Edited by: ASaltedFish
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A month after Yang's sister's funeral, Ellery and Akimitsu finally made their way to Hezyria, where the Ito family lived.
Even though Ellery had already met the Ito family, this time, Akimitsu was bringing him there to formally introduce Ellery as his boyfriend with marriage in mind.
It was also the first time Ellery would be meeting the Ito family without Juniper, who had decided to follow Edros around on the grounds to get to know him better. When he wasn't with Edros, he was guiding clients who had appointments with him or making stabilizers.
"Do you think Juniper will be okay without me?" For Ellery, it was the first time he had been away from Juniper for more than a day. How could he not worry?
Akimitsu, who had been asked this question for the fifth time since they got on the spacecraft, nodded. "He will be fine. He's staying at Edros' estate, so we will be able to get updates on Juniper's healing progress and wellbeing."
"Plus, you can also ask Juniper about his day since you two scheduled a nightly video call."
Ellery knew that Akimitsu was right, but maybe he was the one who needed to let go and let Juniper adjust to life without him around 24/7. He had been with Juniper since they both woke up from that coma. From then on, they were almost attached by the hip, even when Juniper got his own body.
Sometimes, he even found himself napping with Juniper on their days off. They even made stabilizers together!
"You're right… We need to learn to be less dependent on each other. Especially me." Ellery knew he had abandonment issues. Maybe he should also seek a therapist? He decided to make an appointment after getting back to the Imperial capital…
Akimitsu was relieved that Ellery was emotionally intelligent and self-aware, especially with complex emotional issues.
"If you need anything, let me know."
"Hmm… Can you find me a list of therapists who specialize in abandonment issues?"
After that, the two of them joked around until it was time for Ellery's video call with Juniper.
Ellery and Akimitsu sat on the bed together and called Juniper, who immediately picked up. He was in the newly made crystal room that Edros created for him. It didn't have a lot of crystals or rocks, just ones that Edros picked out for him to get the collection started. However, it did have a large, comfortable couch that Juniper found himself napping in often.
Juniper and Edros were sitting close to each other on the soft, light gray couch. The two looked close, which made Ellery relieved.
After the four greeted each other, Juniper went straight to the point. "Ellery, are you nervous?"
The last time, before meeting the Ito family, Ellery was incredibly nervous, which was why Juniper asked.
"This time, I am not nervous," Ellery responded, "Actually, I am quite excited! Even if it will be the second time meeting them, we often video chat with Akimitsu's parents and siblings, so I feel a lot more comfortable meeting them again."
Seeing that Ellery was telling the truth, Juniper was finally relieved. In the past, Ellery was worried that the Ito family would treat him the same way Leonard's family treated him, which made him anxious. Thankfully, the Ito family were good people, so Juniper did not have to worry about Ellery being treated poorly.
"That's good. Then, I hope the two of you will have a lot of fun. If you can…"
Ellery knew exactly what he was going to ask. "Don't worry, I will find a ton of gems for you while I'm on Hezyria. Since I will be there for a month, I'm sure I will find a bunch of amazing ones."
Seeing that Ellery knew what he wanted to say, Juniper's expression brightened, and he nodded his head. "Thank you, Ellery. I can't wait to see what you get me."
After that, Ellery and Juniper talked about random things while Akimitsu and Edros quietly watched over them. It wasn't until Ellery yawned that Juniper suggested that they hang up and let them sleep.
*****
The trip to Hezyria took a week, so the private spacecraft Akimitsu and Ellery didn't stop and went straight to their destination.
When they finally landed, Ellery told Juniper and all of his friends that he and Akimitsu had landed safely. Even if they were living in an advanced society, there were still accidents in space, so letting loved ones know that they made it safely was common.
At the port, Akimitsu's immediate family, their spouses, and their kids were waiting to greet them.
"Akimitsu, Ellery!" Naoyuki, Akimitsu's little father, waved at them while jumping up and down. He was so excited to see his son and his son's partner that his usually elegant demeanor was nowhere to be seen.
Akimitsu and Ellery waved back and rushed over to them, excited to finally get off the spacecraft and to see their family and in-laws. The two hugged and greeted all of Akimitsu's family members and soon left the port so they could eat and relax.
The Ito family held a large banquet to celebrate Akimitsu and Ellery's relationship. At first, they wanted to hold an engagement party, but Akimitsu told them to put that on hold because Edros and Juniper wouldn't be able to attend. That was why they decided to hold a banquet instead.
Many relatives of Akimitsu's immediate family showed up one after the other, asking Akimitsu and Ellery a million questions, which lasted late into the night.
Once they all left, Akimitsu's siblings and children went to bed while he and Ellery followed Akimitsu's parents to Takahiro's study.
"Now that we are alone, Akimitsu, you said that you returned the dagger to the Beast God's wife, but you didn't tell me any details." At first, Naoyuki's heart hurt when Akimitsu said that it was better for them to talk about it in detail when they met in person. He knew that his son was correct, but that didn't make him any more patient!
Naoyuki's family had been holding onto the dagger for many generations, hoping to one day give the dagger back to the Beast God's wife. Finally, the day had come, and Naoyuki, who had heard the story of his ancestor receiving the dagger for most of his childhood, couldn't wait to find out about the Beast God's wife!
As promised, Akimitsu went into detail about Adel and their reaction. Adel was genuinely shocked that Naoyuki's family had been holding on to the dagger and never used it. When Adel gave the dagger away, she never expected it to be returned to her.
Naoyuki, finally knowing that the Beast God's wife's name was Adel, understood why Akimitsu said it would be better for them to converse in person. Adel's name could not be revealed to the public for the time being, especially because the Beast God and Adel intended to keep her name hidden for the time being. If the Beast God wanted everyone to know Adel's name, he would have announced it a long time ago.
The Beast God was okay with the Imperial family having it in their records, or the Ito family, who held on to the dagger for Adel. Well, Ellery had a feeling it was okay and wasn't struck down by lightning, so it was safe to assume that.
"Thank you for telling me all of this. I let your maternal family know, and they were celebrating for weeks. They were all very happy that the dagger had been returned."
Naoyuki went to some of the celebrations and also felt joy. His family protected the dagger for generations, so when it was finally returned, their family and ancestors could rest in peace knowing it was with the original owner.
After sharing what happened with Adel and the dagger, Naoyuki and Takahiro began asking Ellery questions about his family and Juniper. They also couldn't wait for Edros to come by so they could tease him about Juniper.
Akimitsu and Ellery stayed one month in Hezyria, surrounded by family that loved them.