"Ah! Come with me to the market, Kath." I smiled lively and held her hand.
"I will go with you!" I heard Maxwell shouted and popped up beside us. I had goosebumps because of him!
"Huh...?" Kath and I asked in unison. He will go with us? On the market? He only usually spend his time in armory shops because like he reasoned out in my past, 'Going to market is so troublesome for me to take.'
Did his preferences also changed?
"I will also tag along but do not be mistaken, I will only guard you and buy stuff that will catch my interest on the way." Maxillary who got here reasoned out with a serious face withoust looking at us.
I put my hand on my mouth when he pouted and I saw how red his ears were. Brother Maxillary was sure cute too.
"U-uh. I will only guard you too that is why I will be coming along with you." Maxwell also reasoned out while raising his hand as if he would be reciting something. He looked at me with fiery eyes and determined expression.
They did not want to tag along just to guard me. I may sound assuming but I assume, they either really want to come with me or really want to come with me. They just caould not confess it.
I giggled on the thought. It was easy to see through their facades since we were still children.
"Ok then, do whatever you want, Brothers." I said smiling, tilting my head with my hands behind my back.
They looked dumbfounded with their widened eyes and what they did next was to throw themselves at me. We almost stumbled at the ground if it were not for their balance.
Aack! They were starting again!
"How can you be so cute, Baby?" Maxillary asked, half-crying for he was too caught up with my loveliness. I did nothing but to tap them because they were hugging me too tight.
Ugh. I did not know what should I do with my cute brothers. It was advantageous for me who from the 'past' to have this kind of ideas but still, they were still older than me. Why did I always feel like I was superior than them just because I have this kind of matured thinking?
"Hey! Easyyy!" I heard Brother Maximo behind me. The two freed me from their grasps and we faced Amo with Brother Lein beside him.
I thought, Brother Lein was angry with me? Or he just sulked for a while and sobber up?
"I want to go with you-" Maxlein was about to say something when Amo interrupted, smiling like an innocent sweet boy but the way he smiled was threatening.
"Lein will come with me in the armory shop. We will look for new swords." Amo stated so straight that made Lein throw his head on the latter's direction.
"What?!" Brother Lein asked irritatedly as he tsked and made an annoyed expression.
"You~will~be~going~with~me~to~the~armory~shop~" Brother Amo repeated in a sing song tone more like teasing Brother Lein... or threatening him? Brother Amo looked too innocent to threaten someone but why did Lein looked at him with horror? How odd.
Maybe, Brother Amo was holding something against Lein? But what could it be?
Brother Lein showed his outward annoyance towards Brother Amo but he still folowed him. Lein glanced at me as if he wanted to cry. I just waved my hand at him while Maxwell and Maxillary were stopping theirselves from laughing at him.
Lein's expression was laughable but I also pity him. From the looks of him, he really did not want to come with Brother Amo.
"We are ready to go, Young Miss, Young Masters." Kath informed us with the three Knight who would be guarding us.
"What will you buy?" Maxwell asked while walking around the shops. My arms were clinging with their's while Katha and the Knights waere following us from behind.
"I have not decided yet but I am planning to buy the birthday celebrant a gift." I told them nervously but I did not know why I felt them pissed. Was there something wrong on what I have said for to be piss off? I just expected them to be confuse and say that Dad was in-charge of the gifts.
"You do not have to buy him a gift, you know." Maxillary said as he pulled us towards a figurine shop.
Wow! The figurines were so pretty! I think, they were made of glass. It reflects the sun rays and it created a faint rainbow color.
"But we still have to show courtesy." I replied but Maxwell shook his head.
"Dad already has a gift for him. You do not need to concern yourself to him!" Maxwell said with an irritated expression.
Uh-oh. Looks like it was really a bad thing that I told them, they did not really want me to give him a present.
They were right tho. I did not need to gift the celebrant myself because our House had already prepared a gift from Dad but the gift I was talking about was not really for the celebrant...it was for his younger brother, actually.
