Dawn had arrived.
In Mindis Hall, the most important—and most awkward—father-and-son reunion in the entire kingdom was unfolding.
Tales stared blankly at the sturdy nobleman before him: his father.
He turned somewhat fearfully and helplessly toward Gilbert and Yordel, but both had lowered their heads in silence.
He looked at the guards around the hall, but the well-equipped soldiers remained utterly still, their eyes hidden behind their visored helmets.
Then King Kessel's deep voice reached his ears:
"He looks like a skinny mud monkey."
Tales was indeed in a sorry state. His short black hair had been chopped unevenly—Synti's handiwork—and was covered in dust. His small face was smeared with mud and handprints. Although Magic User Ashida had used mysterious means to stop the bleeding from all his wounds, the scrapes, cuts, and bruises he had suffered in the Ruined House and the Red Quarter still hung sparsely from his body. His clothes were equally dusty, and the beggar's coarse hemp garments were tattered, with a large tear across the chest that nearly exposed the brand there. Before entering Mindis Hall, he had even been shivering in the cold wind.
"I trust you haven't made a mistake." Kessel's voice echoed through the hall.
Tales raised his head again and looked at Kessel.
His king. His father.
But Kessel had already turned away and was no longer looking at him.
A faint sense of dissonance welled up in Tales's heart, but he immediately forced the discomfort down.
Kessel's deep voice continued to echo:
"You all know how important this matter is. For now, only the three of us know. Of course, I'll bring Jinnie here. He needs proper care, so that makes four of us who know—after Morat returns, I'll tell him personally."
"From this moment on, Mindis Hall is to be completely sealed off. Tell the outside world that a royal treasure has been lost and that I'm furious."
"We can't risk deploying the Royal Guard. They would be too conspicuous, and we can't let our opponents know our next move."
"For the next month, his safety will be entrusted to fifty Terminus Swordsmen from the Crescent Star Family's private forces. They're far from the best, but they have loyalty and discretion, and they can all keep secrets. As long as we don't attract too much attention, they should be more than sufficient. Yordel, to be safe, you'll stay here as well. Eda and the Royal Guard will handle my security for this month."
Yordel said nothing. His masked head dipped slightly.
"Gilbert." Kessel still did not spare Tales a glance. He stroked the crystal set into his scepter and spoke ponderously, his tone filled with majesty.
"Have you thought of a reason for visiting Mindis Hall at this hour?"
"Of course, Your Majesty. The excuse is ready-made—a gang war at the border between the Lower City and the West Ring District left countless dead and wounded. I came overnight to the Royal Palace where Your Majesty is temporarily residing to report the matter." Gilbert answered respectfully.
"Not enough. I'll return to Revival Palace tomorrow, but you'll still have to visit this place frequently over the following month. You need a better reason." King Kessel shook his head.
"Then we can say that the royal treasure's disappearance was too mysterious, and Your Majesty specifically ordered me to investigate it?"
"A little stiff, but it will suffice for a month." King Kessel pondered for a while before nodding.
Then the king of Star Kingdom finally turned his gaze toward the bewildered Tales.
His eyes were sharp enough to make Tales instinctively take a step back.
It felt nothing like a father looking at his son.
But the king seemed completely unconcerned with Tales's appearance.
"A month, Gilbert. One month."
"Until his identity is formally acknowledged, Gilbert, you'll be his private tutor, responsible for all his instruction."
"Yes, Your Majesty. As you wish. I will do everything in my power." Gilbert replied respectfully.
Tales's heart sank.
Kessel tapped his scepter reassuringly and pondered for a moment.
"You must prepare him. He can't appear before the entire kingdom, the six great families, and the envoys of other nations looking like this."
"From etiquette to bearing, knowledge to appearance, he needs to look presentable. What we need is a dignified Heir to the Kingdom, not a destitute street beggar."
A street beggar?
After hearing those words, Tales slowly clenched his fists.
"Use the welcoming banquet for the Exeter Delegation as the deadline. I want him to make his debut then. It won't be easy, but I believe you can manage it."
Tales's heart trembled faintly, but he continued to listen in silence as King Kessel issued his unquestionable orders, planning out his future step by step.
Yet there seemed to be no place for Tales's own wishes in that future.
How had it come to this?
He had only just escaped the land of suffering where he had once gritted his teeth and endured.
There were still so many questions and doubts in his heart.
But King Kessel seemed utterly unconcerned with his thoughts. He simply issued order after order, explaining his own intentions.
"No one needs to know what his past was like, but there must ultimately be an explanation. Gilbert, invent a story for his origins."
"As long as his bloodline can be confirmed—I'll discuss that with Licia. Even the Gods can be bargained with—we won't have to fear idle gossip."
