Small Celebration

Unedited

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The next day, an Imperial Academy representative arrived at the Alnhart Estate with two letters. Each one contained the results of Cyrus and Atlas’ written exam and if they were expected to go to the academy for the next part of the assessment.

When Cyrus and Atlas opened up their letters in front of Everet, Mirabelle, and Sirius, everyone expected Cyrus to pass, which he did. They were a bit more worried about Atlas who was moping around waiting for the test results. Even though he knew he did alright, after mauling on it alone, he felt that he was overwhelmed and worried that he wouldn’t pass.

So, when Atlas saw he passed, he jumped up and down and showed everyone the letter. He got 300 points! 50 points higher than what he originally thought he was going to get. Not only was everyone relieved, but they were happy that Atlas’ hard work paid off and that he passed the written part of the exam!

“Let’s celebrate that my two babies have been admitted to the Imperial Academy!” Mirabelle hugged Cyrus and then Atlas. Cyrus felt that celebrating him wasn’t needed so he didn’t react much, but Atlas was just as excited as she was.

“Mom, let me help you!” Atlas volunteered because he needed an outlet for his happiness.

“Of course, Atlas. Let’s go talk with Odin to see how we can set up a dinner party for today.”

It wasn’t going to be a big celebration, just one for the family, so planning and setting up last minute was perfectly fine.

The two ran to find Odin while Everet, Sirius, and Cyrus were left behind in the living room. The three were speechless but not surprised. Mirabelle was like this when Sirius got accepted into the academy even though it was no surprise that he would also pass.

“Well, let them have their fun.” Everet gave a helpless smile. “Why don’t you two come with me to the study? There is something I need to talk about.”

Sirius and Cyrus looked at each other but they both were confused so they knew the other didn’t know what their father wanted to talk with them about.

The two followed Everet to his study and sat down on one of the sofas. Meanwhile, Everet went to his desk and pulled out a few documents.

These were the contracts that he and the Emperor drafted together. They were ready to be signed, but Everet wanted Sirius and Cyrus to look at them. As for Atlas… well, he would do whatever Cyrus said so there was no problem just telling him later.

“The Emperor and I came up with some contracts about the future regarding Cyrus and Atlas. A lot of it is to not only protect your life but also your freedoms. And some ways for the Imperial family and the Dragon’s Temple to benefit as well.”

He handed the contracts to Cyrus and Sirius to look over. “The two of you should look them over and if you think we should add or subtract something, let me know.”

Everet decided to include Sirius in these discussions so he knew what was going on with his two younger brothers and gave his opinions on things that he or Cyrus may miss. Overall, he did not want to keep secrets from any of his children.

The two looked over the contracts and read them carefully. Sometimes, Cyrus or Sirius would ask Everet about things that were a bit unclear and if they could rewrite it so it didn’t have any loopholes. Once the two read through the four contracts and revised and added some things, Cyrus finally put the documents down.

“Thank you, Father, for letting us look at the contracts and revise if needed. I can agree to the conditions of the contracts and I am sure Atlas would approve of my decision as well.”

Sirius didn’t say anything but he supported his little brother’s decision.

“I understand. Once I contact the Emperor about the changes made, I will have you and Atlas come over to sign the contract with us.”

Everet felt relieved to know that Cyrus and Sirius were able to understand the complexities of the situation and agree with most of the conditions stated. Plus, it was better to involve those who were involved instead of leaving them in the dark.

After the serious discussions. Everet talked with the two of them about their future plans until Atlas, Mirabelle, and Odin were done with the dinner celebration preparations.

Atlas was helping the other servants decorate the dining room while Odin was overseeing them. As for Mirabelle, she was in the kitchen planning the dishes they would be eating. She picked a bunch of Atlas’ and Cyrus’ favorite foods and desserts. It was a lot of food, but Atlas was a bottomless pit that could eat for a family of four… They needed a lot of food.