The fifth and youngest son.
"But I want to!" I pouted so they could not stop me.
... I need to gain his affection because I would be needing him in the future. Call me a user but I was doing everything not to repeat the same fate again. It was for everyone's sake.
I assume, the fifth son have yet to received gifts ever since and if I gift him even before his real birthday, I would be the first one to give him anything.
I am sure, he would be moved since it would his first time that someone gave him something.
They tsked in chorus and could not do anything about it anymore but to also pick a gift for the celebrant.
(Third Person's PoV)
It was almost dawn and the sun starts to set on the west horizon and the shadows becomes taller in the sight. The leaves of the trees and wheat crops were dancing freely in the blowing air.
The carriage was silent. The orange rays of the dawn seeps through the curtains and a calm breeze past through them. Maximillian and Maximo who was sitting beside the window were looking outside, at the vast land of the brown field.
Maxine and Maxwell's head were already swaying infront, a signal that they were slowly falling asleep. In the end, the Duke himself managed their positions to each other to make the two of them more comforable. Maxlein and Maxillary who was sitting infront of the two of their youngest siblings had this satisfied look in their faces.
Maxine was leaning in Maxwell's shoulder while Maxwell was leaning in his sister's head.
Amo stared at the two who were sleeping with a gentle snore, with a smile crept on his face. He was smiling genuinely, far different on his usual smiling face that everyone already knows of.
Maximillian only took a side glance infront and immediately back his eyes on looking outside. He could not help his self but to glance more at his siblings. He felt sour inside but at the same time, felt satisfied on the sight infront of him.
He was envious with his little brother who had the chance to sit beside the youngest one and sleep with her too.
When they got home. They did bother to wake up Maxine and Maxwell who were fallen asleep deeply. The Duke carried Maxine inside while Maxwell was carried by his personal Knight.
Maxillary who fell a shallow nap, have woken up when the carriage stop. Maxlein and Maximo only felt a little sleepy because the carriage was too silent plus, they felt tired already.
Maximillian was the last one who got out the carriage. He remained silent all the way home. He was thinking so deeply that neither exhaustion nor drowsiness hit him.
That night, the children retired early than the usual. Good thing, they already had their dinner on the Capital before going home.
Inside Maxine's room, Duke Zachrono was sitting bedside the bed, staring to his lovely daughter's face despite of the darkness. He was unable to sleep this early becuase he feels like there was something he forgot to do but he really could not think what was it.
He was gently brushing Maxine's silver hair. Her looks really takes after her mother while her features takes after her father.
White silver shiny hair that shimmers when reflected by a light and glows even in the darkness and her cold blood crimson eyes like rubies that she inherited from Maximus.
Round face and gentle eyes, thick eyelids, pointed nose, pinky lips, and chubby cheeks that she got from her mother.
'Bri...' the name of his late wife was the first thing that always intrudes his mind whenever he see his daughter. How happy would it be if the Duchess was still alive.
Would anything change? It might not seem like it but he also feels managing the household was tiresome.
He had to manage the paper works and errands of the Ducal House. Both the Duke's and Duchess' works. Sitting all day in his office that almost become his own chamber without getting proper meal and exercise. The responsibility was already heavy enough but he did not faltered and treated it as just some trivial things. Slowly, the works lessened because he got used to it and so, he got time for his self.
He then, fell inlove with Brittania who abandoned being the heiress of their tribe, Flouna, just to be with him. They had 5 sons and when a daughter came, his wife died giving birth to the youngest.
Now, he also have a responsibility to look after their sons and daughter alone. He have to raise them, educate and feed them on his own. His attention was cut in halves. Half for his duties to the Duchy and half for his saplings.
It really was tiresome. He also got into the point that he wanted to kill Maxineirah, the night his wife died. Seeing her wife in pain for giving birth to their first daughter and delivering the baby out safely while suffering,
He thought, they would be happier.