"Choose peers for him from among the noble lists, as well as tutors and Attendant Officers for the Heir to the Kingdom. Once he's acknowledged, all of them will be under scrutiny. We need arrangements prepared in advance. I want to see the list by next week."
"To be safe, Gilbert, reconfirm the royal succession clauses in the Sacred Starfall Covenant, as well as precedents within the Crescent Star Family involving someone like him. If there are any contentious points, we still have time to remedy them."
Tales frowned as he listened to them continue planning his future, his life.
As though he were a puppet manipulated by strings.
"As for his engagement, I have an idea. We'll discuss it later. Exeter—"
At that moment, Gilbert interrupted the king with a respectful expression.
"Your Majesty, there's still time." The gray-haired middle-aged nobleman seemed to sense that something was wrong, but he still did his best to voice his opinion. "If you wish to spend some time alone with this child, we can—"
But Kessel suddenly waved a hand, cutting Gilbert off.
In that instant, Tales saw the king's deep eyes tremble. He
sensed a strange emotion emerging from Kessel's expression.
Tales wanted to say something, but when the words reached his lips, he ultimately swallowed them.
I—I'm supposed to say what?
What can I say?
What should a seven-year-old child meeting his father for the first time say?
Hey, Father I'm meeting for the first time, can I say something?
You might want to hear my thoughts instead of talking to yourself?
It was too strange.
Kessel seemed about to turn his head toward Tales, but halfway through, he abruptly turned back. With both hands resting on his scepter, he stared at the portraits of the three Former Kings on the wall and remained silent for a long time.
It seemed that only then did he look more like a person.
After a long while, Kessel finally turned around. He looked at no one, but the majestic voice belonging solely to King of Starfall Kessel the Fifth rang out again.
"In any case, the tasks before you are heavy. Starfall Kingdom has gone twelve years without an heir. Just last week, Kuoside deliberately or otherwise mentioned the elective monarchy of Ekster Kingdom in his letter—you know how the six great families will react."
"His appearance is an unpredictable variable, but also an unexpected bargaining chip and advantage for us... The plan must be revised. Make sure we stay one step ahead of our opponents."
"Make sure he can be used to the greatest possible effect."
Tales froze.
This was—his father?
A variable.
A bargaining chip.
An advantage.
Used to the greatest possible effect?
Was this something a father should say in front of a son he had never met?
Tales sighed inwardly and lowered his head.
I see...
So that was the source of this sense of incompatibility...
This wasn't a father and son reuniting at all—it was more like a chess player moving a piece as casually and routinely as ever.
Tales was clearly not the only one who sensed something strange.
Gilbert's expression shifted, as though he wanted to say something.
But in the end, he merely lowered his head and sighed faintly where the king could not see.
Yet someone still interrupted the king without regard for the atmosphere.
"Your Majesty."
Tales turned around in surprise. It was the silent Yordel who had spoken.
The secret guard's expression could not be seen behind his mask, but his hoarse voice was utterly resolute:
"He is first and foremost your blood, your son!"
"Only afterward is he your heir."
"And you cannot ignore that."
Tales raised his head and saw King Kessel the Fifth let out a long breath.
Then he closed his eyes.
"Yes, he is my son." With his eyes closed, the king gripped his scepter tightly and spoke in a heavy voice. "That is why I'm here today."
"I'm leaving him in your hands. Remember: one month."
King Kessel ultimately said nothing more.
The lenses in Yordel's mask paused for a moment, but in the end, he lowered his head and fell silent.
A faint sense of doubt and surprise spread through Tales's heart.
The king nodded. He looked at Gilbert and Yordel, who had dropped to one knee, then gave the dazed Tales a complicated, unreadable look. Without hesitation, he turned and left.
Gilbert and Yordel slowly rose.
The sturdy figure slowly descended the stairs.
His footsteps were heavy, yet filled with majesty.
The majesty of a king.
What?
That was it—over?
Tales stared in disbelief at his departing "father."
This wasn't right.
This so-called father... He was the father of this body, wasn't he?
Then why?
Why did he seem so... emotionless?
And besides.
Matters concerning my future...
They had been decided just like that?
I hadn't even had a chance to speak...
"Wait!"
Tales finally couldn't hold back and shouted.
He had had enough of being a powerless chess piece.
The sturdy figure paused, then turned around.
Gilbert looked at Tales in surprise, while Yordel's expression remained hidden behind his mask.
As the king slowly turned around and Tales endured his sharp gaze, Tales felt a heaviness in his back teeth.
But he still forced himself to speak.
"I... Although we've never met..." Tales stammered. He helplessly waved both hands in front of him as he considered his words. "But since you're my... I mean, since we're..."
The king rested a hand on the stair railing and looked toward Tales with an indescribably complicated expression.
