{ Aelius: }
Chapter 27
"Mijo did you stir the soup?"
"Oh! Um..."
"I told you to stir the soup!"
"I'm sorry! I forgot.."
Aelius could feel the death glares his mom shot at him, he started sweating buckets just at the feeling of it.
He fastly ran towards the hot pot of soup in the stove, threatening to fall out of the pot with every bubble that exploded.
Swiftly he turned off the stove and poured the soup in the bowls of the table.
His younger siblings scurried around the table, making Aelius almost spill the bowl he had in his hand.
"Stop running around!" He worriedly shouted.
His siblings only giggled in return, Aelius stared at them while they kept running around and placed the now cold pot back to the stove.
Aelius sighed in defeat, he took out the oven mittens from his hands and gently placed them back in it's holder.
"Food is ready!" He shouted from the kitchen.
The first ones to come were his twin siblings, Amelia and Toah. The second one to come was his youngest sibling, Luis.
Luis was waddling towards Aelius using the wall as help, Aelius just smiled at his little brother walking.
"Look at you starting to walk." Aelius warmly smiled.
Aelius picked him up and placed him in the baby chair, he grabbed his bowl of soup and gently placed it on his siblings tray.
"Don't eat it until everyone is here, got it?" He jokingly commanded.
And Luis nodded in response, chewing on his baby spoon.
Then came his older siblings Nia and Antonio. His brother gently wiped his glasses from the fog in the kitchen, and Nia yawned from her sleep.
"What did you make?" Nia yawned.
"Caldo de pollo." Aelius smiled.
Nia's eyes widened and all signs of tiredness left her body, she stood there in shock with her jaw widened. Antonio only muffled a laugh.
"Mom taught you the recipe??" She hollered.
Aelius proudly smirked and looked away from her.
"Wanna taste?" He teased, motioning for her to sit down.
Nia hummed in response.
She picked up the spoon in the table and tasted the soup, at first the reaction was emotionless, but then she gasped in surprise.
"No way! It's so good?!" She confusingly questioned.
"Did you expect any less?" He proudly smirked.
Nia only rolled her eyes and groaned in defeat in response, Antonio laughed at his sibling, Nia glared at Antonio and Antonio fixed his composure.
"I'll go fetch the firewood." Antonio walked away.
And finally, his parents came into the kitchen.
"Mother!" Nia nagged.
"Yes Nia?"
"You can teach him the recipe but not me?" She frowned.
"Well..." The mother sighed.
"Hey! what's wrong with that?" Aelius snarled.
"Nothing.."
"Then why did you say it like that?" He frowned. Leaning on the nearest chair.
"Nothing! It's just.. nevermind." She trailed off he sentence.
"Nevertheless! Why don't I know the recipe Mom?"
"In my defense.." The mother glanced at the two.
"He was just sitting down in the living room and he looked bored." She continued.
"So i gave him something to do. Oh but don't worry sweetie, one day I'll show you too." The mother reassuringly smiled.
Aelius sat down in the chair Infront of him, the table was full with people all around it, and he was the last one to sit down.
In reality, his mother was going to make the meal but he insisted on him doing it, not that he was sitting in the couch.
And he didn't do it by himself, his mother sweared he would make the house collapse if she didn't help him.
"Would you pass me the salt?"
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"That was good soup!" Aelius's father sighed pleasantly.
"Why thank you, i made that all by myself." Aelius proudly smirked.
"Yeah yeah whatever." Nia grumbled.
"Oh don't be so hard on yourself sister, maybe when you're 80 mom will teach you."
Nia rolled her eyes and sat on the couch, angrily staring at the wall beside her.
"I'll go get more firewood." Aelius spoke.
Aelius walked towards the front door, quietly cackling at his sister's mood, the soup recipe is only shared within family.
And it's not written down on paper it's self learned from one elder to a youngster. It's just how it goes.
He just so happened to be there when his mother was making it.
Aelius sighed in content and opened his door, just as he was about to walk out he saw feet in the entrance.
Fastly, he looked up and saw a tall well dressed man, who held his fist up as if he were about to knock on his door.
Aelius recognized his attire from someone, but it didn't click at the moment.
Curiously, Aelius shot a confused glance at the man. That's when the man cleared his throat and adjust his glasses.
"Hello, is.. this the Leginton family?" The well dressed man asked.
"Yes.. Who are you?"
'Aelius? Who are you speaking with?' Aelius heard his father call from the living room.
"I'm Benefell, a trusted butler from the Royal kingdom."
"I've been sent here to give you a message."
"Okay then, what's the message if you may?" Aelius inspected the man's movements, doubtful of him.
"Very well then." The butler mumbled.
He brought out a very shiny rectangular box and opened it with the help of another butler aelius guessed.
And out of the shiny box came out a scroll, the butler passed the box to the person behind him and opened the scroll in his hand.
