★ The Prince and The Mermaid [Giant/Tiny]★

XV - Vellemara Preparation

"Seriously?" Kaine snapped, his voice a mix of exasperation and disbelief. He sat at the dining table with his father and brothers, each of them indulging in the food before them, half-heartedly engaging in their own little world. Kaine, on the other hand, was engaged in a serious conversation with Wade, his father. Despite the brothers' distracted chatter and the clinking of forks against plates, Kaine's mind was focused solely on the letter in Wade's hands.

"Yes, we've all been invited," Wade explained, rereading the letter with the careful attention of someone whose hands were too large for such delicate paper. The letter had originally been addressed to Wade alone, but somehow, Wade had misunderstood and assumed it was an open invitation for the entire family.

"To what?" Arlo asked politely, dabbing at the corners of his mouth with a napkin, the furrow between his brows suggesting that he wasn't fully grasping the gravity of the situation. Next to him, Liam was sharpening his blade with a practiced calm, the rhythmic scrape of metal on stone breaking the otherwise peaceful atmosphere. Tristan, as usual, was asleep on the table, his face half-buried in his arm as a slight snore escaped from his lips.

"It's valaemaera?" Wade struggled, sounding out the unfamiliar word with some hesitation. Kaine's eyes lit up immediately, his earlier annoyance giving way to eager interest.

"Vellemara," Kaine corrected, his voice soft but confident, making Wade nod sheepishly.

"It's one of Mari's favorite holidays," Kaine continued, a subtle blush spreading across his cheeks. His brothers immediately erupted into teasing, exchanging exaggerated, knowing glances and mockingly fluttering their eyes at Kaine.

"What?" Kaine snapped, clearly irritated by their antics as they closed in on him, surrounding him with exaggerated puppy dog eyes.

"So cute," Liam cooed, reaching out to pinch Kaine's cheek with the sort of affection usually reserved for puppies. Kaine swatted it away in irritation.

"You're such a dork," Tristan yawned, his voice muffled as he punched his brothers in playful annoyance. Kaine, his patience wearing thin, jumped up and lunged at Tristan, throwing him to the ground in a wrestling match.

"BOYS, BEHAVE OR WE'RE NOT GOING," Wade barked, his voice commanding as he threw a stern glare across the room. The sudden shift in tone caught Kaine mid-wrestle, and he reluctantly climbed off Tristan, sitting back down and continuing to eat his food with an exaggerated hurry, the energy in his movements betraying his mounting excitement.

Without another word, Kaine bolted from the table and stormed toward his room, leaving his family in stunned silence. He had never acted like this before. Never had they seen him so eager to leave or so animated about an event.

With thunderous steps, Kaine slammed open the door to his room and immediately began rifling through his wardrobe, pulling out his most expensive suit. The gleam of his crown settled atop his head, transforming him from the rugged, pirate-like figure his family knew into something far more regal. As he stood before the mirror, adjusting his suit jacket, his reflection stared back at him with renewed determination.

He was ready. Ready to take on anything that would bring him closer to Mariana and the festival that meant so much to her. He didn't quite know what to expect from this Vellemara festival, but he knew one thing: it was important to Mariana, and that was reason enough to be there.

When Kaine emerged from his room, there was a newfound poise in his stride. His brothers, still seated at the table, watched in a mixture of disbelief and amusement.

"Look at him, all dolled up," Liam said with a smirk, nudging Arlo with a bemused chuckle. "He actually owns a suit?"

"Can it, Liam," Kaine shot back, rolling his eyes. But despite his words, he couldn't help but notice how out of place his brothers looked in their casual attire. They didn't seem to understand the significance of the day. Mariana's day. Her favorite festival. To Kaine, this was no casual event, and he would not treat it as such.