"I had nowhere to go… I was always traveling back then. And even now… I'm still not where I should be," Aaki said, a hint of disappointment in his voice.
"Master…" the prince spoke softly.
"Yes?"
"Do you care for us?" the prince asked.
"Hey, what are you saying?" the princess tried to stop him.
"Let me finish," the prince said seriously.
"Let him finish, princess," Aaki said calmly.
The prince took a breath.
"Master… I want to know—do you really care about us?"
He continued, his voice steady but heavy.
"Not just us… do you care about anyone? Big Sis? Your kids? Your sister?"
"That's going too far, big brother! That's rude!" the princess shouted.
"It's not. I need to know," the prince replied.
Aaki took a deep breath.
"What do you think, Prince?" he asked calmly.
"Do you think I care about you all… or not?"
"Huh? What…?" the prince looked confused. "What do you mean, Master?"
"I want to know what you think about me."
"Do you think I care about you all… or not?"
"Don't think too much. Just say what your heart tells you."
The prince looked into Aaki's eyes.
"…Yes," he said slowly. "You do. You do care about us."
Aaki gently placed his hand on his shoulder.
"You got your answer."
A clap echoed from behind them.
"Wo-ho~ what are my master and his students talking about?"
Miyuna stood there with a playful smile.
The princess quickly stepped in.
"Mr. Aaki was telling us about how you two met!"
"Oh? And how much did he tell you?" Miyuna asked.
"He told us how he found Yuuya and Reiyu… and how you two met for the first time."
"That's good to hear," Miyuna said. "But shouldn't you start training now?"
"Yeah, you're right," the princess replied, letting out a small breath.
Thank goodness I saved big brother, she thought.
"Let's start training!" she said energetically.
Aaki nodded.
"Yeah, let's begin."
The prince forced an awkward smile.
"Y-Yeah… we should…"
He slowly tried to slip away from Miyuna's sight—
But suddenly, her hand landed on his shoulder.
With a smiling face that didn't feel friendly at all, she said:
"Where are you going? I think we need to have a… small, sweet talk."
The prince looked toward Aaki and the princess with desperate eyes.
Please save me…
Both of them looked back at him.
Sorry… we can't save you. Good luck.
And just like that—they walked away.
The prince slowly turned back to Miyuna.
"Big Sis…"
"Yes, my little prince…" Miyuna said, smiling as she cracked her fingers.
Someone please save me!!! the prince screamed in his mind.
Scene Shift – Seiyu and Eryon
Eryon paced back and forth inside his room.
Seiyu entered quietly.
"Eryon…"
Eryon turned.
"It's you, Seiyu…"
"What's wrong? You didn't show up at the hall this morning. The elder knights are not happy about it," Seiyu said calmly.
"It's nothing. I just didn't feel like going, that's all."
Seiyu's soft voice followed,
"Are you still angry with Arius and Kaien…?"
Eryon stayed silent.
Seiyu sighed.
"Look, Eryon… we are the protectors of the world. We can't hold grudges against our own comrades. And besides… Arius and Kaien are our brothers…"
"They're not!!" Eryon shouted.
Seiyu looked at him quietly.
Eryon lowered his head.
"…Sorry, Seiyu. I didn't mean to shout at you."
"It's fine," Seiyu replied calmly. "I know you're angry…"
Eryon clenched his fists.
"How can they be so ungrateful?! If you hadn't stopped me… I would have broken Arius's bones right there!"
Seiyu placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Calm down, Eryon."
But this time… his eyes were empty.
Eryon froze.
A strange fear crept into his chest as he looked at Seiyu.
Seiyu slowly removed his hand and turned to leave.
"Don't you get angry when they say things about Big Sister?" Eryon called out. "Don't you want to—"
Seiyu cut him off mid-sentence.
"Yes… I do feel like killing them."
Silence fell over the entire room.
Eryon's body stiffened. The weight of those words sank deep into his spine.
"…Seiyu…" he whispered.
Seiyu turned his head slightly, a faint smile on his face.
"Don't worry. I was just saying."
"Get some rest… and calm down."
With that, Seiyu left the room.
Eryon stood there, unable to process anything.
A small whisper escaped his lips—
"…Seiyu… are you okay…?"