Eric held Arion quietly under the watchful eyes of his parents. Hana entertains Arion with funny noises and plays with his little hands. Her baby brother's hands were very small and soft. Hana liked to play with them.
Eric was not very good at entertaining someone. Most of the time, he would just smile or pat Hana's head in exchange for comfort. So it was a special task that only Hana could do.
As Natalie watched the two of them, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind. She looked at Arsen, who was concentrating on watching the twins. But he turned to Natalie when he felt her gaze.
Arsen raised his eyebrows in confusion, "What?"
Natalie whispered to him, "I just remembered, what was the result of the meeting about that?"
His forehead was deeply furrowed. He glanced at his children and made sure that the three of them didn't overhear their conversation.
"Arion's birth party, right? We decided to hold it when Arion was 1 month old." He replied in a flat tone. But the look on his face was a little annoyed.
Arsen remembers the chaos in the meeting room. Those nobles gave him such a headache that he unconsciously emitted the same cold aura when he met the twins.
If he hadn't gotten emotional and unleashed a bit of his lightning magic, the meeting might have lasted longer. He used his authority to decide and they all fell silent, no one daring to disobey his orders. The good news was that he didn't regret it.
Arion glanced over when he heard his name mentioned faintly, 'A party for me?'
Surprisingly, he could hear his parents' conversation even over his sister's loud chatter, even though his parents were whispering in low voices. He felt a little startled when he heard their conversation.
Natalie gave him a surprised look, "In a month? Really?"
She recalled the meeting to decide on a celebration party for the twins. Many nobles insisted on holding it as soon as possible.
They argued that the twins were the first offspring of their king, the future heir of the kingdom. Their birth should be announced and displayed as soon as possible.
They make Natalie feel disgusted. The old nobleman spoke as if the twins were rare objects to be displayed and shown to the people. That was one of the reasons why Natalie had never liked the nobles.
Arsen did not look at Natalie. He looked at the twins with a look that was hard to interpret. But Natalie knows what Arsen's gaze means.
Arsen sighed, "I want Arion's body to be a little stronger and a little bigger when he attends the celebration. I don't want him to be exhausted."
Arion scowled, 'Then don't hold it.'
Natalie looked sadly at her husband, "Arsen..."
"I haven't forgotten about what happened to the twins that day."
Natalie was silent. She understood what Arsen had meant. An experience that made him suffer for several weeks.
Arsen remembered the chaos of that day. Not during the party, but after the party. It was one of the memories he hated the most in his whole life.
"It ended in a bit of a disaster," Natalie said doubtfully, looking at the sharp look on her husband's face.
"They were sick and crying all the time!" He whispered sharply.
The memory of their cries of pain kept him awake for several weeks. Even when he did sleep, the slightest sound made him panic and rush to check on the twins.
Fortunately, the chaos was known only to his wife and his right-hand man. Otherwise, his image as a firm and strong king would have been instantly destroyed.
His kingdom would look bad in the eyes of outsiders. Though perhaps the mockery of his rival was the worst and most unbearable thing he didn't want to hear. Even so, Arsen knew that his rival didn't mean anything bad.
Arion sighed, 'Of course, normal babies are not comfortable with loud noises. Most parties are very loud, not suitable for a baby.'
He wasn't stupid. He knew such common things. Babies sleep a lot. Crowded places are strictly forbidden. Not only will it disturb their peace, but most people will be curious about them and be tempted to touch their cheeks or hands.
This will expose a baby to a lot of germs and can make them sick. After all, a baby's body is still very vulnerable.
'Even babies should not be touched carelessly by strangers. Those people are too curious.'
Arion wanted to be more cynical about his father's decision. But seeing a hint of sadness in his eyes made him change his mind. At least he was sorry.
Natalie held Arsen's clenched hand, "Don't blame yourself, Arsen. You just became a parent."
"And that's why I should have learned more about being a good parent before throwing a big party for a newborn." He replied irritably.
He was angry with himself. Thinking about the condition of his baby was just as important as thinking about the condition of his kingdom. How could he have been so careless?
Natalie smiled gently. She lightly pinched Arsen's cheek as she chuckled, "Don't think about the past. Look at what's in front of you now."
She turned his face to stare at the twins. Hana babbled happily and occasionally comforted Arion who waved his hand.
Even if Arion overheard his parents' conversation, he did not forget that he had to pretend to be a normal baby.
Eric listened quietly to all his twin sister's ramblings. He even rocked Arion gently to keep his little brother from getting bored. Still under the watchful eyes of his parents, of course.
"Look at them now, so big and active." Natalie continued softly.
She knew that Eric could be very active when he wanted to be. But right now he was serving as a good example of a big brother, so he chose to stay calm. Although he was mostly calm and reserved, just like his father.
The thought made her chuckle. Her first son was a copy of her husband. From his looks to his nature. She felt like she was looking at a small version of her husband. It was adorable!
Arsen looked at Natalie in confusion, not understanding why she was suddenly laughing. Even his children looked at her in confusion, especially Hana, who looked a little horrified.
Arion blinked uncomprehendingly, 'What's wrong with her this time?'
Hana whispered shakily into her twin brother's ear, "Mom's not in a trance, right?"
Eric hissed at her, "Rude!"
Natalie ignored their whispers and suddenly hugged Hana, making her squeal in surprise at her mother's attack. Eric and Arion blinked in surprise at the scene before them.
"And Arion will be joining them soon!" She continued happily. She couldn't wait for that day to come. It must be nice to see the three of them running around freely.
Arsen paused before a small smile appeared on his lips, "That's a beautiful picture."
He lifted Eric, who was still carrying Arion, with ease. He kept them both from falling, which made Arion a little amazed.
'He is strong.'
Arsen moved closer to his wife so that he could embrace his entire family. He kissed his wife gently on the cheek, then the twins, and finally his youngest son.
"Just don't grow up too fast."
Hana laughed cheerfully. Even though she didn't understand what was happening, it didn't stop her from being enthusiastic.
"Don't worry, Dad! We'll always be with you! You'll be stuck with us forever!"
Natalie chuckled in agreement, "They will always be our babies. No matter if they grow up."
Eric winced in disagreement, "I don't want to be stuck with this little body forever."
He wants to grow up fast and become strong like his father. After all, he has to protect this kingdom in the future. That was his duty as an heir.
This place was his home. Where his family, citizens, and people he cared about were. By protecting it, that means that he's protecting them as well.
As if he could read his thoughts, Arsen smiled slightly. He patted his son's head proudly. Natalie stifled a squeal of delight. Hana gave her twin brother a puzzled look.
"If you grow up too fast, you'll have less and less free time. You'll become just like Dad." Hana said sourly.
Growing up means more work. And that included paperwork. She hated that pile of paper.
Eric snorted mockingly, "That means you're still a kid. Just accept it."
Hana gaped in disbelief. She protested loudly against her mother's unhelpful laughter. Even her father chuckled, adding to her annoyance.
She puffed out her cheeks in a sulk, which made Eric and Natalie tease her even more.
Without realizing it, their interaction was being silently watched by a pair of ruby-red eyes. He stared at the image of the four, as if he wanted to store it in his memory.
Arion looked softly at the family in front of him, 'This family, so warm.'
Their family was the image of the family Arion had always wanted. Gentle and loving. He was lucky to have the chance to see them before the gods took them away again.