Matteo placed one of his gifts on the table that already contained a pile of wrapped packages for his sister’s birthday. Both he and Altea disliked this part of the show their parents insisted on since they were children. They were supposed to go through an endless evening of small talk and endless courses of food with some important people coming from all over their kingdom but none of their friends, longingly looking at the presents waiting for them, until at the end of the evening, when they could finally open them. Slowly and gracefully, even when they were younger and just wanted to rip through the wrapping to discover what they’d gotten this year. They were expected to behave and admire every single one, thanking the gift giver before moving on to the next one.
That’s when they dec
