The Heir (18+ Only) - Noblesse Oblige #2

Chapter One

Chapter One

"She vomited on me. Again." Holding the offending bundle away from him awkwardly, Levi Kalenius, Crown Prince of Cyanis, made a disgusted face at the splatter of pale yellow liquid near the collar of his v-neck tshirt. In his hands, four month old Princess Avriel DeRozan let out a cooing sound. Her mother, Isis DeRozan, the Crown Princess of Synlasia, laughed.

"It's not that much, Uncle Levi", she teased as she took her baby from him. She placed Avriel in the soft pale rose bassinet near one of the large open glass windows of the royal nursery they were currently in. Pressing a soft kiss to Avvy's blonde-brown curls, she straightened and grinned at her older half-brother.

Levi sighed, but smiled at the picture of happiness his younger (and admittedly favorite) sister presented. She practically glowed in wedded and maternal bliss. At twenty-one years old, Isis was six years younger than he. She had a heart-shaped face framed by a wealth of golden-blonde, slightly wavy hair currently free to fall to just above her waist. Her eyes were a fascinating shade of golden-hazel - a feature she had passed on to her daughter. At 5'10", she was taller than average, but shorter than his 6'2" frame. Her slim figure had filled out a bit more since her pregnancy and was currently clothed in a sleeveless maxi dress in a muted orange color.

She was their father's bastard daughter who Levi had brought to live at the royal palace of Cyanis after the tragic death of her mother, thus altering her life forever. He had always felt responsible for her growing up, and still did, despite the fact that she had been married to Leo DeRozan, Crown Prince of Synlasia, for over a year now.

"I'm glad I came to visit. I needed a vacation badly", Levi said as his sister perched on the window seat of a window adjacent to where Avriel's bassinet was. He went to gingerly take a seat beside her, holding himself too stiffly. Isis' bare feet landed on his lap and she shifted to get comfortable, shoving a large pillow behind her back.

"I'm glad as well. I do believe I actually missed you, Brother", she replied, still grinning. "Sit back! Relax! No need to maintain your posture in this room, Lev." She gently nudged him back with her feet until he shifted to mimic her semi-reclining pose against a pillow on the opposite wall.

"Really? You had time to miss me?" he asked, arching a dark brown brow.

"You're family - I always have time to think of you", she said with a shrug. "So, did you enjoy the christening ceremony this morning?"

"It was lovely. Mother was so thrilled when you asked her to be Avriel's godmother. She hasn't had an episode since she came to see you after Avvy's birth. She's even been going to see her doctors more regularly and without a fuss. If I had known that a baby would motivate her to be more stable, I would have married and had one long ago." Behati Kalenius had bipolar disorder. In the past, she had been resistant to treatment, but was now quite receptive to it.

At that, Isis blinked, tilting her head thoughtfully.

"Why aren't you married?" she asked.

"No time?" He shrugged a shoulder, a wry smile gracing his lips. "I'm going to be twenty-seven in a week, so it's possible that Father will present me with possible candidates soon."

"Will you spend your birthday in Jarah with us? Or are you going back?"

"I suppose I can stay here for a few extra days. Mother would love that, I'm sure. She's been getting on great with your father-in-law."

"I think he likes her", Isis said with a delighted laugh.

"She's still married to our father, you know", Levi said, disapproval radiating from him in waves.