“You came.I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to see you.”

Kalia hugged Sasha and greeted Kalexia, who came out of the gates of light.

Kalexia was not alone.Behind him were his two daughters, Hoa and Nua.

Kalexia stopped for a moment and looked at Kalia before approaching her with the same benevolent smile as always.

“Kalia,” he called out to her in a low voice.

Although only a month or two had passed, it was nice to see her relatives again, so Kalia smiled.

Kalexia, after being silent for a while, smiled with misty eyes and said to Kalia.

“Yes, long time no see.”

Spreading his arms wide, he stepped closer and hugged her tightly.Warm, strong hugs shared warmth as he held both Kalia and Sasha tightly with one arm.

For some reason, Kalia was confused by his somewhat different mood, but she didn’t show it.

She felt awkward, but enjoyed the closeness.

“Oh my gosh.You’ve been hugging your father for so long.”

“Well, it’s the father.We also want to hug together!”

Hoa and Nua, who were standing behind the big father and silent in embarrassment, suddenly rushed towards Kalia, and now the four people were hugging together.

Needless to say, Kalexia, Hoa, and Nua were so tall and burly that Kalia found herself between them all.She had never heard anyone call her small, but when she was in the middle of this family of fairies, she felt like an unusually small child.

However, Sasha, who was being held by Kalia, screamed in frustration.

“Buaaa!”

The baby spun and tried to escape from the arms of all the adults who hugged him.

He tried to move with his whole small body.

He seemed to be shouting with all his body for them to leave.

“Abu!”

At the sound of children’s crying, the adults hugging each other quickly moved away, and then stuck together again like a magnet.

“My God.Poor Sasha.Grandpa hugged you for too long?Were you stuffy?”

“Oh, our baby is crying?Sorry, I’m too strong.”

“But Sasha is so cute even when he cries.Look, he shrunk, but he’s so cute!Ha ha ha, keep crying, Sasha.”

Tall,white-haired Nua spun around a fussy crying baby.

Hoa stared at her as if she was disgusted by Nua’s love.

“Nua, what are you doing?”

“Oh, what?Isn’t he cute when he cries, huh?”

“Of course, he’s cute, but you can’t just make him cry for that, you idiot!”

“What, idiot?Hey, let’s fight!”

“What?Fight?Okay, let’s fight.The last time we fought was 20 years ago, right?Have you improved your skills during this time?I beat you so much that you left all in tears and wounds.

“Don’t be stupid.Did the sister forget that she bled more?”

Ah, how noisy.

When they met, it always got too noisy.Kalia let out a chuckle,, and met Kalexia’s eyes, who was looking at her, not his children.

What did he mean by that look?

Did she just think that his gaze was a little sad?

Kalexia’s large hand stroked Kalia’s head gently.

Although she was called a hero of the Empire, somehow under the care of her grandfather, Kalexia, she felt as if she had found her lost childhood.

It was strange.

“Why are you doing like that?Has something bad happened to you?”

“No.Nothing like that happened.And won’t happen in the future.In fact, you could say that I’m very relaxed right now.This is good.That I found you.”

“But you have some kind of gloomy eyes.”

Kalexia didn’t answer.

He just stroked her hair and patted her shoulder like a little granddaughter.

“Child.Nothing else will bother you in the future.Trust us, we have such a strong family.”

Looking at Kalia, who looked at him with incomprehension, Kalexia smiled, pulled out a letter from under his cloak and handed it to her.“I found your father’s letter.”

Kalia’s heart trembled at the unexpected words.

Sasha stared at Kalia, who tensed as if holding her breath.Likewise, Simon, who was watching the family reunion, walked towards her in one step.Hoa and Nua, who were quarreling, also stopped fighting.

It seemed that all time had stopped.

“Kalia,” Simon called her name softly and stroked her back gently with a warm hand.

Kalia exhaled slowly, feeling a warmth and strength that seemed to say ‘I’m here’.

“Do you want to read?”

“…Yes, of course.”

Kalexia handed Kalia a folded piece of paper.

It was the last page of the letter he found.

The only letter he wrote to his daughter.

With cold hands, Kalia unfolded the folded paper and read.

A man’s handwriting, hastily scrawled on thin paper, was packed.[Kalia, Kalia, my dear child.

