How long had we been exchanging words and feelings?
At some point, the conversation naturally shifted from talking about father to talking about me. Both Shaps-san and Fauntia-san were overjoyed that I had returned to this world safely and had grown up well. They told me to live as I pleased, to pursue whatever I wished—but I knew the truth. Eidel-san had grumbled about it once. Every time I made consommé or developed sesame tofu, the king and queen had to deal with all sorts of complications, struggling with adjustments and negotiations behind the scenes.
And yet, they never once let it show. Instead, they simply ruffled my hair and embraced me—not as rulers, but as a friend’s son, as family.
There was no shortage of things to talk about.
We spoke about Noah. How he had been tormented by his own thoughts. How watching him suppress himself because of his feelings toward his family had been painful. How, in the end, I had helped him find his answer. Thank you for being his friend, they told me. Thank you for saving our son. And then, they bowed their heads.
We spoke about Yuni-san and Eidel-san. About how she could be selfish at times but was still their pride and joy. About how, even though Eidel-san was only their son-in-law, they had loved him no differently than a son of their own. About how, by the looks of it, the two of them seemed to care deeply for each other. As parents and as royals, they were caught between wanting to support them and wanting to oppose them, laughing at their own conflicted feelings.
They introduced me to the rest of their family as well.
There was their eldest son, Lupo-san, and his wife, Sarah-san, as well as their second son, Lorabo-san. Lupo-san and Sarah-san already had a child and were expecting their second. They let me hold their little one, who had just started toddling around, and asked me to bless the unborn child by placing a hand on Sarah-san’s belly. They, too, spoke to me not as royalty, but as family.
It was a good family.
When I thought of royal families, I imagined power struggles, political intrigue, and bloodline conflicts—relatives who couldn’t even trust their own kin, siblings who tore each other apart for the throne. In Earth’s history, there had been many countries like that.
But they—Eidel-san, Parker-san, and even Sarah-san—were bound together by something stronger than blood. Even if they weren’t connected by lineage, even if they came from different races, they stood by each other as family.
「I may be dull and mediocre, but my wife is brilliant. Thanks to Tia, our sons and daughters have grown into such fine people. I can’t take credit for it, but at the very least, when it comes to my children, I can hold my head high before Kazuteru-dono.」
After Lupo-san and the others had left, Shaps-san muttered those words.
I shook my head and replied.
「I don’t think that’s true. I don’t know much about politics, and I don’t really know what kind of king you are… But if your children grew up to be good people, that means you were a good father. I think you’re just as great a dad as my own father was.」
Shaps-san gave a sheepish yet delighted smile.
「I see… If no one else, Kazuteru-dono’s own child says so, then I will take it as my greatest pride.」
He looked just like any other father—an ordinary man who simply loved his children.
※※※
As night deepened, the air naturally shifted. It was about time to take our leave.
「I’m sorry we came empty-handed… Mother suddenly decided on this visit, so we didn’t have time to prepare anything.」
「Hah, there’s no need for you to worry about that.」
「That’s right. You and Chocola-san came to see us tonight as Viole’s children. Just seeing your faces was more than enough.」
「Barkk… bark!」
「Yeah… You’re just like me, after all. Mother’s child.」
Chocola barked energetically in response to Fauntia-san’s words, but I had seen him stifling a sleepy yawn earlier. We were keeping Ji Liz waiting, too—we couldn’t stay much longer.
If I had known this would happen, I would have at least brought a small gift. I never expected that we’d meet the Sorx family in such a private, familial setting.
But just as I was thinking that, Mother nodded at me and Chocola—then at Shaps-san and Fauntia-san.
「It’s alright, Sui-kun. I’ve already prepared gifts for both of them.」
「Eh?」
She reached into the folds of her cloak and retrieved something.
「Is that…」
It was an envelope.
And from its shape and texture, it was clear that it wasn’t from this world.
「You remember the message video from your father, the one he left on the computer? There was a separate video meant just for me. In that video, Kazu-kun asked me for a favor. He said he had written a letter to Shaps and Fauntia… and asked me to give it to them.」
「Kazuteru-dono…」
「A letter… for us?」
Shaps-san and Fauntia-san widened their eyes in surprise.
I was just as shocked.
It was true—there had been a separate video addressed only to my mother.
I never knew what it contained, since she was the only one who watched it.
So it wouldn’t be strange if, at some point, father had secretly tucked a letter away in their bedroom drawer, entrusting it to mother personally.
「Maybe I should have given it to you sooner. But… there was Sui-kun to consider. I wanted to be sure first. Whether this country… whether Sorx Kingdom was a place where he could truly be happy. Whether it was a country where he could put down roots and live his life.」
As she said this, mother’s gaze sharpened.
But at the same time, there was a small smile on her lips—one that carried a quiet sense of satisfaction.
That meant—
「We may receive it, then?」
「Yes.」
—That’s what she had decided.
「Did you check what’s inside?」
「No, I haven’t. I’m not the kind of wife who would pry into a letter meant for her husband’s friend.」
「But this is Kazuteru’s… his final…」
「That’s exactly why it belongs to you two. Kazu-kun knew. He understood that his time was limited. And in those final moments, he chose to write a letter. Aside from his family… the only ones he wrote to were you.」
「……」
Shaps-san and Fauntia-san both swallowed hard, unable to speak.
Then, slowly, they reached out and received the envelope with deep reverence.
Shaps-san gently ran his fingers over its surface, as if cherishing it.
Fauntia-san held it close to her chest, as if in silent prayer.
「Well then, shall we head back? Ji Liz is probably getting impatient by now.」
With a satisfied look, my mother patted my shoulder.
Her expression was bright and clear.
And for some reason, seeing her like that filled me with an overwhelming sense of pride.
———
As for the contents of the letter… just like my mother’s message video, that will remain a secret.
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