Epilogue [Gale]

[Gale's perspective]

My mother is the most beautiful person in the kingdom. I am not just talking about her appearance. She is beautiful from the inside out.

My father is a stern looking man whom hardly smiles or shows emotions compared to Mother who is almost always seen smiling by his side. The two seemed to contrast each other like polar opposites. It is a wonder how I was born.

"Gale, you have something on your cheek," Mother said as she wiped my cheek with a handkerchief.

After wiping my cheek, she gave me a kiss where she just wiped me.

"Thank you, Mother," I said.

"You should not reward him every time he does something wrong," Father said.

"I was not rewarding him. I saw a perfectly squishy cheek and wanted to kiss it," Mother said.

"He will not become a man if you keep smothering him, Arielle," Father said sharply.

"I am not smothering him...I am just raising him with care and affection," Mother said with a disheartened expression.

Father made Mother sad, but he is right about my education...I will one day become Mother's successor, so I must be perfect one day.

"Father is right...Mother must be stricter with me if I am ever to become a man. I have to become strong enough to protect Mother one day," I said seriously.

"I look forward to the day that you can surpass me," Mother said with a smile.

"Duchess, it is time to leave," Stella said.

"...I see. It is already time for me to leave. Good day, Gale," Mother said as she kissed me on my cheeks. She soon turned to Father and seemed as if she were going to kiss him as well but gave up soon afterwards. "I will be back soon, Husband."

"...You should not make the other party wait too long," Father said stiffly.

"I won't," Mother said as she made her exit.

A few minutes later, my best friend Carl came by. Carl was my friend of the same age and also my Mother's best friend Countess Charlotte Castile's first child. He had light purple hair like his mother and light blue eyes from his father.

I found his outgoing personality likable since he was my opposite and would drag me with him in his quests for what he finds interesting. I never once got in trouble until I met this person. He provides me with things to disrupt mundaneness.

"The Duchess and your father are not very open with their affection," Carl said.

"...You think so too?" I asked.

"Have you not heard? The Duchess and your father are most well known for their modesty. Even I myself have yet to see them act close with one another. My parents give each other a kiss every time they part from each other. I suspect that your parents are not really in love with each other," Carl surmised.

"H-How is that possible? I was born from their union!" I said in a fluster.

"Maybe the Duchess has gotten tired of your father! My mother said that women tend to get bored of men who do not act like they love them and expect love in return," Carl said.

"My father has showered Mother in lots of affection!" I argued.

"Is that so? What has he done?" Carl asked excitedly.

I was at a loss for words when I tried remembering back to when he was particularly affectionate with Mother.

"...I thought so," Carl said as he held me by my shoulders. "You are now in a peril."

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"The only things keeping your parents together now are their marriage document and you. What do you think will happen to you once your parents decide to divorce?" Carl asked.

"...You are right! What should I do?" I asked.

"My mother said that the most important thing to a relationship is giving them enough time alone for feelings to grow," Carl said.

"That makes sense...but Mother does not usually have days off from her work. Even when she does, she spends all her time with me," I said.

"I thought the Duchess had a day off today," Carl said.

"She is going to see her friend today," I said.

"...Hm? Her friend does not seem too worrisome, but what happens if she is left alone?" Carl asked.

"Mother usually goes out and comes home by herself..." I said.

"That is when other men can swoop down!" Carl said.

"Will that really happen?" I asked.

"Of course! Your mother is very beautiful. It is only a matter of time before someone tries to court her," Carl said.

"What should I do?" I asked.

"Let's go find her now! We can protect your Mother from men bugging her," Carl said.

"We cannot leave that easily. We have to find a way elude the Guards surrounding the manor," I said.

Carl and I soon shared a moment of silence as we thought about what we could do.

"...I have a plan," I said.

"What is it?" Carl asked.

"We play Hide-and-Seek," I said.

"What good is it if we have adults crawling all around looking for us?" Carl asked.

"We would have adults looking for us anyways if we suddenly disappear without a word. They would find out that we left the confounds much earlier. If we give them a reason to think that we are hiding somewhere in the manor, the search would begin there and give us plenty of time to sneak out and make them think that we are still hiding here," I explained.

"That's genius!" Carl said as he smacked my shoulder.

I called over Stella and a few adults to begin our game.

Everything went better than I expected. Carl and I found our way out within just minutes.

"I heard that Mother was going to the Florist today," I said.

"I thought the Duchess has plenty of flowers at home?" Carl asked.

"Mother likes to support the local businesses by occasionally purchasing products from them," I explained.

Carl suddenly pulled me by my arm behind the corner of a building.

"I found the Duchess!" Carl whispered loudly as he pointed towards my mother at the Florist shop.

A man dressed in a brown hat and a long coat went up to Mother with a bouquet of yellow daffodils in his hands.

"A man really did approach Mother!" I said as I tried to stop the man from approaching my mother.

"Wait," Carl said as he held me back.

"Why should I wait? My dear mother is being approached by a home wrecker!" I shouted.

"We don't know that yet," Carl said. "He does not seem like he is giving her the bouquet but rather holding it for her."

"I see...Maybe it is for someone else," I said.

I suddenly saw Mother leaning down a bit to smell the flowers the mystery man was holding and smiled at him.

"Okay...maybe he is a home wrecker," Carl said.

"That's it...I am going in and saving my mother from that hideous man," I said.

"Why did you automatically assume that man is hideous?" Carl asked.

"For my mother to take pity on..."

