CHAPTER 76: TWINSTER: TO SURVIVE

And they were right. One morning they woke up to find something foul under their bed. It wasn’t theirs. It was obviously from that red haired boy they called the Devil.

Because of that, the maids reprimanded them, and rumors spread around the mansion that they were uncivilised. But giving up wasn’t in their nature.

Back in the Red District, they learned how to win hearts just to survive. If charm kept you alive there, it would work here too.

So they started helping everywhere. They wiped tables with the maids, organised shelves with the butler, and peeled vegetables in the kitchen.

Slowly the staff began to adore them. The rumors faded, replaced by a new nickname: the Twinster.

They earned it because they moved so quickly that chores vanished in minutes, and no one could tell which room they had just sprinted through.

They were like tiny whirlwinds, here one second and gone the next.

One day, while carrying groceries to the kitchen, they turned a corner and ran into Mikhail.

He slammed his shoulder into Silas hard enough to knock him and the apples to the floor.

"Oops. I didn’t see you there," he said with a scoff. "Too small and too insignificant to notice."

Adrian set the groceries down and knelt beside him, but of course he had to glare too.

"What’s your problem with us?"

"Problem?"

Mikhail leaned closer, broad and imposing for a five year old. His sharp red eyes glinted with something mean.

"Look in the mirror. You are the problem."

He paused, studying their faces with an unreadable expression. "Do you like Lucien?"

The question startled the twins. They looked at each other in confusion.

"Of course we like him. He saved us," Silas said, trying to sound brave even though his hands were trembling.

Mikhail tilted his head. The sound he made wasn’t quite a laugh, more like he found something pitiful. He ruffled both of their hair in a way that hurt.

"Never mind. Imagine me, jealous of little boys."

He walked away, leaving them confused and uneasy.

After that, the days passed normally. Mikhail never bothered them again. A full year went by.

They made friends with the men in black suits, the ones who always looked serious.

But those same men cracked jokes with them, slipped them candies, and even taught them curses they weren’t supposed to know.

One afternoon, a middle aged man with a fake left eye called out to them. "Hey boys, running errands again?"

Rocco asked, with his friend Gio beside him. Most children were scared of Rocco. The Twinster weren’t, so he liked them.

They nodded, and Rocco reached into his pocket. Instead of candy, he pulled out a black rectangle.

"Oops. Wrong item." He started to put it back, but Adrian’s curiosity won.

"What’s that? Can we try it?"

"Oh, this is a gun." Rocco held it up. "You want to try using it?"

Gio smacked him hard. "Are you out of your mind? They’re six!

"What? I smoked when I was ten. Kids are too soft nowadays."

Gio groaned. "No, you are just deranged."

Silas stared at the weapon, fascinated and troubled. "Isn’t that thing for killing people? Why do you have it?"

Rocco smirked. "You’re too young to know the family secrets. But if you want to try this little beauty, come find me near the stables."

He finally pulled candy from his other pocket and tossed some at them. "Ciao."

As the two men walked away, Silas felt a quiet unease. Guns meant danger, and danger meant choices.

If this family owned weapons, they were either on the good side or the bad. And if they stayed here, helpless as they were, they needed to learn which side they had stepped into.

And how to survive it.

***

When morning came, they were summoned to an afternoon tea with someone they never expected: Lucien’s mother.

Silas had seen her only a few times. Her health was fragile, so she usually walked in the garden with Lucien, and he once told them that those moments were the only time they could be together.

As the heir of the family, he spent most of his days buried in lessons, while his mother spent most of hers in bed.

The tea was held inside a glass house filled with flowers and drifting butterflies. The colors sparkled in the light, and the Twinster’s eyes widened in pure wonder.

"Come here. Sit here!" Lucien called out.

Silas recognised the voice immediately and led Adrian toward him. They bowed first to the elegant woman seated at the table.

"Good afternoon, Madam Elena," they greeted in unison.

"Oh my, what lovely manners," Elena said with a smile.

Her long golden hair resembled Lucien’s, though her warm brown eyes softened her entire face.

Lucien looked more like Cesare, but there was a gentle aura around her that no one could mistake.

"Yes, we learned it recently," Silas replied.

"It’s boring," Adrian muttered.

Silas pinched his hand hard enough to make him jolt.

Elena laughed softly. "Come, sit."

They slid into their seats beside Lucien. The table was filled with little pastries and steaming floral tea.

The sweet aroma made Adrian drool, and Silas had to shoot him a warning look. They were in front of the lady of the house, after all.

"It is fine to act like children," Elena said warmly. "You are both only six. Lucien tells me you are mature for your age, especially Silas."

She placed a slice of cheesecake on their plates, and both boys lit up. "But children should be childish, so please eat as you like. No need to be polite with me."

"Thank you, Madam," Silas said before they started eating.

"They really are mature, mother. But I am still the most mature," Lucien boasted proudly.

"Today I read a classic book and played Claire de Lune."

Elena clapped softly. "What a smart boy. I hope I can hear you play. But remember to spend your time with toys and friends, okay?"

Lucien brightened, then faltered. "I can play it for you now if you can move... I mean... let’s do it next time when you are better. Promise me?"

Her smile softened even more. The sunlight caught her hair as she stroked her son’s head.

"Of course, Lucien. I promise I will get better."

His whole face lit up with a fragile kind of hope.

Silas watched them with a faint ache in his chest. He had no memory of a mother or a father.

Was this what family felt like? He glanced at Adrian, who was still happily eating with crumbs all over his face, and his jealousy faded.

Without thinking, Silas lifted a napkin and gently wiped his twin’s mouth.

’Oh. I do have a family.’

They talked a little longer, but Elena’s cough grew harsher and her face paled. Silas recognised the signs and knew tea time was ending.

"I think I should rest now, Lucien," she said softly. "I’m sorry I cannot stay longer."

"It’s fine, mother. You being here is already enough for me." Lucien smiled, though Silas saw the disappointment behind it.

Elena turned to the twins. "Please take care of my son. Accompany him when he is happy and when he is lonely."

She placed her hand on both their heads. "Good boys. I am glad you became Lucien’s friends."

Their faces flushed at the warmth of her touch.

Then she gently stood and left the glass house. The boys continued talking and playing, their laughter drifting through the flowers, unaware that this would be the last time they ever saw her.