"Oh, my son!" Gaia immediately ran to the handsome Oslo, looking him up and down for any injuries.
No matter how big the youngest baby became, a mother would always treat them as a baby.
She was also expecting him to have gotten much thinner, so when she touched his arms, she thought she'd confirm her fears. It was just that… as she patted him down, she couldn't help but pause in puzzlement.
Her eyebrows rose in puzzlement, whipping her head to look at him. "You… gained weight!!"
Oslo rubbed his nose, a tad embarrassed.
Did he get so fat? No, right?
"I've been eating well," was all he said, before giving a mysterious smile. "I've been eating very well."
Gaia knew her son well enough to know there was a longer story behind the statement. "Are you going to tell us more?"
"Of course."
Gaia clapped her hands with a smile, turning to a servant. "Call the other children," she said, "We have a lot to catch up on!"
"Yes, mam!" They said and forwarded instructions to various servants, who in turn scurried over to different parts of the massive city to call the other young masters and the young mistress.
Fortunately, although they all had their own abodes, all of Oslo's siblings were currently in the city. This made them more accessible to their parents, more often than not.
Gaia had wanted to ask him more questions when she saw him heading towards the kitchen with the cooks. She didn't notice the chefs had been waiting nearby.
Zaol looked at them curiously. "What's going on, son?"
Oslo smiled proudly, "I'm in charge of dinner today," he said, "I guarantee you'd love it!"
The old couple (who appeared to be in their early 40s) looked at each other in curiosity.
One must know that despite Oslo's shortcomings, he was well-known for his pickiness. If he said they'd like dinner, then they probably would.
"Oh?" Gaia said with a curious smile, "Well, we're looking forward to it."
…
A few hours later.
The younger generation and their families arrived early that night, very much looking forward to the stories Oslo would tell.
Although… knowing them, they'd probably be expecting some sob story of suffering to make their day…
The first to arrive was the oldest, Orion, the most responsible one. He was still super tall and had that stoic expression on his face. His pale—almost white—blonde hair combed back to perfection, as always.
He was still as strikingly handsome at 50 years old, barely not aging at all after turning 30.
He was the only one that inherited their mother's reddish-brown eyes. Although he had more of a quiet confidence, he definitely had the most respected place after the parents.
Growing up, Oslo was most intimidated by this brother.
Because he had been spoiled by his parents, this brother of his was the one who would give him—as Alterans would call it—tough love.
Their eyes met and the man nodded. Gulping, Oslo nodded back. There was no doubt Orion had just come from work and might continue some of it here, seeing the amount of papyrus he brought with him.
Next to him was his wife Hilda—a mild-mannered brunette with soft curls. She was a quiet demure beauty, the one that looked like she was blooming all the time.
Next to the beautiful couple was their eleven-year-old son, Honda. He was somewhat of a meek kid, but he tried to emulate his father's coolness often.
Of course, that was when his dad was in the room. He was much more relaxed with just his aunt and uncles. The two smiled at him, in contrast with his brother who went straight to a seat.
Oslo grinned as he greeted them back, "Beautiful as always~"
But he flinched when he felt his brother's stare.
It was very similar to how Garan and Ansel interacted, except Oslo wasn't actually very close with his sister-in-law.
Speaking of, Hilda was still pretty. However, because her level was markedly lower than Orion's, some signs of aging have began to show. It was not much, so it usually didn't matter, but there was some contrast when she was next to her husband.
When next to Orion, Hilda did look a bit older despite being 5 years younger than her husband. This was a source of worry for Hilda and she had quite a bit of obsession with anything that could make her beautiful.
Oslo personally thought she didn't have anything to worry about. Orion was a bit of an ice block anyway, and was never the passionate type who would go after younger girls.
"Well, my brother is very lucky to have such a wonderful wife," he said, turning to the adorable boy with large eyes.
As for Honda, the blonde hair showed that the trait was definitely strong in their lineage. He did, however, also inherit his own mother's eyes which were the color of amber stone.
They sat around while waiting for the others, and the women started discussing some gossip, particularly about high society in Bleulle. "I heard about what happened in the lord's party…" Gaia said. It was a time she was having those headaches after remembering her troublesome younger son, so she wasn't able to attend.