I don’t know if this letter will reach you, but I hope it will reach you as an adult.

After losing Gaia, I raised you with all my heart and soul.

Dad was very happy these 5 years with you.

Kalia, my baby.

It seems that the body of a weak father can’t bear the shock of the loss of Gaia.

I have to live stronger thinking of you, but I only have a few months left.

Did my brother, Tiny, take good care of you?

Your father didn’t have much, but I wanted to do a lot for you.

I entrusted your uncle with not much money, but not a small amount, so that when you grow up you can do whatever you want, so if you want something, just tell him.

I wanted to do everything for you myself… but I can’t.

When I see you holding my hand and laughing, my pain seems to be nothing.…

But don’t be sad, my dear girl.

Dad will take away all the sad memories, so please don’t be sad and grow up smiling.

You don’t have to remember what you don’t want, my baby.

I’ll give you a little hint so you don’t remember that your father is gone, so you don’t be sad for too long.

My baby, my angel, my fairy, my everything.

I love you very very very much.So much that I can’t put it into words.

Even though I made you forget about me for a while, remember that I love you more than anyone.

A lot, a lot.I love you.I love you.I love you.

I love you, baby, our dear daughter.Our Kalia.]Numerous drops of water were smeared over the letters he had written.

One above the words ‘I love you’.

Above the words ‘My baby’.

Another one for ‘Our Kalia’.

Tears that were clearly uncontrollable.

Even the traces of his father’s tears were clear, perhaps because of the magic that kept the letter intact even as time passed.

Kalia thought absently.

So that’s why she didn’t remember how she ended up in that alley.

No matter how much she searched, she had no family left.

All stories came together after a short reflection.

She couldn’t bring herself to say that the man in the letter was a fool.

A man with only a few days left to live, with only one little daughter left.All he could do was cling to a fleeting hope and rely on his brother.

“You’re not crying,” Kalexia’s voice sounded over her head.

“Not yet.”

Holding the letter in her hands, Kalia read it several times as if she were considering it, and then slowly raised her head.

Although her eyes were red with exertion, she didn’t shed a tear.

“…Now isn’t the time to cry.”

“What if it came?”

Kalia took a deep breath.

And she said to Kalexia with a smile, as if she wasn’t going to cry after all.

“The letter before this.”

“…”

“Give it to me.”

Some of the other letters were smeared across the thin parchment.

‘Gaia’ and ‘death’ immediately caught her attention.

There were probably truths written there that she didn’t know about.

But Kalia wanted to know.

No, she felt sheknow.

Kalexia, who had been staring at Kalia for a long time, sighed and took out another stack of letters.

* * *

The moon has risen.

A lullaby from Simon’s mobile played softly in the dimly lit room.

Kalia sat by the bed and looked at the sleeping Sasha.

Her heart was calmed by the peaceful breathing of a deep-sleeping baby.

Caressing his cheeks, smooth as whipped cream, and kissing his round forehead, she heard a soft knock at the door.She knew who it was just by hearing it.

“Come in, Simon.”

Even as she opened the door and approached footsteps, Kalia didn’t take her eyes off the baby.

“Kalia.”

“What, now it has become a habit to come to my room every evening?”

Without taking her eyes off the sleeping Sasha, Kalia smiled softly.

As if nothing had happened.

Simon followed her and told her as if nothing had happened.

“I came to sleep with you.”

“Okay?Didn’t Allen say to be careful for now?”

, with a quiet laugh, Kalia jokingly retorted.

Her complex gaze remained riveted to the baby, as if looking for his calmness.

Simon’s heart sank every time he saw Kalia trying so hard not to flinch.

“I don’t mind.I didn’t come here to force you.”

But even if Simon didn’t know the reason, it didn’t matter.

If this is what Kalia wanted, then he will be obedient to her.

If she wanted to be as strong as an unbreakable sword, Simon would support her so that no one would dare to break her.

“I just wanted to give you my warmth.”

It didn’t matter that Kalia didn’t understand Simon’s intentions.

It was always her choice to have him by her side.

Because that’s how Simon had always loved her.

“So you too, stay calm today, Kalia.Also… don’t try to test my self-control.”