Fantasy The Illustrious Estate of Lord Solberg

[Midnight Paragon]

Solberg Estate, 5:33 P.M

It had been quite a long day for the tired Lord Solberg as he emerged from his potion room from the secret door in the library and stretched with a loud yawn. Julius had spent the entire day with his alchemical ingredients trying to perfect an experimental blend of curative, a particular blend he had been trying many months now to perfect, and still had come no closer to reaching his goal. A sigh escaped him as he looked out the library windows to the setting sun. 'That late already?' He thought to himself as he pulled a small pocketwatch from his breast pocket and checking the time. Indeed, many hours had passed since he first began his experiments for today: he had most likely skipped lunch without realising it. As if to reiterate that fact, his stomach let out a long gurgle, and he stretched his arms once more before walking out of the library.
As he made his way through the halls of the Solberg Estate, each one elaborately decorated courtesy of the Estate butlers and maids, on his way to the dining area to see if dinner was ready, he found his thoughts returning to events of the previous month. Mother and Father had both decided to take a very sudden vacation, leaving all duties to Julius to uphold. Where his life before had been nonchalant, consisting mainly of days filled with experiments for new potions and elixirs, it was now mainly eaten up by the duties that came with being Lord of the Estate. Inwardly, Julius cried out in frustration: there was so much less time to do anything fun anymore! It was all signing documents and going over weekly reports: Julius barely had any time to work on his alchemy, not to mention his reduced time with his siblings. The stress was obviously affecting Julius, but for his siblings, he did his best to keep his worries under wraps. They didn't need to worry about him right now, especially with the midseason ball coming up...
Eventually, Julius came upon the staircase to the main floor, and he paused as he took his first step down its velvet path. He remembered this staircase vividly yesterday: there was a small bulge in the carpet on a certain step that almost made him fall over yesterday. Scanning the steps, his eyes fell onto the red urp in the carpet, camouflaged with the rest, and a mischevious smile spread onto his face. He deftly stepped over the rift of carpet and settled on the step next to it. He raised his fist in the air in triumph with a laugh. "Not this day, Villian of Velvet!" He proclaimed loudly, but mostly to himself. He turned back around with a smile on his face and took another step down the stairs- only to lose his balance on this one and fall over. The tumble down the large stair was not the most graceful of acts Julius had ever participated in, and with the little shrieks and moans of pain as he fell, it made for quite a pitiable sight. He stopped at the end of the stair, facedown on the marble floor, his hair and clothing disheveled. A low moan echoed from the floor as he lay motionless upon it. "Whhhhhyyyyyyyyy....?"​

 

[uesius]

Eve sat outside by herself on the veranda in the back of the estate, one hand gently wrapped around her small porcelain teacup and the other absentmindedly toying with the tassels of the chair cushion beneath her. While she gazed down at her cup, her thoughts were elsewhere. Eve had been drifting off a lot more lately, ever since her parents ran off without providing their children the decency of telling them when they’d be back. She was harboring a lot of resentment lately, something that couldn’t be fixed no matter how many cups of tea she drank.

Maybe I should talk to someone, Eve pondered, About my feelings. Perhaps they feel the same. Eve furrowed her brow. No, that’s wouldn’t do. She wouldn’t bother her siblings with her silly musings. They had a lot more to worry about.

A small sigh escaped her lips, her thoughts now towards her magical abilities. Mother and father hardly ever saw her perform anything worth praising. Visions of things moving out of the corner of ones eye, or small unidentifiable insects crawling meters away had been all that Eve was capable of before her parents left, and truthfully her abilities hadn’t matured much past that. She was frustrated with herself, and as a result she had ceased her diligent practice. Maybe magic wasn’t her forte, maybe she ---

Her thoughts were interrupted by a series of thumping noises coming from inside the manor. Curious to find the source of the sound, she got up, taking her teacup and saucer with her, and was greeted to the sight of her eldest brother collapsed on the ground at the foot of the stairway. The corners of her mouth curled slightly in a smile, finding her brother’s sad predicament both humorous and pitiful. “Julius?” she asked, her eyes widening slightly in confusion. “Is everything alright?” An underlying accusatory tone preyed beneath her meek words, as if subtly hinting, What has gotten into you, lying on the floor so foolishly like this?

 

[monochromegalaxy]

Another curse escaped Soleil’s lips as the carriage jolted once again, the sudden movement causing her hand to run off the page of her journal. The ugly line blaringly stared back at the woman, blotches of ink dripping from her shoddy quill. Serves me right for attempting to write in such conditions, she thought, closing up the journal and chucking it into her bag beside her. Soleil turned to the window, the night sky adorned with hundreds of small diamonds which she had come to admire over the last few years of a lonely existence.

