CHAPTER 141: AMUSEMENT PARK LLL

Alpheus chuckled nervously. "Well... too late to back out now. Let’s go greet them."

Calyx jogged ahead with his usual boundless energy, crouching down in front of the twins and flashing them a grin.

"Wow, you two got even prettier since the last time I saw you!" he said dramatically, placing a hand over his heart as if struck by their cuteness.

Egypt giggled, covering her mouth shyly. "You say that every time, Uncle Calyx!"

"And it’s true every single time!" Calyx replied with exaggerated flair, making the twins burst into another round of laughter.

"Uncle Calyx, what are you doing here? Are you also here to play and ride the rides?" Egypt asked curiously, tilting her head like a little detective.

"Me? W–well, yeah!" Calyx replied, straightening up. "I came here to play too, and—uh—look what I happened to win while playing!" He held up two neatly wrapped paper bags with a proud grin. "Since I ran into you two, I think you deserve these prizes!"

He handed the paper bags to the twins, who excitedly opened them. Egypt gasped the moment she saw what was inside.

"Wow! Thank you for this, Uncle Calyx! I love Barbie dolls! What a coincidence that you won this!" she exclaimed, her eyes practically sparkling.

"Haha! Of course! I told you, I’m good at everything!" Calyx said proudly.

Paris raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you won this, Uncle?" she asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Y–yes! Of course! Don’t you believe your awesome uncle?" Calyx stammered, trying to keep his confident grin, though the twins’ giggles made it hard to maintain.

Paris tilted her head. "Well, it just so happens that it’s Egypt’s and my birthday today... and our names are already written on the wrappers. Did you, um, write them down already—just in case you’d happen to cross paths with us here?" she asked, showing him the tag.

Calyx froze. "Uh... w–wow! What a coincidence! Haha—happy birthday! Y–yeah, exactly, since it’s your birthday and all, I was planning to, uh, give them to you! Totally planned that!" he said with an awkward laugh.

"Pffft—coincidence, huh?" Alfonso teased as he and the others approached.

The twins looked up and immediately recognized them.

"Uncle Alfonso! Uncle Alpheus! And, uh..."

Egypt trailed off, her gaze settling on Rome. She hesitated, unsure of what to call him.

Rome smiled softly, crouching down to their level. "Just call me Rome " he said gently.

"Uh... yes, Uncle R–Rome.." Egypt said shyly, her cheeks puffing slightly as she tried to hide her bashful smile.

"Pfft!" Calyx turned away, barely suppressing a laugh. "Uncle Rome, huh? Haha."

Rome shot him a sharp glare, which only made Calyx cough and look away quickly.

Alfonso ruffled Paris’s hair gently. "Hi, kids! You two are still as cute as ever! Anyway, where’s your mom?"

"Mommy went to the restroom for a bit," Paris replied politely. "By the way, Uncles, are you also here to play and ride the rides?"

Alpheus chuckled, glancing at Rome with a teasing smirk. "Well, yeah, we decided to take the day off since someone here was excited to ride the rides because today’s a special day. And now that we’ve run into you two, I’d say this just made the day even better."

"Really?" Egypt’s eyes sparkled with excitement. "Then you can ride the Ferris wheel with us later!"

Alpheus smiled faintly. "The Ferris wheel, huh? That sounds nice. But only if your mom says it’s okay."

"By the way, Uncles," Paris began innocently, tilting her head with a little spark of mischief in her eyes, "are you also here because you happened to win a prize while playing games? Because Uncle Calyx said he won one."

Alpheus and the others immediately chuckled, while Calyx just scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"Ah, well..." Alfonso stepped in, saving Calyx from further teasing. "Actually, we already knew it was your birthday today. That’s why we came prepared."

The twins blinked in surprise. "You did?"

Alfonso smiled warmly, kneeling down as he pulled out two neatly wrapped gifts from the bag he was carrying.

"Happy birthday, you two," he said gently, handing each of them a present. "I hope you both grow up to be even more beautiful—inside and out. And I hope you like these."

Egypt’s eyes widened as she accepted her gift with both hands. "Thank you, Uncle Alfonso!" she said sweetly.

"Thank you, Uncle!" Paris echoed excitedly, already starting to unwrap her present.

Rome, who had been quietly watching them, couldn’t help but smile faintly at their happiness.

"They’re really happy..." He whispered.

