Chapter Text
At four years and two months old, Miles Sharma-Bridgerton rules the world.
Well, Miles rules at least one world. From Kent to London, from Mumbai to Chennai, everybody loves him. His grandmothers. All of his aunts and uncles. His Amma and Dad most of all. The adults always swoon and gush over how cute he is when Miles looks up at them from under his soft curls and his long eyelashes, as he flashes them a view of the dimples on his round cheeks. Everybody will always give Miles anything he wants.
Miles isn’t worried about his brother, Edmund, or his cousins, Auggie, Belinda and Caroline. He is the youngest of the bunch, so they have to share their toys with him. Miles will tell if they don’t. Plus, Edmund never lets anybody bully him. Secretly, Miles thinks of his brother as his sidekick. The fact that he will soon gain a younger sibling, as his Amma is currently pregnant, is still too abstract of a concept for the boy to comprehend. As far as he is concerned, this is Miles’s world forever.
Miles has yet to have any reason to think otherwise on a day such as today. Turns out his Dad has another brother, Uncle Benedict, not just Uncle Colin and Uncle Gregory. He is returning home with his wife, Auntie Sophie, from their long business trip in Europe. Amma is taking him and Edmund out to meet them for lunch, along with Auntie Daphne, her kids, and Auntie Eloise.
Before they depart for the restaurant, Miles conducts his investigation.
“What does Uncle Benedict do?” Dad says one can judge a character by what they do for a living, and Grandma Violet says it is very rude to directly ask that kind of question. So Miles snuggles against Amma and whispers the question in her ear. She giggles as his breath tickles her.
Also, Miles just wants to be close to Amma and smell her. His aunts and Grandmas smell nice too, but his Amma has the best smell.
“He is an artist, angel.” She answers. “He paints things. He takes photographs of them too.”
He considers her answer thoughtfully.
“He paints things? Like trees? Like animals? Like horses? What about kittens? What about our dog Newton? And houses?” To each “Yes” from his Amma regarding his inquiries, he is more sure of his resolve. This is good information. Uncle Benedict can stay. It can be useful for Miles and Edmund, having an uncle that powerful.
The fact that Benedict is also his cousins’ uncle, Miles does not agree with.
“What does Auntie Sophie do?” He whispers into Amma’s ear again.
“Auntie Sophie is an astronomer.” says Amma.
“What is astromomomer?” He asks.
She smiles, repeating the words more slowly. “An as-tro-no-mer, darling. She studies astronomy. The sun, the stars, the moon, space. Everything outside of Earth.”
Miles’s eyes brighten at this explanation. He recognizes the term now.
“Space? So she is astronaut? Like spaceship?”
“No, she is an astronomer, dear. Not an astronaut. They work together.” Kate’s attempt to clarify the distinction unfortunately goes completely over Miles’s head. Now, the boy can only think of which possible ways he can charm this Auntie Sophie, so she loves him enough to give him a seat on her spaceship.
His plan starts with this lunch. As Edmund leaves the table to play with Auggie, Belinda and Caroline, Miles stays behind. Like a smart boy that he is, Miles decides that his chance of getting on a spaceship will be higher if he helps his Amma and aunts chat up this pretty, fairy-like lady who they say is Auntie Sophie. It is his world after all, he should be responsible for it. So he stays in his chair, little feet dangling off the ground, busying himself with his snacks. Occasionally, when he feels generous, he turns to his Amma and pushes a piece of tart against her mouth until she eats it. It is very wise of him, indeed, that he remembers that Amma needs to feed the baby as well.
His plan is working perfectly. His Amma is doing her part, talking about how excited he is to meet a real-life astronomer, while Miles flutters his lashes and grins at Sophie with both of his dimples. Both of them! This is a huge, never-before-seen concession on Miles’s part. Normally he will never be this friendly to strangers. But he really wants that spaceship.
Auntie Sophie is moved, he can tell. She looks at him like every woman in his life looks at him, full of melting love and adoration. She coos and nudges his cheeks. She helps dab napkin at the spot when Miles has jam on his chin. He allows and accepts the gesture with sovereign regality, preening under all the attention of the women at the table.
As Miles is just about to gather enough courage and ask Auntie Sophie about her spaceship, someone else arrives.
“I hope we are not too late. Somebody found a flower shop.” Miles hears an adult male say.
Everyone’s attention turns toward the voice. Coming into view is a man who looks like his Dad but not really. All of his aunts cry out “Benedict!” as he approaches them. Amma leans over him, introducing helpfully and encouragingly.
