Chapter 10. epilogue

Hunt Royal Palace, in a room without a single light.

It was filled with portraits of past Hunt family heads.

And the current family head and King of Hunt, Hector, was gazing intently at them.

{…I will always love you.}

A voice from the red hologram stone located below the portrait echoed through the room.

It was a hologram enchanted so that only those with Hunt family blood could see it.

{And I will always be by your side, watching over you.}

In the hologram, the 9th family head, Damian Hunt, wore a gentle smile.

Damian Hunt was known to have lived the shortest life among all Hunt family heads.

And also the only head to have held his child’s hand.

Although, he left the world without even completing a single day.

{So…}

Gulp–

The Damian in the hologram couldn’t continue his words and swallowed.

Perhaps he was swallowing back tears that were about to burst forth.

Hector could now understand the desire not to show weakness to one’s children and descendants.

Eventually, Damian smiled brightly.

{You are not alone.}

“……”

As Hector raised his fingertip, Damian’s image disappeared.

At the same time, a heavy silence descended upon the room.

Taking a deep breath, Hector looked up at the sky.

The arched pillars decorated with gold and the ceiling filled with paintings boasted their grandeur.

But none of it could focus on his blurred retinas.

“…I’m sorry.”

After meeting Charlie, Hector desperately wanted to live.

He wanted to see Charlie smiling brightly amidst the blooming flowers.

Charlie shining under the blazing sun.

Charlie with the red sunset glow behind her.

He wanted to hold Charlie’s hand as she walked on the pure white snow field.

He wanted to grow old together by his partner’s side.

Then when they had a child, his desire to live became even more desperate.

He had to shield the child from the wind and rain that would pour down.

He had to watch over the child who would move forward shining brilliantly.

“I’m sorry for surviving alone…”

His wavering eyes turned to look at his father.

{Don’t blame yourself.}

As though he knew what his child would say.

{It’s not your fault.}

In the playing hologram, a man who looked exactly like Hector spoke with an expressionless face.

No, his father Christopher Hunt.

It was a face that resembled Damian and many other Hunts.

The man who had been staring straight ahead slowly lowered his gaze.

{So live.}

Don’t die.

Even if you want to die, don’t.

It’s okay if you don’t continue the lineage, just please, at least you…

{…be happy.}

Thud–

Soon the hologram disappeared and darkness fell over Hector’s face.

It wasn’t Hector who turned it off.

It was the shortest hologram of Theodore Hunt in history.

Plop plop–

Finally, tears that couldn’t be held back fell.

This was exactly why Hector hadn’t looked at the portraits of his predecessors.

In many holograms, some left greetings saying they were happy, some left smiles, and some left tender longing.

But Theodore Hunt only left those short words to live…

Because Hector wanted to die.

Because Hector was thinking of dying, he couldn’t face his father.

“I missed you.”

He missed them.

Even if just once, he wanted to hold their infinitely warm hands.

“Every moment… I miss you.”

The sobs of a child who had now become a father scattered throughout the room.

* * *

Tap tap tap tap–

Pitter-patter–

After some time had passed…

Hearing approaching footsteps, Hector composed his expression and smoothed out his disheveled clothes.

Eventually, one by one, lights began to bloom in the room that had been filled with deep darkness.

“Dad!!”

Hector smiled faintly at the resounding voice.

He moved his feet, trudging along.

Passing Theodore Hunt, Damian Hunt, Christopher Hunt.

And leaving behind the portraits of numerous Hunt family heads, Hector opened the door.

“It’s Dad!!”

“Dad!!”

As soon as the door opened, Lucy and Luka rushed towards Hector.

The prince of the Hunt Kingdom, Luka, who was born one minute earlier, had purple eyes like Charlie and black hair like Hector.

The princess of the Hunt Kingdom, the younger sister Lucy, was born with red eyes like Hector and silver hair like Charlie.

“You rascals, I told you not to run.”

Hector said as he lifted Lucy and Luka with both hands.

“You don’t do this to Mom too, right?”

“No, we don’t anymore!”

“Big sis told us never to do it.”

Unlike their eldest sister Luna, Lucy and Luka cried a lot.

They would sob so loudly that the castle would shake.

Hector often used healing magic, worried that they might be in pain.

Charlie’s wrists weakened from constantly picking up the crying children, thinking they needed to be comforted.

Hector kissed Lucy and Luka’s cheeks alternately.

“Well done.”

Lucy, who had been nuzzling her face against Hector’s chest, suddenly lifted her head.

“Huh? Big Sis is here.”

Although Luna had just arrived on the first floor, Lucy keenly sensed her presence.

“Dad, why can’t Mom hear?”

When Lucy asked, Luka responded.

“Silly, it’s because Mom is special.”

The dominant gene was superior in everything from development to physical abilities.

In other words, their hearing was also exceptional.

If they wanted to, they could easily hear sounds from beyond a wall.

‘Great Big.’

