"Dad, I wanna play with Peter!" Cene hastily put on his boots.
"Alright, no need to make such a fuss." I obliged, "Just gotta stop by your mother to give her the keys to the house. I'll take you to the playground after, okay?"
"Hurry, hurry!" He jumped about all over the place.
That kid's this hyper every morning, just where does he get the energy for it? Geez, it takes us like half an hour to make it to and from the playground, and yet I have to accompany him every time because, well, he can't just go that far out alone, can he? Thankfully, he has friends and other adults watching over him there, and it's a very safe neighborhood in general, so Cecily and I are experimenting with leaving him there and coming back for him later. Kindergarten's starting soon anyways for him, so he ought to get used to being away from us. Then again, it pains me to say it, but he doesn't seem to pay it too much mind...
"You getting used to us not watching over you while you play with your friends?" I asked as we walked out of the house and locked the door.
"Mhm! It's awesome!"
"Eh? You don't miss us?"
"I'll see you later!" He kept smiling, "And anyways, you guys get to rest while I play! That's what Peter said, at least."
Peter's surprisingly an earnest kid. Kind of reminds me of what Ed was to me in a way, but way less of a pushover. He has a spine, and when need be, he'll talk back if it means protecting Cene or himself. I've seen him drive off some older bullies easily with those disses he has at his disposal firsthand, so I have no qualms about leaving Cene in his care. Besides, I can't always be monitoring those kids 24/7. Call me irresponsible, but it gets tiring!
"How's Peter's reading comprehension coming along?" I asked, "I remember you two started bonding over him wanting you to teach him how to read."
"He's still kind of slow." Cene flashed me a thumbs up, "But he's getting there!"
"Yeah, I'll bet BasicEd is helping a lot with that too." I pointed out, "Oh, but don't call people slow. It's rude."
"Okay." He kept toddling along, "Hey dad."
"Yes?"
"Are you gonna catch that ghost already?" He turned those innocent beady Eyes to me.
"Urk! S-Sorry, son, ghost hunting is a lot more difficult than I first thought..."
Yep, it's been two months since Cene started complaining about the loud noises and gentle moans from the other room. Incidentally enough, that's the exact time when Cecily and I started trying for another baby. In the end, after a lot of back-and-forth from both Cecily and me, we ended up blurting out that the house might be haunted and that what he's hearing is actually a ghost. Yeah, we don't know what we were thinking when we said that either, cause any kid would've been left permanently scarred from such a scare, but apparently he didn't at all fear it. Nah, he just told us to shoo it away "cause it's annoying". And here I thought we were quiet in general, but I guess we underestimated the sheer tranquility of the night.
"It's really creepy." He shivered with a scowl, "Sometimes it copies mom's voice, and sometimes it copies yours."
"Yeah, I did tell you that it has that power, didn't I?"
"I asked Peter about it."
"Eh!?" I jolted, "Wait, what did he say about it?"
"Nothing much, he just got scared and hid away in a bush." Cene chuckled, "I followed him inside to comfort him, but he kept going on about how he heard the same ghost in his house. They must be siblings."
Heh, the comedy writes itself. Maybe Peter might just become an older brother himself.
"Yep, it's certainly possible that there are more ghosts around. Pfft!" I burst into laughter, "Cause as long as there're humans in the world, you're gonna be hearing from the ghosts as well."
"Why?"
"You'll learn when you're older." I patted him on the head as we made it to the playground where all the kids were at, "Oh, well would you look at that. There's the prince!"
"Huh?" Allen turned his head around and excused himself from his friend circle to greet us, "Good day, Grimhearts!"
"And to you as well, young prince." I gracefully returned his handshake before way less casually giving him a high five, "Haha! What's up!"
"Hello!" Cene reached his little hand for a high five, which Allen happily obliged to.
"Heh, you're getting taller by the day, kid! You couldn't even reach me before." Allen winked, "Ahh, in terms of what's up, godfather, not much really."
"Oh come on, we haven't seen each other in a while cause we keep missing each other. Something must've happened!" I nudged him lightly, "Seriously, sometimes I wonder if you guys moved away without even telling us."
"Why would the royal family leave their country?"
"Fair point. So, how're Adam and Elaine?"
"Father is just fine, mother however..." He looked glum.
Ah, did I ask something inappropriate just now? Did something happen to Elaine? Maybe she hasn't been the healthiest as of recent, in that case maybe I should check up on them just in case.
"She's been in a bad mood ever since dad forgot about her birthday." He sighed, "That blockhead father of mine... And to think I kept reminding him the entire week prior to it to get her something."
"Oh thank the Gods!" I exhaled in relief.
"Are you praying for the downfall of the royal couple, godfather?"
"No, of course not! I meant thank God it's just something insignificant."
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"Is it really insignificant?" He asked worriedly, "Cause mother completely refuses to talk to dad, and she's continued to do so for the past week."
