One day, Dad and Mom went to discuss âimportant stuff that children shouldnât mindâ with King Titus in Capicastle, so it was decided that I would play with Luca and Leti. Meanwhile, Alt-nii was with Clavis-nii at home. I decided to tag along with Mom and Dad because I thought I might learn something thereâ¦
Upon entering the meeting room⦠I was surprised to see some familiar faces!
âWhoa, you brought Lyra along?!â
This youthful and cheerful voice⦠It was none other than Galeâs voice!
âLyra? Oh, youâve grown up so much I didnât recognize you for a moment.â
Next to Gale, I saw another familiar figureâRupert.
It had definitely been such a long time!
âRupert, Gale, long time no see!â
As I glanced over the room⦠I noticed one thing.
There were other high-ranking figures inside! Kiriâs fatherâthe Head of the Royal Knights, Meredea and the other high-ranking magicians⦠Whoaâ¦
The âimportant stuff that children shouldnât mindââcould it be⦠an uprising conflict?! I never thought the issue would be this big!
â¦And I could only think about the âwarâ or the conflict between Naraka and Cielleâthat dragged Riviera along, too.
Was it this serious⦠or was I just too ignorant of how the adults worked to resolve this kind of issue?
Certainly, I died when I was thirteen years old as Reinst, when I had yet to participate in other matters.
So⦠could it be that each and every conflict that arose also required this kind of meeting to resolve? Or was this current issue simply that grave?
âHm? Oh. Cyan, youâre there. Lyra? Long time no see, youâve grown up.â
What broke my thought was a familiar voice that came from behind me. When I turned around⦠eh? EHHHHH?!
âR-rupert?! B-but, youâre just next to Gale⦠AAAH?!â
When I glanced back at Rupertâs former position, which was next to Gale⦠there was still Rupert there.
âR-r-r-rupert, you have a twin?!â
Thus, the conclusion I arrived at.
However, the Rupert that was standing behind me only sighed.
âLyra, careful. The one standing behind you is an imposter,â The Rupert who was next to Gale warned me.
âE⦠eeeehhh?â
The Rupert who was standing close to me scratched his head and sighed.
âNo, that one is totally my imposter,â he calmly said.
ââ¦â
âHaha! Lyra, try to pick which one is the real Rupert!â Gale suddenly asked me to guess, as he was smiling as if he was having fun.
ââ¦W-what is going on?â
âHaha, cut it out, you guys. Youâre making Lyra confused,â Dad stepped forward to help me out of this mess! Ouiii, Daddy, youâre so dependable!
âThatâs enough, Cynthia. Stop making this kind of antics,â Rupert who was next to me suddenly mentioned a nameâhe seemed to be referring to the Rupert who was next to Gale.
And suddenly, the Rupert who was next to Gale became so out-of-character as he grinnedâwhoa, donât destroy Rupertâs image like that!!
The âfakeâ Rupert suddenly scratched off⦠a mask⦠from⦠his own face?!!!
Thenâit revealed the face of a youthful girl with blue eyes and caramel ponytailed hair. Now, the mischievous grin suited her more than Rupertâs face!!
âTeehee, look how I managed to impersonate you! Itâs my first time meeting Lyra in person, but I can make her confused! Haha!â She proudly said.
Rupert only sighed, âYouâre as competitive as always.â
âBut I gotta say that sheâs getting better and better at disguising! I mean, Rupert, sheâs so talented that she can disguise and impersonate lots of people without the help of magic!â Gale supported Cynthia.
Without any magic⦠Eh⦠eh?!
Ah, she certainly used a very natural mask slash wig that I didnât detect anything unnatural, and even her voice and demeanour as âfakeâ Rupert before she grinnedâ¦
WHOAAAA!!
âA-awesome!!â I reflexively blurted outâbut perhaps that was for the best as Cynthia smiled even happier.
