Extra 2: Aldrich and Della Retire

"Happy retirement!"

Explosions of party poppers and confetti erupted into the midday air. The entire Marlow family and friends were gathered to celebrate the official retirement of Aldrich and Della Marlow.

Astra and Billy were running around with Lene playing happily while everyone else was gathered around the table. Caldwell was fawning over Gonza who was desperately trying to get him to stop.

Reika sat at the table with her food while Della sat across from her. She glanced anxiously at Cyrus who zealously had only Reika in his eyes. He wasn't much of a talker, so the entire side was silent. The tension was thick, so Della attempted conversation.

"S-So Reika. Do the two of you have any plans for the future?"

Reika answered politely, "Despite being Queen, I will be working as his Royal Magician."

"Ah… No… What I mean is… When is the wedding?"

Cyrus flushed slightly but coughed to dispel it.

Reika raised her eyes, "What do you mean?"

"W-Well… You know… Everyone calls you the Queen, but you haven't had a formal wedding ceremony."

Aldrich turned to Cyrus with a glare so sharp, the temperature dropped. "Are you not a King? Do you lack finances?"

"N-No-"

His eyes narrowed, "Then what excuse could you have for not having a wedding?"

"Ah, well-" Cyrus looked to Reika for help.

She spoke, "We don't need to have a wedding. We already eloped."

"That won't do!" Della added passionately, "We need to have a BIG ceremony! It's not every day our daughter gets married-"

"HAH!" Reika let out a sarcastic laugh, "You'll have to wait for the next one since I'm already married."

"Ah… Ah, but…" Della's eyes jumped around, "O-Oh! But how can we pass on the family ring? I can give you back the one you made-"

"No." Reika asserted harshly, "That ring was a wedding gift to the two of you."

Gonza noticed the tension and spoke up, "I-If it's about a ring, I have our family's heirloom. I can give you it."

As he showed it off, we could all plainly see it was on his ring finger.

Caldwell pulled him onto his lap and hugged him, "Husband!! No! You can't! I worked so hard to find that ring!"

Gonza panicked as he tried to push him off, "Y-You did not! Hank was the one who gave it to you!"

Reika shook her head, "There's no need for that either. Cyrus already made me a ring."

Sure enough, there was a ring on her pale finger. Reika showed off the sleek surface which shimmered from both holy and demonic power. The ring perfectly captured Cyrus's aura and whenever she was missing him, she would give it a sniff and be able to see the same colors as if she was smelling him.

Her hand lowered, "Plus, what's the point of having a ceremony? You both leave for your retirement vacation tomorrow."

Aldrich spoke up, "We can always teleport. I can still use magic despite getting older."

"It's fine." She continued eating, "I'm telling you it's unnecessary. We are already married."

"Fine. I will accept that for now… However, there is another pressing matter." Aldrich stared daggers at Cyrus, "So you'll be King Cyrus Marlow?"

He shifted uncomfortably, "Ah… Um.. Well-"

Reika ate a piece of meat as if the conversation around her didn't matter. She shrugged, "-I'm taking his name."

Everyone looked at her in shock, including Cyrus. He stared at her as if afraid she was testing him, "Are you sure? Doesn't it bring up bad memories of Orphelio?"

"He's exactly why I want to do it." She chuckled with a malicious grin, "Orphelio would hate it so much if I used his name for my family name. Heh."

Hazel let out a sigh, "Is antagonizing him worth it?"

She added another mouthful of food, "Worth it."

Aldrich slammed down his fist as ice spread out across the table, "I forbid it! I don't want you to take his name! If he wants to marry my daughter then he has to become a Marlow!"

"...Am I?"

He blinked in confusion, "Are you what?"

She stared at her reflection in her cup, "Am I a Marlow?"

"Reika… What are you saying-"

A guard suddenly burst in, "S-Sir! Bad news!!!"

Cyrus looked at him impatiently, "What is it? Shouldn't you be guarding the body?"

"I-It's about that, sir!"

Della stood up in a panic, "What!? What happened!?"

"A-A little plant came in and- and- well-"

Cyrus frowned, "Spit it out."

"Reika's body was stolen!"

Reika, who was sitting at the table alive and well, let out an inaudible sigh. Her eyes lowered as she felt the sense of abandonment return to her.

Della pulled Aldrich up, "W-We have to find out daughter! We have to-"

*Clank*

A glass cup was slammed upon a table causing heads to turn. A woman with soft brown hair with black tips spoke, "...It's fine."

Aldrich gave her a look, "What are you talking about?"

"It's fine if they have the body."

Della bit down on her lip, "But they might do something to it!"

Reika shook her head, "They won't do anything."

"How can you be so sure?!"

"It's just Felix." She lifted her dark black irises with green shimmers dancing in them to meet the other's gaze, "He won't hurt the body."

"How do you know!?"

She shrugged as if it didn't matter, "Just a feeling."

"Feeling!?" Della slammed her fist on the table, "This is YOUR body! Don't you want to return to it!?"