Eventually, the estate started to draw closer, no longer resting on the horizon, the small glow now a large manor behind iron-wrought gates. Soleil felt the butterflies intensify inside of her stomach. The urge to puke and to cry out in joy battled each other, Soleil both excited and nervous about her sudden return. After all, she never did specify how long she’ll be away. Her cowardice during young adulthood never gave room for rational thinking.

‘I‘ll happily be slapped if that’s what it takes to stay home,’ Soleil mused, smiling as she remembered the times when her sibling were mere babies, their little chubby fists attempting to hit her in the face when she refused to allow them too much sweets.

The screeching of rusted iron against iron drew her train of thought to a halt, Soleil realising the gates being opened. She gulped as the carriage stopped in front of the grand entrance of the manor. Soleil nervously tapped her finger on the cold surface of her oil lamp before throwing the door open, too restless and impatient to wait. Soleil marched up the stairs, a maid trying to catch up as she carried Soleil’s large bag.

 

[Midnight Paragon]

It took a moment to register that a voice was resonating in Julius' ears. Once he had identified the almost sarcastic, concerned tone, he was certain that it was Eve, the third youngest sibling to him. His cheeks burned red with embarrassment, though they were hidden by the marble. He weakly brought his arm up and gave her a thumbs-up. "Just...peachy..." He murmured, his voice muffled from being spoken into the marble. He slowly pushed himself up with a sigh until he was standing: yup, it was Eve. She was holding a cup and saucer with a worried look on her face, though he could swear he saw the faintest of smiles on her lips. He shook his head and brushed his clothes off, trying to flatten them. "The Velvet Villain has struck yet again...it's always when the hero gets too cocky that the bad things start to happen..." He said almost in a monologue, staring up at the stairs. He turned back to Eve with his usual carefree smile, shaking off his mood. "Hope I didn't interrupt teatime or something. What were you doing out here at the back of the manse?" He asked, trying to smooth out his hair. He paused as he felt a stinging sensation on his forehead. He brought his hand down to see a splotch of red: The fall must have cut him some. He tutted and placed the back of his hand to the cut. "Son of a b-" He cut himself off quickly as he looked back to Eve. With an awkward laugh, he brushed off what he was about to say. "Beesting! Yep...beesting..." He said, slowly trailing off...
He gave another cough before turning his attention back to Eve. "So, do you know if dinner has been made yet. I was so caught up working I never noticed the time change..." He said sheepishly: if his hand wasn't already holding his forehead, it would be scratching the back of his head.

Mentions:
U uesius ​

 

[SapphireSkylines]

Maria walked into the dining room to check on dinner. It looked like a few of the servants were hard at work preparing the meal. A maid was setting the table. It looked like the meal was almost ready to be served, so she decided to go look for her siblings. She didn't want them to miss this meal, especially since a few of them most likely skipped lunch, especially her oldest brother Julius who was always hard at work on his potions. Maria stepped out of the dining room and began to look for her siblings until she came across one of the servants.

"My lady, you're just the person I was looking for. You got another letter and a package from Lord Norwood." Maria smiled weakly and took the small box and envelope from the servant. "Thank you." Maria carried her box and envelope to the front stairs before letting out a laugh upon seeing her brother. "... The stairs catch you again brother?" Maria slightly overheard him mention dinner, so she'd look to her brother sister and give them a nod. "Yes... dinner is ready, we should try to find Ellise. The last thing I'd want is for her to miss dinner."

 

[Cosmos]

|| Ellismore Solberg ||



Ellise let out a small chuckle, her long blonde hair wrapping and settling gentle around her shoulders, crouched gently with legs tucked under in a long flowing dress with a more simplistic design with a few hints of beige throughout, a hand going to her stomach as she closed her eyes and smiled down at it, "There, there~…. I know you enjoy the flowers just as much as I do but there's no need to get so worked up~" she teased a little, opening her deep purple orbs to stare down at the messy cobble and dirt floor, the small patch of dirt in between a crack had a flower coming out of it just freshly bloomed, she always loved flowers inbetqween cracks and had been working hard on making this one just as beautiful as all the others in the old hidden greenhouse, in fact she seemed to have lost track of time as she eyes slowly adjusted and looked up with a gentle head tilt at the small winkles of stars and darkness seeping into the greenhouse, being somewhat tucked to the side the last few streams of sunset were clinging to life, the small amount of light having been managed to convince her that it wan't half as late as it actually turned out to be.

