The bombs trapped Sephi on a shelf of cliff that was already beginning to fall. Val screamed her name and threw himself at her, and got her back onto solid ground — and then the cliff dislodged beneath him and he went down with it.
Falling to his death, the once heartless criminal wondered when it was that he had gotten so attached to those two kids.
The memories came. After he had returned home from serving his punishment, he had found two children living in his abandoned old house. The kids seemed to trust him, and they began following him everywhere for protection. Val found them annoying, and did nothing at all to stop them.
Slowly he became more and more attached to them. He gave them their names. Sephi learned to use her ability to create water and sell it, and the three of them started living comfortably together.
Then one day their happiness came to an end, when the kidnapper gang took the two children.
Because Val was bound by his contract with Pride never to attack anyone, all he had been able to do was watch, helpless, as they carried off his only family.
Back in the present, Val was ready to die — and then he was shocked, because the future queen jumped down after him and made a strange signal with her hand.
The signal woke the injured Stale outside, who teleported to her and carried all of them away from the cave.
Sephi and Kemet rushed to hug their adoptive father, and he smiled with relief while Pride happily hugged Stale.
A few weeks after the incident in the cave, Pride sat talking with Arthur and Stale. The bombers had never been caught, but the kingdom seemed to be at peace. Then the group was surprised by Val, Sephi, and Kemet, who came hurtling toward them on a slab of rock.
It seemed Val was making full use of Kemet's ability, and working as a delivery man.
Pride smiled at the three of them. They looked so much better than they had. For Val's help with the operation, she offered to make them the official carriers of the royal family. The two children were overjoyed at the news, and Val smiled at her.
She also told him that the kingdom planned to open free schools, and invited Sephi and Kemet to study there and grow. Once he had made sure that she truly meant what she said, Val accepted her offer, joking that he would have been forced to obey her as a servant anyway.
Then Val got down and prepared to kneel to show his respect.
Pride blushed nervously as he kissed her feet in the old tradition — and then Val threw in some spice of his own and licked them, shocking everyone present and thoroughly embarrassing the poor princess. He laughed loudly at what he had done, all the troublemaker in him showing.
Then Val asked for compensation, and the whole group glared at him for his disrespect. Pride pouted, but agreed to give it to him. Stale told her she did not need to do any such thing, and Val reminded them all that he was completely broke.
As Pride prepared to leave, Val followed the group and teased her about her jealous prince. Arthur got upset at that, which only earned him his own share of teasing. Val mocked Pride for surrounding herself with such inexperienced, shy boys, and offered to give her a great deal more than they could ever deliver. Pride rejected his bold flirting on the spot and made ready to go.
Then Val finally turned serious, and thanked her for inviting his kids to her school.
Later, Pride watched Arthur fight Gilbert, and Arthur was schooled miserably. Gilbert slammed him down while Stale cheered. Then Gilbert offered to teach Arthur a secret technique if he could land a single hit, which fired Stale up as well, and he decided to fight Gilbert alongside Arthur.
Gilbert let the two boys come at him together.
As the fight grew more intense, Pride cheered for her two boys, and was surprised by a returning Val. Val took one look and assumed the boys were seriously fighting over her, and Pride corrected his misunderstanding.
Then Tiara got up to play with Sephi and Kemet, and offered them cake as well. The children were delighted. As Tiara led them off to eat, Val started to follow — and instinctively took Pride's hand as he went.
Arthur and Stale forgot entirely what they had been doing, out of pure jealousy.
Realizing what he had done, Val let go at once and stalked off angrily. Pride was baffled by the whole thing, while the innocent Kemet asked Val whether he hated Pride or liked her.
Val denied liking the girl. And then he remembered every time she had confronted him, and every time she had helped him out. Even young Sephi could see the blush on his face from a mile away.
Back with the confused Pride, she decided to concentrate on cheering her boys through their fight. She shouted such lovely praise to boost their confidence that both of them promptly fell over from it, nervous and happy at once.
Then Pride asked them to win for her sake, and both of them got up with a determined glow in their eyes. It surprised the calm Gilbert, who realized their love for Pride was boosting their morale. The boys charged, and this time they were able to defeat the cunning martial artist.
Afterward, the two of them collapsed from exhaustion and lay there discussing their feelings for Pride.
Arthur remembered how, even back in the cave, it had been Stale who used his teleportation to save Pride from the cliff. He felt unworthy of being her protector.
Stale told him to keep his head high. He reminded Arthur that while he himself had been lying unconscious, it was Arthur who had charged into the battle and protected Gilbert and Pride.
That restored some of Arthur's confidence, and Stale told him that he felt safe with him around. Arthur got up, remembering how much he had changed, from a sniveling brat into a strong knight.
The boys were interrupted by Pride, who came rushing over with a handkerchief. She cleaned the pair of them up while speaking soothing words that stole both their hearts.
Stale thought back over everything and felt happy that he could protect Pride. He remembered Powell, too, the poor power user who had needed protection and care. He told Pride that he wanted to become a respectful gentleman, and not only for her sake, and Pride agreed to support him in it.
She smiled, feeling blessed, and truly happy to have two loyal and noble men at her side.
Both boys took her hands and vowed to always protect her and her sister, reminding her that they had pledged their loyalty to their future queen. Pride smiled, completely fulfilled.
Sometime later, alone in her room, the future queen thought back over the evil Pride's actions in the game. She had a few more years left before the death written for her there. Until then, she was determined to do the best she could for her family and for her people.