*Eiko*

I stared at Anis as she fiddled around with some yawn.

"What? Never seen someone knit before?" Anis asked without even looking up at me.

I scoffed. "Of course I have. My nana used to knit all the time. It's just, it's been years since I've seen you in a wheelchair. You're at the start of your pregnancy and it seems to already be taking a toll on you."

Anis looked up. "Wait, are you worried about me?"

I crossed my arms and leaned back on the sofa. "Of course not."

Miyu giggled. "Don't lie, Ko."

"Seems you've grown close," Lady Rosemary said, snickering too.

"Which is weird to think of," Juniper said. "They hated each other last I knew."

"What, no!" I snapped at Lady Rosemary's statement.

Anis laughed. "Yeah. Eiko and I still hate each other's guts."

Osamu leaned forward. "And Anis still dislikes me too."

Anis scoffed. "Not like it's not mutual on ya end too, Cuz."

Sorreal laughed as he leaned against the couch Osamu and I were seated on.

"Sometimes it felt one-sided," he said.

Anis scoffed. "That's because ya don't know the King like I do, little brother."

Osamu sighed and put down his cup on the table. "We aren't children anymore. It's best to move on from such childish arguments."

Miyu nodded. "Yeah. It is a expenditure of time."

I cleared my throat and picked up my untouched cup of tea. It was rose honey tea. Lady Rosemary's favorite.

"Who made this?" I asked as the sweet and flowery aroma tickled my nose.

"That would be this little one," Rene said as she came back up from the basement with her youngest. She had taken some blankets from her shy daughter earlier.

"Do you like it?" the little girl asked, moving her hands behind her back.

His Majesty nodded. "It's good. You certainly got your grandmother's knack for tea making."

Lady Rose smiled. "Well, I did teach her."

The little girl smiled and tackled her grandma. "Am I an expert now?"

"Now, now. Don't get ahead of yourself. There is still a lot more to tea that you've got to learn."

She blinked. "There is?"

Lady Rose laughed. "Yup. Such as picking the leaves."

"Oh. I think I can do that! Mom says I'm great at picking flowers. Leaves are probably no different."

Her grandma smiled. "So you say, but you might change your tune once you've tried it."

The little girl jumped. "I'll try to learn if I don't get it!"

Lady Rosemary giggled and patted her granddaughter's head. "What an inquisitive girl you are."

I smiled slightly. Reminded me a little of my kids. Eii was an curious child, always wanting to learn more spells. He appeared to be at his happiest when he was learning magic. Ei-ei was also similarly curious about learning new stuff. Ei-Ei... like Eita, she was close to her father. How would she react at the news? Usually, she was more mature than her brothers, but this sort of news could bring her to tears if it made her brothers cry. Eita often tried to be play the role of tough guy. Eiichi was the more shocking to see, considering his rocky relationship with his father. It was bittersweet to see that my oldest did care for him. If only it could've been in a different occasion, then there would be no bitterness.

"Eiko?" Anis said, blinking. "Did your tea get too cold for you? We can make some more."

I shook my head and put down my cup. "No. It's not that." I stood to my feet. "I've got to go."

"Where to?" Lady Rosemary asked.

"Back home."

Anis lowered her head. "I see. You have to make preparations for his funeral, right? If you need any help, I could give you some." She smiled slightly. "I know that I'm not a rich city girl like you, but I do know a thing or too about this sort of thing."

I gasped as a tear slid down her face.

Miyuki gripped her cup and made the same expression as Anis. "As do I."

Osamu nodded as he continued to lean forward. His eyes were as dull as the day that Sofia had died. It was an expression he tried not to show his daughters, but had failed. Setsuko had ended up interpreting it as coldness, rather than sadness.

Turning my head away, I sighed. "Take it your children told you about it, huh? It's alright. I'm not planning anything extravagant for it. We do not have the time for it. Plus, while he was flamboyant in his own way, Eiji was never one for extravagant events. The guy simply wanted it to be fun."

His Majesty chuckled. "It does sound like him." He glanced up at me and stood up. "Well, then, let's go."

I turned away. "If it's alright with Your Majesty, can I talk to the kids first?"

The king sighed. "You can, if that's what you wish. But, won't it be easier for you if I break the ice?"

I nodded. "Yes, but I rather not push that responsibility onto you." As their mother, I owed it to them to provide answers.

"It was my fault, though."

"Sweetie, don't blame yourself for what happened to your friend. Doing so frowns upon his sacrifice. He knew what he was getting into. Plus, if anyone is to blame, it's the Monkey King," Lady Rose said, reaching a hand out for his hand.

Miyuki nodded as she walked over to me. "Yeah. So neither of you should blame yourselves."

His Majesty smiled at his aunt. "You're right. Eiji and the others told me something similar too."

Wait, he saw Eiji? Was it while he was in a coma? Was he that close to death? If I'd lost both Eiji and Osamu, I'm not sure what I would've done.

Lady Rose beamed. "Now, go and keep your head up high, child."

The king nodded and stepped forward. It'd been a while since I'd seen this kind of confident look on his face. He often acted the part, which he played the role well, but it was easy for those of us who knew him to see through the facade.

I held out both of my hands, creating a portal.

"See you later," I said.

"Bye," Anis said. She looked as if she wanted to come with us. If he condition were better, I might've been fine with her doing so. But right now the embrace of her family was what she needed.

"Take care of yourself and the baby," I said before jumping through the portal.

"Wait! I'm coming too!" Amun yelled as she passed by Osamu and Miyuki.

"Huh?" Rene asked as she walked toward it. "Why?"

