Piece 4 (part 2)

After around an hour, we finally arrived at Cytus. It is a pretty sizable town that belonged to a dukedom neighboring Veldonia, and it housed quite a lot of refugees who came from Veldonia ten years ago. Upon arrival, I gave a little tour to Mom and Dad as we walked past the city. It is a very active town, especially during the evening.

The two were quite mesmerized by the sight of the town at night, but I was half expecting them to be more impressed. However, the two only complimented the town, so I can't really say they weren't satisfied.

"We're here. Our diner."

After the carriage came to a complete stop, Mom and Dad were able to see the place we've arrived at through the window. Their eyes are trying to see exactly where this place is, but I already walked towards the door of the carriage to step down.

I opened the door at the side, and I noticed that the diner was closed. I was confused, since Grandma doesn't usually close the diner unless something happened. The light from the house at the far back of the diner is still visible, so it seems like Grandma is currently at home.

"This is…" Mom muttered after she stepped out of the carriage, and I turned my excited face to her and Dad.

"Welcome to our diner! It's currently closed, and I'm not sure why…" I explained to them even though something is odd, but Uncle John stepped out of his carriage.

"Lady Estella sensed Harbinger's return. She closed the diner and told Helsing and Blake to check it out." Uncle John explained, and I had no idea how he knew such a thing.

"I see. John, you're dismissed."

"I'm not your knight anymore, but yes sir!" Uncle John jokingly said while saluting, and Dad gave him the annoyed glare. Uncle John gave me one last blink as he waved his hand to me, and I waved my hand back as he got back to the driver's seat.

After Uncle John's carriage started moving again, Mom and Dad started following me to the diner. I turned the lights at the front of the diner on because Grandma had them off, and I was questioning where she went.

"Grandma!! We're home!!" I shouted to the door at the far back behind the diner, and Mom and Dad were simply frozen behind me. The two seemed to be quite troubled about something, and I had no idea what it was.

I was a little insensitive. I should've known what problems they are facing. However, it was too late.

The door to the house behind the diner was opened, and Grandma opened her eyes widely after recognizing the two. I opened my eyes widely when she started running at Mom and Dad, and I thought she was very excited to see them.

But, that's not at all the case.

PLAK!!!

PLAAKK!!!!!

With all her strength, Grandma slapped both Mom and Dad on the face. It was so odd to me that such a thing happened, and my brain couldn't process anything that was happening.

Mom and Dad are the strongest who are alive. They beat the most dangerous monster, the dragon god. They had powers that could reach the skies. And yet, a frail old lady like Grandma had the ability to just slap them in the face?

And why did she slap them? Why was she so angry at them? Does she not miss them…?

What… is happening?

"How dare you… show your face?" Grandma Estella asked coldly to the two in front of her, and neither Mom nor Dad dared to speak a word. The two kept their gazes down, and I noticed what was currently happening.

They are being scolded. It's just like when Grandma scolded me for stealing money from my classmate. This is exactly like that, but a lot-lot harsher. However, something tells me that this isn't just a normal scolding.

Scolding usually ended with an agreement. With a promise, to never do it again.

This, however, feels a lot different.

"You abandoned us all… and you think you can just come back like nothing happened? After ten years!?"

"Lady Estella… We--"

"Leave this place and never come back. I'm saying this for the sake of Vermillis. She doesn't need to carry that cursed name of yours."

Grandma's words were completely shocking to me. I had no idea she harbors such heavy hatred towards Mom and Dad, and I don't exactly know what to do in this situation. Mom and Dad had promised me that we are all going to live together. But, with the way Grandma is acting…

"What happened was outside of our control… We couldn't let Harbinger harm anyone." Dad tried to reason with her because Mom couldn't say a word, but Grandma isn't happy hearing it.

"And thanks to your actions, everyone was harmed. Do you not realize that the only thing keeping Veldonia together were the two of you? Do you not realize just how important of a role the two of you hold?

Forget it. Forget the people. Forget… Veldonia. That cursed place is already long gone, anyway. But, how can you be so cruel to leave behind a two year old daughter…?"

Grandma's words began to shatter mid sentence, and I realized she is no longer fighting for the sake of Veldonia. She is doing it for me.

Mom and Dad turned completely speechless. Dad had his eyes to the floor again as he realized, and Grandma was only just getting started.

"How can you ever decide to leave behind your child like that…? How can you let such a young baby go live a horrendous fate? How can you decide for yourself that killing this one big lizard is more important than your child's future?? How???

She is a royal blood! She had assassins coming after her day and night!! An entire town burned to the ground because of her!! Do you not realize a single thing as to how hard her life has been?"

I have… never heard of those things before.

"Because her life was threatened, she lived her life as a commoner instead of being a princess. She drinks warm milk every morning as breakfast instead of a freshly baked cake and orange juice. She grew up with nothing but school books instead of toys. She goes to school walking for thirty minutes every single day instead of a fancy carriage.

I need you to think for yourself about how that one single decision the two of you made has resulted in her life. She lived her whole life… without her parents. She had nothing but an old lady who was already frail keeping her fed. And think. Just think.

Do you think you can do anything now? You're no longer the emperor and empress of an empire anymore. What can you even do?"

This is too harsh. Grandma is being too harsh on them.

I don't see why she should be so angry. What Mom and Dad did wasn't their fault, and what happened to me also wasn't their fault. 

Is she just venting? What is going on?

"I understand… that the situation is very different than what we imagined." After her long silence, Mom finally spoke.

Grandma turned her tearful and angered eyes to her, but Mom kept her concerned gaze locked to me.

"But I can't abandon her again. I've made that mistake once. I must be there for her… for the rest of it."

"And what? She's all grown up now."

"Even so... I'm just better off dead if I let her live on without me again." Mom said rather bluntly, which surprised both me and Grandma.

"I felt the same way… though I wouldn't exactly harm myself, but I will make sure what happened does not happen again. In fact, I'll change it for the better. You know what I'm capable of, Lady Estella."

Dad's words felt sincere, but Grandma only chuckles hearing it.

"Do you realize how dumb you sound, pretty boy? If you're so confident with what you can do, then why were you unable to stop what happened ten years ago? It might've been ten years for us, but it must've been like minutes to you, right? What exactly is different about you that will make things different from that time?"

Grandma asked cynically, and Dad's expression turned darker as he landed his eyes on me. His hand was lifted to his chest as he felt the sudden urge to harm himself.

"I lost.…ten years of her life."

Dad gave his answer as he continued to hold his chest, unable to bring himself to cry. The pain he is enduring isn't something that can be let go by simply crying. He is unique in his own way, and people have their own methods of dealing with pain.

From the looks of it, Dad can never cry. No matter how painful his chest feels, it will not make him shed any tears. It does, however, continue to harm his heart, because he does not have a way to take the pain out.

His life… is truly a tragedy. His hair was never white initially, and it became white because of all the stress he accumulated after what he experienced.

But, compared to the things he endured that time, what happened this time is far too laughable. Dad turned his firm gaze back to Grandma after obtaining the answer, and this time, he had confidence.

Dad lifted his hand from his chest to his mouth, and he closed his eyes shut. The wind around us began to turn colder and colder, and Mom realized what Dad was trying to do.