.·。.·゜·༺♥༻ ·゜·。.

As Cal Senior and Gigi were off on their honeymoon, Cal Junior almost regretted his decision to not come along. It was his father's fault! Had he not been babying him too much, he would've been there enjoying the seaside with them! Now, he had to wait one more year to get that vacation. If only he lived in an ever-sunny place, like Praja, where they didn't have to hunt for only two short months each year just to enjoy the sun.

Papa might've taken it so lightly, but as the Heir of the Empire, he had a reputation to keep. People whose opinions mattered to him, like Fate.

"Mind telling me why can I touch your cat but not you?" He tickled Bast behind her ears as Fate visited him that evening; the cat purred with delight.

"Oh," Fate laughed. "Because what you see is just an illusion; a shadow of my real self. It's easier to teleport an animal, and Bast is descended from the Great Sphinx so she can endure magic really well. Mother said it's better for me to wait until I can transport myself."

Now Cal wished he had a magical kitty of his own. One that would keep him company when his parents had forgotten him, getting lost in their own world.

"Why do you look so cranky? Something upsetting?" she asked with amusement. "I mean you've always looked angry, but tonight, you look particularly cross!"

"No! This is just my face, that's all! My face!" he pouted.

"I don't think you know which angles flatter your face," she rubbed the underside of her chin.

Perhaps, but she certainly knew which flattered her face, Cal thought. Especially under the moonlight.

"Um, Fate, I need to tell you something," he bit his lip as the girl looked on with interest. "You look... um— I think you look like a dinosaur."

The anticipation on Fate's face was gone. "...I beg your pardon?"

"I mean— not just any dinosaur, but Tyrannosaurus Rex!" He tried to make it up. "The name means 'Tyrant King Lizard', the ruler of all the dinosaurs!"

"So not only a tyrant, but I am also a lizard?"

Cal nodded, beaming. "My favourite."

Fate looked away, avoiding his gaze. "Anyways, I asked my mother about the identity of the person who attacked you, and yes, she said they might be a follower of the traitors. Now, is there any reason in particular why they went after you?"

Besides the fact that they might be related so they wanted him to come along?

"I'm not sure," he hesitated, trying to make up some reasons. "Because they're bad guys?"

"It must be because you're one of us." Fate clenched her fists. "They hate us; the followers of Xero and Megis. They've been hunting us down since the dawn of time."

Now Cal felt very conflicted. On one side, he was scared that he was related to the people who killed Maximillian Leroy, but now he was also afraid that he was born into Fate's blood enemy and would lose the friendship of the only person he could relate to.

"I'm also very curious about something. If none of your parents possesses the power of the mystic arts, then how are you able to learn these skills? You sure none of your grandmothers was a sorceress?"

"...I think maybe the woman who gave birth to me was."

Fate looked at him with sympathy. "I'm sorry, to make you remember her again."

Cal waved her concerns away. "Don't worry. I never met her. They said she died when I was very young. And my father... I don't think he liked her very much. But Gigi is the best mother I could ask for. I could never imagine a life without her. She made my father and I really happy."

"Yes, they do sound like happy people," Fate remarked. "I'm glad it worked out for them."

Cal wondered what made her sound so sad about it, but it might be something personal.

"My people have a very unique matchmaking practice," Fate revealed. "Everyone has one person that they're destined to be with, that is written in the stars. Once you come of age, the High Priestess will divine that person for you. Every single heir in my family has followed that custom, including my parents. As the only daughter of the family, I must as well."

"What? You mean you are betrothed already?"

His heart was being splintered into two. Because if she was, then she wouldn't play with him anymore... Wouldn't visit him anymore... because of the other person.

"Not yet, officially."

Cal breathed his relief.

"Truth be told, it doesn't always work well for everyone. People used to favour it because they hoped to be paired with their equal, their match in personality as well as magical prowess. While it is true in some cases, being with someone to fulfil destiny isn't as pretty as it may sound. Some of them turned out... unhappy. The practice has grown unpopular as time passed, with fewer people getting married to their divined, choosing to find their own true love."

"Good for them," Cal said. "But if they can get themselves out of it, why can't you?"

"As my magical talents started to show, my mother gave me a choice. I wouldn't have to go with the matchmaking. I could pick anyone I like in the future!"

"Really?" Cal squeaked, jumping right off his feet. "Tell me that you chose freedom, Fate. Tell me that you refuse to bend to that silly rule!"

"I asked to see—" Her cheeks reddened and looked away. "I mean, I asked for more time to consider. I need more time to decide whether my divined is suitable for my future."

"Outstanding! Fate, promise me that you'll never give in to this weirdo!"

"Weirdo? You don't want me to try to get to know— this person?"

"Precisely! I mean, destined since birth? Pfft. Sounds like a whole lot of nonsense to me!" As appealing as the concept of soulmates was to him, he was afraid that Fate would stop being his friend once she met her divined.

Fate observed him with the same smug smile she had the first time she arrived in his garden. "Very well, I shall treat them with scepticism."

"But not too much. My parents used to be very smarmy about one another, and now they're far away on a honeymoon; leaving me in this lonely shell they call palace!"

