Adeline heard her children arrive home. Before she could even rise to her feet, the doors to the throne room burst open. A boy with dark brown hair dashed towards the throne, ignoring the man standing on the red carpet.

  "Mama, Mama!" Her son proclaimed, jumping straight into her arms.

  Adeline found it humoring that with age, he seemed to grow more clingy to her. She blamed it on her husband, who rarely loved him as much as he did their young daughter. Adeline hated that part about Elias, but she knew it was because Elios shared his features.

  As Elios grew older, his features became more pronounced, his hair dimmer, and he was becoming the spitting image of his father. Due to Elias' reluctant love, Elios became attached to his mother.

  "You run like a kid," a voice deadpanned.

  Adeline raised her head to see her daughter strolling into the room.

  "You're a kid too, Adelia!" Elios shouted at his younger sister. They were twins and only minutes apart, but bickered like cat and dog. Some said twins had a special connection called the 'twin flame' or 'mirror soul' but this couldn't be further from the truth.,This pair argued far too much to even believe in such theories

  "You're older than me, you should be less like a kid," Adelia remarked in a voice as frosty as her father's on a good day.

  Elios glared at his sister, his arms tight around his Mother. Elios always found it irritating how mature Adelia appeared to be. He knew he couldn't blame her for it. She didn't possess as many Vampire abilities and traits as him. Adelia's eyes were like those of a regular human, but when her emotions were high, at most, they turned a light pink. The redder the eyes, the stronger the vampire blood.

  Elios' eyes always flashed a bright red like crimson rubies. Adelia could never compare. Adelia made up for her lack of powers in skills and mind, being one of the smartest kids in the entire school district.

  "I see the Royal Highnesses are back," Atlantis said in a gentle voice, his eyes soft with adoration.

  "Mama, that man is weird," Elios whispered to his mother, noticing the distant and longing face.

  "He just likes children," Adeline replied, pinching her son on the cheek. She rose to her feet in time to see a head peeking through the door.

  "Oh, hello there," Adeline stated, her lips curled into a slight smile. "Come come, Hazel, don't stand by the door."

  "U-uhm…" Hazel reluctantly entered the throne room, meek and afraid of everything.

  "I almost forgot to tell you, Mama, Hazel is coming over to play! Layla and Wesley are coming over as well," Elios babbled.

  "You shouldn't be playing with grades as bad as yours," Adelia dryly remarked, stopping by her father's side.

  Atlantis immediately recognized the names of Chairwoman Lydia Claymore's children. The rich always socialized with the rich. The royal children were no exception, for they only mingled in the upper-society crowds. Not that Adeline wanted them too, but her husband Elias was strict about who the children could see and couldn't see.

  "Since the children are almost here, I'll escort them to the playroom," Adeline said to her husband. She took Elios by the hand, and reached one out for Adelia, but realized her daughter was no longer near her.

  Adeline shifted her head and saw where Adelia remained. Adelia, like Elios, had her father's face. But she had Adeline's bright blond hair and light eyes. Elias used to say Adelia had the perfect combination of the both of them.

  "Papa… Papa…" Adelia whispered, nudging for him to bend down. She was smaller than her brother and her weak vampire blood made her grow slower too. Unfortunately for Adelia, her father always liked to joke. He pretended to ignore her request, his lips twitching in amusement. Suddenly, she grabbed him by the ear and yanked him down.

  "My daughter is as violent as my wife," Elias teased, tenderly taking a hold of her wrist to stop the assault. "Well, what do you want to tell me?"

  Adelia's face burned red when she felt every pair of eyes on her. Suddenly, she could no longer say it outloud. She didn't want Elios to tease her about it later, since she tended to hide her emotions.

  Adelia remained by her father's side. She placed her hands on the throne, stood on her tippy-toes and whispered something to him. Elias tilted his body down to hear better, his lips twitching in amusement.

  "Adelia said she's hungry," Elias told his wife. "And she wants cake."

  "Papa, you weren't supposed to tell!" Adelia complained.

  "Hunger is a normal thing. Stop trying to be perfect, sweetheart," Elias teased, grabbing his daughter by the waist and planting a fond kiss on the top of her head.

  "We'll have the maids prepare more than just a snack," Elias informed his daughter, pinching her adorable cheeks. Adelia glared at him with the very eyes that resembled his wife. Because of that, Elias was tempted to pinch her again, but she was long out of his grasp.

  "Come on, Hazel, let's go and play," Adelia stated, taking the girl by her hand and pulling her out of the throne room.

  "Hey, wait for me!" Elios cried out, chasing after his younger sister. "No fair, you always leave me out!"

  The laughter of the children echoed down the hallways. Atlantis could do nothing, but stare at the doorway. He'd always wanted children of his own. Loud and rowdy ones that'd make the house lively. He'd want his children to get acquainted with their cousins and have large play dates all the time. He wanted his kids to have the things he never had.

  "You must forgive my children, they're at the age where they ignore rules," Adeline said to Atlantis. "Especially with friends around."

  "The Royal Highnesses are lovely, as always," Atlantis responded with a slight smile.

  "I hope all the noise doesn't wake up Lina," Adeline murmured…… She was worried, for the castle walls had a tendency to echo, and voices always traveled upstairs.