Among the six a.d.u.l.ts, Rune was the only one how had never fallen in love nor had a girlfriend. He could only watch how each of his family members fell in love and then got married.
In fact, Lauriel, who was famous for being a loner, had fallen in love twice in his life and even getting married in the spring. He always looked happy now. That aloof and cold man had changed a lot from the first time Rune had known him in these decades. It felt like love could really change humans.
"Uncle Rune, when will you get married?" Summer suddenly chirped. Her beautiful peach eyes were staring at Rune, who was watching Lauriel with awe.
"Ehh ... what did you say?" Rune turned to the side and saw Summer, Ireland, and Scotland all staring at him with their three pairs of round, attentive eyes.
Summer's sudden remarks also shocked the five other a.d.u.l.ts who were in the dining room. They all looked at Summer too.
"All the a.d.u.l.ts in this family are married or getting married .. but you never even have a girlfriend. Is there something wrong with you, Uncle?" asked Summer again. "Do you need help finding a wife?"
Her words were spoken in a completely innocent tone. She didn't sound nosy at all. So, Rune couldn't feel offended.
The handsome man scratched his head that was not itchy. Uhmm .. that's right. Both of his siblings are married and live happily with their spouses and children. His nephew and niece, Altair and Vega, who were even much younger than him, already had their own partners.
Vega was married and lived happily with her husband, while Altair had loved JM since they were little, and it was only a matter of time before they decided to tie the knot.
That means ... he was the only one left.
But how could he get married when he had never been in love? He has lived for forty years and had never been attracted to women... nor men. However, he knew very well that he was neither aromantic nor as.e.x.u.a.l. He just hadn't met the person who could make his heart flutter.
He remembered his father needed four centuries before he fell in love for the first time. And now... he had been happily married for almost fifty years to the love of his life. But, before Caspar met Finland, he was a womanizer. Rune didn't want to be like his father.
"You are wrong, Honey," said Aleksis defending her younger brother.
"Uncle Aldebar is almost 250 years old and he's never been in love either. And we can all see that he is happy. So everyone's life is different. You cannot expect everyone to follow the same paths."
Rune hiccupped when he heard his sister's words. Among the rest of his family, he was the only one who knew Aldebar's secret, because he was the closest to his uncle and spent so much time with him.
Aldebar was in love one time, and his feelings were immensely deep. That's what made him unable to turn his heart to another woman, even though hundreds of years had passed. Aldebar kept this a secret from everyone because he didn't want his family to worry about him.
He knew they loved him very much and wanted to see him happy. However, he was determined that he would never fall in love again for the rest of his life. He just wanted to keep his memories with her, until the day he breathed his last.
Rune cleared his throat. He was sure Uncle Aldebar would not mind being misunderstood by people as an old bachelor who didn't understand what love was rather than his secret being exposed. Finally, Rune just nodded, confirming his sister's words.
"Aleksis is right. Uncle Aldebar has lived longer than me, and he has never fallen in love too. So, this is really nothing unusual," said Rune. He ruffled Summer's hair and whispered to her. "It's best if you don't think about a.d.u.l.t matters. Just enjoy your life as a child. You'll regret it later if you m.a.t.u.r.e too quickly."
Summer and her two cousins looked at each other and laughed with amus.e.m.e.nt.
"I wasn't saying that you are weird, Uncle. I mean .. if you want our help to find a wife, we can help you," said Summer with a cute laugh. She glanced at her father and mother, sitting intimately with their hands clasped under the table. "Daddy and Maman met because my Daddy joined a dating website."
Nicolae spontaneously coughed when he heard his daughter's words. The man exchanged glances with Marie.
"Where did you hear it from?" he asked in amazement. It's true, he and Marie happened to meet because Altair and Vega, who were eager to find him a lover, secretly created a profile for him on a dating website. They made date appointments with three women in Singapore.
When Nicolae met his first date, he accidentally met Marie too, who was then the best friend of the woman he met for a date.
A misunderstanding occurred between the two of them, which made Marie and Nicolae eventually get further involved. In the end, they got married, had a child, and now lived happily together.
Summer looked down with rosy cheeks. She then glanced at her father. "I heard it from Big Brother Altair .. hehehe. But it's true, right? Maman and Daddy met because of the help of a dating website."
Nicolae coughed at this while Marie down the wine from her glass in one go.
"Uhmm ... it was just a coincidence," said Nicolae. "Besides, I don't think Rune needs help looking for a partner. Look .. he's happy with his life. I think you should follow his advice earlier, not to mind a.d.u.l.t affairs and focus on your own life."
Rune winked at Summer. "Listen to your father."
The three teenagers took deep breaths with disappointed expressions.
"It's too late," Ireland said in a low voice. He elbowed Scotland and Summer, and the three of them whispered to each other.
"It's too late for what?" asked Rune, not understanding.
The three teenagers immediately looked away and pretended not to hear his question. Marie pursed her lips while Aleksis massaged her forehead.
"Gosh ..." Nicolae stared at Summer closely. "What did you do?"
Because Summer and her two cousins looked so guilty, their parents could suspect that they had done something.
"Come on ... what have you done?" asked Nicolae again. This time his voice sounded very stern, and finally, the three teenagers turned to look at him and then lowered their heads.
"We ... just want to see Uncle Rune happy ..." Summer said in a sad voice. "I saw how happy you are with Maman, Uncle Alaric is happy with Auntie Aleksis.. and now Grandpa Rory is getting married to Rosalien. Vega and Altair have their spouses too. Everyone is getting their happily ever after, but Uncle Rune is still alone."
"So ... yesterday, we create a profile for Uncle Rune," Scotland added, "and set up a blind date."
Alaric, Aleksis, Nicolae, and Marie sighed in unison. The four of them immediately looked at Rune with regretful looks. Their eyes all said 'sorry'.
"Rune .. please forgive our children..." said Aleksis regretfully. "I'm going to punish them. They shouldn't be meddling in a.d.u.l.t matters."
Rune stared at the three teenagers. He understood they just wanted to see him fall in love and be happy. They didn't mean harm. Ahhh .. these kids really love him.
Perhaps, they thought that by helping him, they would be as lucky as Altair and Vega who managed to find a wife for Nicolae. Now the man was living happily with Marie ... all because of a date from a dating website 16 years ago.
Rune man immediately waved his hand and laughed. "Hahaha ... don't think about it too much. I mean ... I understand why these kids do it."
Summer fluttered her beautiful long lashes at Rune and put on her best puppy eyes.
"Uncle ... you are really not angry, right?" she asked in her adorable voice.
Rune turned to his sister and saw Aleksis raise an eyebrow while Marie massaged her forehead and shook her head.
"Of course, I am not angry with you. How could I? But you have entered an a.d.u.l.t-only website, even though you are still a minor. Therefore, I agree that your parents should punish you for visiting a site you are not supposed to visit."
"You are grounded for a week. No internet and gadgets for you for one week, Summer," said Marie with a raised eyebrow to her daughter.
Aleksis nodded in agreement. "Neither for Ireland and Scotland."
"But ... Auntie Rose is ready to meet Uncle Rune... at least if we are punished for the deed, Uncle Rune must be willing to meet her," said Summer stubbornly. "She is such a kind lady and she is so excited to see you!"
"Who did you say? Auntie Rose?"