"What would you do if he is handsome?" Carl asked.

"I doubt that he could be more handsome than my father," I said.

"Is it not your father's fault that we are in this place to begin with?" Carl asked.

"...You have a point," I said.

"Let's observe them from afar and see if it really is a date," Carl suggested.

Mother and the mystery man soon walked to a nearby cafe and shared drinks and sweets together.

"Now he is probably trying to take advantage of my poor Mother by making her pay for his meal!" I said.

"Wait...It seems like he paid the waitress. He must be a Nobleman if the Duchess is willing to let another person pay for her meal," Carl surmised.

"It is odd that she would let another person pay for her meal since Mother is one of the wealthiest people in the kingdom. Could the mystery man be someone of an equal or higher position than her? What if the mystery man is a Royal Dignitary from another country? Maybe that is why she cannot outright refuse the advances of that man," I concluded.

"...You went from the pity theory to world politics?" Carl asked.

"Is there any other reason as to why she would willingly have lunch with another man who is not her husband?" I asked. "I still think pitying is still on the table."

"My money is on a Royal Dignitary from the looks of his clothes. They are simple but made of good fabric," Carl said.

"How good is your vision!" I asked.

"Ah! They are leaving now," Carl said as he followed after them.

Mother and the mysterious stranger soon began walking together. It seemed as if they were heading towards the Castle together.

"Maybe he is a Royal Dignitary," I said.

I was soon grabbed from behind and hoisted high up into the air.

"I found you," Father said as he hugged me tightly in his arms.

"Father!" I exclaimed.

Carl was soon taken up by Stella in the same manner.

"What are you two thinking when you both decided to expand the search grounds to outside of our home?" Father asked.

"...It is your fault, Father!" I said as I flailed in his arms until he decided to let me go.

"My fault?" Father said questionably.

"Marquis, I think he means to say that your standoffish attitude towards your wife has resulted in her having an illicit affair," Carl said as he pointed at the scene of Mother and the stranger walking alongside together.

"...She is not having an affair," Father said as he slapped his forehead lightly.

"Do not deny the truth! She is with another man all because you won't show her that you care!" I yelled.

Father soon held me by my shoulders.

"If you give me a moment to show you that your mother is not having an affair, I believe that we can help clear the air," Father said as he held out his hand.

I grabbed his hand.

Father carried me while Stella carried Carl and had us enter the Castle after Mother and the stranger with her. To my surprise, neither them noticed us tailing after them.

"Greetings, Marquis! Are you having your son visit you at work today?" a male Official asked Father.

I think it is the first time that I am entering the Royal Castle in my father's arms...

"...Something like that," Father answered coldly.

"How adorable," the man said as he tickled my cheeks.

No matter how angry I was at being treated like a child, I held in my distaste for my father.

Father crisply slapped his hands.

"My son may be young, but he deserves some respect for his person," Father said.

"My apologies, to you...and the Young Duke," the man said before bowing and leaving us alone.

"...Thank you, Father," I said.

"If anything displeases you, you have the right to express your complaints. No one can say or do anything to you because you are our child," Father said.

His tone was stern as always but there was slight tinge of warmth when he said that.

"I understand, Father," I said.

"Gale, your Mother and I care for you and each other very much. Even if I am not one to express many emotions, I am willing to die for either of you," Father said.

"Does that mean you love us?" I asked.

"Yes, I love both of you very much. You two are the most important people in the world to me," Father said.

"...I love you too, Father," I said as I hugged his neck.

Father gently pat my back.

We soon found ourselves outside into a large open grassland with graves around us. Stella and Carl had to wait back at the Castle while Father and I watched Mother visit a grave with the stranger.

"Your mother and that person are visiting someone very important to them...They do this once a year together," Father explained.

"Husband? Gale? What are you two doing here?" Mother asked as she walked up to us.

"Our son thought a man was trying to steal you away from us," Father explained.

The stranger soon took off his hat and revealed himself to me.

It was the King!

"I never thought that I would be mistaken for an adulterer," His Majesty said.

"I am sorry for everything," I quickly apologized.

"I must say...Even I am not daring enough to seduce a woman who is happily married and on her way to having her second child," His Majesty said with a smile.

"A SECOND CHILD?" Father and I said in unison after he put me down.

"I do not recall ever telling you that I was pregnant," Mother said as she raised her eyebrows at His Majesty. Her expression soon softened when she looked back at us again. "Yes, it is as he says. I am pregnant again with our second child."

Father soon took Mother's hands and pressed his lips over her fingertips.

That was the first time I had ever seen him so affectionate with her...

"Congratulations," Father said with a smile.

...and see him smile.

We went home right afterwards.

After dinner, Stella told me to follow her somewhere. It was Father and Mother's bedroom that had the door slightly ajar.

There, I saw Father laying his head in Mother's lap.

"I think it is fine for you to show a little more emotion in front of your son," Mother said as she caressed Father's head.

"...If I do that, I fear that he will lose his self respect for me," Father said as he wrapped his arms around her body.

"I think it will be fine," Mother said as she turned her head towards the slightly opened door and place a finger over her lips.

Stella quietly closed the door.

"They act like that once a week in private," Stella whispered.

It turns out that Father is head over heels for Mother unlike what I previously thought.

It is a little embarrassing that everyone in the manor besides me knew this...

Within nine months, I happily report that I became a Big Brother and welcomed my cutest new Little Sister Aria.

End of short epilogue...