* * *
That’s why, even amid his busy schedule, Ed realized the Duke’s real intention in traveling all the way from the north to the southern village of Uphill for a “family outing.”
It was also why they journeyed to the Frozen Lake—where the Zelda tribe once lived.
Ed, too, retraced the past along that path.
But in the South, all that remained were the ruins of his father’s house and fragments of memories told by Director Logi.
The Frozen Lake had burned down to nothing.
The land was so desolate that not even a single blade of grass could grow.
Ed had wanted to find more about his parents, but the records destroyed by Fez’s hands were difficult to recover.
So instead, he relied on the stories the Grand Duke told him—retracing, discovering, and finally understanding his past.
The scattered events that once seemed like random dots were, in truth, all connected—like a single thread woven together.
A path that had ultimately led him to the Grand Duke.
Now, he knew—perhaps they could have met earlier.
Perhaps there was a reason he had to leave and wander far.
All those detours, all the circling paths, had finally brought him back to this place… to him.
And now the Grand Duke was the one searching for traces of Ed’s mother, still doing everything he could.
Unconsciously, Ed licked his dry lips. His hand trembled as he reached for the box.
A mother whose face he couldn’t even remember.
A mother who gave her life to save him.
A mother who laid out a path for him to keep moving forward.
“If it’s… my mother’s keepsake…”
Ed couldn’t even bring himself to touch the red crystal.
His voice cracked, words trembling as they left his lips.
The Zelda tribe, said to carry the blood of mermaids.
Among them, Ed’s mother was gifted with the most powerful abilities and was acknowledged as the tribe’s next leader.
If that was true, then this crystal…
It was a concentrated essence, known as “a mermaid’s tear.”
Left behind by his mother—who had burned her own body to escape Fez’s pursuit.
Her soul and power, all sealed within it…
Ed looked to the Grand Duke.
‘Is this why His Grace had been away from the northern castle so often lately?
Surely, searching the scorched and barren land for a shard like this had been no easy task.
And setting aside this moment—just for the two of them—must have taken more planning than Ed first thought.
He couldn’t bring himself to say anything.
He ached for the Grand Duke, who must have painstakingly searched through that wasteland.
And his heart broke for his mother, who had been left behind, alone in that empty land.
As Ed lowered his head, the Grand Duke pressed a gentle kiss to the top of it.
Then, with his hand beneath Ed’s chin, he lifted his face and softly touched his lips to Ed’s—a kiss filled with thoughts and regrets unspoken.
“Now that we’ve found your mother… let’s prepare a place for her to rest, together with your father.”
That same afternoon, Leo walked out of his room holding Ronen’s hand.
The child was bundled up in warm clothes and had a small backpack on his back.
“Leo, is it heavy?”
“Nope! Not heavy!”
The little backpack was packed with candies, cookies, and his favorite stuffed toy—items Leo had personally picked and tucked in after breakfast.
He looked like a tiny, wiggly puppy as he moved.
Even the nanny couldn’t help but laugh quietly when he struggled to squeeze his favorite sheepskin slippers into the bag.
Leo’s big blue eyes were filled with excitement and anticipation.
Today, he was off to explore the tallest tower in the northern castle—with Ronen at his side.
It was a little adventure Ronen had planned to lift Leo’s spirits while the Grand Duke and Ed were away.
Even with his parents absent, Leo slept well, woke up cheerfully, and ate his meals properly.
He toddled down the halls, playing happily.
But after lunch, he would always stare out the window from the nanny’s arms, as if waiting endlessly for his parents to return.
Seeing that, Ronen came up with an idea.
“Leo, wanna go up to the tower?”
“Towah?”
“Mhm. See that pointy building over there?”
Leo followed where Ronen pointed and tilted his head.
“Pointy?”
“Like this!”
Ronen brought his hands together to form a triangle.
Leo wiggled his fingers and mimicked him.
His adorable attempt made Ronen chuckle and shake the boy’s arms gently.
Leo giggled loudly in response.
“Towah towah pointy pointy!”
“Yep. The tower’s the tallest part of the castle, so you can see far across the North from there.”
“Faww?”
“Mhm. So maybe… we can even see your dads coming home.”
“Daddy! Papa!”
At the mention of “Daddy” and “Papa,” Leo wriggled excitedly in the nanny’s arms, short legs flailing.
Ronen took him into his own arms, and Leo’s cheeks puffed up with joy.
He pointed toward the window, urging Ronen to hurry.
“Okay! But let’s bring your favorite snacks. It’ll take some time to climb up there.”
“Okaaay!”
And so, the tower climb began—slow and steady.
Though the tower was tall, Ronen held Leo’s hand and took the stairs one step at a time.
The little boy worked hard, stepping along with him, huffing and puffing.
“Leo, want me to carry you?”
“Nooope.”
“Your legs don’t hurt?”
“Nu-uh.”
“Really?”
He had already asked several times, but Leo kept shaking his head.
Eventually though, when he seemed to struggle, Leo looked up at Ronen with big eyes and mumbled,
“…Just a wittle bit.”
“Then Uncle will carry you. If your legs hurt too much, you’ll have to take yucky medicine.”
“Yucky med’s yuck.”
“Right? It’s awful.”
“Yeah.”
“Uncle doesn’t like it either.”
“Uncle too?”
“Yup. So let’s make sure your legs don’t hurt.”
“’Kay.”
Leo nestled quietly into Ronen’s arms.
Ronen smiled and pulled the hood over Leo’s head.
Leo scratched at it, slightly bothered, but calmed when Ronen reached inside and smoothed down his hair.