Stumbling a little as she got up quickly and letting out a small and nervous laugh with and awkward facial expression she rubbed the back of her head a little sheepishly, a habit she'd picked up from her eldest sibling and only brother. "Well, seems we certainly stayed past our time limit, didn't we?" she asked he bulging midsection playfully, getting a few small kicks either in reply or annoyance at the sudden shift in posture, placing a hand on her back in support she slowly began to exit the greenhouse despite her eyes obvious longing to stay, taking one last glimpse back inside before turning out the doorway and walking away, there was no need to lock it, any small critters that came in weren't harmful, and there wasn't exactly anything worth stealing, not that anyone even knew of the place in the beginning, even she sometimes struggled to find it amongst the foliage and branches, now being so far along in her pregnancy things certainly weren't helped and to her slight disappointment she could only manage the trip once or twice a week at most without her siblings getting overly suspicious, ever since finding out she was with child they barely let her out of their sight, it was hard enough being the youngest child without them spying on her every move in the first place.

Giving a small shrug she began to gently hum to herself as she began the stroll back, the mostly covered and haphazard dirt pathway being followed carefully as to not get distracted or get herself lost again. As she reached near the edge of the forest area she heard the distinct clattering of hooves pounding down the pathway in the distance, "That's strange~…. Brother didn't mention anyone arriving at the mansion tonight?" she mumbled to herself curiously, blinking once again in startle before blushing as she realised she was once again talking to herself, every since getting pregnant she sure had been doing that a lot, she was aware the baby couldn't understand all that much, if any of what she was saying but it felt nice to always have someone around, good company as she explained to the others causally.

It was upon breaching the edge of the forrest she found her eyes set upon a carriage pulled up at the gates, the hand not supporting her back gently trailing along the stone surface of the mansions lower wall as she watched, squinting in attempts to work out who the figure was but soon giving up on her quest with a sigh and instead sneaking around the back way the servants sometimes used when it was a particularly nice day for air drying the washing, she knew most of the servant routes after all being the youngest child you spent a lot of time getting fussed over or chatting to the many housekeepers, especially as a child. Stepping inside and managing to come in without making too much noise she let out a withheld breath in relief as she made it to the corridor, having closed and locked the outside door behind her once inside, "Well! Seems we were successful in our mission, huuh?-" she began to her baby bump, stroking it gently with her free hand before being cut off at the end by a rather loud thud startling her and causing her eyes to widen as she quickly went searching for the noise, she had her suspicions but didn't want to assume anything until-….

Of course, she was once again right. Appearing from the hallway she let out a light chuckle at her eldest brother pulling himself off the marble floor, "Had another run in with the floor have we brother?~" she teased lightly as she leant against the doorway for a little bit, somewhat out of breath from the long walk back still, a small piece of leaf in her hair she noticed upon brushing the ends with her fingers and quickly pulling out with a light blush, dropping on the floor hopefully before anyone could notice, it was then another sound caught her attention as the distinct loud creaking and the sound of quick footsteps could be heard coming from the main entrance to the estate, "Oh, I was meaning to ask but are we expecting guests?~" she inquired in a gingerly tone.​

SapphireSkylines Midnight Paragon monochromegalaxy U uesius ​

 

[monochromegalaxy]

Soleil tugged at the ribbon that rested around her neck, an ornate brass key sliding out of her coat. She caressed the warm brass, the object resting between her thin shirt and heavy coat which was still damp from the prior rain that attacked her before her carriage ride from London. She traced the elegant ‘S’ on the key and smiled to herself. Soleil brought the key to the lock of the great doors of the mansion.

At the sound of the click, the doors opened, Soleil stepping inside. Her steps inside were shaky, as if a barrier was pushing her back when it was, in fact, her shame; her guilt; her second-thoughts. Soleil chewed on her bottom lip and her right hand found its way to her talisman, hand gripping onto its handle.

‘Remember your training, Soleil,’ the woman thought, releasing a heavy sigh. ‘Don’t waste those five years away.’

Soleil stepped further into the foyer, halting as she spots alll her siblings. She froze, not planning on finding all of her sisters and brother at once up at this time and this soon. Their tall and mature statures caught her off guard.

‘They’re not children Soleil, damn it!’ Soleil held back her urge to run up to them and smother them with her love and affection that built up over the years. She averted her gaze to the floor, feeling tears building up. She caught her oncoming sob and dabbed her tears away before looking back up.

“A-Ahem.”

‘What in the blazes was that!?’ Soleil internally screamed. ‘Ahem!? That’s the first thing you say to them after five years?’

 

[SapphireSkylines]

Maria smiled happily as she noticed Ellise. "Oh goodie! We can all go to dinner now." she put her hands together and rubbed them thoughtfully. Maria looked at her younger sister with a confused expression. "Um... no... not that I'm aware of. Did you see a carriage drive up?" That was when Maria heard the front door open and close, she gasped and couldn't believe her eyes... it was Soleil... but older and more mature looking. Of course she was older, it had been five years. Maria never figured out why Soleil left home in the first place. When Maria would ask her parents if they knew of her whereabouts, they didn't tell her much, either because they didn't know where she was or they wanted to keep where she was a secret. Her disappearance was perhaps... one of the biggest mysteries of her life. But now was not the time to figure out the mystery, her sister was back, and that was all that mattered.

