A Small Favor

Clearly, as the captain of the Star Lake Duke's Guard Team, Marius did not relish the thought of opening his doors to guests on the very first day of Tales's move.

But under the watchful eyes of countless bureaucrats, servants, and guards, the Second Prince's insistence, and the more or less palpable pressure of young Lord Karabian's background, Kohn was still politely invited into the freshly arranged reception room—of course, not before the duke's Guard Team captain, Lord Marius, the Watchman, reminded his master:

The other party was the heir of the Karabian Family.

And today was the first day the Prince had returned to the Royal Capital.

That had to mean something.

Listening to the reminder, Tales could only smile numbly.

Then, as always, he tensed up.

And faced the person in the reception room...

"I knew it. I told them the Prince's memory couldn't be bad, and that he would definitely remember me. He definitely wouldn't forget the time we fought side by side... Just as I thought..."

"I've written you letters all these years, Your Highness, but for some reason, you never replied... Until one time, I ran into that Caso boy on his way home. He told me Starfaller had intercepted most of the letters I sent you. Damn it..."

Tales sat in the seat of honor, watching Kohn chatter away. He looked around the familiar reception room, struggling to suppress the emotions welling up inside him.

Back then, he had been here...

Kohn paused. Seeing Tales lost in thought, he raised a hand and measured from his belly to his chest, astonished.

"Hey, you've grown taller?"

Grown taller.

Tales looked at the chair he was sitting in and remembered six years ago.

Perhaps.

Back then, when he had sat here, his feet had not even