“Alright. Shall we go?”
“Yeah!”
Ronen climbed the stairs with long strides, and a short distance behind him, Irtel followed the pair.
“Waaah.”
When they reached the top of the tower, where the view opened up, their sight was filled with wonder.
Knights stood guard without a gap at the castle gates, people strolled along the main road, and smoke billowed from chimneys of homes.
Ronen quietly watched as awe filled Leo’s blue eyes.
The child marveled with pure amazement and happily took in the sights.
‘Let’s spend a bit of time up here before heading down,’ Ronen thought, gently wrapping his hand around the back of Leo’s head as the wind blew, like they were at the summit of a mountain.
It was dusk, the time when one by one the magical lamps began to light up—a fascinating hour where brightness and darkness coexisted.
The plan was to head back down before the night air turned too chilly.
But the northern sights proved more interesting than expected, and time slipped by unnoticed. Before long, night had deepened.
“Samchoooon!”
At that moment, Leo—who had been nestled snugly in Ronen’s arms—suddenly sprang up.
The jolt brought Ronen back to his senses, and he gently patted the child’s back.
“Yeah, Leo?”
“That, that!”
“That?”
“It’s Joy! It’s Joy!”
Ronen puzzled for a moment over what “Joy” meant, then followed the direction of Leo’s pointing finger.
There—at the edge of the northern castle—he saw a horse climbing the path.
“Huh? Joy?”
Seeing something familiar, Ronen turned to look back.
Irtel, who had silently been standing by, gave a faint smile and nodded slightly.
“His Grace the Grand Duke requested to return quietly and asked me to be informed in advance.”
Ronen had expected his brother to return around dawn, since there’d been no word from him.
Apparently, to avoid troubling the staff, he’d secretly informed only Irtel.
Ronen gave a small nod and adjusted his hold on Leo.
“Looks like Papa and Dad are back.”
“Papaaa! Daaaddy!”
Though it was impossible they could hear from here, Leo waved both arms enthusiastically to greet them.
With a chuckle, Ronen matched the child’s eagerness and quickened his pace.
He descended the stairs without pause and strode down the well-paved path.
As he reached the main entrance of the estate, the Grand Duke was just dismounting.
“Byaaah!”
Overcome with excitement, a cute little squeal burst from Leo.
His legs flailed with such urgency that when Ronen set him down, he toddled forward as fast as he could.
“Leo, how’ve you been?”
Ed, stepping down from the horse holding the Grand Duke’s hand, scooped up the rushing Leo and asked.
A cheerful reply rang out:
“Good!!”
Leo wiggled his little hips and reached out his hands.
The Grand Duke, who had just handed Joy’s reins to Irtel, smiled and took them.
“Leo, did you guard the Northern Castle well?”
“Yes!”
“And you didn’t skip breakfast?”
“Yeeees!”
“Took a good nap after lunch, too?”
“Yeeees!”
“Then you’re ready for your reward—kisses?”
Immediately understanding, Leo stuck out his head, and the Grand Duke planted a kiss on his soft cheek.
“More, more!”
“You want more?”
“Yes!”
One kiss wasn’t enough.
Only after receiving a barrage of kisses from both the Grand Duke and Ed did Leo seem satisfied.
Ronen, who had been smiling at the sight, was suddenly tugged by the child grabbing his collar.
“Samchoooon!”
“You want kisses from Uncle too?”
“Yes! Hurry, hurryyy!”
Ronen gave a few loud smack kisses on the child’s cheek and was finally released.
It was a warm and joyful welcome home.
Fifteen days after the Grand Duke couple’s return.
“Woooow.”
The southern courtyard of the Northern Castle buzzed with excitement since morning.
Holding Ronen’s hand, Leo stepped outside and gazed in awe at the knights raising their swords high.
In the wide courtyard, in front of a large fence at the center, stood the Northern Royalte Knights lined up in perfect formation.
Behind the polished headstone inside the fence, sunlight danced across their upright swords.
“Samchoon, look at this! This, this!”
“Yeah, it’s really cool, huh?”
“Mhm!”
Nodding enthusiastically, Leo in Ronen’s arms joined him at the front of the formation, where Irtel stood.
The sun-filled southern courtyard of the Northern Castle basked in warmth and light.
Ronen gazed at the headstone placed on the neatly prepared ground.
It was the tomb of the previous Grand Duke and Duchess.
Next to it, two fresh plots had been dug, exposing the red earth beneath.
They were for Ed’s parents—the Grand Duchess’s family.
The day after the Grand Duke couple left the castle, Ronen’s brother had told him in secret: that the Grand Duchess’s parents would now be laid to rest here in the north.
The Grand Duke couple had made several trips to the south to prepare for this. During that time, the southern courtyard had undergone spring renewal.
And finally, today was the day they would welcome the Grand Duchess’s parents to the north.
At that moment, the Northern Knights raised their swords with precise, powerful motion.
The sharp energy of the formation made Ronen straighten his back.
When he turned his head, he saw the Grand Duke couple approaching.
At the end of the knightly formation, they stood—each holding a black box.
One held the Grand Duchess’s mother’s belongings, and the other, the father’s ashes brought from the south.
“Northern Royalte Knights, face forward!”
“Honor!”
At Irtel’s firm command, the knights moved in unison.
The Grand Duke and his spouse walked down the path formed by the raised swords.
It was a solemn procession—serious but not grim, majestic yet not somber.
As a small bird soared into the clear blue sky above, Leo’s blue eyes followed it upward.
It was a warm, gentle spring in the north.
* * *
