Chapter 12: The Nobles, and Another Letter?

The Archduke and Archduchess held Kai in a tight embrace, their bodies trembling with suppressed sobs. Kai, patient and silent, allowed them the time they needed to regain their composure. The room was filled with a heavy silence, punctuated only by the occasional sniffle from the royal couple.

After a moment, the Archduke pulled away, his hands lingering on Kai's shoulders. "We've been searching for you for so long," he said, his voice choked with emotion. The Archduchess, still clinging to Kai, nodded in agreement, her eyes brimming with unshed tears.

Kai, his face impassive, reached out and gently patted the Archduchess's hand. He then pulled away slightly and gave them a small, reassuring smile. He reached for his notebook and started writing. He showed them the note: "Who are you?"

The couple looked surprised when the village chief entered the room and said, "I'm sorry, Your Grace, but Kai can't talk nor walk." The Archduchess, her eyes welling up with tears, placed her hands on Kai's cheeks and said warmly, "We are your family."

Kai was taken aback, but he soon recalled Emily's letter. "You are not our biological son," he remembered. As he pieced together the information, he wrote another note: "Why did you leave me?" He showed them the note, his eyes reflecting his confusion and hurt.

The Archduchess, lowering her head, replied, "We didn't even know if you were alive…" Her voice broke as she spoke. Kai thought to himself when the Archduke added, "It's a long story…, the empire was in chaos, and a lot of things happened in our family…" His voice was serious, filled with regret.

"Chaos in the empire? Doubt if I was alive? Seems like a dark history to me," Kai thought to himself. He wrote another note: "How did you know I was here then?" The Archduke brought out a letter, "It's thanks to this."

Looking at the letter, the chief's eyes widened.

Kai looked at it in confusion, when the Archduke said, "I received this letter four days ago." Kai looked up at the Archduke, who said, "It was from Emily Klein." Hearing so, his eyes widened. "She wrote another letter to them?", he thought as he looked at the Archduke who gave a small smile to him, and the Archduchess who was still holding onto him, with her hands shaking.