Once things settled down, Natalie decided to leave her work and relax with her children.
She leaned her back against the headboard with Arion on her lap. The twins were on their stomachs to her right and left. Several times Natalie took turns stroking their hair.
Arion casually closed his eyes, 'It's a comfortable silence.'
"Are you excited about the party? It's only a few days away." Natalie asked, trying to open the conversation.
Although this peaceful silence was rare for them, she wanted to have a casual conversation with them. Especially when they get along.
Arion scowled in annoyance, 'I spoke too soon.'
"Of course! I can't wait to wear the dress Mom has prepared." Hana replied enthusiastically.
Hana usually didn't like ball gowns because they were too heavy. But Natalie managed to find the right dress for her and most importantly, it was light so she didn't have to worry about getting tired too quickly.
"I'm not. Parties are noisy." Eric grumbled unhappily. He hugged his pillow tightly and rested his head there.
Arion sighed resignedly, 'I don't like it either.'
He never liked loud noises. Especially when he was surrounded by strangers and he was the center of attention. Just thinking about it made him sick.
Hana puffed out her cheeks, "You should make friends, you know."
Eric snorted, "I have friends."
Hana tilted her head, "Aren't you guys rivals?" She asked confused. It seems she forgot about her other friend and only remembered her prince.
Eric glared in horror, "I'm not talking about that red one!" He exclaimed unhappily. Why should the first person she thought of as his friend be that loud red one? He couldn't take it!
Natalie chuckled and patted Eric's head, "Are you excited to see them again?" She asked enthusiastically.
It had been a while since the kids had been together, especially since they were from different kingdoms. She kind of missed seeing them play together again.
"No. Noam is loud." Eric's rebuttal was quick and heartfelt.
Arion found himself wondering, 'Who is Noam? The one who was the subject of their argument?'
"Hey! Don't insult my prince!" Hana exclaimed unhappily. They had talked about it many times, but her older brother was still saying it again. She was getting tired of hearing it all the time.
Arion blinked in surprise, 'Oh! I guessed right.'
He finally knew the name of the person who had been the topic of the twins' arguments for the past few days. Especially since their reactions to this person were so different.
One seemed to be very happy with him, while the other seemed to dislike him. He was curious to see this person in person.
"But he is loud." Eric continued stubbornly. Why couldn't his little sister just accept that fact?
"He's just a little too excited." Hana defended herself confidently. Not noticing the doubtful look her brother gave her.
"A little..." Eric began doubting his sister's sanity.
Does she mean that a red creature that always runs from one end of the place to the other, always screaming or talking so loudly that others can be heard a few meters away, is still considered a little excited?
Then what if he's very excited? His ears will go deaf! He'll go crazy too!
Arion grimaced, 'You're sure a little? Then why does his face look like he doubts your sanity?'
Arion looked at his older brother who had a strange expression on his face. He began to get a bad feeling about this person.
"Don't you realize that when you two are together, you're just as loud as he is?" Hana asked with a teasing grin. Finally, she had the chance to counterattack.
"I didn't!" Eric replied quickly. Seriously! It was the red one who made the noise. He couldn't leave him alone for a second. His loud voice always interfered with his hearing.
Hana grinned mockingly, "Sure. I believe you."
Arion felt like snorting, 'You are just as loud.'
Natalie laughed at the sight of them. She remembered the little red-haired boy. He was not much different from her daughter, bubbly and overly energetic.
But she liked him because Noam and Hana always managed to liven things up. Although some people would disagree with her.
Then she remembered something she had been discussing with Arsen, "Don't your friends have baby siblings too?"
The two stopped debating and turned to look at their mother. They struck a thinking pose that looked so cute to Natalie's eyes that it almost made her squeal with delight.
Arion refrained from rolling his eyes in boredom, 'This discussion again.'
"That's right! They're only a few months older than Arion." Hana said enthusiastically.
She remembered her conversation with her twin brother and nodded emphatically. No matter how many babies she saw, her baby brother was the best!
Arion looked at her astonished. What was she thinking this time?
"How about you guys sharing your experiences as an older sibling? I'm sure they have some experiences to share."
Natalie suggested enthusiastically. Maybe this way Eric and Noam could stop their rivalry and get along for a while.
Eric lost interest after hearing that, "I already have a lot of experience." He replied boredly.
He glanced at his younger sister. Even though they were the same age, still he was the oldest. He mostly took care of his overly energetic sister.
Natalie giggled, "You and Hana are the same age. Of course, it's different being the older brother of Arion who is a few years younger."
Eric and Hana had grown up together. Even though Eric was a few minutes older, they were supposed to take care of each other. As for Arion, they were the ones who had to take care of him as an big brother and big sister.
"Then I should ask... Noam?" Eric asked doubtfully with his own question. Him? Ask that loud red thing? Not even to the end of the world would he do that.
Unlike her older brother, Hana seemed to think seriously about the idea, "Oh! That's right. I can ask him. He has a younger brother too."
The competition can wait, this conversation is more important. She wanted to be a good big sister for Arion. And sometimes the advice of her twin brother wasn't helpful or she just didn't understand.
Eric waved his hand dismissively, "Bad idea."
"How is that bad?" Hana asked confused. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to share experiences? What could be worse?
'Ah...' Arion grimaced awkwardly as he understood the reason.
Eric didn't answer, which made Hana even more confused. She wondered what could have made him so reluctant until a thought came to her.
Hana looked at her twin brother with a teasing grin, "You just don't want to lose to him, do you?"
Her grin grew wider, accompanied by a small chuckle as she watched Eric's forehead furrow deeper. Her guess was right.
Eric snorted in exasperation and looked away, "I'm not!" He denied unhappily. He's more experienced! That's final!
Hana sighed resignedly and acted like an adult lecturing her son, "You two have always been rivals like Daddy and Uncle Oscar. Try to get along once in a while."
Eric turned his head quickly, "His Majesty Oscar."
He corrected her automatically, not liking the way his twin sister called the king of another kingdom by a nickname.
Arion blinked in surprise, 'His Majesty? You mean a king?'
Hana shrugged indifferently, "That's the same."
Eric frowned disapprovingly, "That's rude."
"Uncle Oscar let me," Hana argued stubbornly.
Although Oscar was a king of a different kingdom, he was Arsen's best friend, even though they looked like rivals and Arsen would never admit it.
In fact, Eric had been permitted to call him by that title as well. But he still insisted that it was rude.
"He's still a king," Eric replied unhappily. After all, Hana was still the princess of the Gewitter Kingdom. And this person she called too familiarly was a king. It still sounded inappropriate in a public place.
Although Eric never really cared for those nobles, he didn't want his little sister to be subjected to their ill will. He hated them with a passion.
Hana sighed resignedly and decided to change the subject, "Anyway, no problem. We're talking about you and Noam now. Try to get along once in a while."
"Look who's talking," Natalie muttered amusedly. Even though the twins themselves rarely get along, but Hana dared to tell Eric to get along with Noam.
Arion looked at her blankly, 'She's blind.'
They even fight all the time. It doesn't matter if they just woke up or if they're eating.
"You never look in the mirror, do you?" Eric asked in a mocking tone. She told him to get along with others, but she was still inviting him to fight almost every day. Has she forgotten or what?
Hana puffed out her cheeks in annoyance, "Stop thinking. I know exactly what you're thinking."
Eric smirked with satisfaction, "It's good that you realize that."
That made Natalie hold back her laughter so as not to hurt Hana's feelings. It turned out that Hana had realized all along that her words did not reflect her own attitude.
Arion looked at them in despair, 'You're all the same.'