"His highness' new garments have arrived, my lord."
"What's wrong with his old ones?" I lowered the newspapers as I continued reading.
"W-well…"
Upon noticing his rapid growth, I contracted the most renowned couturier in Lithiar in order to keep up. According to the agreement, they are to send him new items of his choosing every six months. However, it's only been four months since he received the last ones.
"It would seem his highness has gone through yet another growth spurt, my lord." responded the maid with a smile.
I thought I told him to ease up on the excess physical activity. At this rate he won't even fit in the doorway.
"Papaaaa! Papa! Papa! Papa! Your favorite daughter is here!"frolicked a small yet lively little flower in my direction.
"Slow your steps, young lady, or else you will trip again. Goodness, she's quite the handful." sighed her mother.
"My sweet Tafa! Come into papa's arms!"
As I knelt on one knee with my arms open, she ran to me with no regard for anything else. Not even her mother's nagging. Days like today sometimes feel like a dream that I never want to wake up from. Playfully holding my daughter in the air while watching her mother giggle in content. I realized I have never truly been this happy in my entire life.
"You are spoiling her, my dear. Ah! This came in for his highness. It's another letter from your daughter-in-law, duchess Emilia."
"It seems she's set on pressuring him to go back." I said with a sigh.
"You should see his face when reading them. Hehe!"
"When will prince Zen return, papa? I miss him, and I want to play with him again. He always carries me on his shoulders where I can see the entire world! And then…"
Her little eyes were gleaming with happiness as she prattled on about the prince. I was afraid he would mistreat them, but it seems I worried for naught. He and Tafa seem to have taken a shine on one another.
"How about some tea, darling? I shall also bring the snacks we purchased from the bakery earlier."
"Tea and snacks sound wonderful, my love." I replied with a kiss on her cheek.
"Cookies and kisses! Yum! Yum!" Tafa exclaimed cheerfully.
++++++
"Um… Uler, who is this woman exactly?"
"Her name is Ulala, your highness. The woman who successfully raised us as her own despite being blind in one eye."
"W-we wanted to show your highness where we came from before you finalized the decision of making us one of your own." stuttered Uwol as he fiddled his fingers nervously.
Do they think I said it on a whim? I've been thinking about it for quite a long time. I was merely waiting for the war to end to bring it up. We've been so busy with all the work of the aftermath, I couldn't find the right time.
"Oh! It's you!" exclaimed the woman with a smile.
"I humbly salute the noble hero of our world. Greetings, your imperial highness."
"Huh?" I said with a blank stare.
She doesn't look old enough to be senile. What's going on?
"W-well, lady Ulala is a seer, your highness. What happened was…"
~Moments later
Ulala the seer predicted that the four brothers and I would cross paths, which would turn their lives around for the better. Although, I still don't understand why she called me 'Hero of our world.' Despite her elaborate explanation, I'm still perplexed. The last person who bore a similar title was Arambara.
"I see you've already met your moon, noble hero. Quite the eccentric character she is." she smiled.
"M-my…moon?" I stared blankly.
Who is she referring to?
"Your soulmate, of course. You must hold on to her as tightly as you can, for within her lies something sacred and pure. The likes of which no eyes have witnessed, no ears have heard, and no hands have yet to touch. She is the cream of the crop, your highness."
Lady Ulala didn't mention any name, yet her face appeared in my mind as plain as day while my heart was frisking about inside my chest. What kind of sorcery is this?
"Of course, your highness already knew this beforehand. Please ignore my unnecessary babbling. Hehe!" she giggled.
"I-Is he…blushing?" whispered Ulyx.
"Even his ears are red. Does he have a crush on lady Ulala?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Uwol! Can't you see his highness is just flustered?"
I can hear everything, you idiots!
"You four! On your knees!" I commanded sternly.
"Yes, sir!"
I unsheathed my sword, and they all started quivering in panic. However, miss Ulala managed to put their minds at ease by explaining the events that were about to follow.
"Hehe! Please take it easy on them, your highness. They've never been knighted before."
"K-knighted?!" exclaimed Uwol in excitement.
"Quiet." Sternly interrupted miss Ulala.
+++++
It's a relief she refrained from divulging anything about me. I thought I was going to pass out when she kept stealing glances at me. There was definitely something in the way she was smiling at me. My past is a complete blur to me, and I would rather it remain that way. I don't want to know who I was before…
"Leo! What are you dawdling for? We must make it back before sundown."
"Are you alright, Sir Leo? Your complexion is quite pale."
"I'm quite alright, Sir Uwol. Thank you for asking."
"D-did you just refer to me as 'Sir'? I've never even dreamed of being called anything other than 'reject' 'scum' 'scoundrel' etcetera, etcetera." He laughed.
"Cut it out, Uwol!" scorned Uler while playfully smacking his back.
How are they so cheerful despite being treated so badly by their own people? When they are together, nothing else seems to matter. They bicker, tease, and fight each other, only to make up at the end. It must be nice to have siblings.
+++++
I have been walking on eggshells around her ever since her return to the duchy. Without Duke Dimitriu around, I'm afraid of things getting out of hand.
"How dare you step foot inside this mansion, you worthless parasite?! Ha! You aren't thinking that you're a real nanny, are you? Just you wait! My mother and I will put things in their rightful place once my brother returns."
*Sigh* It would be best to ignore her ramblings. Idiocy can be contagious, they say.
"Wha-" she scoffed angrily.
"Are you ignoring me? How dare you?!" she yelled.
Time to run.
"Hey! Get back here, you filthy slave!"
"Lady Florette?"
"What!" she roared.
"The master is on the telephone wishing to speak with you."
"Brother!"
++++++
We've just arrived and there is already a commotion among them. *sigh* I can't seem to catch a break with these fools.
"Your highness! We found an intruder!"
An intruder?
They were struggling to hold him down as he kept wriggling in their grasps. Who would be foolish enough to infiltrate my escorts? Could it be an Ecaleapsian?
"Let him go."
I'm surprised they haven't removed his cloak yet.
"Be careful, your highness. He's dangerous!" cautioned one guard.
Once they let go of him, he stopped moving and remained knelt in front of me. The atmosphere became tense as my men circled around us with their weapons drawn and pointed at the intruder. I took a step forward as I unsheathed my sword and used it to fling off the hood of his cloak.
"Huh?!" gawked the knights, confusedly.