Tales squeezed his eyes shut, then opened them again and exhaled.
"I think..." He struggled to force out the words, his usual eloquence nowhere to be found.
Damn it...
What attitude and wording am I supposed to use when facing someone who is both my father and my king?
Admiration?
Indifference?
Numbness?
Delight?
None of them felt right.
Beside him, Gilbert reached out toward Tales, seemingly wanting to say something, but ultimately chose silence.
Tales's breathing quickened. Frowning, he said, "I'm actually a little confused. Perhaps you, as my... could help me understand."
"After all, we're... blood relatives. And you've talked about heirs, the kingdom, and engagements, but I don't know anything."
"Perhaps it doesn't matter to you. Perhaps you don't really care..."
King Kessel the Fifth gripped his scepter tightly but did not reply. He merely drew his brows together slowly.
Tales bit his lip, feeling the burn across his chest begin to ache faintly again.
Damn it.
Even presenting my worst paper had never been this awkward.
He waved his hands lightly as he organized his thoughts.
"But this is my future. If you've already decided everything... you should at least let me understand a little."
"Besides, you said no one needed to know about my past... but at least I need to. I mean..."
"At least I need to know about my past."
"I really want to know what happened."
"And what path I'm going to take."
The way Kessel looked at Tales changed.
It was no longer a gaze of assessment, scrutiny, and inspection.
It was as though he had recognized, for the first time, that Tales was a person.
And his son.
Tales sighed.
Never mind.
He opened his eyes and looked straight at "Father."
"Yes, I want to know everything about myself."
"I want to know where I came from, for example... who my mother was, where I was born, and how I ended up like this."
"And my identity, my future, the choices available to me..."
"Answers like those..."
"Not being treated as an outsider, a chess piece, or a thing..."
"If I really am your... son."
Tales gritted his teeth as he forced out that word.
Although the way you act... is really nothing like that of a normal father.
Even if you are the king.
Tales felt a little dizzy. Tonight's ordeal had already pushed this seven-year-old body close to its limit.
The king finally looked directly at him, a sharp light radiating from the sky-blue eyes set deep within his sockets.
At that moment, Kessel the Fifth's gaze was incredibly complex and unfathomable. Tales could read nothing more from it.
"Child, what is your name?"
The supreme ruler of the Star Kingdom asked in his deep voice.
Tales stared at Kessel.
"Tales," he heard himself say. "My name is Tales."
You're only asking your son's name now?
Good heavens.
Tales shook his head lightly inwardly.
"Tales, listen carefully." Kessel narrowed his eyes, his tone cold.
"There are many things you don't need to know."
"Nor do you need to care."
"Your path has already been decided."
"Just follow it."
What?
At that moment, Tales felt a chill run through his heart.
"If you still have questions."
"Ask Gilbert."
Then Kessel the Fifth, the thirty-ninth Supreme King of the Star Kingdom, the Southern Archipelago, and the Western Desert,
left Mindis Hall without looking back.
His cloak disappeared from Tales's sight.
Damn it.
Tales lowered his head and glared at the expensive black tiles, his brows tightly furrowed.
This was the body's father? Was he sure he wasn't an enemy?
"Child, Tales." Behind him, Gilbert couldn't help but pat him silently on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, and don't overthink it. His Majesty simply has too many affairs to deal with. In truth, he—"
Before Gilbert could finish, Yordel suddenly stepped forward and crouched before Tales. He gently placed Tales's JC Dagger, which had somehow ended up in his hand, into Tales's own hand. (Gilbert's expression changed, and he touched his waist, his brows drawing tight.)
Tales came back to himself, startled.
The dark-purple mask dipped slightly, and a hoarse voice slowly said:
"Relax."
"You are his son. Bound by blood and linked by fate, this is something no one and nothing can change."
Tales took a deep breath.
They had probably misunderstood.
Did they think I was disappointed because of "Father's" neglect?
He put away the dagger, clenched both fists, and managed to force a smile.
"Don't worry." He suppressed his displeasure and said flatly, "Thank you both."
Looking at Yordel, who had interrupted him, Gilbert huffed unhappily through his nose. He also crouched before Tales and spoke gently:
"Tales, my little sir, you've been through enough tonight."
"Now you need to rest, and perhaps receive medical attention as well."
"Tales, please come with me. Yordel, I'll come find you later. We need to talk."
Tales nodded and obediently followed Gilbert away.
Yordel alone raised his head and looked at a vase in the distant corridor.
With his sharp, frightening gaze, he noticed that fine, invisible cracks had appeared on the vase.
The brows behind Yordel's mask drew together slightly.
He knew that before Tales had shouted in anger,
the vase had still been perfectly intact.
Was it a coincidence?