Since there was nothing else to talk about, they all left the room. Max and his friends were exhausted after the trip where they ran as fast as they could to reach Lievstad. They all fell asleep as soon as they reached the guests' quarters.
Sophie went to her room and told her children that Leland was fine and that they would go home to the manor the next day. She asked the children to prepare.
When Luciel and Jan asked why didn't they wait for Leland to pick them up, Sophie explained to them that they had been staying as guests in the royal palace for too long and she felt bad about bothering the king for much longer.
The boys found it difficult to understand because Nicholas was their father and it shouldn't be a problem if they bothered him for however long as they needed. However, they didn't argue because they could see their mother's expression was looking distraught.
They suspected something bad happened but they didn't know what. They decided to later ask Nicholas if he knew anything.
***
Three hours later, after the conversation, while having dinner together, Nicholas asked about Sophie's plans to go home tomorrow. Queen Marianne who heard it was surprised.
"What? Do you want to go home tomorrow? Why so suddenly?" She was really surprised because it meant Jan and Luciel would also leave the palace.
Sophie shook her head, "No, Your Grace. We have our responsibility to our pack. We have left them for too long. It is my duty to manage them while my mate is away."
"I mean, why don't you all just stay here until Leland comes to pick you up," Queen Marianne asked. She just wanted to have more time with Jan and Luciel.
Sophie smiled. "Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty, but we have lived here too long. Besides... I'm afraid that if I stay here longer, people will continue to gossip."
Queen Marianne was silent for a moment and then said, "I see, I'm sorry that I didn't think of that."
She rubbed the heads of Luciel and Jan who were sitting next to her in turn. "I just feel like I can't bear to part with my two grandchildren."
Her voice was sad and Sophie felt bad about taking the boys away from their grandmother who loved them so much. However, she must be assertive.
"Don't worry Grandma, Jan and I will often come to visit Grandma. We'll ask Uncle Max to take us. Grandma can also send knights to take you to the manor if you want to meet us. We'd be very happy if Grandma came," said Luciel with a spirited tone.
"Can we invite Grandma to come, Mom?" Jan turned to look at Sophie.
"Yes, of course," Sophie said, nodding slowly with a smile.
"Well, problem solved," said Luciel making Queen Marianne laugh.
She rubbed the boy's hair lovingly and said, "Well, then, I will visit you often."
Nicholas smiled at the scene. He was happy to see his children growing up active and smart and had such a good relationship with the old queen. He truly believed his mother finally got what he had been wishing for all those years when she forced him to find a woman to marry and have children.
However, when he thought of the fact that his two children would leave the palace tomorrow, he became sad. The queen could visit them easily, but he couldn't.
This thought made his chest feel heavy. However, he couldn't do anything to prevent them from leaving because he had to think about Sophie's reputation and feelings too.
***
In the morning Sophie finally said goodbye to Queen Marianne and Nicholas to return to the manor with her children.
"Promise Grandma that you two be good and you will miss me," Queen Marianne said to Luciel and Jan. "I will see you in a few days."
"Um. We promise, Grandma," said both boys with smiling faces.
"Ah, I will definitely miss you guys." Queen Marianne hugged her two grandchildren tightly, feeling very unwilling if they left the palace.
"Don't be sad Grandma, we look froward to seeing you soon. We love your stories and we want to play with you," Jan said with a big smile, making his cheeks puff up like bread.
"I know, my two grandchildren will not break their promise." Now Queen Marianne kissed them in turn and then hugged them again.
After Queen Marianne let go of her embrace, Jan and Luciel shifted closer to Nicholas.
The king immediately crouched down to level with the two children. He touched their faces alternately. "Take good care of yourselves and while your father is away you must take good care of your mother and siblings. Do you understand?"
"Um, understand, Dad. It's our job to take care of mom and our younger siblings."
Nicholas smiled so widely that his cheeks puffed up. Sophie who was standing behind the children actually saw Jan and Luciel as replicas of Nicholas.
Jan and Luciel not only inherited Nicholas' face but also inherited some of Nicholas' behavior.
To be honest, she always felt moved whenever she saw Nicholas interacting with Luciel and Jan. Nicholas looked very fond of his two sons and was very sad every time he was going to part with them.
Nicholas ruffled their hair gently.
"Smart boys," he said.
"Of course, because we are father's children," Luciel said, surprising Nicholas. He looked at the two children with teary eyes. Three seconds later he nodded slowly and smiled again.
"Right, because you are Father's son. My son." He hugged Luciel and Jan tightly. Nicholas tried not to cry but he still couldn't hold back the tears.
Sophie looked away and wiped the tears that welled up in the corners of her eyes. Seeing Nicholas like that made her feel sad and sorry.
"Okay, we have to go. Thank you for everything," she said after Nicholas removed his arms from Jan and Luciel and then got into the horse carriage with his two children, followed by the maid who brought Anne and Jack in their baskets.
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