The dinner was almost over when Lauriel asked his two children to join him in the Holodeck on the second floor. Alaric and Nicolae accepted their father's request, however, both had no idea what it was about. Alaric looked at Aleksis only to receive a thoughtful smile.

Aleksis was indeed the goddaughter of Lauriel Medici. She already knew what Lauriel was planning to do with his own children.

As for her father, Caspar, he had an inkling too and smiled and nodded at Lauriel. It must be about Princess Luna. The day's finally arrived, Caspar thought. He hoped that Lauriel would reconcile with his past and let her go. It seemed that Nicolae wasn't the only one who had been able to move on.

***

The guests moved to the living room and enjoyed their drinks and chats, Aleksis, Finland and Kara played with the children while the three men walked to the second floor of the castle into the Holodeck.

When he thought Aleksis died, Alaric built the Holodeck to see Aleksis every time he missed her. He uploaded his memories to revisit his past with Aleksis, whom he had always longed for. Although he had never personally used it again after Aleksis came back to his life, sometimes Aleksis would drag him inside to share her memories of Altair and Vega growing up. She wanted Alaric to feel he was there even if he wasn't present for their children for ten years.

When they arrived in front of the Holodeck's door, Lauriel stopped. Alaric came to a realization. His c.h.e.s.t tightened as he watched his father hesitating to move forward. He was suspecting that his father would show their mother. Lauriel might be wanting to use the Holodeck's feature to bring his memories of his beloved and share them with his two children.

Nicolae, who had never used a Holodeck, heard of the machine's capabilities before. And as they stood there waiting, he also arrived at the same conclusion.

The two young men unconsciously held their breath.

With a heavy tone, Lauriel said, "I loved your mother so much so that her death devastated me." The door hissed, and they walked in. "Even if it's almost a hundred years since that day, the thought of her still breaks my heart and paralyzes me."

Nicolae and Alaric remained silent as they listened intently to their father. Every time they met Lauriel, they could feel how much their mother, Luna, meant to him, but he had always refused to talk about her except for that one time.

The first and last instance they had heard him talk about her was when they were in Yorkshire, last year. The three of them visited Luna's grave and after that, Lauriel kept quiet about his thoughts of her.

But now, as their father took them into the Holodeck and talked about Luna, a sense of relief began to permeate the two brothers. The actions of their father only meant he was finally letting go.

Nicolae understood how painful it was to lose somehow you love and you get to live. Involuntarily, he had reached out to his father's shoulder and leaned on it.

He said in a soft voice, "The time you spent with mom must have been the happiest days of your life."

Lauriel nodded. He smiled a little and patted his son's back. After the two of them had recollected themselves, Lauriel sat in a large chair in the corner of the room and wore a Holodeck headset that could replay the memory of his choice. He closed his eyes and let the Holodeck reconstruct the memory he loved the most.

Ten minutes later, the empty Holodeck room transformed into a grand hall filled with music and many beautiful people dressed in long gowns and tunics. They seemed to be partying. Alaric and Nicolae immediately recognized some of the people they knew.

In a slightly dim corner of the room, the twins saw Portia talking to Ned happily. Portia's hair was as beautiful as ever, purplish platinum strands.

In the middle of the room, almost the center of all the girls' attention, was Caspar Schneider. He already had a girl in his arms, but girls still surrounded him, vying for his affection.

Alaric and Nicolae remembered that Aleksis's father was once famous as a playboy who loved to change lovers, but nevertheless, they were still embarrassed to see Alaric's father-in-law making out with other women who weren't his current wife.

There were also some other people who seemed influential they didn't recognize. Lauriel, however, didn't introduce them since his focus was solely on just one person. Lauriel said, "This was Luna's 200th birthday party. The moment where I met her for the first time."

"Boss Lauriel, at least wait until the daughter of the host appears. I'd love to have a bet with you and win a treasure c.h.e.s.t," Petra said.

"All right. What do you want to bet on?" Lauriel asked in a lazy voice.

"I bet that Princess Luna is beautiful. If I lose, I'll work for you without a salary for 20 years," Petra said firmly.

Lauriel laughed. "Hmm... okay. I'll bet the girl's face, Luna, is a defect like it was kicked by a horse, just as the rumors say. If I lose, you'll get a treasure c.h.e.s.t of Black Bart, so you can propose to the princess."

Alaric and Nicolae looked at each other. They had never thought their father would say that their mother was ugly.

Lauriel was, of course, not at all serious about winning. He just said Luna was ugly, so he could have an excuse to lose the bet and give a treasure c.h.e.s.t to Petra. He didn't want one of his crewmen, Petra, to go to the Linden family empty-handed.

As the five merry men drank and chatted, an announcement was made. They all looked, Alaric and Nicolae included, at the door where a stunningly beautiful girl was standing and wearing an elegant dress with vibrant purple hair.

Tears welled up in the two brothers' eyes as they tried to hold it back. It went without saying that they already knew this girl was their mother, Princess Luna.

Nicolae traced his mother's presence. He looked over his brother's hair and was surprised that Alaric truly had inherited their mother's appearance, while he had inherited their father's appearance. Alaric's hair and face truly resembled Princess Luna's.