About a month after the incident, Delia and Kaiel naturally forgot about their two sons’ training.

Leo and Eddie also stopped mentioning it. The two sons quickly returned to normal, as if they had never been upset with their father. They even seemed to look at Kaiel with more respectful and shining eyes than before. Though the reason was unclear.

During this time, Delia and Kaiel were quite busy responding to the good news that had arrived from Sheriton.

“Do you think this one is better, or the one with the gold trim?”

Delia asked while packing various baby items into a large box.

“If it takes after Niol’s taste, I think he’d prefer that one.”

Kaiel, who had wrapped his arms around Delia’s waist from behind, lightly added his opinion.

A month ago, a prince was born in the Sheriton Empire. It was no small matter.

For various reasons, Niol, who had managed to avoid it for so long, finally took an empress a few years ago after establishing himself as emperor. People in the imperial palace who knew the inside story of various incidents, including Kaiel, were greatly concerned about whether Niol would be a good husband.

Ashlene had been particularly worried, probably because she had witnessed Niol harboring feelings for Delia for so long.

Of course, Delia knew that Niol would fulfill his roles as emperor and husband without issue. He was a character she had created, so he would certainly do so.

As expected, Niol treated his empress and his people with all his heart, and Sheriton enjoyed its most prosperous period. In the midst of this, a prince was born.

This was why Kaiel, who had planned to go on a business trip to Sheriton for a few days, returned after just one day, causing Delia’s plan to fail.

That day, because the prince was born, all scheduled events were canceled, and Kaiel also returned after heading toward Sheriton.

“We should visit His Majesty the Emperor soon to congratulate him.”

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

Around that time, Delia heard surprising news through Matisse.

“What did you say?”

Matisse, looking troubled, held his head and repeated.

“It seems the young masters have been sneaking into evening training sessions.”

“S-since when?”

“The young masters say it hasn’t been long, but from what I can see, it’s been quite a while. I…… haven’t told His Grace yet.”

It seemed Matisse was afraid to tell Kaiel directly.

“That’s…… interesting. I’ll tell Kaiel myself.”

“Thank you!”

Watching the relieved Matisse, Delia deeply felt how much her two sons took after her. She had been so preoccupied with the imperial celebration that she hadn’t noticed what her two sons were up to behind her back.

No wonder they were always late in the evenings.

When Delia called Leo and Eddie separately that evening and asked them directly, she was even more amazed. How could they be so identical to her!

“For a month……?”

“Yes…… We’re sorry. Since the day Father said he was going on a business trip and left his post, every day……”

Knowing they had done wrong, Leo answered in a shrinking voice.

Delia was partly surprised and partly amused.

‘That’s the exact same day I snuck in……!’

Sure enough, Eddie cautiously asked.

“That day…… you were there too, right, Mother?”

Delia recalled her appearance that day and smiled awkwardly out of embarrassment. There was no need for detailed explanations.

But come to think of it, it was fascinating.

‘How could they train in secret for a whole month without Kaiel finding out?’

She had bounced around so much from the beginning that she was eventually discovered, which was quite surprising.

For that to be possible, Leo and Eddie would have had to blend naturally among the soldiers without catching Kaiel’s eye. That would require them to handle the training without difficulty.

Looking back and forth between Leo and Eddie, Delia soon understood.

‘They inherited Kaiel’s blood, so it would be stranger if they couldn’t do it.’

Eddie, after gauging her reaction and seeing that Delia wasn’t very angry, suddenly spoke up.

“It was manageable! Mother, it wasn’t as, as……”

“Everyone took good care of us, so we trained without any problems.”

Leo, who spoke next, swallowed hard and asked seriously.

“Could we…… really continue training? Mother?”

“Please. Nothing could make me prouder than training under Father.”

Eddie chimed in from the side.

“Oh my.”

As Delia had expected, there wasn’t the slightest hint that the two sons feared Kaiel. Under normal circumstances, this would have been a situation for Delia to be extremely happy about.

Her two sons had been training under Kaiel all along, and far from being afraid, they said they respected him even more. It couldn’t have been better for overcoming Kaiel’s trauma.

But…….

The image of Hunt Vise, who had been severely scolded by Kaiel and ruthlessly expelled, flashed through Delia’s mind.

Then, as if knowing what she was thinking, Leo hesitantly spoke up.

