"Sensei, why are you spacing out right after finishing training?"
Sara reached out and waved in front of Aoba, then poked his arm with a dissatisfied finger.
When she saw him come back to himself, she hugged his arm and continued, "Sensei, I heard there's a new attraction at the amusement park. Let's go try it together later, okay?"
Looking at Sara, who was clinging to his arm and acting spoiled, Aoba smiled and ruffled her hair, "Let's go right now!"
"Really?", Sara's eyes immediately lit up.
Aoba held her hand, and in an instant they appeared in the amusement park that had been built not long after Roran's founding.
For them, going on the rides cost nothing.
In fact, these days Sara didn't have to pay for meals, play, or shopping anywhere in Roran.
Because as Roran's playful princess, she herself represented the largest draw.
Wherever she went, it meant free publicity for that shop.
If customers saw it and the news spread, that naturally brought in a huge stream of patrons.
Under those circumstances, some shop owners even had people under the central high tower introduce their stores to Princess Sara, inviting her for free.
If Sara happened to like a shop and later visited to spend money, that brought yet another wave of customers.
Some even compiled shopping-ranking lists based on how often Sara visited.
For a country, this method was rather novel.
Sara was already used to Aoba's Flying Thunder God technique; seeing all the attractions, her eyes shone.
She looked like a mouse in a rice jar.
She impatiently pulled Aoba toward the nearest attraction.
———
[Night Fell]
Seramu, having finished her affairs, returned home.
She had just pushed open the door when the smell of dinner pierced her nose.
"I'm home!", Seramu walked in.
"Welcome back, Mom."
Sara responded excitedly, finally they could eat.
Aoba nodded to her as well.
"Welcome back."
Seramu changed out of her shoes and came over, pinching Sara's cheek as she said teasingly, "Are you really welcoming Mom, or are you just tempted by the food?"
Sara gave an embarrassed laugh and a sidelong glance, "Hehe, of course I'm welcoming Mom."
"Hah! You two eat first, I'll go wash my hands."
When Seramu came back out, Sara was already devouring her food.
Aoba frequently wiped Sara's mouth and offered a few reminders.
Over these three years, Aoba's body had grown a lot.
The scene often made Seramu feel like they were a father and daughter, 'This child Sara…'
'Sigh!'
Seramu couldn't help but exhale and sat down in her place.
"Why did you come back so early today?"
Normally the household had staff who prepared dinner; after all, Aoba researched the Dragon Vein, Seramu handled state affairs, and Sara trained, so they usually came home late.
But tonight's dinner was clearly prepared by Aoba.
He nodded, "My Dragon Vein research is almost done. For the next little while I don't have much to do, so I'll accompany Sara and play for a few days."
When Seramu heard that, her hand holding the chopsticks trembled. She had picked up the meaning in Aoba's words.
"That's wonderful!"
Ignorant of anything, Sara felt a huge surprise descend upon her.
———
[After Dinner]
Aoba sat on a lounger on the high tower's balcony.
This was Roran's tallest tower; the moon hung pale and round like a jade plate, seemingly within reach.
Sara lay across him, drooling at the corners of her mouth; after playing all afternoon, she had already fallen asleep from exhaustion.
"Are you leaving?", Seramu came over, placed a cup of hot tea on the small table before him, and sat down beside him.
Aoba was about to hand Sara back to her, but she raised a hand to stop him.
"Forget it. This brat likes clinging to you now and doesn't even want me, her mother."
Seramu pinched Sara's cheek with some displeasure, then sat beside Aoba.
"At this point, you still won't tell us, where exactly did you come from?"
Her voice was full of plaintive grievance; in the cool night breeze it made Aoba feel a little chilled.
He was silent for a moment, then said, "You've probably discovered the Dragon Vein's true nature by now, right?"
"Powers of time and space?", Seramu pursed her lips and muttered to herself, then looked at Aoba.
He had appeared out of nowhere in the Dragon Vein's forbidden grounds.
"So, Aoba, are you from the past? Or the future?"
"The future."
Aoba answered frankly. Since he had already decided to leave, he didn't want to hide it, "Probably… about thirty-something years from now."
"Thirty-something years…"
Seramu's gaze went vacant and she began muttering again, "So it's not just a decade, it's almost forty years?"
Soon she sounded a bit strange, "So Aoba you're actually ten years younger than Sara?"
Aoba's mouth twitched at her words, but he didn't speak further.
'If you go by birthdates, that is indeed the truth.'
"The future…", Seramu originally wanted to ask about how Roran would look in the future, but she stopped herself and instead asked, "In the future, will we meet again?"
Aoba thought about meeting again thirty years later and nodded.
"Yes, but you'll have to wait thirty years."
"Thirty years, huh…"
Seramu's gaze became vacant again. She leaned a little closer and rested her head on his shoulder.
Over three years, that gesture had become familiar to her.
Holding up a country alone was not easy. Roran was small, but the state affairs piled up into something enormous.
As queen, her daughter Sara was once her greatest reliance, but ever since Aoba appeared, he not only healed her body but helped rebuild the country.
Now Roran, even if it couldn't rival the Five Great Nations, was at least able to maintain neutrality on the world stage.
They no longer had to worry that a single slip might lead to being swallowed up by a war between great powers.
All of this was Aoba's doing.
Having such an excellent young man, handsome and always helping them, it was natural for her to feel some special affection.
Only that…
"Thirty years from now, I guess I'll already be an old hag, right?", She imagined their reunion scene.
She pictured herself a face full of wrinkles, an old woman, while Aoba remained as he was now.
A faint sorrow flashed across her eyes.
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