Family Introductions
“DON’T BE NERVOUS, Serafina. You’re meeting up with your parents, it’s just been a while since they last saw you. Besides, I’ll be with you.”
“Mhmm…”
I gave a timid little nod and gripped Sirius’s hand tightly as we walked along. The hallway to my royal bedroom stretched on forever, and the walls were lined with knights who towered over me. Sparkly, oddly shaped stones lined my path; my shoes made a loud thumping sound against them.
I squeezed Sirius’s hand harder. This place was completely different from the villa. Only now did I start to regret coming here. Jeez, what was I getting into?
Right up until I went into the castle, I had enjoyed taking in all the new sights without a care in the world.
“Oh, wow! Is that the castle?!” I squealed as I gazed up in wonderment.
“Right you are, Serafina.” Sirius smiled at me.
Everything looked so unusual to my country bumpkin eyes, but Sirius never got annoyed with me. He explained everything, like how the stalls sold everyday necessities, or how the guard tower in the castle was the tallest building in the capital.
“Would you like to go there together sometime?” he would say at the end of each explanation, giving me something to look forward to in the future. The unfamiliar didn’t seem scary at all when I knew he would be there with me.
I was all smiles as I gawked at my surroundings—until I went inside the castle, where everything was completely different.
It was such a grand and splendid place, filled with nobles in equally splendid outfits. I don’t know whether there was some kind of unspoken rule inside of the castle, but everyone had blank expressions, and nobody said a word when they walked past each other. People glanced at me out of curiosity, but they always looked away without a single word.
Just the tall ceilings and endless space would have been enough to intimidate me, but all of the gorgeous sights made me feel incredibly out of place. As I shuffled along nervously, my feet got caught on something and I tripped.
“Ah!”
Thank goodness Sirius was holding my hand. He kept me steady, so I didn’t end up falling over and making a huge scene. But before I could completely regain my balance, Sirius’s other hand went around my waist. In the blink of an eye, he was practically hugging me.
“Huh?” As I squeaked in surprise, he lifted me up and carried me down the hallway. “S-Sirius!”
The blank-faced knights standing in the hallway widened their eyes in surprise when Sirius picked me up.
“L-let me down, you hear!” I pleaded with him, not wanting to cause a fuss. “A fine knight like you isn’t meant to carry a little kid like me!”
He responded by bringing his mouth to my ear. “Serafina, this is just between us, but I like carrying small children,” he whispered, as if he was sharing a big secret. “But I can’t exactly say that without risking my position, so I’ve never once picked up a child. Let me have this, just for today.”
When he put it like that, I couldn’t turn him down. I ended up being carried most of the way down the hallway like a little doll. It was such a strange experience that my fear of the castle disappeared.
“Tee hee, you’re such a great bodyguard, Sirius!” I giggled, clinging to his neck. Maybe the nervousness was making me act all funny.
Sirius smiled. “I appreciate the compliment, Princess.”
He took me to my royal bedroom, where the king and queen were waiting. When Sirius walked in with me in his arms, the two of them stood up, blinking in surprise.
I didn’t know my parents because I’d been separated from them since birth, but they clearly knew me. They ran up to me, their faces pale.
“S-Serafina! Are you hurt?!” said King Procyon, a kind-looking man with blond hair and blue eyes who looked about forty years old.
“My goodness, do you need Sir Sirius to carry you?! I hope you are not terribly unwell!” Queen Spica seemed tense. She had auburn hair, green eyes, and also looked around forty.
My parents stopped in front of Sirius and peered at my face. Their eyes widened in amazement.
“S-Serafina, your eyes…”
“My word, they’re wide open! Are you perhaps…able to…?”
The royal couple trailed off into silence, apparently lost for words.
Sirius spoke up. “Serafina is as healthy as can be and not injured in the slightest. And yes, she can see.”
“Serafina!” The king and queen shouted my name, overcome with emotion.
When they plucked me from Sirius’s arms, I felt wet tears plop on my face. I didn’t know who they belonged to.
“Father…? Mother…?”
When I called out to my parents, they lifted their tear-stricken faces.
“Yes, Serafina! I’m your father! I’m amazed you know who I am when we haven’t met since you were born. You must be a genius!”
“Oh, my dear, adorable Serafina. You’ve gotten so big in just six years.”
My heart gushed with warmth at their abundant love. It made me so happy to know that Mother and Father really cared about me. I smiled at them, and they sat me down on the sofa. Well, I was on their laps, not the sofa; they each used one knee to prop me up.