Maria dashed up to the new arrival and gave her a tight hug. "SOLEIL! It's so good to see you again!" Maria smiled apologetically and took a step back. "... I'm sorry, we just missed you so much. It's a pleasant surprise to see you, especially after our parents decided to leave for an undetermined amount of time."

 

[Midnight Paragon]

Julius had barely asked his question before another voice spoke up from behind him, causing him to jump slightly from the surprise. This was Maria, the second eldest daughter of the Solbergs. She is a confident, well-mannered woman, a fact Julius is rather proud of, since he was sure to spend hours of etiquette practice with her when they were kids: unfortunately, very little of the lessons seemed to stuck with him. His cheeks turned red again as she commented on his fall, and he grumbled a little as he looked away with a bit of a pout. "N-no! I'll have you know I did this all myself! No simple carpet can best Julius Inigo Solberg!" He proclaimed with a bit of flair, not realizing that he had just casually admitted to falling down the stairs all on his own. Julius did not focus on this for another thing had caught his attention: Maria had what appeared to be some sort of package in her hands. Curiosity set upon Julius, which as experience shows is never a good thing...
But before he could ask or investigate, another softer voice spoke up yet again, causing Julius to jump yet again with a bit of gasp: honestly, these girls moved like ghosts! He turned to the source and his eyes fell upon the short, round figure of his youngest sister, Ellise. Julius always relished being able to say such a cute little thing was his sister, usually to her embarrassment, but he knew she still loved him: She even picked up a few of his quirks here and there! Ellise also commented on the stair situation, making Julius even more red as he simply stared down at the floor with a sigh. "Why is it whenever I goof up, you all suddenly happen upon me? I smell a conspiracy..." He said lowly, his head rising up as he finished with a suspicious look on his face.
But there was time to figure that our later! Maria had said that dinner was ready, and he was dying for some grub! He walked past them and started towards the dining area, but stopped midstep as Ellise spoke up again about visitors. Visitors...? There was no one supposed to be coming here for a while...did she happen to see someone suspicious walking around? Julius' nerves suddenly spiked: was it the bastard who had gotten her pregnant!? How dare he show his face around here again!?!?! He heard the sound of the foyer door opening and turned back around with angry steps. And he has the audacity to use the front door!?! Why that son of a-

And his thoughts suddenly cut short as he looked at the person who had let themselves in. Her hair was dark and long, and her dress a bit on the odd side...but as Julius looked upon her face, he knew there could be no denying who she was. Soliel: the eldest sister of the Solbergs, who had mysteriously left with little more than a note almost five years ago. Maria instantly rushed past him and clamped herself down on Soleil, almost making him spin around on the spot. Julius did not move or speak at all: he simply stared in disbelief. "Soliel....wow, must've landed harder than I thought...." He said thinking out loud to himself, looking down in concern as he tightened his grip some on his cut.

Mentions:
SapphireSkylines monochromegalaxy Cosmos​

 

[Cosmos]

Ellise had at first brushed off the visitor she commented on as her brother got up and him along with her eldest sister announced heading onwards towards dinner, honestly she wasn't all that hungry right now but oh well, if she were to not eat the others would all lock her in the bedroom with the house doctor for the next week knowing their over protectiveness. Going to turn and join her brother as he suddenly turned to a more angry expression she couldn't explain she was halted as a voice spoke up from behind, her shoulders tensing upwards as her whole body froze- s-…. she was hearing things right? It sounded a little off but there was only one thought that came to mind at the sound of the voice, as though not wanting to dare turn around and face the potential cause of the sound, not wanting her little hopes to be shattered her head almost refused to o so as her eyes widened in shock, "Soliel!-" the words barely escaped her mouth in a stuttered whisper before Maria and her eldest brother suddenly shoved past her in a rush, her previous shocked and slightly wide mouthed expression turning into a soft smile as she raised a hand up to just below her mouth politely as she giggled with closed eyes, "Really you two after all this time and you don't give the poor girl a chance to breath~….." she let out with a small head shake before she realised her own eyes had began to leak small crystal clear trickles down her cheeks, touching the small pools of water as though spruced and curious before shaking her head and turning to walk away, they'd all want some time alone she thought, to get to well-…. re-aqquiant themselves.

After all, she didn't want to add to the crowds- she…. she shouldn't. Soliel would want space, right? every word she reminded herself sounded like a lie though, was she really just being selfish in her thoughts? Did she really after all this time just want to run away, her heart begged her to stay, but somewhere in her mind carried a great fear as she slowly looked down at her stomach, was would the girl think- after all this she was…. in such a state that!- h-how c-could she present herself like this? Trying to toughen up she took in a deep breath and continued to slowly walk away.

