Point of View: Sirius
Serafina’s Rebellious Phase
IT ALL STARTED when I made a stop by the Office of the Captain of the Royal Guard. As I poked my head in, I was greeted by a heavy sigh. Sitting at the table was Captain Deneb, looking unusually downcast as he exhaled deeply.
“Something on your mind, Deneb?” I inquired, wondering what the matter could be.
But as soon as I spoke, Deneb immediately sat up straight and briskly replied, “Ah, Vice-Commander Sirius! Apologies that you had to see that. Workwise, everything’s fine and dandy! It’s more of…um…a private matter, you see. I’ve been worried about my son.”
“Your son…you mean Hadar? I recall him coming to the annual mock battle between the knight brigades up until not too long ago.” Memories of a boy with a physique similar to Deneb’s, gazing at his father with eyes full of wonder, flashed through my mind.
“Th-that’s a very impressive memory you’ve got! And to think you recall his name as well! I can’t believe your powers of recollection, Vice-Commander.”
“Well, you did introduce us once.” I plainly said, stating the truth.
Deneb looked like he had a retort he wanted to let loose, but he held back and simply continued with his explanation. “My Hadar’s going through a rebellious phase. They say all children have two of those, so I was relieved when both of them passed, but lately he’s started up again. When I looked into it, I found out that there’s actually an ‘intermediate rebellious phase’ that happens when children are around five, so there are actually three in total.”
Serafina was currently six years old. Perhaps her intermediate rebellious phase had already passed?
“How long does the so-called ‘intermediate rebellious phase’ usually last?”
“Well, in Hadar’s case, it was about five years. His friends were all about the same as well, so that’s probably a general estimate.”
“Five years?!” That was roughly the same period that had passed from Serafina’s birth until present day.
“Everybody’s different, of course. Some children go through it from age five, while others start from six.”
“From six, you say…” That was Serafina’s current age.
“Also, how they react differs as well. It ranges from disagreeing in a cute way to completely ignoring what they’re told.”
“You’re saying that being disagreed with can be cute?” Being told no was hurtful, and I couldn’t imagine it being an endearing expression. Not to mention, if a child completely stopped listening to their parents, they would probably be completely overcome with shock.
“I feel for the king,” I couldn’t help but mutter under my breath. Noticing that I was thinking about Serafina, Deneb nodded his agreement.
“True. His Majesty dotes on Princess Serafina, so I’m sure he’ll be in for a shock when her rebellious phase starts. On the other hand, I’m sure you’ll take it in stride, Vice-Commander.”
“Why am I a part of this conversation?”
Deneb looked truly surprised at my question. “Huh? Well, it’s often said that children rebel against those they trust the most, and I believe it’s fair to say that Princess Serafina is probably closer to you than the king. With that being the case, you’ll probably take the brunt of it.”
Was he implying that Serafina would rebel against me?
“You’re saying she’s going to disagree with me and stop listening to what I tell her?!”
“Ha ha, exactly! If you want to prevent that, you’ll need to stop pampering her and make sure she doesn’t become too attached to you. Well, even if she does go through a rebellious phase, it won’t last forever. Just five years, give or take.”
“Five years!”
After that bombshell of a statement, Deneb quickly left the room, muttering some excuse about “having to call the knights to assemble.” He didn’t spare me another glance as he departed, leaving me in my shocked state.