Maybe Im going insane because Im writing to a dead person. But I wanted to write this before I die.

You probably hate me. I am the cause of your death. Rest assured, I will be on my way there soon enough. When I do, you can beat me up as much as you like. Im well aware that I was a terrible father.There will be no point in saying anything now.

But I just want to say this. I cared about you. The only woman I ever loved most in my life was your mother, Karen. No lover could ever surpass her. Lukes mother, Julie, was aware of this, and she hated you for that reason.

Strangely enough, you never complained. You could have lamented that your life was ruined because of her, but you obediently followed my lead and supported this country.

You are the only memento Karen left me. I realized this after losing the one thing that was more important to me than anything else. I now wish I had talked to you more while you were still alive.

Will, if I could see you again, I would hug you and say I love you as much as I could when you were a little boy.

]

Gramps were shaking slightly as he squeezed one of the letters. The king just kept quiet and looked at Gramps.

Im not sure what the letter said, but judging by Gramps expression, Im sure it said something good.

Well, he wouldnt write anything demeaning about his son in his last letter, would he?

I believe he was also a little brat once.

The jealousy of women is frightening.

Gramps closed the letter and laughed softly.

Thats all he said about the letter, and we were all curious about its contents!

Gramps, after all, rarely said such a thing. With all due respect, I couldnt imagine Gramps talking about women or love, no matter how hard I tried.

He was so clumsy.

Yes, indeed. He wasnt a worldly man, you know. Maybe thats why my mother became twisted that way.

There was a brief moment of silence.

Gramps and the King both appeared to be nostalgic for their own memories. Not all of them had to be bad memories. I was certain there would be some, if not many, happy memories too.

I didnt have many memories of my father and mother, but I had many memories of Alicia.

No one could ever take these memories away from me. I was certain that even when I became old and decrepit, the memories of my time with her would remain with me. It would be an everlasting treasure that will never disappear.

When I thought of this, I felt an irresistible urge to see her.

Will is entitled to succeed to the throne, my father muttered something like that before he passed away.

In response to the words coming out of the Kings mouth, everyone turned their attention to him.

Brother, I ask you again. Do you intend to become king of this country?

Gramps was a little dazed by the kings words. He wants to be, but he couldnt be, and I could see the conflict in his eyes.

There is no precedent for someone who cant use magic to become king, though.

If there is no precedent, why dont you just start a new one, Gramps?

I said in response to Gramps words. He looked at me as if he was surprised for some reason.

I only said that because I wanted Gramps to be the king of this country.

I doubt Gramps would become a dictator and torment the people of this country if he became king. Even if he did, it would be intriguing because it would be similar to a dark fall.

Oh no, Alicias mindset was already starting to poison my mind, making me think of people becoming villains. Well, in Alicias case, she was just becoming a good person.

But, you know, I made a promise to those people when I was very young. If I become king, they must be by my side.

They who?

The three who were exiled to the Ravaal Kingdom, including Alicias grandfather.

Alicias grandfather Alicias grandfather!?

I had never met him, and I thought he was already dead.

Maybe hes already dead, though.

Uh, you think he might be dead?

Well, they were in the Ravaal Kingdom, and they havent been heard from since they left. We could not confirm if they were still alive. This country was never interested in diplomacy in the first place.

But I assumed that the three who supported this country would still be alive, one way or another.