Six days passed, and nothing happened.
The nightmare never returned during these six days, even though Sofia kept asking me about it every morning. I simply answered her that my dreams were mundane—mostly about strolling in the city when my mother and father had invited me. The strange voice that had emitted inside my head did not come back either, despite Sofia's persistent questions.
During these six days, the first thing I did was apologize to Lady Octavi for hurting her. She kept insisting it was her fault, but I felt guilty nonetheless. In our lessons, I learned many things from Lady Octavi. I became aware of how the calendar worked: it used the NE system, or New Era. Right now, the year was 754 NE. A year consisted of twelve months, with each month consisting of exactly thirty days.
The condition of the four children improved significantly. Right now, they worked as servants in my household, living in the servant's quarters with the others. When they were introduced to the twins, the little ones accepted them immediately.
The oldest boy was named Felix. He was the same age as Aurelio.
The girls were triplets named Aelia, Alicia, and Alecia. Because they were identical to each other, they were given accessory ribbons to distinguish themselves. They placed their ribbons in different locations: Aelia wore hers on her chest, Alicia wore hers around her neck, and Alecia wore hers in her hair.
Their ribbons were color-coded to match their personalities. Aelia's ribbon was green; she was more mature than the other two. Alicia's ribbon was blue; she was calmer and more possessive. Alecia's ribbon was red; she was more active and courageous. They were six years old.
In these six days, the twins' behavior changed. They didn't come to cling to me anymore; instead, they played constantly with the four new children.
Aurelio became fast friends with Felix. Aurelio even asked Father to invite Felix to train with the sword alongside him. Ophelia befriended the three girls, though sometimes Alecia—the one with the red ribbon—would run off to join Aurelio and Felix during their sword training, asking to join in. Father granted the request.
The four children were now being educated in the same class as the twins within the household. Aelia showed an aptitude for knowledge. Alecia was active with the sword. Alicia seemed to focus on other pursuits. And Felix showed promise in both knowledge and the sword.
…. … ..
In my sleep, I suddenly felt a heavy weight pressing down on my body.
I slowly opened my eyes. The twins were looming right above me.
"Wh..at… are.. yo..u.. doing?" I mumbled, still half-awake.
"Sister Aurelia, you need to wake up now," Aurelio whispered urgently.
"YES, YOU NEED TO WAKE UP NOW!" Ophelia shouted right in my ear.
Their small hands kept pushing and shaking my body.
Suddenly, I saw the door burst open. It was Adel, along with Livia and Martia—the twins' maids—and the four new children trailing behind. Livia and Martia rushed to the bed and lifted the squirming twins off me.
"Noooooo!" the twins grumbled as they were hauled away.
I sat up in bed. Adel moved to draw open the balcony curtains, letting the morning light flood in. I turned my face to the little ones.
"Why are you so early in my room… and suddenly climbing on top of me?" I asked, rubbing my eyes.
"Because... today… it is so important… so we woke up early… and immediately went to Sister Aurelia's room… wanted to.. wake.. Sister… up," Ophelia explained between breaths, struggling in Martia's arms.
"Today is an important day?"
"Yes, it is!" Aurelio chirped with a cheerful tone. "It is the day where Father fulfills his promise to invite us to stroll in the city."
"Ahhh, right! It is today…" I realized. "So, do you two also invite them too?" I pointed to the four children standing shyly by the door.
"Of course we are," Aurelio nodded vigorously.
"That is great… but….." I paused, a mischievous thought crossing my mind.
"But… what, Sister Aurelia?" Ophelia asked, tilting her head.
"You two have said Father was a cunning person, right?" I lowered my voice conspiratorially. "What if Father is lying to you today and is not inviting us to stroll in the city?"
The twins' faces instantly crumbled from joy to utter despair.
"FATHERRRRRR!"
Immediately, they scrambled out of the maids' grip and ran out of the room to find him. Livia and Martia panicked and chased after them, with the four children following close behind.
"It is hard for Livia and Martia to keep up with the movement of the little two," I remarked to Adel, chuckling.
"I think it is because you, My Lady, told the Young Master and Young Lady nonsense about His Grace and made them afraid about it," Adel chided gently.
"Well, seeing them lately… it felt like I wanted to tease them a little bit more."
"Is it because My Lady felt lonely that they have friends now and do not annoy My Lady for playtime anymore?"
"Hehehehehe… Maybe I do feel like that," I admitted with a grin.
"It is time for My Lady to do the morning routine."