SapphireSkylines monochromegalaxy Midnight Paragon U uesius

 

[uesius]

Cosmos Midnight Paragon SapphireSkylines monochromegalaxy

Eve shook her head disdainfully, chuckling softly before noticing the red mark on his fingers. “You should be more careful next time,” she said to Julius in a shoddy attempt at being concerned. It’s not like she wasn’t concerned for her brother’s well-being, it was just she didn’t quite know how to express it without sounding at least a bit patronizing. After all, he was acting extremely undignified. Is this how Solbergs were supposed to behave? Eve thought not.

Eve turned at the sound of Maria’s voice and greeted her sister with a smile. At the mention of dinner, her stomach turned, reminding her how empty it was. “Oh, excellent. I don’t think I’ve had much to eat today. Too much going on, it seems”

“Guests?” Eve repeated, after Ellise’s question. She shook her head, “I don’t think so, I haven’t seen –”

She was interrupted by a small cough coming from the front of the room and turned to see what the source was. Perplexed, she tilted her head, not entirely trusting what she was seeing. “Sol?” The pet name for her elder sister escaped her lips before she had time to remind herself that calling others by nicknames wasn’t polite, so she quickly corrected herself under her breath. “Soliel? Is that…?”

Her words were buried by her siblings excited exclamations, which warmed her heart. They were all so happy to see their sister, herself included. But her mind was awash with questions. Why did she leave? Does she know their parents left? Did she leave with their parents? Are their parents coming back?

“It’s been so long, Soliel,” she said, almost feeling like she was talking to a stranger. She tried to layer her voice with warmth and welcome, after all, this was her sister she was talking to. Her own flesh and blood, back from some long journey. The words came out strained and distant, “It’s so nice to see you again.”

 

[monochromegalaxy]

Soleil, caught off guard by the welcome, didn't even bother stopping the tears from overflowing. In her brief embrace with Maria, Soleil patted her back, not used to being towered over by her sister. In fact, it seemed that everyone had a growth spurt while she was away, Soleil herself only growing a little but not enough to be taller than them. This irked her slightly. As Maria stepped out of her arms and mentioned of their mother and father leaving, Soleil's brows knitted themselves together.

"What do you mean? When did they leave? Did they say how long-" Soleil stopped her questioning before she got too far. If they did leave in a manner similar to Soleil, she had no right to question their actions. "Then that means..."

Soleil turns to Julius, who was nursing a cut from falling over, eyes dazed as if he thought she was an illusion. "...you're Lord now." Another silence. There was too much to process; too much Soleil missed out on. She was surprised no on had been wed yet as most of them are of age, especially the new lord of the home. "I-I apologise everyone. I was a coward back then. I didn't know what to do. I, well, um," she stuttered, trying to keep her oncoming sobs under control, "I didn't want to scare or hurt you all! I promise I'll make up my time away from you. I know I've failed as the eldest sister but..." Soleil's pleading died down as she noticed her departing younger sister. Something was off about her figure.

'Could it be that..? Did I miss a wedding?' Seeing as her family are generally responsible people, Soleil assumed she did miss witnessing Ellise being wed. Assumed, of course.

"Did Ellise get married?" Soleil asked, a little confused. Ellise didn't seem like the type to rush things.

 

[The Forgotten Host]

Alfred opened his eyes, noticing something rather peculiar. The bed was much smaller before he went to sleep last night. Shifting around, he came to the realization that he was in his shadow cat form again. He was waking up in this form more and more these days, involuntarily transforming in his sleep. "Odd." He mused aloud, shifting back to human form. He looked outside his small window in the servant's quarter, noting it was well passed lunch.

He had slept through the full day. His old legs cracked and popped as he flexed them off the bed. Alfred slipped on his shoes and stood up with more cracks and pops resounding across his body. "This is what I get for staying up all night." The old man scolded himself. Though in the back of his head, he knew it was the nightmares that kept him up all night. He wasn't feeling particularly hungry, but his legs were itching for some exercise. He opened the door and began roaming through the estate. It had been a full day since he had a conversation with another human being.

He didn't like that. He wondered what the other Solbergs were up to. He decided it would be a good idea to visit one of them, see if they needed a good talking down to. Knowing his luck, most of them were up to no good.