"Wait a minute. So the reason you've been so agitated was that your parents left you to go on their honeymoon?" Fate laughed aloud, holding onto her stomach. "It must've been hard for you!"

Cal's face reddened. "Hey, it's not like they forgot about me! They offered for me to come along—"

"They did?"

"And I should've accepted. You see, they won't last a single day without me!" he boasted. "What am I doing here talking to you? I should've gone on honeymoon with my parents!"

"Cal Leroy, have you any idea about what a honeymoon is about?"

"It's where a couple shares the true love's kiss! I already know that!" Who was she kidding? A mere five-year-old would know about this. "And live happily ever after!"

Fate laughed harder. "Have your parents never told you? The union between two people. The conception that makes the universe come into being. The cycle that keeps the flowers blooming and the birds laying eggs..."

"You mean my parents went all the way to Vasilione to collect some eggs?"

Hiding both hands behind her back, Fate swayed side to side. "...The birds and the bees?"

"Stop speaking in wingdings and explain to me!"

"Alright, Mr. Impatient, but you didn't hear from me. But I assure you, the answer to that is really disgusting!" Gesturing him to come closer, she leaned a little toward him, whispering the answer in his ear.

"What?" Cal stiffened as the answer reached his ear. "But, isn't that for pee-pee?"

Putting both hands in front of her mouth, Fate tip-toed as she whispered louder.

"You're lying!" Cal denied. "But that's totally disgusting!"

"I warned you," Fate shrugged.

"But... eww, why would anyone do that? My parents wouldn't sink that low; they're such honourable, noble people! How do you even know about these things?"

"Such knowledge is accessible in my culture, it's etched on the temple walls. The gods do it, plants do it, animals do it, and so do humans. It's just science. The priestess said I'd understand when I'm older."

Cal shuddered with disgust. "Doesn't matter how old I am. I will never want to engage in such a repulsive act, ever!"

Fate giggled. "The choice is yours."

***

As his parents returned from their trip the next day, Cal Junior wasn't sure how to act. Fate's revelation was still troubling him. He wanted to believe so much that she was making things up. He regretted ever asking.

After all, if his parents were up to no good, he would've noticed a long time ago!

He remained silent as his parents smothered him with hugs.

"Look at all the seashells we've brought you, Junior! Actually, let's do it later; we've missed you too much!" Gigi squealed as she showered his face with kisses, leaving his cheeks stained from her lipstick marks.

"He looks a bit different, doesn't he?" Senior mumbled as he held Junior's face in both hands, inspecting him for any sickness or fever. "He hasn't talked much since we got here. Are you sick, my dear?"

"What do you mean he looks different, Sire? He's just too happy that we're home, right Junior?" Gigi squished him against her chest. "Let's feed him some ice cream. I'm sure he'll be back to normal!"

"...And, we're back to 'Sire," His Papa sighed. "Be it ice cream or the doctors if he's not feeling well."

"A-Ah!" Junior tried to speak but failed miserably, falling forward as he grabbed onto the end of his father's coat. Fate's revelation was a nightmare, but a visit from the doctor was even worse. "Not... sick."

Truth is, there was no amount of ice cream that could cure what he was feeling right now.

As the night fell, Junior was debating whether to go out and investigate; setting the record straight once and for all. Should he just burst into his parents' room and catch them in the act? After all, those were bad things... right?

Papa said that they should always remind each other how to behave. That's why he was so fastidious whenever Junior did so much as sleeping late or chewing too loud. But this was a whole new level! If Papa was behaving foully, then he must be stopped.

Collecting enough willpower, Junior puffed up his chest, marching toward the master bedroom. But as soon as he reached the doorway, he bumped into his mother.

"Oh, here you are. Your father and I were feeling a little lonely, and I was wondering if we could turn in here tonight?"

Have they found out about his plan? No, play it cool!

"Of course," he blinked, holding the door wider for them to come in.

"Have you always kept your room so dark since I moved out, Junior?" Senior remarked as he slowly settled down in the bed. Gigi gathered him back inside her arms, securing him underneath a blanket in between them both.

Now Junior could no longer hold it back.

"Did... bad things happen when you were in Vasilione?" he murmured. "Be honest with me!"

"Bad things? No," laughed Senior, tucking a pillow under his head. "Plenty of wonderful things."

Knitting his brows, Junior quietly observed his father's face. If he was guilty it would show all over his face, just like when he asked the maids to hide the sweets from him before bed.

"Guess what? Your father proposed to me again. He did it properly this time, and gifted me with a new ring." Raising her left hand, Gigi showed him a broken seashell, resting snugly beside her wedding ring. "And... we are getting married again!"

"Again? But you just got married earlier this year!"

"We wouldn't have another public wedding, this time it's just for us and our family."

So... he was telling the truth? There weren't any icky things happening between his parents? Ha, he knew it! For someone as elegant as his Papa and as refined as his Mamma to ever commit such a heinous crime, that was impossible.

He could now sleep soundly.

"But it would have to wait, we have something more important to celebrate by the end of next month," Gigi winked.

"Next month?" Junior blinked.

"What would you like to do for your birthday, Junior?"

.·。.·゜·༺♥༻ ·゜·。.