off to sleep, Ha Neul stared at her sister with open eyes.
Today was, what Ha Neul assumed, the day of their christening. She did feel like she heard her new name but she couldn't remember due to the fact that she was a new born child. And after that day, no one had called her or her brother by a name other than endearments like "baby" "child" "sweet".
"Sister, the carriage has arrived," Heron entered into the room with his wet dark dark swept back and a sword at his waist.
Clover scrunched her nose and deftly picked out a handkerchief, "Heron, did you ever consider taking a bath before coming here? How do you intend to carry our brother with that stench!?"
The handsome young boy sniffed himself nonchalantly,"It's okay."
"Ugh!"
Ha Neul watched as her sister made a face of concentration at her brother with her hand in his direction.
"Don't move."
The droplets of water in his hair moved together with the sweat while being supplemented with purified water from the back.
Heron, for once, didn't try to annoy his sister and lifted his own hands as a warm glow emerged from it and travelled throughout his entire body.
Ha Neul : "oh my god." ⊙_⊙
Clover looked at the murky ball of water and sweat that she drew out with slight disgust and quickly threw it out the window, ignoring the sudden cry outside.
The random person who got splashed with sweat water:
:(´ Φ `」 ∠): WTF is this atrocity?
"Now, stay still. I'll dry you," she spoke with the slightest tremble of her hands.
As a child of two powerhouse families, the Alterose children had no problem using the most extensive spells. The problem was that sometimes their elements were easier to lose control of. Though Clover was proficient in healing and water magic, she had a harder time grasping control of her affinities while Heron had great control over his affinities but faced trouble with his main power.
If it wasn't for the fact that this was practically washing someone with magic, Ha Neul would've been thoroughly impressed.
But unfortunately, her siblings were doing the human equivalent of a car wash right in front of her with such concentration, Ha Neul couldn't help but giggle.
Hearing the sweet laughter of her baby sister, Clover easily lost control, causing the soft but thorough blows of air to turn into numerous mini hurricanes that had Heron spinning like a ballerina.
"Heron!" Σ (ﾟДﾟ;)
Ha Neul : Don't laugh. Don't laugh. Don't laugh. Don't laugh. |ʘ‿ʘ)
The unfortunate boy crashed into the book shelves, his body slipping down with a hand holding his head. "I'm gonna get sick." (x_x)⌒☆
At this very moment, Ha Neul's twin brother had woken up because of the noise and immediately started to cry.
"OH no no no no," Clover hid her face with her hands at the chaos inside the room.
No matter how she held herself together, Clover was still a child. Her panic was inevitable.
And Ha Neul didn't want to laugh, it was just one of those situations when an adult would witness a child making a mess and have no other option but to react with amusement. and laughter.
"What is happening?!" Zeitan had entered the room on hearing the cries of his children. He looked at his oldest son whose face was green with nausea, his oldest daughter who had been driven to a corner with panic, his younger twins out of which one was laughing with great joy while the other was crying endlessly.
"I..." ( ° △ °)
He sighed as he took in the situation and rolled over his sleeves after instructing a passing maid to call his wife.
Within a few minutes, Heron was laid down on the sofa, covered with a faint healing light. Clover had calmed down and was sent to have some lunch before starting her practice on magic control. Elizabeth had arrived just in time to lull Ha Neul's twin back to sleep.
At the end of the ordeal, Zeitan slumped down beside Ha Neul, lying his head beside his daughter who had a faint smile on her face.
"Why do I feel like you're going to be the biggest troublemaker?"
Ha Neul : ฅ'ω'ฅ You never know.
An hour had passed and now, leaving her older siblings back home, Ha Neul and her twin were being taken to a church by their parents in a horse-drawn carriage.
Ha Neul muddled through the short journey with a dizzy mind, falling asleep amidst the starting ceremony that began immediately after they entered the premises of the holy ground. She could faintly hear the voices of her parents talking to an older man and a gentle hand brushing aside her baby hair.
"She's adorable," an unfamiliar voice spoke as Ha Neul fell to sleep. She did not wake up even when water flowed through her tiny head which, for a moment, made her father check her vitals in momentary distress.
This wasn't the first time Ha Neul had fallen asleep during an important event. She had slept her way through weddings, funerals and the ever so embarrassing trust fall in a church, which made the pastor almost resort to calling the ambulance because no holy power could knock someone out cold (at least, not in her world, maybe? Conjuring-like events rarely happened in Korea).
In her defence, she had trouble getting good sleep and there was something very comforting about churches that made her ease her guard as a child and even as an adult.
If she hadn't slept early on her 18th birthday, she would've probably drowned during her baptism. (-_-||)
The priest, a silver-haired man with dark brown eyes smiled gently as he made eye contact with Ha Neul who had woken up.
"I see you've awoken, little Noelle."
ah. that's my name. niceee. (´∀｀)♡
(but isn't it like a gospel song?)
"Hello my dearest Noelle," her mother smiled as she took her in her arms and walked towards her father and brother.
"Look Slyvester, it's your sister!" Zeitan spoke with a joyful voice.
Oddly enough, this was the first time the twins would make eye contact and see each other.
Like Ha Neul, Sylvester had a similar bush of golden hair atop his head but adorned his father's green eyes while Ha Neul had her mother's violet ones.
'Hi' Ha Neul's eyes turned to crescents as a sweet laugh bubbled out of her mouth.
Seeing his sister's expression, Slyvester made a similar face, reaching a curious hand out towards her until it grabbed hold of her clothes.