“Um…… I heard from the other men that Father had actually been very lenient with the person who was mean to Mother that day. He had nowhere to go if he was expelled, and he had younger siblings to take care of…… That’s why Father had been patient and hadn’t expelled him until now.”

When Delia’s expression became inscrutable, Eddie hastily added.

“There weren’t usually strange people like that! If they appeared, Father would immediately scold and punish them, so there were no problems, and everyone was nice! That’s how it really was……”

Seeing her two sons’ earnest expressions, Delia burst into laughter.

“Do you want to do it that badly?”

“Yes!”

Leo and Eddie answered simultaneously, looking at Delia with sparkling eyes full of expectation.

“Do you like your dad that much?”

“Yes! He’s the coolest in the world!”

Delia finally nodded.

Her concern about the training ground’s atmosphere had largely been due to Hunt Vise. If he had been an exceptional case…….

‘I guess there shouldn’t be any problem?’

Above all, Delia wanted to believe in her two sons’ sincerity.

Truly, parents can never win against their children.

“But only during evening training. Though I’m giving permission, your father doesn’t even know you’ve been sneaking in, so try not to get caught.”

Delia playfully pinched her two sons’ cheeks while smiling.

“You’ll take responsibility yourselves. Understood?”

They needed to take responsibility for their own actions. If they wanted it this badly, they should be prepared for at least that much.

“Yes, Mother!”

“Wow! Thank you!”

Leo and Eddie, excited, hugged each other and jumped up and down before quickly disappearing into the distance.

The reason she only permitted evening training was firstly because Kaiel still didn’t know, and secondly, because she worried that her two sons might grow up to be people who flaunted their status.

Seeing, feeling, and experiencing things from the position of a regular soldier would be a great asset later on. Also, it would be easier to conduct training if Kaiel remained unaware.

‘Twins, fighting!’

Delia predicted that the period Leo and Eddie could deceive Kaiel would be at most a month or two.

This prediction overlooked the fact that Leo and Eddie had inherited all of her cunning and perseverance, as well as Kaiel’s physical abilities and build.

The two managed to receive training without being discovered by Kaiel for nearly a year, until finally all the facts were revealed by Matisse’s slip of the tongue.

Contrary to Leo and Eddie’s expectations after a year of anxiety, Kaiel didn’t scold them severely.

Though he seemed quite shocked, he actually appeared somewhat relieved, which was fortunate. The two sons had no way of knowing that Delia had tremendously coaxed and soothed Kaiel behind the scenes.

With their father’s permission, Leo and Eddie, now fearless, grew at a terrifying pace, and their skills improved remarkably with each passing day.

Four years later, when Leo and Eddie turned sixteen, they finally reached a level where they could follow in their father’s footsteps, and thanks to their outstanding skills, they passed the test without difficulty and were selected as official knights.

Blood is formidable indeed—while their hair color and personalities came from Delia, everything else was practically a replica of Kaiel.

“It’s clear whose sons they are, both of them so tall and handsome.”

Luciel smirked as she looked at their parents, who were still stuck together like tough rubber even today. Luciel shook her head.

“Isn’t it about time you two separated? How is it that you’re getting even more……”

“I hate that idea.”

Delia laughed lightly as she wrapped her arms around Kaiel’s waist, who was holding her even more tightly. 

“Lucy, do you know how cold your father was at first? This is all thanks to your mother’s constant efforts—”

“I know, I know. The nameless flower, going to Sheriton and doing this and that, nearly dying and coming back to life. In the end, Father fell in love with Mother. …… You’ve told me this story every night before bed.”

Luciel nodded casually, saying she knew it by heart now, and opened the novel she was holding. As she flipped through the pages, the last sentence of the novel caught her eye.

‘……And so they lived happily ever after.’

After reading the final sentence, Luciel looked up at her parents again. Though it was a common phrase used in countless works, it seemed the most appropriate to describe those two.

“A perfect happy ending.”

At Luciel’s words, Delia’s eyes widened. The system message from long ago, now a faint memory, flashed in Delia’s mind.

‘You have become the happiest protagonist of a romance fantasy in the world.’

Delia looked up at the face of her loving husband beside her. Those consistently deep and dark blue-gray eyes, now accustomed to smiling gently, held her in their gaze.

“Indeed.”

Delia’s eyes crinkled as she looked at Leo, Eddie, and Luciel one by one.

“A happy ending.”

The End.

<Completed>