42. Family (part 1)

Character : Nathan Fiore, Family

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After greeting stepmother and the others, we all went to the dining room because I told them that I haven't eaten anything. 

The flight to Fiordall from the dark republic took twelve hours, but I haven't eaten anything since six hours before that. In total, I have not touched food in eighteen hours, and that truly impacted my body.

"Did you have a chance to eat Fiordall food during your time at the academy?" My stepmother tried asking me cheerfully, and I nodded at her firmly.

"I only ate once because I was… a bit bored of it. But Reju ate it all the time." I tried saying it as cheerfully as possible, but I can't even form a smile. Regardless, my stepmother knows that I am trying my best to talk to them, so she tried her best as well.

"Oh? And what did you eat there?"

"Mostly… lamb meat. I like the sauce from the earth nation… I don't remember what it is called."

"Ah! Soy sauce, right?"

"Isn't that from… Valkaria?"

As we enjoyed our meal, stepmother is doing her best to keep the conversation going between us. Stepfather and Elice seemed to be having a hard time keeping up with the conversation because of the weight of the situation, so they only stayed silent. I always knew my stepmother is the one who truly carries the emotional support of this family, since she was one of the few people who genuinely helped me when I fell into darkness back when I first lost my family.

And now, she is doing it all again. To keep my mind away from Felicia.

"Oh, I remember that! The soup felt so calming…" Stepmother said while imagining the taste of the soup I told her about.

The soup is called 'Lancelot's Knights Drink' from the Lightning clan. Uncle Josh gave it to me on my first day of meeting him as a suggestion. It is a very tasty soup, yet named in such a horrible fashion.

"If you want, I can recreate it! I just need some of the ingredients…" Stepmother turned to stepfather, and the mustached king just shook his shoulder.

"Why're you looking at me? Ask Butler Joe." The king of Fiordall said in such a cold manner, but we all know that he is always like this. Even his jokes sounded so stern, which was why he wasn't quite popular.

"Well, I'll try my best! Elice, you should learn how to make it too!" Stepmother turned to Princess Elicia, and the third child of Fiordall only looked so confused.

"Why do I have to learn how to make soup, all of a sudden? Just ask the chef to make one." Elice said, and truly, what a typical princess attitude.

"Elice! If you're going to be a good wife, you should also learn how to make a calming soup!"

"That's just old people thinking. Nowadays, even the men can cook!" Elice said with such a smirk, and my annoyance at her felt like it multiplied.

"Elice." I called my younger sister coldly, and she turned her surprised face at me. This is the first time we've talked to each other ever since I got home, so she must've felt the pressure.

"Y-Yes, brother?"

"I can promise you. Handsome boys out there love girls who can cook tasty things." I said to allure her into thinking about it, and Elice looked quite embarrassed from realizing.

 "As if you would know! Do you know any girls who know how to make things?"

"Yeah. Felicia."

…

As the entire table turned silent, I realized exactly what I just did. I quickly lowered my face from regret and lifted my palms.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to--"

"It's fine! You're right, Felicia does know how to cook. Hmm, I wonder who taught her!" My stepmother said so cheerfully while holding her chest, and we all knew she was the one who taught Felicia.

It's always shocking just how good my stepmother is at saving this kind of situation. She cracked a joke in an instant the moment she noticed the danger, and I guess that's the power of a powerful noblewoman that I can only witness and never copy.

"In any case, learning how to cook is important for everyone! You should know too, Nathan." My stepmother turned to me, and I nodded firmly at her. Normally, I'd just be giving her a smile, but as I've already explained many times, that's not exactly within my capabilities at the moment.

After eating, my stepmother went to the butler with Elice and asked for the ingredients to make 'Lancelot's Knights soup'. Meanwhile, I was told by my stepfather to come to his room after I have cleaned myself up, and that's what I did.

"Come in." Stepfather said from inside his room after I knocked, and I opened the door.

The last time I was in this room was not even half a year ago. I came here because I requested to go to the elemental academy, and he gave me various tests to see if I'm ready. His office is wood-themed, with everything colored brown and smelled like wood.

His books are placed neatly on the brown bookshelves by the walls surrounding the room. He has always been a heavy reader, which is why he is such a good leader of the country. In addition to that, he is also a powerful fighter - unlike his first son who doesn't really like reading.

"Take a seat." He commanded while pointing at the chair in front of his table, and I sat down comfortably.

"How is the kingdom, nowadays?" I asked as an opener, and he just shook his shoulder.

"Same as always. Though I should say that the war with the dark republic truly affected the merchants market." My stepfather explained our country's situation to me, and I started thinking right away. 

"Because the earth nation was heavily affected, the merchants all found a potential market by going there to sell all sorts of necessities."

"I see... Because the earth nation's people might need a lot of reparations and living products." I deducted after realizing, and my stepfather nodded.

"On the other hand, the minister of finance mentioned that there may be a ton of dark republic refugees that might come here. He said that there is no way the earth nation can tank all the refugees that came from there, so they might split the refugees all over Avenor." Stepfather said while opening a book, and he showed me the contents of the page he opened.

Of the two thousand seven hundred refugees from the dark republic, twenty percent will stay in the earth nation. Thirty percent will be sent to Valkaria per Princess Frisena's agreement, and the rest will be split amongst the other major countries including Ellen. As such, Fiordall will receive ten percent of the refugees, which was around two to three hundred people.

"Valkaria, thirty percent?" I pointed out, which seemed quite odd. "Frisena is really draining the earth nation with debt."

"That's what I was thinking as well. That crown princess is truly planning on annexing the earth nation under her thumb. She is a scary one for someone so young." Stepfather mentioned, and it seems like he too has gotten to know Frisena.

He took the book from my hands and tried looking for a page. And during it, the room ended up being silent.

"How did she pass away?" He suddenly asked, and it seems like we've finally arrived at this conversation.

"She got caught by a powerful explosion... I couldn't do anything, because we were all sent forward by her dark flame." I explained how it happened, and my stepfather started thinking.

"I see… so she died saving you. In that case, there's nothing to regret." Stepfather said calmly enough, which surprised me because it wasn't something that I can agree about.

"What do you mean…?"

"She died doing something that she wanted. To protect you." He fixed his words, and I can finally understand what he was trying to say.

I was reminded of what I heard right before it happened. She placed our foreheads together, and she muttered a sentence at me. It was something she has always wanted to say, but she can never allow herself to say it.

It was something she truly wanted.