'Aww damn, I've become the chosen one.'
(๑-﹏-๑) ♥
Four voices sighed collectively at the scene.
Wait, four?
Elizabeth quickly pulled out a sharpened dagger from her dress as she held Ha Neul to her chest. The voice was familiar and she had no norms against stabbing the person who intruded their room.
"Show yourself before I burn this room."
Father Mathias: ∑(￣□￣;) this is a holy ground, Viscountess.
Zeitan had no doubt about the identity of the person hiding in the room. He stood beside his wife and held her reassuringly before calling out.
"Come out before your cousin stabs you, Your Majesty."
"Damn it!" the voice swore by the entrance of the room.
Father Mathias sighed with a wilful smile as the cloaking magic wore off on the invisible person among them.
A tall man with violet eyes and brown hair who looked to be in his late 20s appeared in front of the group.
He looked at Ha Neul and Slyvester with a twinkle in his eyes.
"I'm gonna be their godfather."
"Cousin!"
"Husband!"
Two voices suddenly called out.
Behind the man was a beautiful woman adorned with a golden crown that matched her crimson red dress. Anyone could notice that she had ran after the man here as her usual sleek red hair was falling out of it's bun.
"Tada!" the man grinned.
Ha Neul's mother sighed, "This freaking d-"
"Elizabeth." @_@
"Sorry Father Mathias."(｡-_-｡)
The self acclaimed 'godfather': ( ‾́ ◡ ‾́ ) "hehe"
"Your Majesty, you do know that those who intrude a holy ceremony will be sent for imperial punishment, don't you?" the priest spoke, handing the woman behind him a pair of handcuffs out of his pocket.
"Thank you, Father," the woman smiled before locking her green eyes on her husband.
The King of the country, Fredric Cemhall gulped as he faced the glaring eyes of his wife.
"Umm, my Queen…" Σ(⊙▽⊙")
"Beth would've made us the godparents if you weren't so impatient you nincompoop," she chided as she cuffed his hands together.
Ha Neul's parents ". . ."
(๑-﹏-๑) we see both of your intent now.
The couple in the room were none other than the rulers of the country, as well as relatives of her mother, Elizabeth Cemhall.
Being an only son, Fredric was treated like a real sibling by his uncle's children with whom he had spent most of his childhood with. He had also joined his cousin brothers in assuming the role of a dotting older brother on Elizabeth - the first female Cemhall to be born after three generations.
After marrying the princess of an allied country, the two "match made in heaven" couple had tried very hard to have daughters but only ended up with two sons whom they loved dearly. When news of a twin girl had reached his ears nine years ago, Fredric had proudly assumed that he would be given the honour of a godparent as he was the king and uncle of Clover and Heron.
But he was not.
After that, he waited patiently for the next set of twins, silently praying for two girls as his cousin was probably the only hope for him to spoil a daughter.
The Queen, Leana Rosario-Cemhall, a more patient instigator who shared the dream of spoiling a daughter much like her husband, turned back to face the group with a pliant smile.
"I apologize for my husband. He's yet to learn from past mistakes."
Fredric grunted, remembering the tragic day he lost his right to nurture his older niece and nephew to his cousin's annoying friend, Helen Kelington.
"I'll take him away now," Queen Leana drawed out her words slowly as she stared at her in-laws.
Elizabethan and Zeitan : 'you do remember that you're royalty, right?'
"Wait, your Majesty," said Zeitan.
He carried out Slyvester and Ha Neul with both arms after sharing a look with his wife.
The royal couple stared at the two infants with restrained excitement and slight confusion.
Queen Leana sneakily pinched her husband in anxiety as Zeitan neared.
"We decided last night that Slyvester and Noelle's godparents should be open to those who want it and since His Majesty volunteered, we-"
"Great!" King Fredric immediately broke his chains, grabbing Slyvester his arms after carefully placing Ha Neul with his wife.
Queen Leana ". . ."
(⁄•⁄ω⁄•⁄) so cute.
Zeitan ". . ."
( °Д°)|¦| Could you be more impatient?!
Elizabeth and Father Mathias ". . ."
(:з」∠) I can't even-
"Have their attributes been checked?" Queen Leana asked as she cradled Ha Neul.
"We were about to do that, sister-in-law," Ha Neul's mother replied.
The group walked towards the podium and placed the twins in their respective places as Father Mathias prepared the blessing ceremony.
A flash of light fell upon the podium.
Ha Neul blinked and found herself in an empty garden inside a greenhouse. She was currently in her previous body, wearing the pyjamas she wore during the time of her death.
"Did I die again?!" Σ(っﾟДﾟ;)っ
"No you didn't."
Ha Neul jerked back, turning her head to face a tall voluptuous woman with dark and wavy hair and a familiar Latina face.
"Sofia Vergara?!"
With a British accent?! Σ (ﾟДﾟ;)
The woman laughed and looked at her own body.
"Celestials take on the image of comfort, I'm sure your God has told you that before," she explained.
Oh right, Morgan Freeman. ฅ'ω'ฅ
"I'm Gaea, the mother of this earth. Welcome to your new life, Kim Ha Neul."
"Hello, Mother Gaea," Ha Neul bowed instinctively with a shy smile.
"Come sit," the goddess spoke, materialising a table full of food.
"You must've been tired of breastmilk for a while, you can enjoy some solid food until the ceremony ends."
"You're a Goddess," Ha Neul blurted as she stared at the array of food laid out before it. (´﹃ ｀)♡
Gaea chuckled, sitting down on her chair. "That I am."