"Who would you like me to meet, Eunbin? Bring them in."
"Alright, I'll bring them in."
As she turned around, her mother suddenly called out to her.
"Eunbin,"
Eunbin turned around with a surprised look.
"Yes, mother?"
"Why is there flour in your hair?"
"Oh, that's- I helped Sunless make a cake,"
"I… see,"
Why did it sound like her mother didn't believe her? What did she think Eunbin was doing with him?
Eunbin turned around again, took a deep breath, and walked back to the doors, then slowly pulled them open, revealing her parents standing close together, both with nervous expressions.
"Well?"
"Come in,"
Her parents silently walked into the room, and Eunbin closed the door behind them and followed closely to where they eventually stopped before the throne and stared at the two dead sleepers standing on each side of the throne with startled expressions before slowly kneeling.
Her father spoke first.
"Greetings, your majesty,"
Her mother eyed them both intensely, making them shiver in place from the pressure of a sovereign's gaze.
"Greetings to you as well. Who are you two?"
He tilted his head up to meet her gaze.
"I am Ascended Kain, and this is my wife, Ascended Jessandra."
Her mother motioned for them to stand and stared at them for a long time, her gaze flicking to her father's bracelet before returning to him with slightly widened eyes.
"Eunbin, that is the bracelet you told me about years ago, this man is wearing. Are you meaning to tell me that these people standing before me are your… birth parents?"
"Yes, they are."
Her mother's eyes narrowed, and her face was full of suspicion.
"But they died, you showed me the photos of their bodies."
"There is an explanation for that, mother,"
Her mother didn't answer. Her mother's real body had stepped off the throne as well and stood before Eunbin's parents, staring at them with an emotionless gaze.
The dead sleeper girl handed the mirror to her mother, then walked back up the dais and stood beside the throne again.
"Step away from them, Eunbin."
"But mother, they're not-"
"Step. Away."
Eunbin took a few nervous steps back, and one of the dead sleepers moved and walked down the dais, then walked to a door on the side of the throne room, opened it, and went inside, where she remained for a few seconds before coming back out with a large mirror. She looked at the three of them with an uneasy expression. It was clear that her mother thought that her birth parents were reflections pretending to be her birth parents.
She turned around, held the mirror in front of her, looked at their faces, saw their reflections, then had one of the dead sleepers walk towards them again and set it down near the throne. Her gaze didn't leave theirs for a long time.
"You're not reflections,"
Her mom shook her head.
"No, your majesty, the bodies you saw were those of the others who replaced us for a while."
"Then where were you two the last twenty-five years? Did you intentionally let them replace you so that you made her think you died while you both ran off, and then come back now she is a saint?"
Her father shook his head, and for the first time since Eunbin had seen him again, his expression was peeved at her accusation.
"No, no! Of course not, we would never intentionally abandon her!"
Her eyes narrowed.
"Then why?"
"We were trapped in a hall of imagination in an illusory place called Mirage City,
Her mother's piercing gaze lessened, and her eyes widened slightly when she heard those words.
"Mirage city. I see, did you two encounter a boy with silver eyes?"
Her father nodded.
"Yes, in fact, he's the one who helped us plan our escape from that awful place for fifteen years; we left it three months ago."
Her mother frowned deeply at his words.
"Then why did you not contact Eunbin sooner and tell her that you two were not dead? Why wait three months? When did you ascend?"
Eunbin's mom answered this time.
"Because we chose to challenge the second nightmare to become stronger so that we had a better chance of fighting back in case it happened again. That's why we didn't contact her as soon as we got back; we conquered our second nightmare one week ago."
Her mother didn't answer for a long time, then took a step back. Eunbin watched her parents let out a heavy breath, relieved by the sudden disappearance of the invisible pressure.
"You have my sincerest apologies. I was not aware of the situation you both were in."
Her mom bowed.
"We are grateful that you believe in us, your majesty. If I may ask, why?"
"Because hearing that Mordret was there is more than enough proof that you two speak the truth."
