Chapter 54 – Alder’s family

Third person POV

 Russell came back to the house, and Adrian asked him where is Alder. "Oh...he is doing something with one of the members of the Elai party," Russell replied back. Adrian was surprised to hear the words Elai party. "Wait, what? That party?"

 "Yes, and it turns out one of them is Alder's younger half-sister."

 "Is that so?" Azalea responded back.

Russell then nodded. "Yes, and he is forcing her to come back home, not just for what she and her party did to Adrian-kun, but also for trying to hurt me with her arrows."

His party and group were shocked to hear the last part.

 "No way…she did that?" Adrian gasped, feeling betrayed by his former party.

 "That's assault!" Taryn responded to this.

 "Is she mad for what you did to her and her party?" Azalea asked.

Russell then nodded again. "Yes."

Rai and Ria, alongside their mother Kelly, couldn't believe that humans can be that selfish and vengeful.

 "So, let me guess…" Cassius replied back, "…she and her party were suspended for that, right?"

Russell couldn't answer that and needed Alder for that question.

 "Yeah, you're right," Cassius responded, "let's go to his place in the city center."

The rest agreed and except for Rai, Ria, John, and Kelly, went into the city's urban center towards Alder's house.

Meanwhile, in Alder's urban, tenement house, Aeri was severely scolded by him and his parents for her misdeeds towards Adrian and Russell. Her mother, a very skilled archer, was disappointed and upset at her stupidity. "We never taught you to do that!" she said to her.

 "Yes, how could you do all that?" Aeri's father, a crafter of arrows, added while being upset at her as well.

Aeri was kneeling on the floor in front of them, feeling being scolded like a child.

Alder was next to her still as upset as last time.

 Meanwhile, Russell and his group went to his house under Cassius' directions. Upon arriving there, they looked at the exterior of it, before peeking at the scene through a window. "Woah, that's her parents?" Russell asked in a low voice.

 "Yes, that's them," Cassius responded back.

Russell got it fast.

 Back at the living room, Aeri, with her purple, long hair and blue eyes, couldn't say anything back at her family because of how upset they were at her. "That's it, you're grounded," her mother said to her. Aeri had no choice but to accept it.

 "Also, apologize to Adrian and his friend as well," her father added.

Aeri sheepishly nodded.

 Russell couldn't take it and went up to the front door in the balcony, knocking on it. "Hello?" The others then went to the balcony. The door was opened, and Alder was surprised to see him. "Oh, Russell-kun?"

 "Hello there," Russell responded back briefly, "is you're your family's home, right?"

Alder saw that Russell's group and party are with him. "Yes, it was. What brings all of you here?"

 "Is it true that you and Aeri-chan are half-siblings?" Adrian asked him.

 "Yes, we were," Alder replied back, "did Russell told you that?"

 "Yes."

Alder remembered something and said to them, "Right, come in, all of you. My parents might want to see you."

Russell and his group did so, and Alder closed the door.

 In the living room, Alder and Aeri's parents saw the group going in. "Good morning," Russell greeted them nicely.

 "You must be Alder's friend Russell, right?" the woman asked him.

 "Yes, that's him, mom," responded Alder.

Adrian looked at the couple. "You two are Aeri's parents, right?"

 "Yes, they are," Alder responded on his parents' behalf.

In response to that, his mother and stepfather bowed their heads towards Russell and Adrian in apologizing. "We're deeply sorry for what our foolish child did to you two."

Aeri felt humiliated by this.

Then, her father forced her to bow and apologize by pushing her head down for a couple of seconds. "Apologize!"

Aeri had to because she has no choice; she couldn't resist or her parents would punish her more beyond being grounded in her room.

Alder apologized to Russell and Adrian on their behalf.

And then, Russell and Adrian were overwhelmed by the apology from the family of four.

 "I-It's okay," Russell responded back.

 "Yeah, don't worry about that," Adrian added.

 "Yes, it's okay," Cassius added as well.

Hearing that made Alder and his parents feel relieved.

But Aeri isn't, and her parents told her, "You're not leaving the house for now. How long you and your party been suspended?"

 "A week…" Aeri responded sheepishly.

 "Good, then you will not leave this house for that long," her father replied back as a serious parent. "You are also forbidden to see your party as well."

 "I'll take it from here, dad." Alder looked at him. "You go to your crafts shop, and I'll keep an eye on her."

His parents agreed, knowing that he was a responsible person to them for a long time.

With that, Alder looked at Cassius and Taryn. "Guys, I'll be taking a few days off for now."

His friends agreed with him.

 "Okay, we got this."

 "We'll tell your Highness about that, too."

Watching that, Russell said to his party, "It seems that Alder and Aeri's parents were decent people after all."

 "Yeah, they are." Azalea nodded in agreement.

Adrian agreed but still felt being betrayed by Aeri on the inside.