​[Back To Sunny and Josephine.]

​Sunny and Star sat frozen for a moment, slowly turning their heads to Josephine. From the start, Josephine had lived with the simple, devastating truth that her parents were killed by the Wendigo invasion. The revelation that they were murdered by a supreme power, and that their killer had been empowered by a mysterious entity, had clearly shattered the simple narrative of her grief.

​Sunny sighed, his gaze dropping to Vancouver, whose eyes were fixed on his feet, lost in the decades-old trauma.

​"After that day, I came back and created fake death scenarios for everyone who participated in the battle, and compensated all the soldiers' families," Vancouver confessed, his voice heavy with the guilt of the deception. He clenched his fists:

"Patrick lost his memories, so he remembered nothing. I... I was the only one who knows everything that happened that day."

​Sunny stared at his uncle, then shifted his gaze to his wife. Josephine was staring blankly at Vancouver, her face expressionless. He gently placed his hand on hers, squeezing lightly, a silent anchor.

​"It seems our parents were close friends," he said, offering a small, weak olive branch, trying to introduce a sliver of warmth into the heavy air. Josephine's face remained hauntingly blank.

​"What about Olivia's family? The Falcon and Fearless families disappeared without a trace, do you know anything about that?" Star asked, her gaze fixed on Vancouver, seeking any clue about her friend's family.

​"The Falcon family disappearance was strange. I found no evidence, no trace. I don't know anything about it," Vancouver admitted, shaking his head. He turned back to Sunny, his expression clouding with the memory of the aftermath.

​"But the Fearless family... Their estate went up in flames. Before I got there, it was already too late." He exhaled deeply, the horror of the scene resurfacing. "I only found Matilda among the ruins. She was the only survivor."

​"That's why you brought her to stay with us," Sunny concluded, connecting the final dots of the grand deception. Vancouver nodded, confirming the tragic origin of Matilda's place in their lives.

​"Your grandfather also made a deal with the Fearless family, arranging both your marriages, and you surprisingly agreed to it," he added, staring at his nephew.

​'Of course,' Sunny thought.

'The original owner was just following orders, keeping the threat close and setting everything in order for the future.' He nodded to Vancouver.

​"Thank you, Uncle."

​Without a word, Josephine stood up. She walked away, her steps slow but deliberate, climbing the stairs.

​"Please, Star can fill you up on anything you want to know," Sunny told Vancouver, his urgency focused entirely on his wife. He stood up and followed her.

____

​[In the balcony.]

​Josephine stood with her back to the room, her watery eyes fixed on the serene blue sky, watching the slow, indifferent movement of the clouds.

​"Are you okay?" Sunny asked gently, walking toward her and stopping beside her.

​"How many secrets are still hidden from us, Love?" she asked, her voice quiet but thick with years of accumulated lies. She rested her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her, holding her tightly, providing stability.

​"I don't know," he admitted honestly.

"The universe is vast; the world is vast. There are a lot of things we know nothing of. But with time, we will know everything." He fixed his gaze on the small, peaceful city below.

​"There is something I want to tell you," he suddenly said, the moment feeling right to reveal the last, most fundamental secret.

​"What is that?" Josephine asked, tilting her head up.

​"I am not actually from this world," he confessed.

​"Huh? Are you from the higher worlds?" Josephine stood upright, turning to face him, the history of his actions making her jump to the logical conclusion.

​"No... I." Sunny hesitated, the confession heavy on his tongue. He let out a deep breath. "I am from a world called Earth. I am also not Sunny... and also Sunny."

​"Huh?" Josephine was stunned, her beautiful face etched with confusion.

​Sunny took a moment to elaborate, choosing his words carefully. "I am from another world. The original Star Nation King was poisoned by Matilda. My soul took over his body. The same day I met you, that's the day I entered this world."

​Josephine blinked, staring at him in surprised silence. "Can... Can I see your true self?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper, a strange mix of fear and deep curiosity.

​Sunny nodded. His body began to shift, the familiar gold light receding. In seconds, the ordinary man from Earth, stood before Josephine.

​Josephine slowly raised her hand, tracing the contours of his unfamiliar face. She moved closer, kissed his lips, then wrapped him in a powerful, desperate embrace.

​"I don't care who you are in the past. You are the one I fell in love with," she whispered, tightening her hug, her commitment absolute. "Nothing will change that."

​Sunny returned the hug, his spirit soothed by her unconditional love. He gently asked, "About your family?"

​"There is nothing more to say," she replied, her voice now filled with a calm, stoic resignation.

"They are dead. Knowing how they died doesn't change the fact that they're gone. We need to think about our future and..." Her gaze sharp, directed towards the city, towards the political threat that was Matilda.

​"We need to locate Matilda. With what we heard from Leonardo, the Blood Queen must be in her. You saw the Queen in Ellen's memories, and what she is capable of. We must take down Matilda before she can gain any more power."

​Sunny separated from the hug, his gaze fixed on Josephine: "We will. After the Competition in a month, we will take over the Star Nation."

​"I know we will," Josephine smiled warmly, a true Queen reclaiming her resolve. She hugged him again, the touch both a comfort and a promise.

​"I am so lucky, Sunny. I am so lucky having you in my life."

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