"The, Leginton family. Is invited to this new years grand ball." The butler gallantly spoke.
Just as the butler finished his sentence, Aelius could hear the ruckus being made inside his home.
And at a blink of an eye. His father swinged the door fully open, showing himself, aelius, and the mother at the door way.
The butler looked at the two in slight shock, then smiled warmly at the family.
"If you would like to attend, then please- follow me. But if you would would like to decline, then a gift will be sent to you're home."
His parents didn't think twice before gladly accepting and following the butler outside.
Aelius wasn't as shocked as they were, he already knew they were going to be invited. His prince had already asked him the night before.
"Where will you take us?" Toah questioned.
"Mmm you'll see."
A loud gasp was then heard from his brother, and curiously. Aelius looked up at what he was looking at.
"A carriage!!" Toah screamed in excitement.
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Finally the day had come, after the butler took them to choose their attire, he gave the family two invite cards.
One for the entry, and two if they lost the first one. How thoughtful.
Aelius and his family were on a carriage currently. They were on their way to the ball.
Aelius felt his heartbeat quicken. The closer they got to the glowing castle the faster he felt his heart beat go.
"You alright there son?" His father questioned.
"Hrm?"
"You just seem anxious is all."
"Yeah I'm alright, just dozed off a tad bit." Aelius awkwardly laughed.
"Well, were here so stop dozing around." Nia laughed.
The carriage soon stoped to an end and a knight opened the carriage door. His mother and sisters went out first, then his little siblings. Am lastly him and Antonio.
Other near kingdom families entered the castle along with the other three invited families from the kingdom.
They made them walk through a various amount of hallways of left and right, Aelius got dizzy with the whole panorama.
Even if he felt his head spin the opposite way he wasn't going to show or admit it, at least not while he's in a litteral castle where he could pass by the prince.
Finally, the family entered the ball room. And it was gigantic just like all the other rooms, but bigger.
The place was filled with pearly white, navy blue, and maroon colored flowers.
They were planted almost in every wall and table in the corners.
And there was a big staircase the led up to the second floor of the castle. Aelius lost count of the amount of stairs he's seen.
At the very moment, people were dancing with their partners in the middle, and Aelius wanted to join in on the fun.
He may not have a lover in sight to dance with, but he does have his sister.
"Darling sister." Aelius called out towards Nia.
"Yes brother?"
"Would you like to give me this dance?"
And Nia's expression changed to the blink of an eye, she glanced at the people dancing, then back at him.
"Of course!"
Aelius took her hand and led her to the dance area, the people were dancing a way he learned when he was little, so he knew how it went all too well.
He held her hand and grabbed her by the waist, carefully entered the circle and started moving in a clockwise position.
His whole family is matching in attire, but it's most noticeable when you look at Nia's and his attire, they choose the most similar outfits just to annoy the other.
Farther up in the circle, he noticed the one person he didn't expect dance, it was Ehann.
And he was dancing with Agatha,
Once again.
Not that he doesn't understand that the prince has to, he's a prince; but it still hurt him. Seeing him dance with her is like looking at the perfect couple.
When in reality they are not even remotely close to how they look, he is with the prince, not her. Aelius glared darts at the two.
"What's wrong brother?" Nia asked.
That brought him back from his thoughts, and he let a sigh out.
"Nothing sister, just thinking of what a great dancer you are of course." He teased.
"Oh.. shut up." Nia playfully rolled her eyes.
Not that he's never seen it before, but his sister truly is beautiful. She's everything a person would want in a woman.
Which explains why he felt hard glares in the back of his head, he didn't want those ugly men to try and flirt with her.
So he did what any brother would do, bring her just a bit closer. Just close enough to the point it was noticeable.
And suddenly he felt less glares in the back of his head, some glares he felt increased though.
Aelius turned his head around to see who that odd feeling came from. And it was the prince, he had a confused and pained expression plastered on his face.
Did he expect Aelius not to dance or something? Surely he has met his sister right? He thought back of all the times the prince came to his room at night.
And no times where they ever in the same room. This worried Aelius a tad bit. What if he understood?
Soon the dance came to an end, and the prince and the princess returned up to the stairs.
The Queen cheerfully smiled and tapped on a wine glass. While the other queen brought Ehann and Agatha to the front with her.
Suspiciously close to eatchother.
Aelius glared at the prince, and the prince moved away from her, just enough to see that he noticed aelius.
This brought back reassurance to Aelius. Aelius winked at the prince, and the prince smiled and looked down.
"Attention everyone!" The Queen shouted in the room.
"Firstly, I'd like to thank you all for coming to our annual grand ball!" claps were heard from the crowd.
"But we also invited you all for a very special announcement!" She continued on.
"My Son, prince Ehann Astaseul. Is getting married to princess Agatha Lutherbale!"
This time, the claps were louder.
And Aelius felt his heart stop.