Piece 4 (part 1)

Before we went on the carriage, Mom stopped for a bit and patted me in the head.

"Why do we have to use the carriage…? We can fly." Mom pointed out something she thought was obvious, but Dad shook his head.

"I thought we agreed to take things slow. This is taking it slow, don't you think?" He pointed out, and I guess riding the carriage is the very definition of taking things slow.

"True… but does she not feel bored riding carriages all the time?" Mom asked while turning her smile to me, and I can tell the face I'm looking at is showing a very cheeky smile.

"What are you even asking??" Dad turned annoyed because he was so confused, but Mom once again kneeled next to me. 

Her hands are holding my shoulder, and her face is showing such a beautiful smile. She gave me a blink with her left eye, and I understood what it meant right away.

The next thing I know, we're hundreds of meters airborne.

"Oh my godd!!!!!!" My voice turned much lighter as I yelled above the clouds reflecting the moonlight, and Mom's laughter was heard behind me as she held my entire body.

"We're diving down! Are you ready?"

"I'm ready!!!!"

Like a child on their first horse ride, I was really afraid. But, the second ride was the best experience I've ever felt.

VWOOOSSSSHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!

The feeling of air brushing my face as we dived down hundreds of meters in the evening skies felt very refreshing. Mom made sure to keep the flight gentle, so that my insides don't rush out of my stomach. Even then, it was still a very fast flight.

Is this how it feels to be birds…? It's so… free. It's relieving.

Far below us on the path back to Cytus, a carriage can be seen moving very slowly on the road. Uncle John seemed to be riding the carriage by himself, because Dad is also flying with us.

However, he seemed to be gone for quite a while…

"Where did Dad go?" I asked because I hadn't seen him as we flew around, but Mom only let out a sigh.

"Well, he is just a naughty boy doing naughty things…"

I was confused by what that meant, but my eyes then turned to the air in front of us. A giant black butterfly seemed to appear out of nowhere, and it spanned both of its wings and red eyes wide open.

"BOOO!!!!!"

W-What the hell???

"Is he… trying to scare us…?" I asked awkwardly, but Mom didn't say a single word. Instead, she flew even faster, and I became slightly worried that she might let me go.

"W-Wow! Hey!!!" In front of us, Dad moved out of the way before Mom crashed into him, and I realized this is Mom's way of taking revenge.

"Look who's so scared now." She commented with such a smirk on her face, and I laughed at how cheeky she can be. Honestly, even I was a little worried she might crash into Dad, there.

Mom's personality is a little… unique. I can tell from our short time back together that she is rather cold and serious, but she can be the most caring one. Dad, on the other hand, is kind of the opposite. He is weird, sociable, quirky, and he always knows when to lift the mood up.

Nevertheless, they are my parents! And I am so happy that I get to be with them!

"HUEEKKKKK!!!!!!-----"

That happiness did not last for long.

After flying around for about fifteen minutes, I felt the need to take everything out of my stomach. Not through the down hole, but through a different method.

When Mom sped up the flight to fake crashing into Dad, that jolted something in me. It was something new, a feeling that I have never experienced before--

"HOEEEKKK!!!!!!!"

"There, there… it's all okay… Take it all out."

Shut up… it's because of you, Mom.

"Well, she's certainly like this when she was riding a horse." From the parked carriage, Uncle John commented as I calmed my stomach down. Hearing this, Dad turned his confused gaze to his subordinate.

"She rode a horse??" From the top of the carriage, Dad asked with such confusion.

"Yes. I think it was… two years ago? It was the school's curriculum, and the school had every student try learning to ride a horse." Uncle John told them about the story when I puked after riding a horse, and that was most certainly not a fun time.

The school just got a donation from a noble donor, and the noble gifted a horse alongside the donation. As a result, they put together a new curriculum for the physical education class, where students are going to try and learn to ride a horse in their third year, or at least at the age of ten.

"First time I've heard public schools teach students how to ride a horse…" Dad commented from the top of the carriage, and Mom stood up after I was done with puking.

"I wanna go again…"

"You can go again if you can say it with more energy. Now, you're barely alive." Mom commented, and I laughed a little.

"Let's just go back in the carriage, then. John, drive slowly." Dad said as he jumped down from the roof of the carriage, and Uncle John saluted like the knight he is.

The three of us got into the carriage through the back door, and the two realized how extravagant the interiors were. It's definitely better looking than most carriages.

"Fancy ride, John. What kind of job were you doing after retiring?" Dad asked Uncle John who can still hear us from the driver's seat, and Uncle John only laughed.

"I'm a carriage driver for an Earl! I think I'm gonna get fired after this, though!" Uncle John answered loudly from the front, and Dad only looked so confused.

"He got the carriage dirty…" Mom told Dad the reason, and Dad let out a sigh.

"You mean 'We' got the carriage dirty."

"Not my fault he parked it in the city."

"Well, at least he can get his old job back. What do you say, John? Wanna be the head of the shadow knights again?" Dad once again asked Uncle John, who has already started driving the carriage.

"No, sir! I think I prefer a driving job more!" Uncle John answered rather jokingly, which pissed Dad a little.

"This little ass. Oop!-Sorry for cursing." Dad turned his apologetic face to me and Mom, and I can tell Mom is staring at him with such an annoyed look.

"I think Grandma curses more than you, Dad. It's okay." I said to cheer him up, but it seems like my revelation turned both of them widely shocked. 

"W-What does that mean!? You're saying she curses in front of you all the time???" Dad asked so worriedly, and Mom looked like she wanted answers too. Meanwhile, I tried remembering the times when Grandma curses.

There were… far too many.

"Well, she'd curse at every chance she gets. When she accidentally dropped a plate, she'd cuss at the floor for being so hard. She accidentally hit her toe on the table's foot, and I think I heard two or three words that day that could get me arrested."

I explained what came through my mind so easily, I didn't realize the expression the two were wearing as they listened to me. Right there and then, I realized that I was speaking too much.

"S-She doesn't really curse to me, though! She just use them only when she's annoyed--"

"On second thought… I think having Estella take care of you is the worst possible scenario." Mom suddenly said and I turned my surprised face to her.

"Agreed… what should we do? Should we kidnap Milly from Estella?"

"It's not too late to salvage what can be saved. Let's do it."

"Waitt!!! What are you two talking about!?"

I angrily questioned them, but Mom only laughed as she hugged me tightly. Dad jumped from his seat across from us and sat next to me.

"We're just joking. You should really get used to our sense of humor." Mom said with her head on top of mine, and I chuckled realizing that it was all indeed a joke.

"Ahaha~… You two are certainly unique."

"We are. We're definitely the weirdest duo in the entire world. And I'm guessing you are very weird as well? Considering you're our Millis." Dad said while he too lands his head on top of my shoulder, and I can only think about all the times I get called weird.

I should never… mention to them that I get bullied at school. Knowing what they're capable of, I won't be able to go to the school again if it was flattened to the ground.

"Yeah, I guess I'm kinda weird."

The trip back to the Cytus turned into a little bit of storytelling from me to Mom and Dad. The two wanted to hear more about how I've lived my life ever since I was very young, and they were certainly confused learning that I've lived as a poor commoner the entire time.

The empire's riches aren't exactly buried anywhere. It was kept by the empire's grand chamberlain, which was someone Mom and Dad are very close with. That person should've been the one holding most of the empire's money, and apparently there's a reason why Grandma and I had to live so poorly.

That person died due to age. And now, the whole empire has become so poor their princess can barely eat.