"What about me? You once said that I am cute. Is he cuter than me?"
Ira tried not to laugh on his question "Didn't you told me not call you cute?"
He realised what he just said. His ears and cheeks turned red in embarrassment. He cleared his throat, feeling embarrassed and said "Forget what I said."
He released his hand from Ira and again grabbed his brush to paint. He dipped the brush in paint and started painting.
She smiled and moved closer to him, watching him painting.
"No, you are cuter than him. But you forbade me from calling you cute so I started calling him cute."
"You can." He said, feeling shy.
"What?" She looked at him.
He glanced at her quickly and again looked at his painting "You can call me cute but don't replace me "
Ira's eyes widened to hear that he think she replaced him. "What?! No! I didn't replaced you. Don't say that!"
He looked at her and gulped to see the serious look on her face "F-Fine. I will not say that again. But promise me you will never love someone more than me."
"Not even your brother?" She teased.
He smiled "Yes, you can love him more than me, more than anyone else. But you can't love someone and choose them over me. I am your brother. I always wanted a sister. Since you are my sister, I hate sharing you with anyone else. I hate it if you choose and support someone other than me."
"Fine, I will not." She looked at the painting and asked "But why are you painting our family at this hour. It's late. And I think you just started the painting."
"Yes. Because I wanted to show you that this is our family. We should love eachother more than anyone else. We should appreciate eachother. I don't want anyone to be part of our family forcefully. I don't like it when my parents and grandparents pamper other kids. And I don't like it when you and brother do the same. I am the youngest member of this family, I should get pampered the most." His word were clearly describing how pampered and spoiled he is.
"You are not the youngest. It's me! I am younger than you." She said.
He nod "By age, yes you are. But in relation, you are my sister-in-law and you are superior than me. It means, I am the youngest. You should care for me, not other kids."
"Fine fine. Now eat your food." She stood up and went to bring the plate of food for him. She sat down beside him and passed the plate to him.
"I am painting. My hands are dirty too. Can you feed me?" He asked and before she can reply, he opened his mouth, asking for food.
She chuckled and started feeding him.
"Wah, what a lovely scene!"
They turned their gaze towards door and found Raksheet walking towards them with straight face.
"My wife is feeding my brother with her hands, leaving her husband alone in chamber."
"Don't be jealous brother." Ahil said and opened his mouth for another bite.
Ira fed him and smiled at Raksheet.
"Look who's talking!" Raksheet said "Can't you eat by yourself?" He then looked at Ira and bent a little to look at her face "And you, you never fed me like this but you are feeding him. How dare you?"
Ira chuckled and fed him too, to calm her husband down "I fed you now. Is it enough?"
He chewed the food in his mouth and stood straight. "No." He looked at the painting and walked behind Ahil to see it carefully.
"It's good. But why are you beside my wife? You should be sitting on floor infront of grandfather and grandmother, like the old painting." He slapped Ahil's head lightly.
"New painting, new position." Ahil replied and again asked Ira to feed him.
"Alright, now that's enough." Raksheet walked towards Ira and held her hand "Let's go back. I am sleepy."
But Ahil suddenly held her other hand and said to Raksheet "If you are sleepy, go and sleep. She is not your mother who will sing lullaby for you."
Raksheet walked towards him and slapped his head again "She is my wife, I can't sleep without her. And she is also not your mother. Why are you asking her to feed you?"
"A sister-in-law is just like a mother for her brother-in-law." Ahil replied confidently.
"She is too young to be your mother figure." Raksheet again held Ira's hand and took the plate from her hand, placing it on the small table infront of her. "Let's go."
"But.." Ira tried to say but Ahil spoke.
"It's ok sister, Go. I will finish my food by myself."
"Fine." She replied and walked away from there with her husband.
"You never fed me but you were feeding him. That's not good" Raksheet said sulkily, wrapping his arms around Ira tightly while laying on their bed.
"But you never asked me to do that." She replied and looked up at her husband.
"Did he asked you?"
She nod and he said "That punk! He is being too bold. Asking my wife to feed him."
She patted his chest gently and said "Don't say that. He is my brother and I like to do that. I don't have any problem."
"But I do." He replied "You are my wife but you are more close to him. You two laugh together, sometimes you play together and today, you even fed him. What about me? Don't you think you should do this all with me?"
Her lips curved in smile and she asked "A king want to play? Isn't it weird?"
"For you, I am not a king. And that punk doesn't think of me as a king."
"Yes, he do. That's why he didn't let you hold bags in market." She cupped his cheek with one hand and made him look at her.
"Raksheet, after you, he is the one who loves me alot. I never knew how it feels to have a brother who always protect you, love you, care for you and provides you everything you want. He is the one who made me feel that. I don't want to loose him. I want him to always be with us. Don't be mad at him. He loves you too. He told me to love you the most, more than anyone else. He just want me to choose him and be his sister only."
Raksheet looked away and tried to calm down. He rested his head on hers and replied "I am not angry on him. I was just a little jealous. You fed him but not me."
"That's it?" She sat straight and held his hands "Fine, so tomorrow, I will cook for you your favourite dish and feed you."
His eyes lit up and he smiled widely "Really?"
She nod and he said "But I like sweets more. Would you make some sweets for me? Since last week, Advika didn't let me eat anything sweet. She's not even keeping sugar in my personal chamber."
Ira laughed to hear his complaint and hugged him, her head resting on his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and hugged her.
"Fine, I will make sweet for you." She looked up at him and asked "But why didn't she let you eat sweet?"
He sighed lazily "She said I am a king now. I shouldn't act childish and eat sweet. I should stop eating sugar and act mature. You don't know, she gave me a long lecture about it."
"But you are mature. I have never seen you acting childish infront of others. You are childish infront of me only." She kissed his cheeks "But still, you should not eat too much sugar."
"I will not." He hugged her tightly and rested his head on hers.
"Don't be sad, I will cook something for you tomorrow morning. Alright?"
He nod in response and soon fell asleep. She was talking nonstop that she didn't realised that her husband had already stepped in his dreamland.