âTold ya, I will definitely be the best spy and be the disguise master!!â Cynthia made a triumphant pose.
âOkay, okay, letâs not make another ruckus. The meetingâs about to start,â Dad suddenly cut off our lively conversation.
âWell well, the spy group seems as lively as always, especially with little Cynthia,â Alfonse ElsworthâKiriâs foster father and the Head of the Royal Knights, said while chuckling.
âSigh, sorry for her childish antics as usual,â Rupert answered.
âHey, why are you acting like my elder?!â Cynthia protested.
âWell, well, youâre the youngest among us, Cynthia!â Gale butted into the conversation.
âI donât want to hear that coming from you, Gale!â Cynthia pouted even more.
ââ¦Okay then, I will escort Lyra to play with Luca and Leti first⦠I hope youâve already settled this by then,â Dad suddenly said.
âOh, Iâll come with you,â Mom added.
âNo need.â
I was frightened by another familiar voice that came from behind me.
Whatâs up with people today? Is surprising me behind my back becoming a trend?!
Sure, when I turned around, it was the kingâTitus-sama.
âIâll have the maids escort her to where Luca and Leti are,â King Titus said.
âWe should start the meeting soon,â Queen Shaula stepped forward from behind King Titus and announced.
And thus, I was escorted by the maids to Luca and Leticiaâs playing room.
âLyaaa-neeeeeee!!â
There, I was quickly greeted by the angelic voice, angelic smile, and the angelic hug!!
âLeticiaaaaaaa!!â
I hugged Leti back as we giggled together.
âOh, so you tagged along your parents, huh?â Luca greeted me just like that.
When I tried to make a comparison between this pair of brother and sister⦠I honestly canât see any resemblance. Which is a good thing!
My cute Leti is definitely a cute angel that can soothe everyoneâs heart, thank goodness she doesnât look anything like the fallen angel with the same hair and eyes colorânamely Luca!
âAh, Lyra, youâve come, too!â
Eh?
Aaaah, I just saw his father, so no wonder Kiri was also here.
âYeah, Iâm curious on whatâs going on, but seems like I canât hear anything, huh?â
âWell, Father and Mother didnât even give me any other clue.â
âFather is getting busier and he spends more time with the knights, but he says everything will be all rightâ¦â
ââ¦â
ââ¦â
The more the adults are trying to act like theyâve got everything together, the more we can feel their nervousnessâ¦
Oh well, I just hope that it turns out to be nothing seriousâand that weâre feeling like this because itâs our first time experiencing it first-handâyep, even for me whoâs gone through two lifetime, itâs my first time experiencing this kind of thing.
So, at least for the last seven years, the world has been quite peaceful.
âUuca-nii? Kiiiii? Lyaa-neeee?â
Leticia wiggled her arms to us, one by one.
âOh well, guess thereâs no use for us to be thinking about it. Letâs play!â
Unexpectedly, Luca was the one who said that.
Yep, he is unexpectedly a caring big brother!!
âYayyyy~!â Leticia put the two of her arms in the air.
After quite awhile, Mom and Dad finally finished their businessâwhich meant the others were also done, too.
So, it was finally time to go home! As usual!
â¦Exceptâ¦
There was one different thing.
âLyaa-nee? Where are you goin?â Little Leti suddenly asked a question.
âUh⦠home?â
âHome? Not here?â
âEh, yeah, I donât live in the castleâ¦â
âWhy? Why donât you stay here?â Leticia tilted her headâ
âBecause my family lives in our own house, and we donât live in the castleâ¦,â Geh, I find myself saying silly things, but I honestly donât know how I should explain this to her!!
ââ¦? Lya-neeâs⦠family? Lya-nee⦠is not my sister?â
ââ¦No.â
ââ¦Cousin? Relative? Not Letiâs family?â Leti asked as her face showed a very unsure expression.
ââ¦Yep.â
âLya-nee⦠is not⦠family?â
â¦Tears started to form at Letiâs eyes.
