The calm after breakfast didn't last long—because, of course, it wouldn't. Nothing in my life stayed calm for very long, especially when my family and extended circle were involved.
As soon as Kieran's chaotic appearance ended, the castle seemed to be bubbling with noise, like the universe itself had decided I wasn't allowed peace.
I stretched, standing up from the bed, and offered Aeliana my hand. "We should go check on the latest catastrophe," I said, resigned to my fate.
"Do we have to?" she asked, her tone half-playful, half-genuine. "It's your castle, not mine."
"Not yet," I teased, grinning.
She rolled her eyes but took my hand, and we made our way downstairs toward the source of the ruckus.
The closer we got, the louder it became—voices raised in alarm, laughter (because naturally, someone always found the chaos amusing), and the occasional crash that made me wince.
We stepped into the main hall to find utter pandemonium. Kieran was trying to mop up what looked like spilled paint, why was there paint?while two younger cousins were arguing over who was to blame. A maid was frantically trying to keep a large, unruly dog from knocking over another priceless vase, and Zephara was standing in the middle of it all, laughing her head off.
"What is going on here?" I demanded, my voice cutting through the noise.
Everyone froze, and all eyes turned to me.
"It's not my fault!" Kieran blurted immediately, holding up his hands defensively, one of which still held a dripping paintbrush.
"It's *always* your fault," I shot back, crossing my arms. "Why is there paint? And why does it look like someone let a wild animal loose in here?"
The dog barked as if to answer me, then promptly chased its tail, knocking over a small table in the process.
"That," Zephara said, pointing at the dog, "is not a wild animal. It's Lise's 'guard dog.'" She made air quotes around the term, grinning. "Apparently, it guards by causing mayhem."
"Where is Lise?" I asked, pinching the bridge of my nose.
"Probably hiding," Zephara said cheerfully. "She knows you're going to yell at her."
I groaned. "This is ridiculous."
"Welcome to family life," Aeliana said dryly, though I could see the amusement dancing in her eyes.
"Don't encourage them," I muttered.
At that moment, the dog decided it had enough of tail-chasing and bounded straight for me, jumping up and planting its massive paws on my chest. I staggered back, nearly colliding with Aeliana, who let out a surprised laugh.
"Oh, for the love of—" I pushed the dog off gently but firmly, and it barked happily, wagging its tail like it hadn't just contributed to the utter destruction of my morning.
"Good boy!" Kieran said, as if that would redeem him.
"You're cleaning this up," I said, pointing at him.
"I was already cleaning," he protested.
"You call *that* cleaning?" I gestured to the paint streaks he'd managed to spread even further across the floor.
"I'm doing my best!"
"You're going to do better," I snapped, my patience wearing thin.
Before I could further chastise my cousin, the grand double doors at the far end of the hall burst open, and in stormed Leora.
Her hair was perfectly coiffed as always, but there was a murderous gleam in her violet eyes that could've melted stone.
"What," she began, her voice low and dangerous, "is going on here?"
Everyone including the dog froze again, the atmosphere instantly tense. Even Zephara stopped laughing, though she did have the audacity to smirk.
"Hi, Grandma," I said, trying to sound nonchalant.
"Don't 'hi, Grandma' me," Leora snapped, her gaze narrowing on me like a hawk zeroing in on its prey. "I leave for one morning, and I come back to this! Paint everywhere, broken furniture, a dog running rampant again and you, standing in the middle of it all like the queen of chaos!"
I opened my mouth to defend myself, but Leora wasn't finished.
"And don't even get me started on the vase!" she continued, pointing at the remnants of the antique vase Kieran had broken earlier. "Do you know how many centuries that thing lasted before it crossed paths with you lot?"
"It wasn't me!" I said quickly, pointing at Kieran. "Blame him!"
"Thanks, Ciara," Kieran muttered, looking thoroughly betrayed.
Leora's glare shifted to him, and he visibly shrank under the intensity. "Oh, don't worry, Kieran. I'll deal with you later. But *you*," she said, turning back to me, "are the head of this household. This chaos reflects on *you.*"
"I didn't even—"
"Silence!" she barked, cutting me off.
Aeliana, who had been silent up until now, finally broke, giggling quietly behind her hand.
"Oh, you think this is funny?" Leora asked, her gaze snapping to Aeliana.
"No, ma'am," Aeliana said quickly, though her grin betrayed her.