"Right." I stood up from the bed.
I walked to the vanity table, and Adel began the routine of maintaining my face. In the middle of it, I saw through the mirror that the door had swung open again. The twins appeared, breathless. They ran immediately to my side.
"FATHER SAID he will fulfill the promise today! He even told Lady Laura to prepare it!" Aurelio announced triumphantly.
"That is great," I said calmly, while Adel continued to apply powder to my cheeks.
Moments later, Livia and Martia stumbled into the room, breathing heavily. It must have been exhausting for them to chase these two all over the mansion.
"You two need to control and behave yourselves," I scolded gently.
"What are you talking about?" Ophelia asked innocently.
I pointed my hand toward the panting maids. "You made Livia and Martia tired in the early morning because of you two."
"It is alright, My Lady," Livia wheezed, trying to hide her heavy breathing.
"Yes, it is a usual thing for us," Martia added, trying to compose herself.
"See, Sister Aurelia? They are fine," Ophelia declared.
"Hehh… Even though they said they are fine, you guys need to control yourselves and pay attention to the people around you," I insisted.
"We know, Sister Aurelia," they answered in unison.
"Great. How about you two wait for me in the dining room for breakfast?"
"Yes, Sister."
I saw their muscles tense; they looked ready to sprint toward the door.
"NO RUNNING. Just walking to the dining room."
"Yes, Sister…" they answered, grumbling under their breath.
I watched them in the mirror. They walked toward the door, followed by Livia and Martia. They were good… until they reached the threshold. Just before Livia closed the door, they bolted.
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
"What the… they are doing it again," I sighed, feeling a flicker of annoyance.
"They are children, after all. It is normal for them to be active," Adel said soothingly.
"It is great to be active, but I would like them more if they were well-behaved in certain conditions."
"Right," Adel nodded.
After some minutes, Adel finished her work, and we immediately went to the dining room. Inside, I saw the twins already sitting in their seats. For the entire breakfast, I ignored them. Even though they talked to me, tried to get my attention, I just grumbled and turned away.
After breakfast, the whole group—Father, Mother, the twins, and I—went to the entrance of the house, followed by Adel, Livia, Martia, and the four children. On the way there, the twins kept tugging at my dress, asking why I was ignoring them. I kept silent.
In front of the house, Lady Octavi and Lady Laura were waiting for us, accompanied by five guards. Lady Laura had already prepared six horses and two carriages.
One carriage was for Father, Mother, Lady Laura, and me. The other carriage was for the twins and the four children. Adel took the coachman's seat on my carriage, while Livia and Martia took the coachman's seat on the other. Lady Octavi and the other guards mounted the horses.
After everyone was ready, we set off for the city. Lady Octavi rode at the front on her horse, two guards rode on each side of the carriages, and one guard rode at the rear.
Inside the carriage, Mother and Father seemed curious about my mood.
"Aurelia, why did you ignore the little two this morning?" Mother asked softly.
"Hmmmm… Because they went against my advice."
"Advice?" Father asked.
"In the early morning, they were so active, running around, and making Livia and Martia feel so tired. So I told them to control themselves and told them to walk toward the dining room. But the moment they were in front of my room, they just ran."
"Well, they are children, so they are naturally more active and more rebellious," Father chuckled.
"Apart from that," I changed the subject, "why did Lady Laura come with us to the city?"
"Because there is something I need to do in the city as a substitute for His Grace," Lady Laura answered from her seat across from me, looking dignified.
"So Father didn't do his job well, making Lady Laura a substitute for him." I looked at my father with narrowed eyes.
"You are so mean, Aurelia," Father pouted. "Lady Laura became a substitute for me because of you guys. I will be with you in the city, so I cannot do my job if I am strolling with you. Thus, Lady Laura became a substitute for me."
"Well, I would love it if Father did the job rather than be with us the entire time in the city," I teased.
Father looked genuinely hurt by my words.
"And why are there guards for us to go into the city? Is it because the twins and the four children are with us?" I asked.
"Ehmmmm… It is not because of that, Aurelia," Mother said, her voice turning serious. "It is because of the event that happened to you when we last went to the city. It happened because of our neglect. So we want some guards to oversee us, just in case we are not right there with you."
"I don't know why Father and Mother are so worried about me… I will try to calm down as much as possible," I muttered.
"Just don't overthink about it, Aurelia," Mother said, patting my hand. "Just have as much fun as you want in the city. Especially you need to make up with your siblings, and have fun with them."
"I will try to do that," I sighed.