That was odd, but Eunbin was far too glad to worry about such an answer.
"So they are free to go?"
Her mother took another step back and sighed, her expression regretful.
"Yes, Eunbin, they are. Your sisters are out on a scouting mission and will not be back for a week, so they will not be able to meet your parents until then. Speaking of you two, there is a guest chamber where you both can stay in for however long you want; you are always welcome here."
Her parents bowed deeply.
"Thank you, your highness, we are grateful for this and for adopting our daughter and raising her in our absence."
Her mother turned around, slowly walked up the dais, and sat back down on her throne with a soft sigh.
"It is nothing,"
If it was truly nothing, then why did her mother sound so sad? Her parents noticed her tone as well and briefly glanced at each other before their eyes snapped to Eunbin, then back to her. Eunbin understood their hint and knew they did not want to disrespect her by accident.
"Mother, does something trouble you?"
"Yes, it does. I realize that now that your birth parents are here, you have no reason to stay here any longer, and that you have no reason to view me as your mother anymore because you have your real one back. It would be selfish of me to keep you here when she and your father are back."
'Oh…'
Eunbin stepped forward.
"Just because my parents are back doesn't mean I don't still consider you as my mother; you are still important to me as much as they are. So, if you three would allow it, I would still like to call you mother as well."
Her dad shrugged, his humorous smile returning.
"She raised you while we were trapped. I don't see any issue with that."
Her mom smiled as well.
"Neither do I. She has earned the right to be called your mother, Bin, but it doesn't change our relationship with you."
Her mother stared at them with a small smile.
"Very well, my daughter and I appreciate you both for allowing me to call her my daughter still, despite being here in her life again. Also, Eunbin, before you go, I wanted to let you know that I've approved this year's ball."
Eunbin's eyes widened.
"But mother, why?"
The boy sleeper's corpse stood up, smiling, and walked down the dais towards them.
"I want you all to have fun while you still can, and for you to celebrate the opportunity of having your parents back. Speaking of, I will show you two where you will be staying."
Eunbin didn't want to mention anything about the dreamspawn in front of her parents, so she settled with a nod and watched as a puppet of her mother guided her parents out of the throne room and into the rest of the castle, where the chambers were. Eunbin left the throne room as well and went outside, where she found Sunny blending into the shade of the castle, wearing his dark mantle that never left his body, his hair tied up in a ponytail, leaning on a wall.
Eunbin walked up to him with a raised eyebrow and looked him up and down.
"You're back, were you spying on me?"
Sunny immediately shook his head.
"No, of course not,"
"Hmm, alright if you say so, how was the outing you went to?"
"It was alright. How was the talk with Ki Song and your parents?"
Eunbin stepped closer to move into the shade with him, sighed, and leaned her shoulder against his.
"It went much better than I expected it to. She has allowed them to stay in a guest chamber for however long they want to."
He turned his head and looked at her with a smile as he slightly nudged her shoulder.
"Well, that's amazing to hear. I'm happy for you."
"Thank you, also, she has approved this year's ball."
Sunny smiled, then nearly fell over when her words registered in his mind. 'What?!'
"Doesn't she know about the news of you know who?"
"Yes, I told her that,"
Sunny stared at her in confusion.
"Then why did she approve it?"
"She said she wanted us to have fun while we still can."
'That's ridiculous!'
"I'm going to speak to her,"
Bin sighed.
"Alright, come visit me in my chambers whenever you are done talking to her."
Sunny raised an eyebrow.
"What for?"
Bin pointed to her hair, still covered in flour, with an annoyed expression.
"Because you still need to help me get this stuff out. You're lucky I don't get embarrassed for walking out in public like this."
'Why can't she have one of her sisters help?'
[ Say you'll be there, ] Cassie suddenly told him.
[Why? Can you see the future again?]
[No, I can't, Just say you'll be there,]
Sunny didn't understand Bin's or Cassie's thought process, but nodded anyway.
