"Welcome back," Saldrich said as she and Aldrich stepped into the apartment.
Eric, still glued to the TV, took a moment to look at the clock, then back at the siblings who had just entered.
"That… took no time at all," he said, surprised to see them return so early.
"You can thank your son for that," Saldrich replied with a smirk. "He has a date at eight, so he needed to be ready."
"A date? Already? Now that's a shocker," Eric replied, clearly impressed. His son had only been out for a few hours, and he'd already lined up a date.
"Oh, you have no idea," Saldrich said, taking off her coat and joining her father on the couch. "Ask him what her name is."
"What's her name?" Eric asked, his curiosity piqued.
"I… don't know," Aldrich replied, settling comfortably onto the one-seater couch.
Eric shot him a confused look, then turned to Saldrich for answers, only to get a playful giggle in response.
"Dad, ask him for the address—or better yet, her age," Saldrich suggested, unable to hide her amusement.
Eric's curiosity quickly turned to disbelief as he observed Aldrich's expression.
"No, you didn't," Eric said, stunned.
"Yes, he did," Saldrich chimed in.
They went back and forth, escalating in mock disbelief until Aldrich finally cut in.
"Would you both stop that?" he said, sounding thoroughly fed up.
"You asked a stranger out on a date?" Eric exclaimed.
"Well, technically, she asked me out. So… you get the gist, right?" Aldrich replied, a smug grin crossing his face.
"A stranger asked you out, and you said yes," Eric repeated, trying to make sense of it.
"What was I supposed to do, Dad, say no?"
"Ah, so she's pretty," Eric deduced with a knowing smile.
"Very," Aldrich replied, grinning.
"I thought so. Looks like you've got the Aldaman blood in you," Eric said, offering a fist bump, which Aldrich eagerly returned.
Saldrich, who'd been watching in disbelief, threw up her hands. "I can't believe you two! You're encouraging him!"
"What am I supposed to do, scold him?" Eric replied.
"Yes! Yes, you should! He's going on a date with a complete stranger—doesn't that bother you?"
Eric shrugged. "He's a man. Men do a lot of stupid things."
"Oh, so things like going on dates without knowing her name or where she lives?" Saldrich asked, incredulous.
"At least I know where the date's happening. Crystal Palace. Now all I need is a map to take me there." Aldrich said as he walked to the fridge, sounding completely unbothered.
"Did you just say Crystal Palace?" Saldrich asked, her tone shifting.
"Yeah, why?"
"You mean the Crystal Palace Hotel? The most extravagant place in Upstate?"
"Oh, so it's a hotel. Nice," he said, taking an apple from the fridge and biting into it with nonchalance.
"No, not nice at all!" Saldrich replied, her voice tense but more in disbelief than alarm. "If your date's at eight at the Crystal Palace, then it has to be for the Cotillion event."
"The Coti-what-now?" Aldrich said, clearly lost.
"It's this ridiculous event where rich parents show off their kids to other rich parents, both with the intention to say my kid is better than yours, all in glamorous outfits," Eric explained, sounding thoroughly unimpressed.
"You lost me at 'ridiculous event,'" Aldrich admitted.
"So… I'm supposed to attend this thing?" he added, looking bewildered.
"That, or stand your date up, leaving her without a partner," Saldrich pointed out, her tone implying he had no choice.
"Great," Aldrich muttered, disappearing into his room with an excuse to get ready early.
Truth was, he just needed some space between finding out he had to attend a ridiculous event and entertaining Saldrich and Eric. It was tasking and nerve-wracking.
No words needed to be spoken more.
As he prepped, his thoughts drifted back to the girl, and he found himself smiling. "She's really pretty," he thought to himself.
With that, he decided to forget about the minor detail of not knowing her name.
She was worth it. If he is going to be living in this world now, things have to be done differently.
His former life had focused too much on honing his skills as an archer to see to it that he didn't lag behind other contestants.
There is no logic saying he had to do the same here.
By seven, Aldrich was ready, with Saldrich tagging along to guide him to Upstate.
"Isn't this supposed to be an event for the you know... The rich kids?" Aldrich asked while they rode the train.
"It is," Saldrich replied simply.
"Then remind me again why you're going too, and even bringing a gown to wear," he questioned, noticing the financial inconsistency.
"Because unlike you dear brother, I have an actual invitation. I was invited by the elite kids who are attending the event," she said, a bit smugly.
"You mean the same elites you slave away for, running errands like some minion?" Aldrich said, his tone tinged with frustration over her treatment by the so-called elite.
"They're not that bad if you get to know them. And you should probably do the same, starting with your mystery date," she advised.
"Thanks, Mom," he muttered sarcastically.
"I'm serious, Al. You're going to be joining us next term. You could at least try to get along with the people you'll be spending all your academy time with."
Aldrich was struck by her remark.
The Cotillion was, after all, part of the early stages of the Arthdal Chronicle storyline—a key event where the main cast was introduced, establishing their hierarchy.
Originally, Aldrich's character didn't even exist in the main story, left in a coma and barely mentioned.
But now, things were different.
By waking up and preparing to head to the institute, he'd already changed the course of the story.
"Alright, for real. I'll do my best to get along with them," he promised, this time without the sarcasm.