 

[Midnight Paragon]

His attention was brought back to reality as Soleil spoke again. While her words were strained and tearful, Julius found this mannerism rather odd: he couldn't recall the last time he saw Soliel cry, as she was more inclined to comfort the people who were crying themselves. His memories flashed back to his teenage years where he and Soliel would almost take turns helping the younger siblings out, whether it be simple advice, practice with magic, or even questions about their studies. A wry smile fell upon his face as he thought of this, and as the girls began to crowd around Soleil, Julius sighed, cocking his head slightly and letting his hand fall to his side, the bleeding mostly stopped by now. A mature, kind smile was spread onto his face: it was moments like these that reminded him how much he loved being an older brother: watching the younger ones come together always brought a rush of nostalgia for his childhood...
But as he scanned the group, he noticed that one of the girls was keeping their distance. Julius raised an eyebrow at Ellise as an apprehensive look came over her, and she took a step back, turning away from the group. Soleil seemed to notice this as well (go figure), and she inquired as to Ellise's relationship status. She obviously meant her pregnancy and was curious about it: Julius simply scoffed and shook his head. "The day I hand Ellise to another man will be the day I crawl into my grave." He said melodramtically, but then scratched the back of his head sheepishly with his non-bloodied hand. "But no...I'll explain it to you later." He said with a nod, then turned and fast walked over to Ellise, practically skipping, and stopped in front of her with a confused look. "Hey, where you running off to? I know you're eating for two, but dinner can wait a few more minutes so you can hug your sister, can't it?" He asked, his tone joking, but what Julius was really asking was why was she running away? Julius thought Ellise would be the happiest out of all of them to see Soliel again: loathe as he is to admit it, Soliel always managed to get Ellise to come to her for advice over him. He gave her shoulder a playful smack with his clean hand and moved around her, facing her back towards the way she came. "Come on, she won't bite. Probably. Actually, i'm not too sure: could be biting is a custom where she went..." He mused, looking down in concentration.

Mentions:
Cosmos monochromegalaxy
​

 

[Cosmos]

Ellise continued to slowly pace away, a small and quivered smile on her lips as she tried to remind herself to be happy, the laughter and nostalgia of their words coming from behind did cheer her up a little until she heard a particular sentence mentioned by her eldest sister which caused her smile to turn a small frown, 'married'…. If she were life would be a lot simpler, but then again marriage was a matter she hadn't spoken of since a young child, something she hadn't even discussed with her siblings since she found out her preference was in fact much more towards-….

Julius of course came running up just as she were about to finish the panicked thought, snapping her out of the daze as she glanced over at him with wide and curious tear filled eyes, as he began to speak she couldn't help but find the smile return to her face just slightly and a chuckle escape her lips, how did he always know just how to cheer her up?…. She sweared the boy was a mind reader, then again knowing his magical skill he may just have invented such a thing. She hadn't listened to much of his words but the tone rang clear, a joking statement trying to cover up the fact of his concern in the matter before beginning to walk back stating Soliel wouldn't bite, then again she was sure she heard mother once state the girl did used to bite quite a lot as a child…. shaking the thought from her head she stopped her steps and turned backwards, huge belly now exposed to her elder sister as she faced her brother, both hands resting gently on it, "I just-…. I suppose Just don't want her to…. her opinion-…. I, I mean….." she stuttered, her words continuing to change as her facial expression scrunched up a little like that of a child as she tried despretly to hold back the tears from falling fro her eyes, trying despretly to force her smile to stay on her face.

monochromegalaxy U uesius Midnight Paragon SapphireSkylines

 

[uesius]

Cosmos monochromegalaxy Midnight Paragon SapphireSkylines The Forgotten Host

Eve’s eyes darted back and forth between Soliel and Ellise, absorbing the drama with a keen interest. A part of her almost enjoyed it, it was like she had front row seats to a juicy soap opera. Only this wasn’t a soap opera. It was her life, seemingly unfolding right in front of her.

The topic of Ellise’s pregnancy was certainly a touchy subject, and Eve supposed it would have been brought up sooner or later. She was still conflicted with her emotions towards her younger sister, not entirely sure what to think about her being with child at such a young age. Nevertheless, Eve always wanted what was best for her sibling, whether she personally agreed with it or not.

At the sound of Ellise’s quivering voice, Eve stepped closer to her sister and rested a palm on her shoulder in a protective manner. “Come now,” she said, trying to diffuse the situation before it got too much out of hand. “We’re all hungry, why don’t we go sit down and have something to eat?” She glanced up at Soliel, then gestured towards the dining room, already prepared seemingly ages ago. “The food is getting cold. We don’t want our chefs’ hard work to go to waste. Let’s go eat, shall we?”

 

[The Forgotten Host]

Cosmos monochromegalaxy Midnight Paragon SapphireSkylines U uesius

Alfred finally found the children after hours of aimless wandering. That was how he normally found people, ambling about until he happened upon them. Like the previous generation, and the one before that, they were bickering. Oh did the Solbergs know how to bicker. From the first lord he ever served to the fourth, banter was a staple of the estate. Alfred had grown accustomed to it. He even knew how to diffuse the situation if it escalated. Shifting into a shadow, he swooped in under Julius's silhouette. He would only do this to the estate's staff and the younger generation of the estate. Normally it was something petty they would argue about; a missed event, a bad birthday gift, chariot racing. But as Alfred listened to the children in the shadow of his young master, he heard lost parents, pregnancies, the new lord of the estate.

