It started at six in the morning.
Not with a bell, not with sunlight—
But with a thud on the roof.
Cael jerked awake in the lavish, oversized bed the staff insisted he sleep in, already knowing what it was.
He threw open the curtains.
There—balanced on the highest peak of the east tower, barefoot and grinning—was Eryx.
"Get down right now!" Cael shouted through the window.
"I'm watching the sun!" Eryx yelled back.
"You're going to fall!"
"I won't!"
"You said that last time, and you still cracked a window and broke a guard's arm!"
"It wasn't my arm!"
Cael screamed internally and threw on his cloak.
⸻
Ten minutes later, after scaling two balconies and nearly dying from vertigo, Cael dragged Eryx down by the collar of his shirt, scolding him the entire way back through the halls while the guards watched in stunned silence.
"Do you want me to die of heart failure before thirty?!"
"You wouldn't die," Eryx replied casually. "I'd keep you."
"That is not comforting!"
⸻
Meanwhile, Viel had started breakfast by stabbing the cook's arm with a fork.
"She didn't butter the toast properly," he said, completely serious.
The staff parted like the Red Sea as Cael marched in, still half-dressed and furious.
"Viel."
The younger twin blinked up at him. "She didn't—"
"We do not stab people for toast."
Viel looked mildly offended. "But you said breakfast is the most important meal of the day."
Cael inhaled. Slowly. Deeply.
"Go sit down. I'll make your toast."
The cook burst into tears of gratitude.
⸻
The rest of the day was no better.
Cael had to:
• Physically separate the twins from a noble tutor who made the mistake of calling them "undisciplined" (he survived, barely),
• Confiscate four knives, two explosive candies, and one vial of poison "for pranks,"
• Break up a sword fight between Eryx and a captain three times his size (Eryx won),
• And save a diplomat from an assassination attempt by shoving him into a tea trolley and distracting the twins with cinnamon scones.
By nightfall, he was ready to throw himself into the moat.
⸻
"Did you eat enough?" he asked wearily, tucking the twins into bed like they were harmless.
Eryx nodded, already curled around Cael's arm like a cat.
Viel hugged his waist tightly from the other side.
"I still think we should've killed the tutor," Viel mumbled sleepily.
"Maybe next week," Eryx whispered.
Cael didn't even flinch anymore. "No one's dying."
"For now," Eryx murmured.
Cael sighed. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Nanny Cael," they chorused.
"I hate that name," he muttered.
"We love you too," Eryx said with a yawn.
⸻
As they drifted to sleep wrapped around him like vines, Cael stared at the ceiling.
This wasn't the life he wanted.
Not even close.
But when he looked at their peaceful faces—their hands clutching him like a lifeline, their breaths slow and soft—
He realized, for better or worse...
They were his monsters now.
And he'd keep them from breaking the world.
Or die trying.
7:00 AM – Rooftop Incident No. 4
Cael was in the middle of brushing Viel's hair when he heard the guards scream.
Again.
He froze. "...Where's Eryx?"
Viel blinked at him, innocent. "Outside."
"Where outside?"
"...The roof."
⸻
7:10 AM
"Get down from there!" Cael screamed as Eryx casually dangled upside-down from a spire, swinging by one arm like a bored acrobat.
"I'm building mental discipline!" Eryx called back. "Gravity builds character!"
"You're going to build your funeral!"
"I'm immune to death!"
"I'm not! And if you fall, I'll follow you down just to strangle your corpse!"
⸻
9:00 AM – Assassination Attempt No. 3 This Week
Breakfast was going well.
Too well.
Until the new footman tripped near Viel's seat and out of his sleeve rolled a tiny silver blade.
There was a pause.
Then Viel picked up a teacup and—without blinking—shattered it against the assassin's head.
He turned to Cael with perfect calm.
"He was rude."
Cael pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay. No murder before lunch. That's the new rule."
"But—"
"No buts."
Eryx leaned over the table, sipping his tea like a proud cat. "Can we stab them after dessert?"
"Only if I say so."
"Deal."
⸻
10:30 AM – Staff Fleeing Count: 12
The staff meeting began with a missing scribe and ended with a maid fainting when Eryx called Cael "Mama Cael" in front of three horrified diplomats.
"I AM NOT YOUR MOTHER!"
"You scold like one."
"You feed us like one."
"You hugged me after I killed a man last week."
"That was to calm you down!"
"That's what mothers do."
Cael screamed internally.
⸻
2:00 PM – Art Class
Viel painted Cael holding a sword and standing over a pile of corpses.
"I like it," Eryx said. "It really captures your inner rage."
Cael: "Why am I holding someone's head?"
Viel: "You looked brave."
Eryx: "Also sexy."
Cael threw the paintbrush at them.
⸻
5:00 PM – Bedtime
Finally. Finally.
Cael dragged himself into the twins' chambers after what felt like ten days of chaos crammed into one.
"Bath. Bed. No more talking."
"But—"
"No 'but.' You bathed in blood this morning."
"It was accidental."
"You threw a duke off a balcony."
"He landed in the fountain."
"Which you froze over."
"Okay, that was funny."
Cael flopped onto the bed between them, defeated.
They curled up beside him without hesitation, Viel holding his hand, Eryx nuzzling into his shoulder.
"You're still our favorite person," Eryx whispered.
"We'll kill anyone who tries to take you away," Viel murmured.
Cael groaned into the pillow. "...Not comforting."
"Goodnight, Nanny Cael," they said in unison.
⸻
End of day note:
Cael did not sign up for this life.
But somehow, the hugs made it worth surviving.
Maybe.
(Probably not.)
One things for sure is they are really true,The rumors that he did not believe.
They are still not devil but he accepted the fact that they are dangerous and cruel.It started at six in the morning.
