For some reason, I’m the nervous one.
Gramps is boldly walking through the palace grounds without a care in the world. His expression has been the same ever since we left Roana Village. When we first crossed the barrier, I thought the sight of the sun would make him more emotional. He hadn’t seen it in decades, after all.
We didn’t talk much in the carriage, either. He just silently stared out the window.
Doesn’t he feel any joy to be in the outside world again? Maybe he’s nervous about seeing the king.
We don’t pass a single servant along the way. Maybe Duke arranged for them to be away.
How does Duke feel about all this? The first time he met Gramps, the general atmosphere was…businesslike. Isn’t he happy to be reunited with his long-lost uncle?
Duke never reveals all the thoughts in his mind. He keeps his ideas secret.
“I remember my father yelling at me in the past for running down this hall.” Gramps suddenly speaks up as we walk down the spotless hallway.
His confession catches me off guard. “I assumed you were always this calm and cool, Gramps.”
Looking at him now, I can’t possibly imagine him running down the hallway.
Gramps chuckles softly. “My tutor complained that I was impossible to handle.”
“Uh, what did you do to them…?”
“I memorized the book he wrote and recited it tauntingly to him, scored poorly on all his tests when I paid attention in class, and got perfect scores when I slept through class.”
“No way.”
These are shocking revelations. I always thought of him as a star pupil.
“I was more than a brat; I was a little shithead.” He smiles in a way I have never seen before. It’s the smile of a carefree boy.
“Gee, I wish I could have met you when you were young.”
“Indeed. I’m old now.”
Just as he says that, we arrive at a grand door, just like I did last time. This is where we’ll have an audience with the king. For Gramps, it will be a reunion decades in the making. And it will be with the little brother who gave him the worst parting imaginable.
It’s only now I start to have doubts. Should we have handled this more carefully?
“Gramps, I’m not very strong, but I’ll still protect you.”
Gramps smirks softly, looks down at me, and tousles my hair. “Thanks.”
I love the rough feeling of his big hand.
“Nobody else is here, Uncle. You and Father may speak freely,” Duke says, looking at Gramps in earnest.
I think this is the first time I’ve ever heard Duke speak so politely. What a strange feeling.
“That’s my nephew—not a chink in your armor.”
“Same goes to you, Uncle.”
“Funny to believe this is the same boy who sent me a letter as soon as he overheard little Alicia talking to the Great Five about Roana Village.”
What?!
“You promised to take that with you to the grave,” Duke grumbles.
I’m having a difficult time following their conversation.
“W-wait just a minute. Duke, when did you and Gramps start corresponding?”
“She’s a fiery ball of curiosity. I knew she would want to go to Roana Village as soon as she learned about its existence.”
Duke sounds so matter of fact. It’s humbling to find out just how much careful planning he did to keep free-spirited Alicia out of danger.
“But how did you send him a letter? And why did you both keep quiet about it all this time?”
“I didn’t think there was any need for me to talk about it,” Gramps explains. “Duke also asked me to keep it secret.”
“I wanted to know more about the conditions in Roana, too, but there was no way for me to go there personally. And Alicia was even more interested in Roana than I was. I knew my uncle was imprisoned there, so I informed him about her as a precaution. I was shocked when I found out that Alicia really did go there.”
A proud smirk pops onto Duke’s face. He always looks so soft whenever he talks about Alicia.
The depths of Duke’s love astound me.
“If you hadn’t sent me that letter, Duke, I wouldn’t have left my house the day Alicia showed up.”
When I really think about it, Alicia’s luck is far too good. Gramps just so happened to be near the walls of Roana Village that night?
“How did you read the letter?” I ask.
“It’s like an echo. When I opened the letter, I heard a boy’s voice.”
I see… So Alicia was eight years old when she first visited Gramps. That means Duke was thirteen, the age at which he started using magic. And his magic powers were beyond the norm.
“You’re really lucky your letter made it to him,” I tell Duke.
“Well, I had a bird swallow some of my blood and a few drops of Avel.”
……There’s so many bombshells flying, I don’t know what to say.
I might be the only normal person in this sphere.
“Let’s go inside. My father’s waiting.”
Gramps nods as the guard opens the heavy door.
Tension fills the air. The circumstances are different this time. I brace myself and step inside.
The king is sitting in an ornate chair with detailed, carved designs. He looks dignified, but the moment he sees Gramps, his expression changes.
It’s neither anger nor malice…but a mixture of joy and guilt. One thing is clear: Seeing his brother is making him very emotional.
“It’s been a while,” Gramps says, sounding a little younger than usual.
You can’t exactly call this a tearful reunion of brothers, but the king is, without a doubt, happy to see his big brother again. This is the first time I have ever perceived him as youthful. When in Gramps’s presence, he has the face of a baby brother.
“Luke.” Gramps calls the king’s name calmly.
With a little gasp, the king returns to his senses. “Brother…it’s an honor to see you again, Your Grace.”
The king just called Gramps “Your Grace”… I can’t wait to tell everyone back at the village.
His voice is strained. “Your eye…”
“It’s Alicia’s.”
“So she really did…” The king’s eyes widen.
I can’t blame him. Hearing it from me is miles different from seeing it for himself.
“It seems she got herself exiled, though.” Gramps doesn’t sound particularly upset about it. In fact, he sounds pleased.
To Alicia and me, he’s always been an intelligent, kindhearted grandfather figure. But ever since he became the leader of Roana, his dignity amplified. And now as he speaks to the king, he seems like an entirely different person.
I feel like he’s becoming young again…
“I’m letting Duke handle her,” the king replies.
“That’s quite some son you’ve got there.”
“You can say that again. He’s so gifted, I feel like I’m not even needed… Brother, there is something I must tell you.”
The king rises from his chair and walks over to Gramps. His movements are stiff. Perhaps he’s still nervous.
“I know full well no apology can absolve my sins. Please find it in your heart to forgive my mother’s foolish actions. I am so deeply sorry.”
Slowly and reverently, the king bows his head deeply.
…He apologized. The king apologized to Gramps.
I take in the scene in stunned silence. The whole room is shortly embraced in silence. A strange sense of urgency hastens my heartbeat.
What is Gramps going to say back to him? Everyone is holding their breath in wait.
“You don’t need to apologize… You did nothing wrong.”
The king lifts his head.
“I didn’t conduct myself well,” Gramps explains. “I was overconfident in my own abilities, and I got cocky. That’s all.”