"It's been a long time."
"...?"
Albe spoke as he and Caribert faced their father for the first time in years.
The man looked at them suspiciously as though asking who they were.
Albe had not expected anything.
The fact that their father had never come looking for them had already told him everything he needed to know.
To him, they had never been important.
Still, realizing that the man could not even remember his own children's faces made Albe feel his heart grow cold.
"I regret ever wasting time worrying about you."
Their father had never shown the slightest interest in them.
But at the same time, he had never directly said or done anything to them either.
Unlike their mother, he had never constantly berated them or struck them for disobedience.
That was why Albe had never felt much hatred or anger toward him.
Even when Caribrrt disappeared, their father had neither searched for him nor tried to stop Albe from searching.
But now...