Not with a bell, not with sunlight—
But with a thud on the roof.
Cael jerked awake in the lavish, oversized bed the staff insisted he sleep in, already knowing what it was.
He threw open the curtains.
There—balanced on the highest peak of the east tower, barefoot and grinning—was Eryx.
"Get down right now!" Cael shouted through the window.
"I'm watching the sun!" Eryx yelled back.
"You're going to fall!"
"I won't!"
"You said that last time, and you still cracked a window and broke a guard's arm!"
"It wasn't my arm!"
Cael screamed internally and threw on his cloak.
⸻
Ten minutes later, after scaling two balconies and nearly dying from vertigo, Cael dragged Eryx down by the collar of his shirt, scolding him the entire way back through the halls while the guards watched in stunned silence.
"Do you want me to die of heart failure before thirty?!"
"You wouldn't die," Eryx replied casually. "I'd keep you."
"That is not comforting!"
⸻
Meanwhile, Viel had started breakfast by stabbing the cook's arm with a fork.
"She didn't butter the toast properly," he said, completely serious.
The staff parted like the Red Sea as Cael marched in, still half-dressed and furious.
"Viel."
The younger twin blinked up at him. "She didn't—"
"We do not stab people for toast."
Viel looked mildly offended. "But you said breakfast is the most important meal of the day."
Cael inhaled. Slowly. Deeply.
"Go sit down. I'll make your toast."
The cook burst into tears of gratitude.
⸻
The rest of the day was no better.
Cael had to:
• Physically separate the twins from a noble tutor who made the mistake of calling them "undisciplined" (he survived, barely),
• Confiscate four knives, two explosive candies, and one vial of poison "for pranks,"
• Break up a sword fight between Eryx and a captain three times his size (Eryx won),
• And save a diplomat from an assassination attempt by shoving him into a tea trolley and distracting the twins with cinnamon scones.
By nightfall, he was ready to throw himself into the moat.
⸻
"Did you eat enough?" he asked wearily, tucking the twins into bed like they were harmless.
Eryx nodded, already curled around Cael's arm like a cat.
Viel hugged his waist tightly from the other side.
"I still think we should've killed the tutor," Viel mumbled sleepily.
"Maybe next week," Eryx whispered.
Cael didn't even flinch anymore. "No one's dying."
"For now," Eryx murmured.
Cael sighed. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight, Nanny Cael," they chorused.
"I hate that name," he muttered.
"We love you too," Eryx said with a yawn.
⸻
As they drifted to sleep wrapped around him like vines, Cael stared at the ceiling.
This wasn't the life he wanted.
Not even close.
But when he looked at their peaceful faces—their hands clutching him like a lifeline, their breaths slow and soft—
He realized, for better or worse...
They were his monsters now.
And he'd keep them from breaking the world.
Or die trying.
7:00 AM – Rooftop Incident No. 4
Cael was in the middle of brushing Viel's hair when he heard the guards scream.
Again.
He froze. "...Where's Eryx?"
Viel blinked at him, innocent. "Outside."
"Where outside?"
"...The roof."
⸻
7:10 AM
"Get down from there!" Cael screamed as Eryx casually dangled upside-down from a spire, swinging by one arm like a bored acrobat.
"I'm building mental discipline!" Eryx called back. "Gravity builds character!"
"You're going to build your funeral!"
"I'm immune to death!"
"I'm not! And if you fall, I'll follow you down just to strangle your corpse!"
⸻
9:00 AM – Assassination Attempt No. 3 This Week
Breakfast was going well.
Too well.
Until the new footman tripped near Viel's seat and out of his sleeve rolled a tiny silver blade.
There was a pause.
Then Viel picked up a teacup and—without blinking—shattered it against the assassin's head.
He turned to Cael with perfect calm.
"He was rude."
Cael pinched the bridge of his nose. "Okay. No murder before lunch. That's the new rule."
"But—"
"No buts."
Eryx leaned over the table, sipping his tea like a proud cat. "Can we stab them after dessert?"
"Only if I say so."
"Deal."
⸻
10:30 AM – Staff Fleeing Count: 12
The staff meeting began with a missing scribe and ended with a maid fainting when Eryx called Cael "Mama Cael" in front of three horrified diplomats.
"I AM NOT YOUR MOTHER!"
"You scold like one."
"You feed us like one."
"You hugged me after I killed a man last week."
"That was to calm you down!"
"That's what mothers do."
Cael screamed internally.
⸻
2:00 PM – Art Class
Viel painted Cael holding a sword and standing over a pile of corpses.
"I like it," Eryx said. "It really captures your inner rage."
Cael: "Why am I holding someone's head?"
Viel: "You looked brave."
Eryx: "Also sexy."
Cael threw the paintbrush at them.
⸻
5:00 PM – Bedtime
Finally. Finally.
Cael dragged himself into the twins' chambers after what felt like ten days of chaos crammed into one.
"Bath. Bed. No more talking."
"But—"
"No 'but.' You bathed in blood this morning."
"It was accidental."
"You threw a duke off a balcony."
"He landed in the fountain."
"Which you froze over."
"Okay, that was funny."
Cael flopped onto the bed between them, defeated.
They curled up beside him without hesitation, Viel holding his hand, Eryx nuzzling into his shoulder.
"You're still our favorite person," Eryx whispered.
"We'll kill anyone who tries to take you away," Viel murmured.
Cael groaned into the pillow. "...Not comforting."
"Goodnight, Nanny Cael," they said in unison.
⸻
End of day note:
Cael did not sign up for this life.
But somehow, the hugs made it worth surviving.
Maybe.
(Probably not.)
One things for sure is they are really true,The rumors that he did not believe.
They are still not devil but he accepted the fact that they are dangerous and cruel.