Yes, it's nothing out of the ordinary... Not! What the hell, Adam!? Did you get hit in the head by those stupid dumbbells in that gym of yours!? Why the hell didn't you at least get SOMETHING for Elaine's birthday!? I even remember Cecily buying something and personally delivering it to her on the day of! Not that I knew it was her birthday last week, but you definitely should've!
"I was being sarcastic, that idiot needs a stern talking to." I explained, "Honestly, if I ever missed Cecily's birthday, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."
I'm sure she would, though, but I never thought to test it after all I've put her through.
"Please, if you could talk some sense into father, it'd really help out. Sigh, I'm tired of watching them be so distant." He slumped forward.
"Geez, you have it rough..." I winced, "But wait, surely Adam feels at least a bit regretful over it?"
"Nope, since he forgot about it." Allen shrugged.
Dammit, Adam...
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"Good day, mister Grimheart!" Peter walked up to us.
"Perfect timing!" I handed Cene to them as I ran off, "Have fun with Cene today, you two! I'm gonna go talk some sense into Allen's father real quick!"
"Ah-? Hey!?" Allen ultimately sighed.
"Cene, your dad's really weird." Peter remarked.
"Yeah." Cene shrugged, "Now come on, let's play!"
Kids can be rather crude at times. I guess I'm used to it though. Hey, at least I'm not the guy that forgot his wife's birthday, I mean come on! I'm already at the estate, since it's not so far away from the playground, so I don't have to run anymore.
"Halt." The guards saw me approaching and gripped their holsters, "This is the royal family of Grys' estate. Entry is forbidden unless the king or queen has approved of your audience!"
"...Adaaaaam~!" I clicked my tongue before shouting from the yard's entrance.
"H-Hey, you're bothering the neighbors!" The guards shushed me.
"Adam, quit lifting those weights for a sec, I gotta tell you something!"
"What is it!?" Adam's voice could be heard from the mansion's second story, "Oh wait, that's just Lune."
"See? He knows me, so you can quit pointing those guns at me now." I groaned at the two guards.
Restlessly waiting for him to get his ass down here, eventually the doors opened and a blonde and bearded muscular giant waltzed out like he owned the place. I mean, he kinda does though.
"A little birdie told me Elaine's been in rather low spirits." I crossed my arms with an expectant stare.
"Has she?"
"Has she, my ass!" I threw both hands up, "I'm asking you! Your son said she hasn't been talking to you for a week. What the hell, man!"
"Oh, that. Don't worry about it, the boy can hyperbolize all sorts of things in that immature mind of his." Adam gave a posh reply, "I was just a tad late in gifting her the present for her birthday, but rest assured, I have in fact done it."
Somehow, I doubt he did everything properly. Otherwise she would've been happy. Granted, Elaine's kind of grumpy in general, but if he somehow managed to turn that bundle of grump into an entire trashpile of grump, then he must've really done something wrong.
"And what about you, Lune?" Adam tried to turn the question on me, "We haven't seen you guys in ages! Are we best men or not, seriously!"
"Don't you shift the spotlight from your own mistake! Be a man and solve that first!" I yelled back, "Seriously, what happened?"
"...Sigh, nothing serious, man." He angrily recalled, "We woke up, had breakfast, I did my morning exercise while she went on her daily stroll, we had lunch, tutored Allen a bit more on how to take on the throne, took care of the baby, had dinner and I gave her the present."
"That sounds like a very ordinary routine, safe from the very end." I noted.
"Exactly! I wanted to surprise her by making her think I forgot!" Adam shouted.
Ah, so maybe Allen did misunderstand? But still, is Elaine seriously mad over her husband pulling a surprise plot twist on her? You're usually supposed to get elated and laugh at that moment, not stop talking to your spouse for a week.
"So, what did you give her?" I asked just in case.
"A 1 year membership at the gym!" He grinned widely, "That way we could both enjoy the beauty of empowering our bodies-!"
"You dumbass king!" I slapped him.
The guards saw this, but were unsure of how to react. They sort of halfheartedly reached for their guns, but knew in their hearts that this stupid leader had to get put in his place someday.
"What was that for?" Adam squinted.
"Dude, who the hell gives someone a responsibility for their birthday!?" I berated him, "That's like if Cecily gave me a plant for my birthday, and news flash—I'm no gardener!"
"I don't understand, it's a very valuable item that can benefit her greatly." He said without a hint of tact.
"You calling her fat?"
"You know that's not what I meant, Lune! It's just-! Sigh..." He gave up.
"Listen, let's go to the store and buy her something that'll actually last." I patted him on the back, "And preferably something that doesn't require her to actually work for the benefits of the gift."
"Fine, if that'll make Elaine happy..." He turned around to go back into the mansion, "Let me just finish this set-!"
"Get the hell back here!"