"Alright, I'll be there,"
Sunny stifled a laugh and walked past the guards and into the castle, then made his way to the throne room and opened the doors, then closed them behind him to see Ki Song staring at him.
"Saint Sunless, your presence is a welcome surprise. How are you?"
He made his way to the throne and knelt in front of her.
"I am well, your highness,"
Ki Song motioned for him to stand.
"I assume that you have come to discuss my approval of this year's ball?"
Sunny stood up with a conflicted expression.
"Yes, I have, respectfully, your highness. I don't understand your reasoning for approving this. Would your decision not put the people of Raven Heart in jeopardy and make them more susceptible to spearing the dreamspawn name?"
Ki Song nodded.
"Yes, it would."
"Then why?"
Ki Song softly smiled at him; it was almost a motherly smile.
"I want you all to have fun,"
"I don't understand. Shouldn't you be taking priority in containing this virus so that there is no chance of it spreading elsewhere?"
It didn't make any sense. Was Asterion already manipulating the queen's thoughts?
Ki Song listened to him, her eyes calculating but her expression still slightly warm.
"The Dreamspawn is not manipulating my thoughts, Sunless."
"Then how did you know I was thinking that?"
"It was written all over your face."
Sunny scratched his cheek in embarrassment.
"Ah, right,"
"I understand your concerns, Sunless, believe me, I do. So I will ask you this. Would you rather have me kill those who know his name to suppress a virus that will spread and delay the inevitable arrival of the dreamspawn?"
"No, I wouldn't,"
"Neither would I, as I would rather not have to do such a thing again."
Sunny was taken aback.
"This has happened before?"
"Yes, it has."
"No, wait, you wiped out almost every trace of existence and made the world believe that there were only two sovereigns because you knew of his abilities. Which… which means that you and the dreamspawn and the king of swords were-"
Ki Song finished his sentence for him with a sad smile.
"Apart from the same cohort, yes, you are a smart young man. Ah, if only you hadn't had the shadow god lineage and I had met you when you were still a boy, I might have considered adopting you as my son, perhaps in another life. But never mind that, I take it that Prince Mordret told you about the dreamspawn at some point. But that is a conversation for another time. Come back whenever you are free, and I will tell you about my former cohort if you wish to hear it. It… it has been decades since I've spoken about them."
Sunny bowed, his eyes slightly widened.
"I'm grateful,"
"Is there anything else you wish to speak about? Perhaps your day?"
If Sunny didn't know any better, he'd say Ki Song was either lonely or bored.
'No, that's impossible, right?'
Sunny hid his confusion and shook his head.
"No, I don't, but if you must know, my day was good, I got to know Eunbin a bit more."
"That is good to hear."
"How was yours, your majesty?"
"It was uneventful, believe it or not. I do not like sitting here all the time. So, I usually wander around my castle and check on my daughters."
He wasn't sure to know what her answer would be, but he didn't expect it to sound oddly human.
"I see,"
Ki Song nodded,
"I will let you go now. Have a good day,"
Sunny bowed again, left the throne room, then took a turn and walked down the hall towards Eunbin's door before stopping and knocking twice. There was a moment of silence before soft footsteps padded towards the door, and it slowly opened, revealing Eunbin in the same outfit.
"You're here, come in."
"You still haven't changed?"
Eunbin ignored his question, grabbed his hand, led him into her room, and closed the door behind her.
"Come, after we clean my hair, it'll only take a few minutes to put on my first dress."
Sunny summoned the endless spring and stood in the middle of her room.
"Dresses? You never mentioned dresses earlier. This isn't an excuse to get me alone so you can beat me up for saying what I said earlier, right?"
Eunbin frowned,
"So Saint Athena is still on your mind?"
'What?'
"Huh? No? Well, I mean, pretty often, why?"
Bin's frown deepened, and Sunny couldn't shake the impression that he was digging himself into a hole, but why? What did he say?
"I see…"
"See what? What is it?"
Bin lightly shook her head as she grabbed a comb and the endless spring Sunny had summoned, then went to the bathroom and closed the door.
