Chapter 443: Astrid’s Annoyance

"It’s not fair." Balder sulked within his room, looking at his twin sister. Alfred hadn’t grounded him and wasn’t allowed to do anything. Although Balder wanted to play, seeing Violet in the corner of the room, watching the twins, he was too scared to try his luck. He had already found out that his caretaker, the woman who had watched him grow, would never side with him but with his father.

Astrid sat in front of Frida, letting the woman braid her hair, watching with interest and trying to learn so she could one day do it herself. "You shouldn’t bully Edward. He’s nice." Astrid said softly, looking towards her brother. Frida grabbed her chin and forced her to look straight.

"Why do you side with him?" Balder snapped, "He’s creepy and boring." Realising his mistake, he looked to Violet. Seeing that she didn’t move, he sighed in relief.

"You never spoke with him. He’s really nice if you talk to him." Balder rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"I hate him. He gets his father’s attention and his mother..." Balder shivered at the thought of Isra. The woman terrified him more than anyone in the world. He didn’t understand why, but whenever he looked up at her, piercing, cold black eyes stared back. Every time, he had the instinctive reaction to flee.

"We have to call her our mother, Balder," Astrid warned, her voice soft. Much like her brother, she was also terrified of Isra. They both knew that she wasn’t their mother, Isra making it clear herself. Whilst in public, they would act respectfully towards her, knowing that it was something they must do; in private, they tried to stay as far away as they could, terrified that she would do something to them.

"Do you really like Edward?" Balder asked after a few seconds of silence. He couldn’t understand his sister. To him, Edward was a freak. It wasn’t just his inability to walk but his personality as well. Unlike the rest of the people in his class, Edward sat alone, never talking unless spoken to. He had a depressive aura around him that brought the mood of those around him down. And his eyes. When Balder thought of them, he shuddered. They were the thing Balder hated most. They were the same colour as his but were almost always empty.

"I..." Astrid spoke and paused. Looking at herself in the mirror, she smiled. "I feel bad for him. he hasn’t got any friends." Astrid didn’t say the other reason. She knew Balder and that he would use whatever she said to mock and tease Edward. Even if it wasn’t public after Alfred’s punishment, he would still do it in private.

She remembered the one time Edward had fallen out of his chair after reaching over to grab something when she managed to get him to play with her. The screams Edward let out froze her at the time. The pain and anguish in them made her realise that Edward didn’t sit in his chair because he wanted to, but because he couldn’t live without it.

She couldn’t tell Balder what she had seen. Whilst her brother knew that something was wrong with Edwards’ legs, he didn’t know the extent of the problem. She didn’t want him to find out and hurt him because of her words.

"It’s his fault." Balder replied with a mocking tone and fell back on the bed, "I’m so bored." Staring into the ceiling, he sighed and closed his eyes. Although he had his father’s warning, he planned to get back at Edward and Samuel. He could still feel the pain from when he was slapped, even after a few days had passed. He had never been hit before that, and couldn’t stand that the two had caused it.

Astird looked out of the corner of her eye at her twin. It was obvious to her that he was planning something that would get him in trouble, but she had no desire to get involved. She had covered for him enough times to the point she was tired of his antics. His actions had started to annoy her.

’Maybe he will learnt his time.’Frida finished the braid after that thought, and, looking at herself, Astrid sweetly smiled and shot up. "Come." Astrid led Frida through the halls and proudly walked, lifting her head as high as she could to show off the Dutch braid. The servants didn’t react, moving to the side and bowing their heads.

’Where is it?’Looking at the many doors lining the hall, she tried to find the one that led to Alfred’s office, knowing he spent most of his time there. The grand halls were gigantic to her, and if she tried to walk them all, she would run out of breath before being able to finish. Looking around, she saw one door with two Royal Guards standing outside, and her face lit up.

Astrid ran over and stood before the two guards, their cold gazes softening up slightly at the sight of the child. "Is father inside?" She timidly asked, intimidated by the guards. One guard crouched down to be at eye level and took off his helmet to ease her worries.

"He is. Do you want me to see if he is busy?" Astrid rapidly nodded and looked back at Frida, who nervously stood by the side. The other guard knocked on the door and waited to be allowed entry. After a minute in silence, he stepped back out and looked at Astrid with a soft smile. "He can see you, but he is very busy, so you must be quick." Astrid’s face lit up, and she ran into the room as soon as the door opened.

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Alfred sat alone, a pile of paper next to him. His forehead creased as he stared at the paper lying before him. His eyes looked up to the door as it opened a second time, a small blond-haired girl running in. Her facial features made her look nothing like Alfred, but her blond, near golden coloured hair and bright blue eyes, resembling sapphires, never made anyone doubt she was his bastard child. Although blond hair and blue eyes weren’t rare in the Empire, the brightness of their eyes and the golden tinge in their hair were. A trait only Alfred, his children, and his deceased parents were known to possess.

Astrid ran over, making sure to slow down when she got close and shyly lowered her head towards Alfred. The initial softness she felt seeing her fought with the harsh look in his eyes, as his mind was conflicted on what to think.

Taking a deep breath, he put on his best smile and leaned over, "Astrid. Is there something you need?" Astrid looked up and shook her head. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

She shyly nodded and looked at Frida before looking back at Alfred, "Miss Jenny said my writing was the best in class." Frida proudly lifted her head, trying her best also to show off her hair.

Alfred’s lips curled without his realising. Reaching out, he looked at his hand for a second, hovering over Astrid. Closing his eyes, he patted her head, feeling the braids beneath his fingers, and he carefully held one. He could see that Astrid wanted to be complimented on them. His mind, however, overlapped hers and Helga’s faces. The softness that had been in his eyes vanished, replaced by a hard look, and he quickly turned away so as not to let her see.

"They..." His words were quiet, "They look... nice." Alfred tried to find a word to compliment his daughter. Any word that he could. Astrid noticed his hesitation but not understanding why he did, brightly smiled, hugging his leg, unable to reach any higher.

Breaking free, Alfred watched as Astrid ran out, chased by Frida. For a few seconds, he didn’t breathe. It was only when the childish laughter in the distance had gone silent that he did. Rushing over to a cabinet out of the children’s reach, he threw the doors open and grabbed a glass and a bottle.

Without caring, he poured himself a drink, spilling some and quickly downed it, letting the burning sensation of the whiskey take his mind off what he was thinking."fuck..." He hated how his mind worked. He had desperately tried to treat his children normally, not wishing to blame them for their mother’s actions, but he couldn’t.

With Balder, he could distance himself slightly, his appearance resembling his own, but with Astrid, he couldn’t. Looking down at his hand that patted her head, he took a few long, deep breaths. Memories surfaced of when the twins first showed up. He still vividly remembered his moment of weakness when he entered their room with the intention of killing them.

He could remember the feeling of when he had his hand around Astrid’s soft neck, and when her tiny hand reached out and grabbed his finger. "god damn it." Pouring himself another drink to suppress the memories, he looked back at his work and sighed. Stepping out of the room, he looked to one of his guards, "Tell Issac I am done for the day. Only come to me with important matters."

Alfred didn’t wait for them to acknowledge his order and closed the door behind him, collapsing on the couch. Closing his eyes, he slowly drank, letting himself unwind, waiting for the day to end.