The magic talk between me and James has come to an end.
Next, Felicia asked me to give her a status report.

I asked her how her new life was going, how she was getting along with her friends, and so on.
It seems that mothers are always curious to know what their children are up to.

I answered the questions as they asked...

In the middle of the conversation, I seemed to be talking a little too openly about my relationship with my friends.

'When it comes to whether or not I'm getting along with my friends,......, I'd say the relationship is good, but it's so good that it's a problem,.......'

I'll tell you what I think about that, frankly,

'What, what, what do you mean? Your mother is very interested in that story! You said that the adventurer friends are girls around the same age, right?

Felicia's eyes sparkled as she leaned forward on the table and pounced on me.
I remembered. She's quite a gossip.

...... Well, how should I respond?

I glanced at my father.
This man in front of me is a man of ethics.

But there's no point in lying to make up for it.
I have no choice but to confess.

I decided to be honest and tell them the situation I was in.

'There are three of us who always go on adventures together. Satsuki, a samurai, Cyril, a Holy Order priest, and Mee, a cat-eared bandit. ...... Somehow, all three of them have taken a liking to me... ...it seems.

I was, of course, very embarrassed to be saying this to myself.
I wanted to say to myself, "What are you saying with a straight face?

But in the interest of honesty, I have no choice but to say this.

James's frown twitched as he heard my confession.
Felicia, on the other hand, showed a look of surprise in her eyes.

'Oh no. That's not a liking as a companion, but as a relationship between a man and a woman,......, isn't it?

'Ah. It's been stated that way, and I don't think there's any room for doubt based on your usual attitude.

'Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear, that's terrible. I'm sure there is no doubt about it because William, who is not very good at knocking down stone bridges, says so. I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who's trying to do this. ...... I'm sure you and Irene are starting to get along again, aren't you?

'Ugh ......, yes, that's right.'

'This is a surprise. I'm not sure how long it's going to take for my child to become a prince in a country with a lot of popularity.

Felicia was one of the people who had always suspected that Irene and I had a relationship, but now that she was right, she couldn't say a word.

James, on the other hand.
This one, with his usual frown, opens his mouth at me.

'And you, William, what about you? Do you have a crush on one of them?'

Unlike Felicia, who was curious, James seemed to be questioning the ethics of it all.
It's a difficult position for me to be in, but I can't just talk my way out of it after all this time.

I cleared my throat and replied.

''No, all of .......''

''What about ......?''

My parents' dumbfounded faces.
I, on the other hand, am sure that my face is boiling red.

But I can't turn back now that I've come this far.
I'll be honest with you about my feelings.

'I'm sure I like all of you. That ...... includes Irene.''

''............''

As expected, they both fell silent.

I suppose that's true.
If my own son, whom I hadn't seen for less than three months, came home after a long absence and told me that he was having a four-way relationship with someone, even I would be mortified.

It is not unethical to be 'liked' by more than one person.
But if I myself like more than one person, that's a different story.

...... Felicia would be disgusted with me for this.
I'm not sure what to make of that.

That's what I thought, but...

'I only have one question for you, William.

There was a moment of silence.
After a few moments of silence, Felicia folded her hands on the table and looked at me with a different, more serious expression and straight eyes.

'That doesn't contradict the justice you have in your heart, does it?

'............'

I couldn't answer right away.
A difficult question.

Felicia continued without me.

'William. I believe that you're a clumsy but kind boy who understands the pain in people's hearts. So, if you can listen to your heart and believe that you're not betraying those children, I'll support you no matter who else is criticizing you. How about ......?'

It was a powerful statement that left no room for doubt.

My mother, Felicia, is not just a fluffy person.
She is usually soft and gentle, but at her core she has a different kind of strength and conviction than James.

I think I was rather strongly influenced by him growing up.

I think.
I wonder if there's any betrayal of Satsuki, Mee or Cyril.

After thinking about it...

I can't say there hasn't been.
There's one thing in particular that I need to do, that I've left undone.

'...... I have one thing I need to tell them that I haven't told them yet.'

'Yes. Then you'll have to make sure you tell them that.'

'Yeah.'

'Hmm, good. Then your mother is on your side. That's all from me. You can do the rest.

Felicia then turned the conversation back to James.

James chuckled slightly and opened his mouth.

'I'm not familiar with the subtleties of relationships between men and women. If there is a clear violation of humanity, I should admonish you, but the matter seems to be very complicated. I don't know much about the details, but I don't think I should interfere in any way. Besides, I'm the one who disowned William in the first place. As a parent, I'm in no position to interfere.

At this point, Felicia glanced at James, but did not interrupt him.
James continued.

'Well, you came here today because you had something to tell me, didn't you, William? You've been talking too much and not listening to what I have to say. Let's hear it.



'...... Oh, yes, you did.'

That's right.
I didn't come here today to make small talk about family gatherings.

In the first place, I have no right to enjoy family gatherings.

I was cut off from my parents for ignoring their wishes and being selfish.
I don't regret that decision, but I have to accept the consequences of what I did.

And... a decision.
I came here today to make a decision in my own way.

I take out a small bag full of gold coins from my pocket and place it on the table.
Then I said to my parents in front of me.