"Brother Chipmunk!"

Before anyone could react, a small white blur launched through the air and collided right into Luca's chest.

"Ooof!"

Luca took a stumbling step back, laughing as he caught the little princess who had quite literally flung herself at him.

Princess Nina clung to him like a happy koala, beaming from ear to ear. She wasn't wearing her usual frilly dress this time, but a pair of training clothes that made her look like she'd escaped from the palace guards' practice yard. Somehow, despite the mud on her boots and the leaves tangled in her hair, her white hair gleamed and her eyes sparkled like polished gems.

Even with grass stuck to her elbow, she still managed to look royal.

"Brother Chipmunk, how was it?!" she asked eagerly, tilting her head up with the most innocent curiosity. "Was the auction fun? Did you enjoy it?!"

Luca couldn't help smiling as he adjusted her in his arms. "It was… eventful."

She gasped as though he had confessed to surviving a galactic war. "Really?!" Then her smile softened, and her little brows furrowed in worry. "Are you alright, Brother Chipmunk? I was able to watch the commotion at the auction house."

Her lower lip quivered. "You didn't faint or cry, did you?"

Luca's mouth twitched. "No, I didn't cry, Your Highness."

But Nina looked unconvinced. Her blue eyes grew watery as she muttered under her breath, "Maybe we really should've bought that item instead. Surely we're not that poor, right?"

"..."

Luca froze. Somewhere behind him, one Duke actually agreed with the sentiment and was likely about to mention unthinkable solutions.

But before Luca could respond, a calm, familiar voice interrupted from behind them.

"Nina, do you really want your Brother Chipmunk to have dust all over him?" asked the Empress, who was also in her training clothes.

"Ah!"

"And won't it take longer to finish what you were working on if you stop now?"

It was as if the words themselves had struck her. Nina gasped dramatically, eyes widening as realization dawned. "Oh no!"

She wriggled wildly in Luca's arms. "Please put me down, Brother! I almost forgot! I need to finish it!"

"Finish what?" Luca asked, amused and curious as he set her down carefully.

Nina puffed her cheeks, looking determined. "The thing I'm making! I worked so hard on it, but it's not good enough yet! Not after I heard you say you only wanted to hang the best artworks you could be proud of!"

Luca blinked, mortified.

The people who had come around to greet them heard about her claims and tried holding back their amusement at the child's earnest determination.

Duchess Amelia, meanwhile, clapped her hands, her serene smile somehow commanding instant order. "Alright, everyone. Let's focus. We have plenty to do."

The sound of her voice was enough to make the chatter subside. But as Luca turned to respond to his mother, he suddenly froze.

Because he remembered something.

Or rather—someone.

Minister Kordell.

And Marquise Evelyn.

The very same people they had dragged along with them during the escape.

They were standing there now.

The Marquise looked surprised but was otherwise standing. The Minister, however—

Had finally cracked.

Because after everything he had seen—the new family members, the artworks, the disappearing act, and now the Imperial family covered in dust and leaves—he simply couldn't take it anymore.

His composure shattered completely as he threw his hands in the air and shouted, voice thundering through the clearing.

"WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?!"

__

Maybe it was better when they didn't know anything at all.

Because really, what were they supposed to do with this kind of information?

Minister Kordell found himself staring blankly at his pinky finger, questioning every life decision that led to this moment. This… this was not how contracts were supposed to work

He, a man who prided himself on making watertight, foolproof agreements, had just bound himself with a verbal contract. An unheard-of pinky promise, no less.

And he hadn't even had the chance to ask about the clauses, limitations, or protective measures.

Was it binding? Would it hold under duress? Would it keep the cadet and his secrets safe in case Kordell Nox ended up being taken, tortured, or chemically induced to spill information?

He didn't know.

And that terrified him more than any battlefield.

At first, he had been trying to analyze the legal implications of a pinky promise. But when he finally got over the fact that the important members of the Empire who were allegedly supposed to be working were in front of him. And none of them seemed to be constructs of his imagination, he was finally able to breathe in to realize what his wife had likely realized earlier.

Spiritual energy.

Every breath he took was filled with spiritual energy. Dense, pure, and overwhelming.

His initial horror at being tricked into a mystical contract shifted into a much larger concern: How was any of this even possible? And was the contract enough to protect such a place?!

If Killian weren't currently stationed at the Capital overseeing departure logistics, Kordell was certain his son would've turned to him and said, "I was thinking the same thing the entire time."

But because both of his sons had escaped earlier, explaining that there was already a plan in place, Kordell and Evelyn were left to learn about this miraculous place from the others—namely, the Empress, the Imperial Princess, and Luca.

He took a long, shaky breath before managing to ask the question that had been burning in his mind.

"So, Your Majesty," he began carefully, "you're saying that this… is Luca's dungeon space. And that for several months now, these cadets have all been working here?"

Everyone nodded earnestly.

The little princess even raised her hand. "Yes! And you haven't even seen all the nice places yet! Or tasted anything good!"

Marquise Evelyn, who had been trying her best to remain composed, turned as they walked toward Luca's cabin—only to freeze. Her eyes widened as she pointed at something in the distance.

"Are those… apple trees?"

Her voice trembled with disbelief.

Rows of trees stood proudly beneath the glowing skies, their branches heavy with red fruit.

Minister Kordell let out a sigh so deep it sounded like the last breath of a man who had accepted his fate.

Luca, startled by the sound, turned and chuckled softly, attracting everyone's attention. "Ah, I'm sorry, My Lord. It's just that when you sighed like that, there's really no question that Kyle and Big Brother Killian are your sons. It's just so alike."

Marquise Evelyn blinked, then smiled. "Do they sigh a lot?"

"Yes!" Luca nodded earnestly. He even furrowed his brows to demonstrate. "And they do this when they talk about their work!"

Evelyn laughed behind her hand, and even Kordell couldn't stop the corner of his mouth from twitching.

But then Luca's tone softened. His golden eyes grew thoughtful.

"But more than that," he said quietly, "I think they were really bothered by the fact that they couldn't tell you about this secret for so long. And that's all because of me. So I'm really sorry for failing to realize that at one point or another, all of you had to sacrifice to keep all of this safe."

The sincerity in his words hit harder than any lecture could have.

Minister Kordell wanted to say a lot of things earlier—like how they had the gall to sigh when they were the ones missing for months, risking their lives, and giving him more gray hair than any paperwork ever could.

But when he looked at Luca, this boy who was apologizing for things that were never really his fault, those words wouldn't come.

He exhaled instead, slow and heavy.

Because honestly, if he were in their position, what would he have done?

And most importantly, wasn't he the same man who had drilled into his sons the importance of loyalty? The one who'd kept his own secrets for years, just to protect the Empire?

Wasn't he being a hypocrite?

The thought silenced him.

Finally, he straightened his posture, his tone calm but gentler than before. "I don't think you really have to apologize," he said. "As bad as it is, they honored House Nox by doing the right thing."

He paused.

That was him—the patriarch speaking.

But deep inside, as Kordell Nox, father to those two wayward ghosts, he couldn't help but feel that quiet ache.

Because sometimes, it was just hard to accept that they'd grown up enough to carry such burdens without ever needing his help. But at the same time, wasn't that any parent's dream?

Yeah, it was. So maybe he would just ask them to write half the paperwork later.