Sharing a birthday wasn't something new to Roksu.
He still hadn't worked out why he was so familiar with it, scattered memories attempted to organize themselves in his head but there were simply too many of them. Compared to the average person, Roksu had far more memories that could never be forgotten.
As a child who's brain hadn't really gotten the knack of a long term memory, it caused him a lot of headaches. Literal aching resounding through his skull as his entire body shook painfully under the intense pressure of memories he couldn't understand and couldn't fully grasp. It normally happened to him the most at night, perhaps because the land of dreams was attempting to organize his scattered thoughts.
When it got bad there would be two hands on either side holding his.
It was a warmth that Roksu wasn't used to. But he was grateful for his siblings then. They didn't ask him about his 'nightmares' and they didn't complain. They were simply there.
There was something about the concept of a person simply remaining at his side without leaving that always made him strangely emotional.
Roksu was a bit excited to share a birthday. It was a fondly nostalgic feeling that built up inside of him when he considered the possibility. Distant memories of a smiling man always pushed their way to the forefront of his mind whenever he tried to understand why.
The sight of him was pleasant and also made his chest ache.
His siblings on the other hand didn't seem to be quite as at home with a shared birthday.
"Do we have to celebrate on the same day?" Cale complained, laying face down on the carpet of the playroom with a groan.
"Do we have to celebrate at all?" Penelope sniped back, flipping through a picture book with the sort of expression that said she'd have strong words with the author if she could.
Roksu sat between them with a thoughtful frown. His own feelings towards birthdays were somewhat complicated, what with the memory of that person always creeping back into his thoughts but he really didn't see what the big deal was with celebrating it. It was just one day and it would pass.
Besides, he liked doing things with his siblings.
"What if I burned down the house? Do we have to celebrate then?" Cale asked, peeking up from his staredown with the carpet.
Penelope shot him a oh lord, you're dumb look as she spoke. "Arson is your answer to everything."
"I don't hear you suggesting anything better." Cale said, flopping back down miserably. "...I don't like it."
"...why not?"
The two looked up to their quiet brother. Roksu was frowning just a bit and he felt strangely upset for a reason that he couldn't even recognize.
He would be three years old in just two days. So would his precocious siblings.
He would be three years old and they shared a birthday with the other two and he didn't know why but he wanted them to be happy about it too. He wanted them to have a good birthday together.
In fact, the more he thought it over, the more his expression pinched up in dismay and his frown deepened. He realized with unerring certainty that he wanted to cry. Outside of infancy, Roksu didn't cry very much at all. Only when the pain from his colliding memories became too much would a few agonized tears squeeze out of his eyes as his tiny body simply couldn't handle the pain.
He wanted to see the man from his memory with aching acuity. Wanted to hear him laugh and say how fun it would be to celebrate together.
It was a disjointed memory that didn't work with any of his current life but it hurt to know that he wasn't here. It hurt to know he couldn't celebrate with him.
It hurt that his siblings didn't want to celebrate with him.
A rough sniffle escaped from him and he closed his eyes because he definitely wasn't going to cry. That was silly and this was no big deal and it was just a birthday they happened every year whether you liked them or hated them.
Gentle hands held his own and he peeked his eyes open.
It was unusual to see Penelope's face so open with concern. She had a thousand yard stare that put her brothers to shame and the sort of composure that court ladies could only dream of. Cale was a bit more open in showing concern but Roksu still didn't like seeing his chubby little face aghast with concern.
Children should be able to eat well, play well, and they shouldn't need to feel so worried. Roksu didn't like that he'd caused them to worry.
"I'm fine." He lied, his voice leveling out into his normal calm monotone.
"Bullshit." Cale said, entering all the way into his private space remorselessly. Penelope nodded along with her brother as though he'd said something profoundly true.
'...what scary perceptiveness.' Roksu looked away. His wandering gaze caught sight of the window and out into the sky beyond.
The expansive sky claimed it could grant wishes.
Roksu knew it was a liar.
The only thing to do was to grant his own wishes.
"...I wanted to..." He said, feeling an embarrassed flush take hold of his cheeks but he couldn't stop now. It was just a simple sentence and he could speak perfectly well. "...share my birthday... I like it."