Zephara, who apparently had no self-preservation instincts, started laughing again. "This is why I come here, Leora. It's like free entertainment every time."
Leora shot her a withering glare. "You're not helping, Zephara."
"I'm not trying to," Zephara replied, grinning.
"Enough!" Leora said, throwing her hands in the air. "All of you, out of my sight—except you, Ciara."
My stomach dropped. "Me?"
"Yes, you. We're going to have a little *chat.*"
Aeliana gave me a sympathetic pat on the back before scurrying off, Kieran and the others following her like sheep fleeing from a wolf.
As soon as we were alone, Leora crossed her arms and fixed me with a stare that could've frozen fire. "You are the future of this family, Ciara. The future!"
"I know, I know," I said, holding up my hands. "And I'm sorry, okay? I'll clean up the mess."
"Oh, you'll do more than that," Leora said, her tone ominous.
I gulped. I was in for it now.
I sat slumped on the edge of the kitchen counter, my arms crossed as I glared at nothing in particular. The mess had been cleaned up thanks mostly to me, because apparently, being the "future of the family" meant I was also the designated maid.
Kieran had conveniently vanished after wiping half a paint streak off the floor, and everyone else had suddenly remembered they had "important errands" to run.
Leora, of course, had delivered a lengthy lecture before retreating to her study, leaving me to stew in my frustration.
"I can't believe this," I muttered, kicking a chair lightly with the tip of my boot. "One little incident, and suddenly I'm the bad guy. Again."
From her spot at the table, Aeliana stifled a laugh. "It wasn't exactly a 'little incident,' Ciara. There was paint everywhere, a dog knocking over priceless artifacts, and Kieran involved. That's a trifecta of disaster."
"You're not helping," I grumbled, shooting her a mock glare.
She leaned her chin on her hand, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "You know, you're kind of cute when you're all grumpy like this."
"Don't patronize me."
"I'm not patronizing you!" she said, laughing now. "It's just… you're always so composed and confident. Seeing you pout like this is refreshing."
I huffed, turning my glare back to the counter. "It's not pouting. It's righteous indignation."
"Right, of course. My mistake."
I could hear the amusement dripping from her tone, and it only made me grumpier. "Leora doesn't have to yell at me like I'm some kind of delinquent. I was *trying* to control the chaos!"
"She does have a point, though," Aeliana said gently. "You are the head of the household. Even if it's not your fault, it's your responsibility."
"Ugh." I buried my face in my hands. "Why does responsibility always have to suck?"
Aeliana stood and walked over to me, her arms slipping around my shoulders from behind. She rested her chin on top of my head, her presence immediately soothing despite my lingering annoyance.
"It's not all bad," she said softly. "You've got me, don't you?"
I sighed, leaning back into her embrace. "Yeah. I guess that makes it better."
"Guess?" she teased, feigning offense. "Wow, way to make a girl feel special."
"You *are* special," I said, my tone softening despite myself.
"That's more like it." She kissed the top of my head before stepping back, her hands resting on my shoulders. "Now, come on. Let's do something fun to cheer you up."
"Like what?"
She grinned mischievously. "How about we sneak into Leora's study and mess with her organization system? That always makes you laugh."
A laugh bubbled out of me before I could stop it. "Tempting, but I value my life, thanks."
"Oh, come on," she said, tugging on my arm. "She'll forgive us. Eventually."
I let her pull me to my feet, my grumpiness starting to melt away. "You're lucky you're cute."
"And you're lucky I like grumpy princesses," she shot back, sticking her tongue out at me.
We spent the next half hour wandering the castle, finding small ways to amuse ourselves nothing too disruptive, though, because I wasn't about to risk another lecture from Leora.
By the time we ended up back in the kitchen, my mood had improved significantly, though I still felt a pang of annoyance whenever I thought about the earlier chaos.
"You know," Aeliana said as she rifled through the pantry, "you could always get back at Leora by cooking dinner for her."
I raised an eyebrow. "And how is that revenge?"
"Because," she said with a sly smile, "you're almost as good a cook as she is. Almost."
I smirked, my competitive streak flaring up. "Almost? I'm better."
"Sure you are," she said, clearly teasing.
"You'll see," I said, already planning the menu in my head. If Leora thought she could scold me and get away with it, she had another thing coming.
But for now, I was content to let Aeliana distract me from my grumpiness. After all, life was never boring with her around.