Well, she didn’t see anything wrong with it. Atlas was a growing boy who used a lot of energy. Food was the perfect fuel for him.

Mirabelle held out a notepad that contained a list of things for the kitchen staff to make and have for the party. Her refillable feather pen was in her left hand as she balanced it on her fingers while she thought about what else to write. “At the end, we must have enough ice cream flavors for Atlas to choose from. Though he has tried a lot of flavors, he does have his favorites that he goes back to time and time again, so let’s choose those…”

When she finished, she handed the notepad and the feather pen back to the head chef. “Thank you for doing this for us last minute, head chef.”

The woman who was called head chef bowed and took the items from Mirabelle. “It is no trouble at all, Duchess.” Yes, it was a lot of food, but the head chef and her staff made a lot of food every day for Atlas, so this was just another day for them.

Once Mirabelle finished choosing the menu, she went to her personal study to compile the gifts she had prepared for this day.

She already knew that her children would pass the Imperial Academy’s assessment. She still felt it was best to celebrate all of their achievements whether it was big or small.

Mirabelle hoped that her kids would remember how proud she was of them and that she loved them no matter what.

*****

With everything ready, Mirabelle and Atlas called Everet, Sirius, and Cyrus down to the dining room. The dining room was decorated with ribbons and balloons. There was even a congratulations banner that had both Cyrus and Atlas’ names on it.

Cyrus felt it was a bit embarrassing but Atlas seemed happy about it.

With all the food arranged on the table, it looked like they were feeding a sports team, but in actuality, it was making sure that Atlas had enough food.

Cyrus looked over at Atlas who was growing rapidly and then at his body which seemed to be gaining muscles quickly and easily… Was the difference in physique how much Atlas ate? It probably was because he also trained hard but he definitely was not as big as him!

Atlas looked over at Cyrus who was staring at him intently and was confused, but he still gave his signature goofy smile. “Is there something on my face? Aren’t you excited! We both passed heehee.”

Cyrus stopped staring at Atlas’ arms and then sighed in defeat. There was no way he could eat as much as Atlas… “Yeah, I am excited that we can all go to school together. Let’s sit down and start the celebrations.”

Cyrus dragged Atlas to the table and everyone else followed. Even Odin and some of the other personal servants like Nolan and Kris joined them. The other servants of the estate were also celebrating but in a separate location, drinking and eating good food.

With everyone seated at the table, Everet picked up his glass of wine and gave a toast. Cyrus, Atlas, and Sirius had juice in their cups but all the adults had some alcohol.

“As the Duke of Alnhart and the father to Cyrus and Atlas, I would like to open this celebration by congratulating Cyrus and Atlas for passing the Imperial Academy’s assessment. This is a big milestone worth celebrating. Even if it may seem small right now, every victory is worthy of being acknowledged. Today, we drink and dine, and anything else we can put off to tomorrow. Have fun today because you two deserve it!”

Everyone clapped at Everet’s opening speech and then lifted their glasses.

“Cheers!” Many cups were clinked against one another, with people surrounding Cyrus and Atlas to get a toast from them.

Once the cheers were over, everyone sat down and began to eat.

Atlas saw many people filling up his plate, and he let them be. Regardless, he would eat whatever people couldn’t eat so he wouldn’t wake up in the middle of the night to snack…

Everyone at the Alnhart estate partied until late into the night. Even after Atlas and Cyrus ate their fills and scurried off to bed, the adults let loose for once. Enjoying each other’s company surrounded by food and drinks.

With the night ending, Cyrus and Atlas rested so they could take the final part of the Imperial Academy assessment in the morning…

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Grandpa Marky: Hey everyone! I am back. It's been a while but I finally figured out how I want to write this school Arc. I will do my best to make sure it's not boring but sorry if it is. I'm trying my best XD I've never liked school arcs but I feel like its needed for this story *sighs*

Anyway, that's it from me. I will update once a week for this novel. Thanks again for your patience! Have a lovely day/night my beautiful grandchildren.