Oslo, ever the lover of gossip, leaned over to listen. Hilda must've been bullied in the gathering again.
It was always something difficult to make an issue of—for example, whispering from a distance, or weird looks. If Hilda did make trouble because of it, they'd just call her oversensitive.
Before, Oslo didn't really think too much—it came with the territory of being married to his brother. But after being in Altera, seeing women have the same position as men, he had slowly morphed this way of thinking.
"It's fine… really," Hilda said, shaking her head. "I know what I was getting into when I married Orion."
Hilda was also the Bleulle Lord's niece, which would make people think the marriage solidified the relations between the two families.
But that wasn't true because Orion was actually being matched with the lord's daughter, Lady Octavia, instead. Orion though fell for the visiting niece and Orion, being a stern man who inherited marital ideals from his father, couldn't be talked out of the courtship.
His parents believed in true love so they never forced them apart. It caused an additional strain between them and the lord—who was apparently visiting somewhere with his family at this time, thank goodness—and they had talked a lot less since then.
This was the first time this happened since grandfather's time when someone tried to induce a fight, making it seem like the Golds wanted to usurp or something.
They chatted a bit about the party and how boring it was and it was broken when new people finally arrived at the salon.
Soon came Otto, the second brother, and his twin Olga. They had just celebrated their 40th birthday before Oslo was sent on an 'excursion'.
Of course, due to their levels, they looked even younger than people in their 20s.
Otto was with shoulder-length blond hair and blue eyes. He had a suave temperament similar to Oslo, except he was really hard working for his field—money making.
Olga was basically the female version of him and had inherited their mother's strong personality—a very rare trait in women outside Altera. So, even with her beauty and money, there were plenty of men that had been intimidated away.
This was amazing because most would think Olga was also a great 'birth machine', but she somehow managed to scare away even her bravest suitors.
Neither of them was married, and Oslo heard they weren't planning on marrying either.
The twins had their own businesses, inheriting the acumen from the maternal side of the family. Both businesses were also quite successful, though they unfortunately—as with every other business—had to share half their proceeds with the lord.
However, they were still quite well-off. Otto's business was mostly a middleman of products. He noticed early on that Bleulle had been ignoring other industries, so he had created various caravans to sell various goods in the territory.
Rare goods plus rich customers equals a lot of money, and he quickly became one of the leading caravans in the city.
Olga initially had to partner with Otto for everything, even the products only she had taken an interest in. This was because she was a woman, and running a business in Xeno as a woman was like asking oneself to be bullied.
This was why she was so adamant about making a beauty shop, and so was Hilda, so she could grow somewhat independent. At the very least, the customer base would be fellow women, so they wouldn't have to tolerate the mean-spirited men as much.
The last one was Obi, just two years older than Oslo. He arrived in his guard uniform, showing off as usual.
He had very short hair and a larger build than the others. His eyes were dark green, inherited from his grandmother's side.
This guy was also the most villainous sibling to Oslo, bullying him everywhere. How many maggots Oslo found inside his clothes growing up, he couldn't even count.
"Yo, you're back from banishment!" Obi uttered as soon as he saw him.
Oslo rolled his eyes.
And so, their family with consistent gold locks, except for his mother, who had fiery red hair characteristic of her family, was finally complete.
Obi looked at him up and down, and frowned, before turning to his parents. "Did he already finish crying?"
He glared at the servants. "Why didn't anyone call me earlier?!"
Oslo's eyes twitched. "Sorry to disappoint you but I didn't cry.
"It's more like a vacation, to be honest."
This made everyone's curious eyes fix on him. His eyes twitched, standing up and headed to the kitchen. "I'll tell you over dinner."
They curiously entered the dining room and were met with a striking aroma that automatically made their stomachs growl.
"What… what is this…" Otto, the family glutton, asked in a daze.
Oslo smirked. "New delicacies I brought back." He paused, "I'll tell you more if you say please."
Otto immediately dropped his 'big brother' air and held Oslo's shoulder. "Please!"