Eh⦠wait, there seems to be a misunderstanding here!!
âHuwaaaahhh!! Noo, Lya-nee is my Nee-sama!! Lya-nee is sister!!!â
Leti suddenly bawled.
âThere, there, Leti, how can you misunderstand this? Thatâs why you donât see Lyra as often as you see me, Papa, and Mama, right?â Luca tried to calm Leti down.
âB⦠but⦠Leti thinks⦠Lya-nee is Nee-sama⦠Because⦠Leti calls her Nee-samaâ¦,â Leti buried her face to Lucaâs clothes.
ââ¦â
IâM SORRY, LETICIA!!! SORRY FOR INTRODUCING MYSELF AS NEE-SAMA AND ASKING YOU TO CALL ME NEE-SAMA!!
I just thought that it was so enviable that the cute Leti would call Luca with âNii-sama,â so I also wanted to be called like thatâ¦
When I was Reinst, I didnât get to spend that much time with Domi, Domi also rarely spoke, so I didnât get to hear Domi call me that often. â¦and a cute little sister like Leticia was totally different than the quiet Domiâwait, am I prejudiced because I didnât like Domi for robbing Mother?
E-either way⦠Leticia just comprehended this fact just now?
S-she is cute, but Iâm not that mean enough to let her bawl like this⦠but⦠but sheâs cuteâ¦
âLya-nee isnât my real sister?â
After she calmed down, Leti finally asked again, as if to confirm things.
âYepâ¦â
ââ¦then, canât you be my real sister?â
â¦
I love my current family and I definitely donât want to be an adopted child, especially adopted to a royaltyâ¦
âYou can still call me Nee-sama even if Iâm not your real sister, Leti! I like it when you call me like that,â I patted her head as Leti still clung to Luca and sobbed.
ââ¦Oâ¦okayâ¦
â
âWhoa, Leti is so attached to Lyra, itâs as if sheâs Lyraâs little sister!â
Meanwhile, during all the sobs, Cyan and Cassie were standing just before the room, observing the situation while waiting for the right time to step in. They were waiting for Lyra to come out after telling her to tidy up and say goodbye.
âWell, she is so different from Luca when he was her age. Seems like Leti is born without [Insight]?â
While the pampering Dad, Cyan, commented on such an adorable scene with heartfelt opinion, Cassie commented it based on her logical observation instead.
âMmhm, perhaps she doesnât inherit it at all, or she has it but her [Insight] power might be weak⦠Well, we wonât know at this point,â Cyan quickly switched off his doting parent mode and replied calmly.
âItâs good that Leti is like this, then. King Titus and Queen Shaulaâespecially Queen Shaula will get to experience Letiâs adorable childishness,â Cassie finally made a comment based on feelings.
âYeah. Itâs good for Titus, I finally get to see his troubled face now and then, when heâs facing Leti, haha!â
â¦Cyan is definitely Titusâ best friend, alright?
âLuca is so similar to Titus in personalityâor so I think, that Titus doesnât really have any difficulty when facing himâwith the exception of when Luca was on bad term with Leti,â Cyan then added.
âWell, Leti is adorable, alright,â Cassie also couldnât help but feel that way. She even took some sneaky moves to gently pinch Letiâs cheeks when she got the chance to.
âLyraâs the most adorable, though,â Cyan made his typical comment.
ââ¦Oh you.â
âOr could it be that you want a baby?â Cyan decided that it was time to tease Cassie.
âOh, shuddup! Itâs easy for you to say, since you donât have to go through with the pregnancy and giving birth!â
âHaha, well, yeah, sorry, sorryâ¦â
***
Though the warm and heartfelt situation like what Lyra experienced with Leti was certainly happening in the other households, it still couldnât erase the fact that Naraka and Cielle were ready to face each other in battlesâand that they might come to strengthen their territories by trying to reclaim the parts of Riviera that were once their factionâs territories.