There was a pregnant pause in the room where nothing could be heard but the beating of Roksu's heart in his chest as he'd exposed his vulnerability with such simple honesty.
The warmth of Cale's hand left and Roksu's heart nearly stopped. He'd said too much. He'd said the wrong thing. Why was he making such a big deal about this? It didn't matter at all. It was just one day of the year that he happened to have been born.
Two stubby arms wrapped tightly around him as Cale nearly tackled him to the ground with a hug. Roksu's eyes shot wide open with surprise and he noticed a gentler hug wrapping around him from where Penelope had been sitting.
"We'll celebrate together!" Cale said firmly, as though that's what he'd intended the whole time and there was absolutely nothing in the world that could stop his war path.
"We'll drain the Count's bank accounts." Penelope joined in and it was so rare to get a hug from her that Roksu was stunned into silence.
"We'll eat lots of tasty food and we'll make Beacrox cook everything!" Cale said, creating yet more plans for the celebration that was surely already planned.
Roksu could feel Penelope's nod and he wondered if they both knew that Roksu liked Beacrox's cooking best. "We'll play all day."
Roksu smiled.
His brother and sister were just about suffocating him with their persistent hug and some of the plans they were coming up with just weren't even realistic but... the part of his heart that had been aching didn't hurt so much. And that warmth he'd been longing for filled him up from the pit of his stomach.
For some strange reason he felt like crying even more now that the pain had passed. He stifled it though. He didn't want to worry them even more.
"Roksu is so stupid." Cale said when he finally pulled away, but he sat at his side without moving.
Penelope nodded in agreement as she followed suit, sitting on Roksu's other side. "He needs to work on his communication skills."
Roksu felt a bit wronged by their assessment but he didn't complain, closing his eyes as he considered taking an afternoon nap.
He could hardly be considered bad at communication in comparison to Cale or Penelope but it wasn't really a battle he cared to win.
He'd already managed to win against the sky and that was the only victory he needed for the day.
–
Count Deruth didn't attend the birthday party.
It was the same day he'd lost his wife so people understood that he was grieving. It was more reasonable last year, being the second year since her death and before the children could really have any method of remembering whether their father came or not.
But they were three now and the servants were starting to grow nervous that the children were growing all too aware of their father's neglect.
The children were already well beyond their age in most other skills, it only made sense that they would understand it. Count Deruth Henituse was not a bad man.
He was a fair man who knew how to protect his territory and his family while keeping the citizens happy and fed. He was kind to those who worked under him, firm with those who broke the laws of the land, and he loved his family.
It was a shame that not being a bad man did not actually make him a good father. He buried himself in his work after his wife's passing, hardly making the time to see his infant children at all. The triplets wanted for nothing in their life.
The servants were under instructions to give them everything they could ever desire and more. They were raised in an overabundance of comfort, security, and support.
Deruth was just too much of a fool to understand that a child needed more than just that in order to grow up with a healthy mind. It was lucky for him that his children were so unique. Or perhaps it was lucky for the children, no child deserves to grow up wondering why doesn't daddy love me?
Penelope didn't wonder. She didn't expect anything from him to begin with and she was perfectly happy to avoid him for the rest of her life if he chose to avoid her.
Roksu was unfamiliar with the concept of a father. Distant memories of caretakers only reminded him of pain and starvation so he didn't care about getting his attention.
Cale... Cale would look for his father. Not so childishly as to chase after him in the halls but he'd always look around with this peculiar look to see if his father was nearby and when he didn't find the man, he'd frown to himself before nodding ever so slightly. As though it was the result he'd expected anyway.
That was why it was so worrisome that Deruth hadn't even bothered to wish his children a happy birthday.
Roksu and Penelope shared a look as Cale's eyes raked over the room again, searching above and around the piles of presents for the familiar figure of their father.
"...if he comes, I'm going to hit him." Penelope said in Korean. Roksu nodded in agreement, frowning as well.
"We should get Ron." Roksu replied in Korean.
