"Cousin, long time no see."
Within Blue Sky Mountain Palace, Liszt met his cousin Meopel Long-Yam. As Grand Duke Andrew's son-in-law, Meopel had naturally come to help with the funeral.
Meopel bowed. "Your Majesty."
"Do we still need such formalities between us? Just call me Liszt in private." Liszt had always thought highly of the Long-Yam family, and his brotherly bond with Meopel far surpassed that with Levis. "Where's Angela? Didn't you have a daughter? Her name is Melence, right?"
"Yes, Melence Long-Yam." Meopel summoned a servant and instructed him to fetch Angela and bring over his daughter. "It's a pity she wasn't a boy... but thanks to the Little Man Potion you sent us back then, Angela and I have been working hard lately, and she's pregnant again."
Naturally, a noble family needed a male heir, or its lineage would sooner or later come to an end—female heirs existed as well, but they were rare.
Before long, Angela hurried over with her daughter, who was not yet a year old, in her arms.
Little Melence, asleep in her mother's embrace, looked chubby and adorable. It was still impossible to tell whether she had inherited more of Meopel's or Angela's features. The child's birth had swiftly matured her parents: Meopel had shed his former childishness, while Angela had become composed and dignified.
Liszt could see the love in their gazes whenever they looked at each other.
That was very good—he had always worried that his cousin might end up wearing a green hat, but now he could finally set his mind at ease.
"Liszt, will you be staying at Blue Sky Mountain Palace for a few days during this visit to pay your respects?" Angela took the teapot handed over by a palace servant and personally brewed Liszt a cup