Three Years Later...
GINA'S POV
It still came as a shock to me that my twins Charlotte, who was now called Lily, and Reginald, who was now called Locke, were turning four years of age today. It had been three years since I had left Napoleon's kingdom and that was by far the best decision I had ever made.
Who knew what Napoleon would have done to me because I did not want to follow his instructions? If I had stayed, by this time next year, my child would have been named Napoleon's heir, and Napoleon would have been the one to train my children, which was something I did not want. If he trained my children, there was a possibility he would turn them into a worse version of himself. Or he might have even done things to them that would affect them psychologically and ruin them forever.
Aunt Halle and I had wanted to give them a tiny, sweet evening with the company of close friends only on the invitation list. We wanted it to remain uncomplicated since it was a special occasion that happened only once a year.
Aunt Halle and I went on decorating the living room with blue and pink- the twin's favorite colour. We arranged fabrics and flowers around the living room. Aunt Halle was carefully putting a “Happy Birthday” banner on the wall which she had embroidered into a fabric. Her forehead was wrinkled through concentration. I was setting up the table when there was a knock on the door.
"I shall go to see who it is," I told Aunt Halle and walked towards the door.
Rachel and Emily came from Aunt Halle, the first guests with gifts wrapped in sparkling papers. They looked so happy and excited. Rachel’s loose curls bobbed back and forth as she giggled, listening to Emily say something, Emily’s soft hazel eyes smiling at me before offering me a perfectly wrapped gift.
"Happy birthday to Lily and Locke. Where are they?" Emily said that and embraced me so tightly.
"Thank you for coming," I said, squeezing her a little. "It means a lot."
"Anytime dear. Where are the children?"
"Oh, they are in their bedrooms. I got them ready earlier on but I'm sure they have slept off."
"Aww, that's too bad," said Rachel. "Well, when they wake up!"
A few minutes later, Victoria, a friend of mine, came over with her two very active boys; you could feel their energy even before they came inside. Boys immediately wanted to join the party, dancing around the table with gifts and announcing they saw the gifts for the party. It was their noise that finally woke Lilly and Locke.
They stepped out of their room, Lily in the pink floral dress and Locke in a blue tailcoat, yawning and rubbing their eyes. They seemed a little bit confused.
"Happy birthday!" We all cheered. They were pulled into a hug by the boys and then Aunt Halle's friend and my friend.
The kids were enjoying themselves to the fullest, singing and laughing away. They were also stuffing their faces with the variety of treats Aunt Halle and I had prepared.
Their laughter echoed through the house, happiness that I never thought in my life that it would mean so much to me. We adults discussed what was going on and occasionally took sips of our lemonade while basking in the sun and the glow casting through the window.
“This is just what I wanted,” agreed Aunt Halle, looking around the room and making her eyes glisten. "Just perfect."
I had hardly recovered from my mirth, then suddenly a knock at the door broke the laughter that filled the room. The person was not one to knock on the door lightly and politely. It was a firm knock that seemed like there was danger and that sent the room into immediate silence. Victoria looked at us horrified, her eyes squeezed, her eyebrows drawn together.
The children stopped playing about, frozen in spot, quite afraid and then they ran towards us for safety.
”Are there any special persons you are waiting for?" Rachel asked that, looking back and forth between Aunt Halle and me.
I looked at her for a moment; we both seemed bemused as we turned to Aunt Halle.
“No, we’re not,” she said. "I am surprised someone is knocking."
“I’ll get rid of them,” Victoria said, dropping her glass as she stood up. "Don't you worry? It is probably just some people who want to sell something.”
We both looked at each other and resumed our talk, but there was a new tone in the discussion. Shortly, Victoria came back, being rather surprised and maybe a bit disturbed.
"Who is it?" I asked, observing tiny creases appearing on her forehead.
"The fellow at the door says he knows you Sunflower. He knows the mother of the twins,’ Victoria said softly but with obvious hesitation.
Aunt Halle furrowed her brows in confusion and then her eyes met mine; it was an alarming exchange. "A man who knows sunflower? I hardly think that is..." She trailed off.
"Or have you met someone and you did not tell us about it?" Victoria asked, wiggling her eyebrows at me.
”I’ll get the door,” Aunt Halle said and she stood up, her voice and posture betraying nothing.
My heart skipped a beat. Who could this mysterious visitor be? What did he want with the twins?
There was no way it was Napoleon, or had he found out?
Aunt Halle slowly moved across the floor with her shoes dragging across the floor. She hesitated as she gripped the door handle, and then, with a sigh, she pulled it down and opened it before peering out.
"Hello?" She called out, stepping a foot further outside. "Who is it?" She asked.
Seeing as she did not seem to meet anyone, I stood up and walked behind her to see who it was but to our surprise, there was no one there.