Arden's POV-
"Arjen, Arien, and Arden..."
At the sound of his name being called, Arden looked up at the owner of the voice.
"This palace is luxurious, but behind that cover exists another place...a cruel and tangled one. As you have been acknowledged by father as members of the imperial family, you are also the owners of this place."
Alec's tone was serious, and the triplets looked at him with equally serious expressions.
"There will be more weight on your shoulders than before, but...there will also be comfort and wealth. I hope you'll live here and experience plenty of new things."
He smiled, before reaching out to Arien.
"For example, this."
His hand hovered above her palm, and a small orb of light was formed and then absorbed. Then, he turned to Arjen.
"Arjen, your turn."
He repeated the same motion for all three siblings. When he was finished, he smiled once again.
"This is big brother's present for you!"
Arden looked at his palm confusedly, then looked up at his second brother.
"What is this...?"
Alec's response provided no answer, and his smile made him seem like a fox.
"You'll find out later! It's my way of showing interest. I said that I wasn't interested before, but I am now."
Then, he stood up.
"Ah! It seems like Ishina is looking for you."
At this statement, Arien and Arjen bolted toward the maid and separated from the group. Arden was left alone with Alec, as he had since he arrived at the palace.
"Why don't we resume our walk?"
Arden nodded, and the pair walked toward another patch of flowers, with Alec identifying each flower and Arden taking note of each flower's uses.
"Roses can also be used to brew tea. I am quite good at brewing rose tea, and I'd love to prepare some for you after you recover."
Arden simply nodded along to everything his brother said. This continued until it was time for lunch. Arden was seated in a highchair once again as his brother fed him soup.
Arden felt his face flush from embarrassment, but he could not bring himself to ruin the pleasant mood. As such, he swallowed his embarrassment and remained seated in the highchair, wishing desperately for lunch to end.
[357 words]