"Nothing, nothing at all, sit down, I'll be ready in a few minutes. Also, the reason I mentioned a dress is that I need you to help me pick one out for a dinner I'm having in the waking world."
Sunny raised an eyebrow.
"Why can't your sisters help you?"
Although he couldn't see her, he felt her shadow shrug.
"Because they're not here right now."
"You have ascended sisters that are still here who can help you."
"Well, I don't want them right now, and I would like your company."
'She's acting really strange.'
Just then, a thought occurred to him
"Hey, Bin,"
"Hmm?"
"You know I made you a memory that can turn into any clothing you want, you're wearing it right now."
He felt her shadow turn towards the door and tilt her head.
"Yeah, what about it?"
Sunny stared at the door for a long minute; the silence was loud.
"Why not just use that then?"
He felt Bin's shadow shrug again.
"Because I don't want to, and like I said, I want you here,"
"So, who's the dinner with?"
Eunbin smiled at him.
"Someone important,"
Sunny frowned at the vague answer. Was it a guy? He found himself frowning more at the thought. Why was she being so coy?
"Is it a meeting or a negotiation?"
"Something like that,"
Sunny stared at her blankly and tapped his foot impatiently.
"Which one?"
Eunbin didn't answer for a moment.
"Yes,"
"What the hell do you mean, 'yes'? You didn't even answer my question!"
"Because it's not important,"
"Fine, when is it?"
"In four days from now, I'll need an escort, and I'd like you to go with me as I want someone that I am comfortable with to talk to on the way there. So make sure you wear something nice."
"What's wrong with what I have now?"
Bin's shadow gave him a long look through the closed door.
"You constantly look like you're going to a funeral, Sunny,"
"No, I don't, it's my aesthetic!"
He felt her shadow wave her hand dismissively with an eye roll.
"Sure, please just make sure it's not all black like you normally wear. You can come in, I'm decent now."
Sunny slowly opened the bathroom door and saw her standing in front of the makeshift yet luxurious sink, shampoo in her hair, a bucket full of water at her feet, and wearing a towel that covered everything except her toned legs.
Sunny eyed her and smiled.
"Where should I start?"
"Anywhere, I've already combed most of it out."
"You don't have a mirror in your bathroom?"
"You realize who lives in the castle as well, right?"
Sunny nodded, and Bin turned around so her back was facing him, then slightly bent her knees so that Sunny could reach her head. Once she did, he gently dug his fingers into her shampoo-lathered hair.
"Yeah, that makes sense."
After a few minutes of idle chatter, Bin picked up the bucket, handed it to Sunny, and leaned her head into the sink. Sunny slowly poured the water onto her head and soon emptied it. As the remaining water ran down her hair, she grabbed another towel and put it on her hair, then walked out of the bathroom.
After a few minutes of letting her hair dry, she extended her hand, and immediately sparks ignited, revealing a small round mirror in her hand. She then took off the towel and inspected her wet hair, smiling.
"Thank you kindly, Sunny."
Sunny stared at the mirror, then back at her, then at the mirror again with an agape mouth.
"Wait, wait, wait, when we were in my room, you told me you didn't bring a pocket mirror. So you mean to tell me you had one as a memory this entire time and that I didn't have to do any of this?!"
Eunbin shrugged with an aloof expression.
"Did I?"
"Yes, you did!"
"Hmm, how strange, I don't recall,"
"You damn liar, I can see you smiling!"
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Sunny,"
"Whatever, how long is this going to take anyway?"
Eunbin didn't answer him and instead walked up to him, put her hand on his chest, and lightly shoved him on the bed.
"Sit on the bed and wait for me to put on my first dress ans don't even think about moving, otherwise I'm going to tie you up. Or would that remind you too much of Saint Athena?"
Sunny closed his eyes and sighed deeply.
"Damnation,"
Has there been too much Sunbin recently? Should I tone it down and focus more on the preparation for Mirage City? Let me know.