Zephyr slowly nibbled on food with a curious gaze as he watched the two fighting.

She whispered, "It's not me…"

"What did you say?"

"IT'S NOT ME!" A chair suddenly skidded across the ground as Reika jumped to her feet. She threw the napkin on the table, "...I'm out of here."

Cyrus stood up, "Ah! Reika! Wait-"

Aldrich quickly stopped him, "-Let me handle this."

Cyrus unwillingly let Aldrich walk after her, feeling anxious at having his wife leave his side. Any moment he didn't have her in his grasp, he started panicking about losing her all over again.

"How can she get mad at me!?" Della let out a frustrated huff, "Why can't she see how serious this situation is?"

"Della." Cyrus stated in a firm voice as he glared at her in a way he had never before, "I know you mean well, but please don't treat her this way."

Della looked honestly shocked, "What!? Treat her this way? What do you mean-"

He turned around and sprinted to find the two who had already disappeared into the hedges. Zephyr watched Della and asked in an innocent voice, "Do you really think of Reika as a daughter?"

"Of course." Della responded immediately, "I love her."

"Do you love her? Or do you love the body she was in?"

"Of course I love-" Her words suddenly halted.

Zephyr leaned back and stroked his chin with nonexistent hair, "How long have you spent time with her since she's returned?"

Her eyes were downcast, "I…"

"How long were you with her body?"

She bit down on her lips, "..."

He waved her off, "I guess you get to choose which one you think is your daughter. You probably still have time to get the body back from Felix."

Della abruptly turned away and ran.

Hazel playfully knocked on his head, "Naughty fox."

"Ai…" He held the top of his head as he pouted coquettishly, "I'm not naughty. If I was, then I would have watched the drama without interfering."

She chuckled with a warm smile.

In the distance, Aldrich had already caught up to Reika who was standing near a hedge maze where she had a birthday so many years before.

He let out a sigh as he pushed the branches out of his face, "Reika. Come back to the party. Don't act like this when we are about to leave."

Her back was to him as she spoke in a low voice, "So what? Should I just sit there as Della openly admits how much she wishes I was her real daughter!?"

"Reika. You know it's not like that-"

"-DO I!?"

Once she turned around, Aldrich realized that while her tone was harsh, her eyes betrayed how hurt she felt.

"Tell me. Tell me how I should interpret the fact that she's guarding a soulless body rather than spending time with me now. Tell me how I should feel when she tried to attack me because she thought I was hurting that body…. She… She didn't even recognize me… How should I feel about that?"

His voice turned soft, "Reika… You know Della loves you… She's your mother, but she's also the mother of that body. Please understand it doesn't come from a malicious place."

"Ah… Yeah… I know you're right…"

Gradually, her lips curved as the sun shone down illuminating her foreign features.

Upon seeing that smile, Aldrich sucked in a shocked breath.

In all his years, he had never seen that smile from her.

It was a smile that showed she cared.

It was a smile that revealed how disappointed she was.

But…

The smile also showed that she expected no less. In her past life, her parents had done the same to her.

Again.

And again.

They did whatever they thought was right, all while expecting her to understand.

But who could comprehend a human heart?

It was still flesh in the end.

It was a fragile thing… Even if it kept pumping.

Just like any disease, those emotions destroyed her body.

Even if it didn't show on the surface…

It was slowly suffocating her from the inside.

Any righteous person would drop to their knees and beg forgiveness upon seeing that kind of smile.

…And Aldrich was that kind of righteous man.

"Reika…" His voice cracked, revealing how fragile he himself was. "Reika… I'm sorry. I'm sorry we made you feel this way… Even if we had no intention of hurting you, we still did."

"It's okay, Papa. I understand-"

"IT'S NOT OKAY!"

She flinched in surprise at his uncharacteristic shout.

His fists trembled, "It's not okay. We did wrong. We made you feel as though you held a smaller place in our hearts than you do…"

"..." She stared at him, blinking slowly. It was clear she couldn't comprehend the apology happening before her. Her parents in the past had acted the same at times, so it became second nature to accept it.

However…

In this world…

Her parents were strong enough to admit their wrongs.

Silently, Aldrich stepped over to her and pulled her into a hug. A faint voice whispered in her ear, "I'm sorry, Reika. Papa failed you this time."

Hearing the unbreakable ice king finally melt, her eyes started to water with him. Her hands wrapped around and desperately clung to him. As she sobbed, his own tears fell silently with hers.

Della stepped out of the shadows, her eyes glistening with tears. She rushed towards the two and wrapped her arms around both as she cried.

"Mama is sorry! Mama didn't want you to feel like you didn't matter! I'm sorry, Reika! I love you! You are my daughter! You will always be my daughter!!"

Aldrich tightened his grip, "You will always be a Marlow… Even if you take that idiot's last name."

As the wind blew to cover the sounds of crying, a blonde-haired man who had just been called an idiot, watched from the shadows. His smile was as radiant as the sun that shone down on them.