Locked

"Can't we stay in the garden? Where are we going Lawrence?" Lillian asked.

"The library!" He replied with anticipation.

Looking at her brother's sparkling eyes, Lillian could only sigh and followed. She knew Lawrence would become a scholar when he grows up because of his constant thirst for knowledge. When they had the time, the twins would often go to the local public library back in Wenston to find books and read. Mr. Dans, the old librarian, knows the twins too well because it's not often you see kids willing to learn and read there.

The twins roamed around and asked the maids for directions to the library. Walking up the stairs to the second floor, the twins saw an opened double door. Looking pass the doors, the twins gasped at the vast room before them.

"There's so many books!" Lawrence screeched in a weirdly high pitched voice. The large windows provide sunlight from the outside to shine into the library. Books stacked on their high shelves in many rows as far as the twins can see. There was a wide spiraling staircase in the middle of the vast room leading up to the second and third floor of the library.

"Hello, do you need something?" An old man with a white beard asked peering over his counter desk.

"We just came to read some books, sorry to disturb you" Lawrence replied.

"If you need certain type of books, please let me know" the old man smiled gently.

The twins then explored the enormous library. Lawrence held a stack of books in his hand. Taking a seat at a table next to the window near a corner of the library, he started to read.

Meanwhile, Lillian was reading a small fantasy book and was bored. Seeing Lawrence glancing through the books with great speed, she only hoped he would finish soon so they can keep exploring the palace.

After finishing his stack of books, Lawrence went and collect another stack.

"More books?! When are we leaving?" Lillian complained.

"You can leave first I want to read more," said the nerd.

Annoyed, Lillian went and walk around the library refusing to leave her twin. Looking up she decided to go up the spiral stairway and went around the second floor. She saw some books locked with chains around it while some don't.

Leaving the second floor, she went up to the third. On this floor, most of the books were locked as well. Curiosity was eating her, so Lillian grabbed onto one of the locked books. A magic circle formed in the air as the lock unlocked itself, as if recognizing its owner. Before she could turn the cover, a hand grabbed her wrist.

"Who are you and how did you open the locked book?" A voice rang out.

Lillian looked at to the teenage looking boy and said, "I didn't do anything. I just touched it and it unlocked."

The teen squinted his eyes, "who are you? Only people of royal blood can open these books."

"Uhh"

"Lillian! There you are" Florence and Mother Queen came up to her.

"Hendery don't grip her wrist so harshly," Mother Queen slapped the teen's arm.

"But grandma! She opened a locked book!" He whined.

"Because that's your cousin," she replied the pointed at Lawrence who was next to her. "This is your other cousin, they're twins. This is the older twin brother Lawrence and she is Lillian."

Florence looked at the boy taller than her, 'that's my nephew?'

"COUSIN? When do I have cousins? Wait wait uncle has kids?!" Hendery yelled in surprise.

"Yes, I know it is a surprise. This is your soon-to-be aunt Florence," Mother Queen introduced.

"Hello auntie, my name is Hendery Wen Calascione. And sorry for gripping your wrist Lillian" he apologized. Hendery looked at his cousin sister who looked like a replica of his new aunt. As for his cousin brother, he could see the same annoyed cold demeanor of his uncle.

'Like father like son huh,' Hendery chuckled.

"If you're here, then is your father here?" Mother Queen asked.

"Yes, father is with uncle" Hendery replied.

He then lead the group through the hallways and corridors of the second floor.

Arriving at the Demon King's office, Florence opened the door to see Irvin on the verge of murdering the man standing next to him chatting away. His deathly aura deceased immediately as he saw his beloved walking in with the kids.

"Florence, what brings you here?" Irvin stood up and came to her.

"I meet your nephew and I thought to meet your brother," she looked over to the man with his mouth wide open in astonishment.

"Mother! Am I hallucinating? Why is that ice berg going near a lady within three inches of each other? Is his head finally malfunctioning after being single for too long?" The man asked.

"That's your sister-in-law show some respect," Mother Queen glared at her stupid son.

"What? Is this not a joke? He finally have a woman? Ewww he's flirting! I'm going to be sick," the man started gagging when a dagger passed by his face cutting his face a bit. He immediately shuts his mouth looking at his elder brother unleashing his terror upon his prey.

Sighing Irvin pinched forehead and introduced the man, "Florence this is my younger brother Yuji Wen Calascione, the Duke of Calascione Kingdom."

He then bent down to pick up his two kids as if they don't weigh a nearly hundred pounds. Irvin said to them, "this is your uncle and I see you have meet your cousin Hendery."

"AND you have KIDS? Is the world finally ending?" Yuji gasped dramatically even though he felt a connection to the twins when they first came in.

'So he's the clown of the family,' Florence thought to herself.

"That hurt sister-in-law, out of everything why did you say clown" Yuji cried his fake tears.

Florence shocked to hear what he just said, "what? Did you hear my thoughts?"

"One of his abilities is to read thoughts of others... if HE wished," Irvin glared back at his brother.

Lillian jumped down from her father then went up to her uncle.

"Hello little one," Yuji picked her up then got a surprise for a lifetime.

Lillian held up her hand and started healing his little wound from the blade her father had threw.

"What the fuck-" Yuji covered his mouth realizing he cursed in front of the kids.

"Father, what does what the fuck mean?" Lawrence asked still sitting in his father's embrace.

"Lawrence ignore that," Florence held back her laughter looking at the grave expression on Irvin's face. He really doesn't have any experience with kids. She wondered what kind of respond Irvin would say when the twins finally ask the million dollar question...

Where does kids come from?