The Place Where I Belong

Missing Chapter

A/n: this chapter is supposedly the chapter 44 but I misplaced it, I wrote it in the different app I usually use. This chapter is before Cale and Basen's departure.

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Countess Violan's way of sipping her tea already shows how elegant she is.

Cale can't stop his amusement from watching her. Cale can't even be that elegant and sometimes has a gut to run away from an etiquette lesson with Eruhaben.

"Checkmate." Cale said as he grinned. Deruth, who is playing against him, slumped down on his chair, defeated.

They are currently in the training ground. It's only them, the family. Deruth ordered to clean the training ground, a day Lily asked for spar bonding.

Deruth and Violan sparred with each other while Cale was sparring against Lily. Violan, who has more experience in sword spar than Deruth, won and Cale won from his spar with Lily. Well, Cale also won against Deruth who whispered 'kids and their monstrous strength' and against Violan who seems too proud.

Deruth vs Basen; Basen won. He did it with all his strength because he really want to beat his father at least once. He even managed to smacked Deruth's head. An achievement for Basen. (Basen doesn't hate Deruth, alright? He just want a little revenge from the papers that the Count keep passing to him)

Violan vs Lily; Violan, of course, won. But Lily won against Deruth.

The spar between Lily and Basen are still on going while the other three are resting in the corner and start playing chest.

Violan and Cale became so occupied with their conversation that they haven't still noticed how gloomy Deruth looked with his head down, not when Cale have to reach his cup which he placed a little far from him.

"Dear, are you okay?" Violan asked in worry. 'It isn't because of losing, right?' The Countess and the eldest young master shared a glance.

"..." only a mumble can be heard from him until he spoke clearer, seconds after. "Cale, how have you been living for the past years?"

"Excuse me?" The question shocked him but Deruth's next action totally caught him off guard.

Deruth stood up in his seat and deeply bow in front of his son.

"I'm sorry for failing as your father and the lord." Deruth's first apology was when Cale arrived and after that, he chose to take silent as he is afraid of making his son uncomfortable.

He chose not to talk about his son's disappearance on that day and Cale was greatful with that.

"Then allow me, Cale. I also want to apologize for failing as your second mother."

Basen and Lily arrive at the scene where their parents are bowing at their shocked older brother. Cale had to stand up and placed his hands on their shoulders to make them stand up straight.

"What are you guys apologizing for?" Cale asks as soon as they take a seat and is really confused, so do the Count and Countess due to his response.

"Mother, Father, for me, you never fail." Cale looked down, resulting in them not being able to see his face but his voice was really calm.

"I can't deny that I once blamed you, father. But you didn't fail as a father nor as a count. Father, before you neglected me, you were a kind of father that I would not ask for anything more. But father, you are a good father to my siblings and I think that is what is important to me. You are also a great lord. If I compare this territory, other territories are nothing to our territory. And mother, you also are a great mother to us. Ron informs me before every time you ask about my health and I know that the only reason we don't talk at all is because you respect my space."