"There's someone I'll like to see," Amun said, turning her head away.

I put a hand on my hip. "Let me guess, you want to meet your fiancé?"

Amun nodded. "I've been curious about what kind of person he is."

"Huh? You engaged Amun to one of Eiko's sons?" Anis said, turning to look at her sister.

I sighed and closed the portal as soon as Osamu and Miyuki crossed through.

Amun stepped forward and gawked at the lobby glistening with gold and silver.

"T-this place is more glitzy than the royal palace," she mumbled.

I chuckled. "You sound like your twin sister."

Amun blushed. "Well, we are twins."

The king snickered. "Don't we all say that?"

"Mom, you're back? Why didn't you alert me?" a voice called out, cutting our chat short. A blond haired girl descended the purple velvet stairs. She glanced at His Majesty and Miyuki. "Didn't expect us to have such important guests either." She grabbed the skirt of her purple dress and curtsied.

"This girl has manners unlike her brothers," Amun muttered.

Eika glanced at her. "Uh, pardon, but who are you?"

I took a deep breath. "She the daughter of a duke from what was once Makkuroyama."

"Oh, that far! What brings you here?" She bit her lip. "Sorry, forgot to introduce myself. I'm Eika Raiyama Kuroichi."

Amun shook her hand. "I'm Amun Makkuroyama Kuroriku."

Eika let go of her hand and tilted her head. "A Makkuroyama, huh? Dad has bad memories of their former lands."

"Had," Amun said.

Eika raised an eyebrow at her. "W-what do you mean? Did he lose his memory or did he resolve his issues there?"

I sighed. Maybe allowing Amun to come was a bad idea after all.

"Ei-ei, can you go get your siblings? There's something that I'll like to tell all of you."

She narrowed her eyes at me. "Can't you say it now?"

I turned away. "I could, but I rather tell all of you at once. I-it'll make things easier."

Eika gulped and turned around. "O-okay!" she ran up the stairs frantically.

"She seems nice," Amun said.

I raised a hand to my head. "Why did you have to say that?"

"Sorry. I slipped up."

"Poor Ei-ei seemed nervous," Miyuki said, glancing up the staircase. Suddenly, a pair of blue eyes poked themselves out. A blond haired boy smiled as he descended down the stairs.

"Mom, Lady Miyuki, Your Majesty. Didn't expect to see you here. Wonder if that's why Ei-ei wanted us to all come down," my third son said. He crossed his arms. "But, she's usually not nervous to meet the king. Maybe if it were the Celestial Queen, I would understand."

"It's not that," Amun said.

I glared at her.

She bit her lip and stepped back.

My son leaped from the three meters worth left of stairs and landed in front of Amun. He smiled and held out a hand to her. "Nice to meet you, young lady. The name's Eisuke Raiyama Kuroichi the second."

Amun slowly raised a hand up to him. "Nice to finally meet you."

He beamed. "Oh, you wanted to meet me?" Eisuke ran a hand through his hair and chuckled. "Not that I'm shocked. A lot of girls wish to meet me, even those from the other side of the country."

Amun gasped. "You could tell?"

Eisuke stepped back and nodded. "Your attire, it's not like that of this province. It's more akin to what's worn in the east and the south."

My future daughter-in-law stared at his blue and gold thobe, a long garment popular in the harsh desert lands of the western provinces, especially in Raiyama.

"I see."

My son smirked. "So, what's my fan's name?"

Amun narrowed her eyes at him. "Are all Raiyama men flirts?"

He chuckled. "Well, I'm not sure if I would consider Eita one. He tries, but he's not very good at it."

"I see. Makes me wish you were more like him. Would make things easier."

Eisuke stumbled back. "Huh?"

Amun sighed. "I'm Amun Makkuroyama, your fiancée."

He chuckled. "So you're Amun. Why did you come here? We're not supposed to meet until the year of our wedding which is at least four years away."

She fidgeted. "I already told you, I wanted to meet you. To see what kind of person you were."

My son's smile vanished. "I guess that you're disappointed based on earlier, huh?" He turned away. "Do not take this the wrong way, you're pretty and all, but I don't understand why I have to marry someone decided for me. My siblings are free to pick who they want."

Amu nodded. "Cannot blame you. At the end, our marriage is symbolic. Meant to represent the reconciliation between the west and the east. Though, I think that we can obtain that as well as our freedom."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She smiled at me. "Your second son likes my cousin, Suzuki. If they were to take our place, we can be free to be with whoever we want, no?"

I chuckled. "Oh. I see. Yes. All we need is a pairing between our families. Originally, we contemplated other pairings, until you volunteered. Since Eisuke was the same age, he was the most natural fit."

"So that's why it ended up being me," Eisuke said, sighing.

"Sorry about that. Bet it threw a wrench in your relationships."

He touched his forehead. "Indeed. Ei-ei kept telling the girls I dated that I was engaged, so they always ran out on me."

Amun shot him daggers from her eyes. "You dated other people?"

Eisuke raised his hands and backed away. "W-why are you getting mad? We're going to break up the engagement, so no need to be jealous."

She crossed her arms. "Maybe. Issue is that Suzuki doesn't seem to like Eita back."

Eisuke waved his hand. "Poor bro. If he were here, I would try to give him some tips. Well, he does have Eii around, so maybe our big bro will step in to assist Eita."

Amun scoffed. "Shameless flirt. To think that you could possibly be the next wielder of Capitolinus."

His smile vanished as his eyes widened. "What happened to Dad?"

**Solar Note: Hope that you enjoyed the chapter ^^. Thoughts? Theories? Predictions?**