“Look, honey. It’s your Uncle Benedict.”
Uncle Benedict is carrying two things in his arms. One of them is a giant bouquet, with so many flowers Miles cannot count all of them. The other is a child. A boy.
Uncle Benedict introduces him.
“This is Charlie. Say hello, Charlie!” The kid is smaller than Miles. Rounder than Miles. Pinker than Miles. He gives them an excited wave and a grin so wide, his eyes close up. Then he makes a gesture of blowing everyone at the table a kiss, and Miles hears his Amma, his old Aunties and his new Auntie collectively sigh.
“Eomma!” Charlie calls out, flailing his arms as if he wants to fly away from his Dad’s embrace to his mother. When he smiles, one corner of his mouth is higher than the other, just like his Dad. Benedict releases him on the ground so he can walk to her by himself.
Halfway through, Charlie turns around, suddenly realises he has forgotten something. Benedict grins and gives him the flowers.
The boy begins his journey anew. The bouquet is so big and heavy, he cannot hold them up in his hands. Instead, he has to drag them on the ground behind him, and he does this with great determination, shaking away every offer of assistance from his dad, only accepting it when Benedict helps him bring the flowers up to Sophie’s face as they finally reach her.
“Eomma.” Charlie says in a melodic, innocent voice. “Eommeoni. Je t'apporte des fleurs !"
Miles hears a gasp from somebody.
“My goodness!” says Auntie Daphne. “He speaks French?”
“And Korean.” Auntie Sophie shyly reminds everyone, as if that fact is important to her. “But yes,” she confirms, holding both the flowers and her son on her lap. Pride fills her eyes. “He watched a lot of French programs when we were at the CNES.”
“Hey, I helped too.” Uncle Benedict chimes in. “Someone cannot fall asleep without his P’tit Loup.”
“P’tit Loup!” Charlie exclaims happily.
“Thank you for the flowers, baby.” Sophie kisses Charlie’s head. “They are lovely.”
“He picked them out himself. I helped.” Benedict says, as his head nuzzles against Sophie, signifying that he himself wants a kiss too. She rolls her eyes, but gives it to him.
“Baby. Seong-Ho-ah,” she tells Charlie. “These are your Aunties. Kate, Daphne, Eloise. This is your cousin Miles. Would you say hello?”
“‘Allo!” Charlie says, before blushing so furiously he has to dive his face back into his Mum’s chest. Someone, perhaps Auntie Daphne, maybe Miles’s Amma (His Amma!) giggles.
“Honey, look at me.” Sophie tries to maintain eye-contact with Charlie. “These flowers are very beautiful, but you only gave them to me. Can you see that your Aunts and your cousin don’t have any flowers?” Charlie takes a look around, then nods. His head is so big, it is like he nods with his entire body. Sophie continues. “I want to share these flowers with them. Would you agree?” Charlie thinks, then nods again. Sophie’s smile widens. “Would you help me do it?” Another nod starts off hesitantly, then turns excited.
Charlie slips off of Auntie Sophie’s lap, his parents help him pull the blooms he wants out of the big bouquet. Only two or three stems are much easier for the child to handle, and he toddles on his chubby legs over to Auntie Daphne and Auntie Eloise to give them their gift. He also says something to them that makes them blush. Even Auntie Eloise looks impressed, and she is never impressed with anything.
What is so special about him? He can barely walk. Miles thinks, scoffing petulantly.
At last, Charlie approaches Kate, raising to her, with both arms, two pink tulips. One of the stems bends a little under his clumsy grip.
“Tata! Tu es manifique!”
Kate sniffles, her hands tremble as she receives the flowers and Miles is aghast, aghast , at her betrayal. How can his Amma do this to him? It is not like she has never received flowers before. Dad gives her flowers everyday . And those tulips are not even nice. They’re all mushy.
Then Amma does something worse.
Leaning down to Charlie, she asks him.
“May I hold you, baby?”
Miles is, quite justly so he thinks, shocked to his core at this blatant insult.
Charlie considers the question. He looks to his Mum, his Dad, and back up at Miles’s Amma. Then he reaches his arms out for her, granting permission. But that is not before he gives Miles a smile, the likes of which Miles can only describe as pure evil.
Kate picks Charlie up into her arms.
At four years and two months old, Miles Sharma-Bridgerton comes face to face with his cousin, Charles Seong-Ho Bridgerton. His nemesis.
Miles gets off his chair at the utter indignity of the scene. Overwrought with emotions, he throws himself on the ground and wails.