It was then that Alfred slowly began to realize, the fifth generation of the estate was growing up. Alfred had come to pass with this transition multiple times in his long life, but he was never truly prepared for any of it. Their father, the eccentric type, was known to disappear for months on end in his youth, always coming back with a story to tell. But when he was formally named the lord, he stopped. Alfred wondered, were the rolls changing? The old man took a shaky breath. "They are just children..." He whispered, realizing that he mused out loud.

 

[Midnight Paragon]

Ellise's strained voice made a knot twist itself into Julius' chest. She was on the verge of tears, and Julius began to panic. He had only made one of his siblings cry exactly once in his entire life (as far as he knew, anyway), and the experience made him feel so terrible that he swore he'd never let one of his siblings cry if again if he could stop it. He took a silent breath and quickly mulled over the broken sentence Ellise was trying to display. If he understood it correctly, she was simply scared that Soleil might reject her because of her pregnancy: and if that was the case, it was perhaps the most insane worry he had ever heard. He placed his clean hand on Ellise's shoulder and moved his head in closer so that he could speak to her without the others hearing. "Hey. Look at me." He told her, his tone unusually serious as he stared her dead in the eyes. "Soliel loves you with all her heart: just as im sure you love her with all of yours. No matter what happens, we're all still family, and you can tell her anything: I know she would understand. Your family will always stand by you, each and every one of us." He finished with a smile and a small squeeze of her shoulder. No matter what, her family just wanted her safe and happy in the end, and every sibling here knew that. He gave her a nod and turned back around to Eve, who had just spoken up and suggested to move the party to the dining area, most likely in an attempt to defuse the tension. Picking up on it quickly, but really just being pretty hungry anyway, Julius nodded. "Good idea, Eve! I'll be damned if I miss a plate of spaghetti!" He said excitedly, and turned to make his to the dining hall- but stopped abruptly. A shiver went up his spine: he knew this feeling. Quickly, he scanned the environment for all dark or dim places. He had to do it every time...never could just walk down the stairs like a normal person! But as his eyes darted over every dark spot around, he couldn't spot a single thing pointing towards his location...no, he didn't...did he...? Julius felt a wave of dread fill him as he looked down to his shadow...
Yep. Alfred was in there.
Julius let out an annoyed huff as he stared down at his shadow. "Alfred! How many times have I told you to use the stairs!? Listening in on the conversations of others is very rude!" He said in a raised voice as he stared down at his shadow, which, given no context, might have looked a little strange.

Mentions:
Cosmos U uesius The Forgotten Host ​

 

[SapphireSkylines]

Maria stepped away to allow her other siblings to hug or talk to Soleil. She watched as Ellise walked away and frowned. She was about to walk over to comfort her, but it appeared that Julius had things taken care of so she stayed where she was at. She overheard Julius telling Soleil that he would explain Ellise's pregnancy to her later... and that's when it dawned on her that she herself didn't know much about her pregnancy either. Maria didn't think that Ellise had much of an interest in men, so when everyone found out she was pregnant it came as a shock to her but otherwise had been supportive throughout her pregnancy. Maria then noticed Eve being rather cold and distant, which was understandable. It's hard to talk to a sister, or even a friend you haven't seen in five years. Maria then heard Julius talking into the direction of a shadow. She smiled and gave the shadow a small wave. "Hello Alfred, are you ready for dinner?"

Cosmos Midnight Paragon The Forgotten Host U uesius monochromegalaxy

 

[monochromegalaxy]

Soleil nodded solemnly, but followed with, "Oh brother dearest, biting is a custom everywhere. In a, shall I say, certain context of course." The woman chuckled to herself at the impure implication, feeling heat spread across her cheeks as certain memories resurfaced. Remembering she's in the presence of her family, Soleil quickly regained her composure. "It's alright. Let us all have dinner first before any serious discussions. Come." Soleil approached Ellise, taking her hand and leading her to the dinning hall, caressing her sister's knuckles with her thumb soothingly. "Alfred, up to your antics as per usual?" Soleil commented with a small smile as she passed by Julius and Alfred.

 

[Cosmos]

Ellise couldn't help bu let out a more genuine smile at her brothers words, giving a small nod afterwards, how did he always know just what she needed to hear? She swore the boy had a stronger magic than any of them truely knew. As Eve continued with a statement of dinner, followed by Alfred appearing in his usual nonchalant manner of shadows she let out a soft chuckle, only brought off guard when Soliel suddenly walked up and grabbed her hand as they continued toward the dining room, her eyes widening but not refusing as they went, she looked down a little with a light blush on her cheeks, she really was just a shy little child at heart. Out of all of them Soliel had maybe missed the most of Ellise growing up, after all when she'd left the others had mostly been in their late teens or early adulthood, but Ellise had barely turned fourteen, the girl was shattered upon the discovery, but soon picked herself up trying to convince herself it was more important to be there for her family, to take on the role they'd lost.

