Rosaline

7

Leonardo (the dad) POV

It was seven o'clock, and all my boys were downstairs-except for Emilio and my princess, Rosaline. "I'll get them," I told my boys as I headed to Emilio's room, knowing he'd won't let Rosy sleep on the wet blankets.

I knocked lightly, but before I could enter, I heard a loud crash from inside. I opened the door to see a broken lamp on the floor and Rosaline trying to pick up the pieces with her bare, bloody hands. Emilio and I rushed to stop her as she sobbed.

"Shh, it's not your fault," Emilio whispered softly in her ear, trying to comfort her. Meanwhile, I could hear the other boys coming upstairs.

I picked up Ellie, her stuffed toy, while Emilio gently placed Rosaline back on the bed. She tried to get up to 'clean the mess,' but I stopped her.

"Hey, princess, you never clean up a mess if you're going to get hurt," I said gently, holding her back.

By then, the boys had arrived. Niccolò immediately kneeled down in front of Rosaline, not caring if he got hurt. "Rosaline, I'm sorry about last night. I didn't know... I'm sorry, Rosy," he said, now on his knees, which were bleeding from kneeling on the glass fragments.

Emilio came back with a first aid kit. "Not you too," he sighed, seeing Niccolò's injuries. Rosaline looked at Emilio with tears in her eyes.

"Let me see your hands," Emilio whispered, gently pulling Rosy to the other side of the bed. He grabbed tweezers and bandages, carefully removing the glass from her hands. When he finished, Rosaline started crying even harder.

"Sweetie, what's wrong?" I asked, placing Ellie, her stuffed toy, in her lap. She pulled Ellie into a tight hug, still sobbing. I nodded at Antonio, signaling him to come closer.

"I'm Antonio, your older brother, princess," he said softly.

The others caught on quickly. "I'm Emilio, and I'm sorry for not telling you sooner, sweetie."

Marco playfully nudged Emilio out of the way. "I'm Marco, and this is my twin, Matteo," Marco said, while Matteo just gave a small wave.

"And I'm Niccolò, princess," Niccolò added, wincing as Emilio bandaged his legs.

Rosaline froze, her eyes wide.

Finally, I knelt down beside her. "I'm Leonardo, but you can call me Dad," I said gently. "We're your family, Rosaline. We love you more than you can ever imagine. We're so sorry that we weren't with you for the past ten years, but we're here now."

She started shaking, curling into a ball, still clutching Ellie tightly. "Princess... I-I'm sorry for everything," I said, my voice breaking as tears filled my eyes. "But I promise, things are going to change for the better."

Rosaline peeked up at me, her face uncertain. Slowly, she handed me a small piece of cereal she had been hiding.

"Do you want to get something fresh to eat?" I asked gently. She looked a little surprised but slowly nodded.

I scooped her up in my arms, and she started to tremble. "Hey, it's okay. We'll get some good food, alright?" I said softly, trying to comfort her. Gradually, she stopped shaking, snuggling into me as we walked.

It felt like the weight of the world was fading away. The boys followed me back to the dining room, where the maids had set out breakfast. I tried to set Rosaline down in the chair next to mine, but she clung to me tightly. Smiling, I moved her plate next to mine and took a seat, with Rosy still nestled against my chest.

"Rosy, there's food," I whispered in her ear. She peeked up and glanced at the table full of dishes. I carefully nudged her plate closer, and she quickly grabbed a handful of fruit but then looked up at me, hesitating. I gave her an encouraging smile, adjusting her so she was facing the food. The boys let out quiet giggles, watching her with gentle amusement.

Rosaline finished about half her plate, pushing it away when she was full. Everyone else had finished long before, but nobody got up.

"Niccolò, don't you have school? Marco and Matteo, you too," I reminded them, standing up with Rosaline securely in my arms.

Niccolò faked a cough. "I'm sick. They recommend staying home when you're sick."

"And were you 'sick' the other times, too?" I raised an eyebrow, knowing he was risking his graduation if he missed much more.

"Yup!" Niccolò replied, grinning.

"Call it a family emergency," I said, chuckling, as Marco added that he and Matteo had already taken the week off. Antonio was working from home as usual, which left Emilio as the only one who needed to head out today.

With breakfast done, we all moved to the living room, ready to relax and watch something on TV together.