For anyone listening, it sounded like childish gibberish. Roksu and Penelope didn't understand why they knew a second language or even that understanding a second language was a strange thing at such a young age, but they were able to comfortably communicate to each other in Korean before they'd even learned the language of the Roan Kingdom.
It was convenient for times like these when they didn't want anyone else to listen to their words.
Penelope got up from her chair, walking over to where she'd last seen Ron organizing the servants. He took charge over situations very easily for a butler, she noticed. Or perhaps a butler's job meant they needed the ability to take charge. She wasn't sure about it but she knew that he wasn't a man to be underestimated.
But they needed him right now.
She found him, tugging at his pant leg and looking up at him with an impassive gaze. Ron looked down, his ever present benign smile making Penelope frown.
She pointed to where Cale was sitting and stared at him harder.
He wasn't dumb. She knew that much at least. And if he was so dumb that he couldn't figure this out than he didn't deserve the love that Cale reserved for him.
Ron's expression shifted subtly and for a moment she wondered if he'd say no. If he'd draw the line of servant and young master and leave Cale to the feeling that was clearly eating him up inside.
She promised herself that if he did, she'd make the butler's life a living hell from this moment onward. She was still dicey on the concept of brother's but she was even less fond of adults who'd leave children to grieve alone.
Ron leaned down and scooped her up. She let herself be held just this time without complaint because it wasn't about her discomfort at the moment.
She scowled at him and he smiled back.
"My, my, what a grumpy kitty you are." He said with a chuckle, carrying her back over to her siblings and plopping her down on the couch alongside them. He then brought his attention to young master Cale, kneeling in front of him to fix his collar from an invisible wrinkle.
"Would you like some juice, young master Cale?" He asked.
Cale looked towards him and for just a moment, the pup looked so lost that it was heartbreaking. But slowly, he regained his composure and huffed arrogantly at Ron. "No lemonade."
"Ah, but young master Cale, lemonade is good for your growth." Ron teased enjoying watching the pup's expression pinch up in dismay.
"If you bring me lemonade, I'll throw it at your head." Cale threatened but there was no malice in it. "Or even a pinch of lemon!"
"My, this Ron has caused the young master to distrust him to this extent. Perhaps I'll have to prepare it in front of you then?"
Cale nodded and held out his chubby arms to be picked up. Ron lifted him up obediently, sparing a glance for the two children left on the couch. "Would young master Roksu and young master Penelope also like some juice?"
Roksu wanted to refuse. Any moment away from Ron was a happy moment in his books. Penelope also just wanted to count her money, she'd considered rolling around in it like a cartoon duck.
But Cale peeked at them from his spot in Ron's arms and they had promised to spend their birthday together. They sent each other what can you do looks as they nodded and stood up, toddling after Ron towards the kitchens and away from the bright party.
At least Ron was reliable. Penelope still didn't like him but he was an adult that she could reluctantly admit to being able to actually provide proper care for children.
Cale smiled from his position held securely in Ron's arms.
He planned to be an absolutely unrepentant brat the moment they entered the kitchen and he knew for a fact that Ron would indulge him.
Deruth Henituse wasn't coming. Cale already knew that in the bottom of his heart because he knew that his father was just as weak as he was affectionate.
More and more often these days he didn't bother looking for his father at all and instead he looked for the tall figure of his dependable butler. But that was a secret that he wasn't ready to admit to, maybe not even to himself.
It was a good birthday.
Penelope and Cale might not be able to remember it very well in the years to come but Roksu would. He'd remember how Cale splashed juice in Beacrox's kitchen and how the three of them had run away from his wrath. He'd remember how they hid together in a corner and Cale giggled childishly and as though it was a contagion, Roksu and Penelope followed suit.
He'd remember how when Ron finally found them, his eyes glimmering with amusement, he found them delirious with giggles and covered in spilled juice.
He'd remember eating the delicious cake that Beacrox baked just for them and watching Penelope roll around in her riches with an uncharacteristically pleased smile on her face.
He'd remember counting his own loot and being privately pleased over the amount the count had gifted him.
He'd remember falling asleep with his siblings as they muttered sleepy happy birthday's to one another.
If he was a little bit feverish that day, no one took notice.
The day they all aged a year old strangely made them all feel just a bit younger.