Rivals

"Happy birthday and congrats, Freyja and... Freyr, my rival! Don't you think that your debut party marks the official start to our rivalry?"

The voice full of confident came from the blonde-haired figure standing in front of me and the twins right now. His blue eyes were shining brightly as usual, with the mole under his right eye standing out as always.

Next to him was an adult male with the same blonde hair as him and a gentle smile. On the other side, there was also an adult female with the same mole under her right eye and the same bright blue eyes, too.

Mmhm, Ein really took after Nicole the most. In terms of appearance and bearing, too. If only he didn't have Clyde's hair, one might not be able to tell if Clyde was his father? Haha!

"Rivalry... start?" Freyr tilted his head in response to Ein's inquiry.

"Yeah, that's right. I was Big Sis Lyra's little brother figure before she's got you to be her little brother. Let's see which one of us is the best little brother for her!" Ein enthusiastically responded.

"...," Freyr kept staring at Ein—it was apparent that he was thinking of something.

"Shall we shake hands now? As my happy birthday greeting and marking the start of our rivalry...," Ein was in the middle of extending his right hand to shake Freyr's hand when Freyr suddenly spoke.

"Why don't we both become Lyra-neechan's best little brothers? You're older than me, so you can be her little brother and my big brother. But Alt-niichan will always be the best big brother for me."

It was quite rare for Freyr to speak quite a lot in one go. This was one of the rare occasions. His speech was a bit faster than usual, indicating that his brain was also racing with his speech.

Ein seemed to be taken aback by Freyr's response as he withdrew the hand that he extended just now.

"That... We can't," Ein hesitantly spoke.

"...Why?" Freyr tilted his head again, his expression obviously showed his confusion. It seemed to me that he had been thinking for the best solution instead of competing, so he was surprised to get his brilliant idea (based on his understanding) rejected by Ein.

"Because... there can only be one!" Ein firmly said.

"...Really?" Freyr asked.

"Really," Ein nodded with a very convincing expression.

"...Then, you lose. I win. I'm Lyra-neechan's real little brother after all! I'm related to her!" Freyr quickly decided as he nodded in satisfaction.

"Wha--?! That's not how it works! Let's not consider that kind of cheat-relation and compete healthily!" Ein insisted.

I couldn't contain my laughter at these two little boys' interactions.

Before, I thought that Ein would soon accept Freyr's presence and wouldn't try to compete with him due to Ein being the older one.

I guess I was wrong.

"Big Sis Lyra, there is no age restriction in competition. Young businessman can even triumph against an older businessman. Therefore, I couldn't be too lenient and lose in an embarrassing way!"

That was what Ein said to me when I asked him about it. And sure enough, he hasn't changed this mindset even until this second.

"There, there, Eine, dear. Today is Freyr and Freyja's special day, so you should at least treat them special. Right, Lyra-chan?" Nicole suddenly spoke as she gently touched her only son's shoulders.

I was slightly taken aback when she casually threw me into the conversation. And here I was watching the cute boys competing for me in amusement. Naturally, I knew that Ein wouldn't do anything bad and their rivalry might even make Freyr thrive to be better (in a healthy way—I'm sure I will intervene if things go wrong).

"Right!" I immediately recovered and smiled at Nicole.

"Uuh... Okay then...," Ein finally let it go and earnestly gave his congratulations to Freyr and Freyja.

"Happy birthday, Freyr and Freyja. I hope you will get used to noble society soon. Please get along well with my son, Ein. He's only quite competitive and likes your big sister, but he doesn't mean any harm," Clyde congratulated my twin siblings and asked them to be friends with Ein as well.

Freyr and Freyja nodded at the same time.

"Uuh, they're really cute! Look, they are a boy and a girl, yet they're so similarly cute! I want a pair of twins of my own now!" Nicole couldn't hide her true feelings from leaking out, as usual. As she made that remark, she moved closer to Clyde.

"Now, now, Nicole," Clyde only smiled at his wife's slight public display of affection.

"Mum! Am I not enough?!" Ein suddenly sulked.

"Eeh, that's not what I mean, Eine! Ah, never mind! Eine is the best child one can ever hope for, and Eine is also the cutest, so having Eine is enough for Mum!" Nicole quickly appeased the sulky Ein as she lowered her body to give Ein a big hug.

"Mummm, not here!" Ein was a bit embarrassed when his mother rubbed her cheek against his.

"Well, you're still eight, so don't you think it's okay to still be spoiled?" I teasingly added.

"I'm not a child anymore!" Ein insisted.

"Oh, sure you are~," Nicole kept teasing Ein.

"Listen carefully, Ein. You need to treasure your childhood and enjoy being pampered while you can!" I adopted a lecturing pose and tone as I waved my index finger in front of Ein.

"See? Listen to what Lyra-chan told you, Eine dear~"

"There, there, I think we shouldn't hold them too long, Nicole, Ein," Clyde suddenly remembered that there were other nobles that still needed to deliver their greetings for the twins.

"Ah, you're right. Eine dear, you can continue speaking with Lyra-chan, Freyr, and Freyja after this, okay?" Nicole quickly grasped Ein's hand and was about to drag him back along with her when suddenly...

"Salutations for His Majesty the King, Her Majesty the Queen, His Excellency the Crown Prince, and Her Benevolence the Princess!"

Ah, it has come-! The usual thing—the arrival of the royal family~ Furthermore, all main members of the royal family are here! Perhaps it's because of a special birthday occasion, namely the twins' debut party.

Sometimes, it would just be Luca and Leticia or just Luca coming with their guards and maids to our birthdays. Sometimes along with the queen, or sometimes with the king only. It depends~

The other nobles quickly made a way for the royal family to come and congratulate the twins. Naturally, all my family members also quickly gathered in one place to give our bows to the royal family.

The members of Loera main family—namely Clyde, Nicole, and Ein were still standing next to us, so they quickly positioned themselves beside my family. It would be a more appropriate gesture than quickly distancing themselves from us, as if they were avoiding the approaching royal family.

Freyr and Freyja kept looking to their left and right as they seemed to be amused by the other nobles' reactions of making ways for the royal family. Mom had to remind them to keep their focus to the front—to the upcoming royal family. After all, the twins were the stars of the party, so it would be better for them to watch their behavior from now on. I hope they will gradually get used to it.

"All rise. You can resume your activities normally, don't mind us that much," King Titus solemnly ordered the other nobles to stop bowing and paying attention to the royal family and us—in other words: Go and mind your own business!

Being obedient citizens and nobles, the surrounding people immediately did as what the king said.

"You pair have grown up so fast, huh? And Leti's debut party is coming after you. Make sure to come and accompany her, okay?" Queen Shaula stepped forward and slightly bent her body to pat the twins' heads.

Hearing that her name was mentioned, Leticia popped out from behind her mother to peek at the twins.