My eldest brother is named Abhimanyu Surawisesa. He is the Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Indonesia—the dignified, wise, and courageous firstborn. Perhaps because there is a significant age gap between us and I'm the youngest, this particular brother loves to dote on and spoil me. Beyond that, he is the perfect heir.
My second brother is named Aarav Sutajaya. He's cheerful and loves his freedom. But don't get me wrong—he's won countless martial arts awards, from pencak silat and taekwondo to lethwei. This brother of mine is incredibly mischievous, probably because we're only two years apart. He joined the Army and serves as the Commander of the Kingdom's Special Forces with the rank of colonel.
I sat down first. A few seconds later, both of my brothers arrived.
Their faces lit up when they saw me. Abhimanyu immediately hugged me and scolded me. "Riri, why are you only getting here now? It's so hard for your brother to see you."
Riri is my childhood nickname. Only my parents and brothers call me that.
"Sorry, Brother. I've been incredibly busy lately," I replied guiltily.
Then I looked toward Aarav. A mischievous smile curved across his lips.
Ruffle, ruffle, ruffle.
I froze. Then I raised my voice and scolded him, "Brother Aarav! Don't mess up my hair!"
I was furious because Aarav had roughly rubbed my hair, leaving it a complete mess.
I hissed as I fixed my hair. He might have gotten older, but his behavior was still incredibly childish.
I complained to Abhimanyu, "Abi, look what Aarav did! He's being so annoying!" I said, pointing at Aarav.
"Aarav! Don't do that. Apologize," he ordered Aarav.
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry, squirt," Aarav said, then pinched my cheek.
I flew into a rage and retaliated by beating on his arm.
"Ow, ow! That hurts, Riri. Mercy," he whimpered in pain.
I shot back, "That's what you get for being annoying!"
Abhimanyu could only shake his head at the behavior of his younger siblings.
Not long afterward, our parents entered.
King Prabu Arya Galuh and Queen Candrawati.
Everyone present, including me, stood and bowed respectfully. Then my father smiled and told us to sit down.
Once we were seated, I saw my father gazing at me with a radiant smile. He seemed very happy that I could come today. My conscience was pricked because I rarely visited my parents.
Father stood and gave a brief welcome speech.
"Welcome to this family luncheon. Thank you for taking the time to be here. Please enjoy the food, and don't hesitate to chat because this isn't a formal meal. That's all from me," Father said before sitting down again.
Mother signaled the head royal chef to begin serving the dishes.
The food began to arrive. We started with lotek as an appetizer, followed by Bandung soto. The main course was roasted young goat, and we were served lime sorbet and lapis legit cake for dessert.
The dining area was lively. The extended royal family chatted with one another and exchanged news.
I hadn't even finished enjoying dessert when one of our relatives began looking for trouble.
"Your Highness, Crown Prince, I hear you've just built a study center for prospective parents and a learning house for underprivileged children in an outlying residential area. As an heir, shouldn't you be strengthening your relationships with important officials? If you only concern yourself with the interests of people in the outskirts, what will the other members of the royal family look like in the eyes of the public?" said a half-bald old man named Duke Surya, the younger brother of our grandfather, the former king.
My mouth fell open at his words, and I turned toward Abhimanyu.