"Of course," Alfonso said, glancing at him with a soft grin. "They deserve to be happy today."

Alpheus then stepped forward with a small smile. "Alright, my turn. This is my birthday present for you girls," he said proudly, holding out two gift bags. "I found these limited-edition Barbie dresses earlier and thought they’d be perfect for you."

The twins exchanged wide-eyed looks before breaking into matching bright smiles. "Thank you, Uncle Alpheus!" they said in unison, making Alpheus chuckle.

Then all eyes turned toward Rome, who still hadn’t given his present.

Calyx folded his arms, grinning. "Well, look who’s next.." he teased.

Rome blinked, feeling all their eyes on him. The twins were staring at him too, expectant and curious. He could practically feel his heart racing.

"Ah... t-this is my b-birthday present for you two," Rome said awkwardly, holding out a large gift bag with both hands. "I h-hope you like it."

Calyx immediately let out a snort. "Wow... did he just stutter? This is the first time I’ve seen him like that.." he whispered to Alpheus, who tried to hide his laughter.

Rome shot him a warning glare, but Calyx just grinned wider.

The twins, on the other hand, looked curious. Egypt blinked up at him before stepping closer. "T-thank you, Uncle R–Rome!" she said shyly, then reached out and took the large gift bag from his hands.

"Wow, this is kinda big! Is this mine?"

Rome could only nod, exhaling a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding. His eyes softened as Egypt hugged the box to her chest. But then he noticed Paris wasn’t smiling, just watching Egypt quietly.

"Egypt," she said seriously, crossing her arms. "Mom said we shouldn’t just accept gifts from strangers. Remember?"

The word stranger hit Rome like a knife. His smile faltered, and for a split second, his eyes reflected a quiet ache, something almost hidden behind his composed expression.

Egypt blinked, looking between her sister and Rome.

"He’s not a stranger, Paris," she said defensively, her brows furrowing. "He’s Uncle’s friend—so he’s like our uncle too!"

Paris frowned. "But Mom said we have to be careful, even with nice people."

Egypt stepped closer to Rome, clutching her gift protectively.

"But I can tell he’s nice," she said softly. "He’s the bear man, remember? And Mom knows him too! He even gave her flowers, so he’s not a complete stranger!"

Rome instantly felt the shift in attention from his friends. Alfonso and Calyx exchanged knowing looks, while Alpheus raised a brow with a teasing smirk.

He could almost feel their silent teasing, but he pretended not to notice.

Despite his composed façade, his chest tightened. The twins were still wary of him, especially Paris. For a moment, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything, his throat felt tight.

Paris noticed her uncle’s quiet look and Egypt’s frown, then sighed and finally relented.

"Fine... I guess he’s not that much of a stranger if Uncle Alfonso and the others know him."

Egypt smiled proudly and nodded. "See?"

Rome found himself smiling again, though this time it was faint and full of emotion. "Thank you.." he said quietly, his voice low enough that only Egypt heard.

Egypt grinned at him, cheerful once more. "You’re welcome, Uncle Rome!"

Calyx, of course, couldn’t let the moment go unteased. He grinned, reaching out to ruffle Egypt’s hair.

"Well, isn’t this the most adorable and cutest scene I’ve ever witnessed?" he said with an exaggerated sigh, pretending to wipe an imaginary tear from his eye.

Paris smirked, her mischief returning. "Well, yeah, since you called us cute, it’s only polite that you treat us to ice cream and sweets."

Calyx froze, eyes widening as he blinked at her. "W-wait—ice cream and sweets?" he repeated slowly. "W-well, since it’s your birthday, I guess Rome could—"

"Yay! Thank you, Uncle Calyx!" Egypt squealed before he could even finish.

"Wait, wait—hey, I didn’t say I was—" Calyx began, but the twins were already jumping up and down in excitement.

Alfonso chuckled quietly, crossing his arms. "You walked right into that one."

Alpheus laughed so hard he had to pat Calyx on the back. "Come on, man. No backing out now. You heard them—ice cream time!"

Calyx groaned dramatically, throwing his hands in the air. "Fine, fine! But only because it’s their special day!"

"Yay!" the twins cheered in unison.

Rome’s faint smile lingered as he watched the twins laugh, so bright and carefree.

For the first time in a long while, he felt something in his chest ease, like a weight he didn’t realize he’d been carrying had quietly lifted.