It was once they arrived in the room she stood awkwardly beside her chair for a moment, not waiting for it to be pulled out as unfortunately a servant assumed and rushed over to help out which made her blush profusely, waving her hands in the air only to realise her grip on Soliel's and still letting go in a slight panic and taking a seat, letting out a shaky breath as she got into it with a polite smile, secretly pleased to finally have a seat after such a long time, no matter how much she didn't dare admit it these days her back had been a throbbing mess with aching, she was a small figure of the girl and the doctor ad warned her of such coming upon later down the line, especially in such a young pregnancy, after all the whole event had started when she was eighteen, only having turned nineteen a few months ago truth be told. She'd clearly gifted off into thought as usual of the younger sibling, her eyes dazed and staring off at some seemingly unknown presence, only being snapped out of it by the light brushing of leaves against her feet sending a tinge of panic down her spine as she tried to subtly glance down to in between the cracks of the floor boards- flowers. Lately it had become harder and harder to control her powers and such events kept happening, she of course wasn't too bothered by the situation but relating to her powers unwanted side effects, her siblings weren't all that keen.

monochromegalaxy SapphireSkylines Midnight Paragon U uesius

 

[SapphireSkylines]

Maria followed the rest of her siblings to the dining room and sat down in one of the chairs. She then remembered the package and envelope she got earlier from one of their servants. She decided to go ahead and open it up, she went for the envelope first. She carefully tore it open and slipped the letter out of it and then unfolding it. Maria gazed down at the letter, which was written neatly and in cursive.

Dearest Maria,

There hasn't been a day that I haven't thought of you. How are you doing? I hope your siblings are faring well, your youngest sister must be close to having her child. I am excited and happy for you. I know I was overjoyed when my niece and nephew were born. Our conversation at Aunt Matilda's garden party really inspired me, so I decided to take some piano lessons. I hope when I get good enough that I'll be able to play for you one day. I am continuing my research on portal and teleportation magic. I'm hoping that one day I'll figure out a way for all of us to travel quickly and safely to other areas and for us to travel to other worlds. Maybe one day I can show you my studies. I miss you, and I hope I get to see you at your family's mid season ball. I got you a present! They're not nearly as beautiful as you but I hope you like them.

Sincerely, Lord Benjamin Norwood

Maria didn't show much of a reaction when reading, just a sigh and a look of uncertainty. She then decided to open up the small box that came with envelope revealing a pair of diamond and pearl earrings. She covered her mouth as her eyes widened in surprise. She eyed and admired the earrings for a few seconds before closing the box and putting it and the refolded letter next to her plate.

Spoiler: Earring Reference

 

[uesius]

SapphireSkylines

Eve tagged along behind their siblings as they all walked to the kitchen. She gave Alfred a polite nod as she passed, but remained silent while she pulled out her chair and sat down.

As she allowed one of the servants to make her plate, her eyes wandered over to Maria, sitting nearby, who had her nose buried in a letter. My, so popular, she teased to herself in a sisterly fashion. Eve couldn’t remember the last time someone had written her a letter. She couldn’t help but be a little nosy. It’s what younger sisters do best, after all.

Her expression of faint interest turned to one of amused curiosity as Maria pulled out a box. Judging by the look on her sister’s face, the contents seemed very impressive. “What do you have there, sister?” she asked Maria in a low, inquisitive manner. “From some secret admirer, perhaps?”

 

[SapphireSkylines]

Maria looked over at Eve who she was sitting next to and gave her a smile. "Oh it's from Lord Norwood. Not sure if you remember or not, but we met him at a garden party last summer. He's a very nice man, about Julius's age but I still don't know how I feel about his advances." Maria scooted the letter and box over to Eve so she could take a look if she wanted. Maria's plate was served and Maria eyed it hungrily but still remained polite and proper as she began to eat her meal.

U uesius

 

[The Forgotten Host]

SapphireSkylines Midnight Paragon

Alfred returned back to his regular form, upon his master's command. "I only do so for the house of Solberg, master Julius." He stepped away. "I only consider it rude when doing it to your father, and his father before him." He straightened his back to the sound of snaps and pops. Shadow shifting was not as easy as it used to be. "You may punish me when you assume the roll of formal lord of the estate." That stated aptly, he bowed to his young mistress. He didn't like bowing to anyone, but he was still in debt to these people after all these years. "Ofcourse milady, I will go eat in my quarters post-haste."