Hector chuckled at the memory that surfaced.

“Sometimes, you need to pretend not to hear even when you can, and pretend not to see even when you can.”

Lucy and Luka tilted their heads in confusion at Hector’s words.

“Why?”

“The stronger you are, the more you should conceal it.”

Bonk- Bonk.

Hector gently bumped his forehead against theirs.

After pondering for a moment, Luka said,

“That’s right, Derek said so.”

“Real strength is hidden.”

“But Dad, why do we need to hide it?”

Hector answered as he left the room.

“Because there’s no need to show off.”

As they exited another entrance, Luna, who had flown over in one breath, looked up at Hector.

“Father!”

But Hector’s hands were already occupied by her siblings.

Just as she was quietly swallowing her desire to be held too.

Whoosh–

Suddenly, Luna’s body floated up into the air.

“True strength is hidden, but that doesn’t mean you always have to hold back.”

Hehe–

Luna, now perched on Hector’s nape, laughed brightly.

“Wow!”

“I want a piggyback ride too!”

Envious of Luna, Lucy and Luka stamped their feet.

“Piggyback rides are only for seven-year-olds.”

Hector walked forward, summarizing the situation.

“I want to grow up quickly!”

“I want to be seven soon too!”

Lucy and Luka occupied Hector’s hands, and Luna was on his shoulders.

While carrying the children, he walked leisurely with not a hint of strain in his movements.

Thus, the four strolled down the long corridor.

The corridor was filled with portraits of Charlie and Hector.

Charlie in a wedding dress and Hector smiling with reddened eyes, their fingers intertwined.

Charlie sitting with a crown, and beside her, Hector was also wearing a crown and smiling.

Next came portraits of Charlie with a swollen belly and Hector.

Charlie, Hector, and Luna.

Charlie, Hector, Luna, Lucy, and Luka.

With each step Hector took, the number of people in the portraits increased.

Luna stroked Hector’s silky hair, admiring him.

Then she suddenly gave Hector’s shoulder a gentle shake.

“Father, when are we getting our next portrait done?”

“When Tanner’s paternity leave ends.”

Perhaps due to the urgency from a late marriage, Tanner welcomed an angel along with his wedding.

Along with Michael’s quip, [Is it truly the tradition of the Hunt family to disregard order?!]

“I hope it’s a little brother…”

Hector’s eyes narrowed slightly at Luka’s words.

“Why?”

“A little sister who looks like Tanner would be…”

As Luka trailed off, Lucy added,

“It would be weird.”

Hahaha–

Imagining a child next to Luna shouting ‘No!’ with an expression identical to Tanner’s, Hector laughed, finding it oddly fitting in its own way.

“Your Highness.”

When Hector reached the first floor, Tanner approached as if he had been waiting.

His eyes widened.

“I remember giving you paternity leave.”

Leon, who had somehow caught up, chimed in.

“He was kicked out.”

“Kicked out?”

Hector turned to Leon with a puzzled expression.

Tanner had a relationship as good as Hector and Charlie’s.

The lady from a fallen viscount family, who anonymously donated everything she had, even beyond her salary.

He wondered who she could be to inspire such devotion, and Tanner ended up marrying her.

As if it was predetermined. No, like a connection continuing from a past life.

But kicked out?

“Why?”

“Kieran said he was kicked out because he was too noisy, constantly nagging about breathing and posture.”

Luna burst out laughing at Leon’s report.

Luna was well aware of Tanner’s nagging tendencies.

Lucy and Luka, not understanding the context, grinned along with Luna.

“The Queen is waiting.”

Ahem–

Tanner cleared his throat in embarrassment, avoiding Hector’s gaze.

* * *

Creak–

As the massive door opened, Hector’s figure was reflected in purple eyes reminiscent of dawn’s light.

“You’re here?”

As soon as Hector put them down, Lucy and Luka rushed to Charlie.

“Mom!”

“Mom!!”

Luna, who was set down next, followed them.

“Mother.”

“My angels are here too?”

Charlie bent down to embrace the children with a radiant smile and looked at Hector.

“Hector, happy birthday.”

“Father, happy birthday.”

“Happy birthday!”

“Dad, happy birthday!”

Following Charlie, Luna, Lucy, and Luka congratulated Hector on his birthday in succession.

[To give an example between a man and a woman, just thinking about the other person makes your heart tingle, you feel like you’ll go crazy if you don’t see them, you miss them desperately. You think about them all the time, and you can’t control the emotions that surge up, making you wonder if it’s a disease..]

Charlie doesn’t know.

[When they’re sick, you want to be sick in their place, if they have to die, you want to die in their place… Something like that.]

That sometimes he still wonders if it might be a sickness, unable to control the emotions that well up.

[I’ve never been in love!]

The woman who frowned irritably while saying those words was now looking at herself and her children who resembled her with eyes full of love.

“Charlie.”

Hector slowly stepped towards the miracle that had kept him alive.

END