Riviera was always there to ensure the balance and peace between Naraka and Cielle. The humans had learned the hard way that if such a balance wasnât maintained, their livelihood would be compromised. The fact that Riviera was located in the middle of Naraka and Cielle also contributed.
Therefore, Riviera appointed their soldiers to the battlefieldâ¦
âDaddy is going to battle the baddies?â
A childâs clear voice could be heard in a small house as the young girlâs emerald eyes looked at the figure of a gallant man in front of her.
âYup, thatâs right. The country needs Daddy to fight away the baddies, in order to make sure little Fiona and her beloved Mommy to be safe and happy, too,â the man swept away his long silky blonde hair as he crouched down so that his light blue eyes could meet with the girlâs eyes. When he did so, he also exposed his long and pointy ears.
âDearâ¦â
A slender woman with the same light green hair as the little girl approached the father and daughter figures as she coughed.
âDonât worry, Honey, Iâm going to be back soon. Fiona, be a good girl and take care of your Mommy, okay?â
âDear, please be careful⦠Cough!â
As the fragile woman continued to cough, the gallant man stood up and supported her.
âYou donât have to be so anxious, Honey. Just focus on resting and get well soon. I promise I will be back safe and sound.â
âYes⦠sorry, if only I wasnât sickâ¦â
âShuush⦠nothing can be done about it, Honey. Itâs fine. Youâll be fine.â
âMommy, Mommy, take a rest! Daddy will definitely beat up the bad guys for us! He is a hero, remember?â The little girl clung to her motherâs skirt as she tried to calm her mother down.
âMmhm, see? Even Fiona knows it.â
âCough⦠then, let me help you with any preparation that I can helpâ¦â
âDonât overdo it.â
âOh, let Fiona help, too!!â
Even if the war or skirmish between Naraka and Cielle didnât affect most of the citizens, the ones who would experience the effects of it were the soldiers and their families.
For the families, they couldnât help but get worried for their beloved ones. But to the young half-elf Fiona, her Daddyâs figure was a heroâs. A hero that she was proud of. In her mind, there was no anxiety at all. She was so confident of her hero father.
Sometimes, the unwavering trust from a child like her turns out to be the biggest encouragement an adult can get.
***
âDonât worry, Your Majesty. Rest assured that I shanât relinquish this chance.â
A figure of an alluring woman knelt down before the throne, before the figure of the fierce man sitting on the throne. As she knelt, her dazzling long black hair touched the floorâthe red tips of her hair contrasted to the brown floor.
âHmph. Very well,â the man replied curtly.
Afterwards, the woman withdrew herself as she walked back to the inner chamberâto her own room.
ââ¦Iâll definitely prove it to you that Iâm the most worthy!!â
The calm face that she had back then disappeared the moment she closed the door. However, her arrogance remained even as she hit the table as if to declare her determination.
Though wars and skirmishes were largely known by their bigger purpose, this didnât mean that there was no hidden ulterior, personal motive that one might carry inside their heart.
âAhâ¦â
A girlâs voice could be heard as the figure of a young maid looked anxiously to the arrogant womanâto her master.
âAh, did I surprise you? I was finally entrusted with the [General] position, and I will definitely rise from now on!â
âMmâ¦,â the maid looked at her masterâs arrogant and confident expression, so she also smiled in the end.
***
A spectre of light traveled across the area before it manifested into the figure of a child, helplessly sighing.
âDestiny has begun to move⦠Iâve placed the necessary pawns in their positions⦠I hope the stars can shine brighter in this future destiny.â
Fate is such a mysterious thing that nobody really knows of.
In the future, the coincidences happening will eventually form the inevitable fate.
Still, nobody has yet to realize it at this momentâ¦
It is still long before they finally realize it.
Enjoy the triple release today~! It's my birthday so I hope you're enjoying this treat :3
Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to comment~!