His Forgotten Heir のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 11 - チャプター 20

“Mom, you’re thinking again.”Seraphina blinked, the sound of Aldren’s voice pulling her back into the kitchen.She looked down at him where he sat at the table, legs swinging lightly beneath the chair, a piece of toast forgotten in his hand. His eyes were on her—not curious—observant.She forced a small smile. “Am I?”He nodded, like it was obvious. “You do that when you forget to flip things.”Seraphina’s gaze flicked to the pan.The eggs.She turned quickly, flipping them just before they browned too much, exhaling quietly as she adjusted the heat. “Good catch.”“I know,” he said, satisfied, taking another bite of his toast.She plated the eggs, setting them in front of him before leaning against the counter for a second longer than necessary. The morning moved around her—soft light through the window, the faint hum of the city waking up—but something in her felt slightly out of place.Like she had stepped out of rhythm without meaning to.“You have drawing today, right?” she asked

“Mom… is he coming today?”Seraphina’s hand stilled mid-motion.The knife hovered just above the apple, the blade catching a thin line of light from the window. For a second, she didn’t move—not forward, not back—as though finishing the slice would somehow confirm something she wasn’t ready to face.“Who?” she asked, even though the answer had already settled somewhere in her chest.Aldren stood by the table, watching her.Not impatient.Not restless.Just… present.There was something about the way he waited—quiet, steady—that always made it feel like he wasn’t really asking. Like he was giving her the space to decide how honest she wanted to be.“The man,” he said. “From the school.”Seraphina lowered the knife carefully, placing it against the cutting board with more precision than necessary.“Why do you think he’s coming?” she asked, her voice even.Aldren shrugged as he climbed onto the chair, his movements unhurried. “You told him to.”Her fingers curled slightly against the edg

“Can I pick him up today?”The question came without greeting, without pretense—just his voice, steady through the line, settling into the quiet space of her kitchen like it belonged there.Seraphina’s fingers tightened slightly around the phone.“No.”It came out before she could soften it. Instinct. Immediate. Certain.Silence followed.Not long—but long enough to be felt.“Seraphina.”Her name sounded different this time. Not distant. Not clipped. Just… present. Grounded in a way that made it harder to ignore.She closed her eyes briefly, her free hand resting against the edge of the counter.“…please.”The word was quiet, measured and wrong.Not wrong in meaning—but in tone. It didn’t belong to the version of him she knew. Not the one who spoke in statements, who didn’t ask unless the answer already aligned with what he intended.That alone made her hesitate.Her gaze drifted to the small table by the window, where Aldren’s drawing from yesterday still sat—bold lines, uneven ed

“Was that your dad?”Aldren looked up from his drawing, his pencil pausing mid-line as the question settled somewhere between confusion and curiosity. He blinked once, then tilted his head slightly.“Who?”Matthew leaned closer across the table, his voice dropping like he was about to share something important—even though they were just sitting in class and Miss Lora was right there at the front, writing something on the board.“The man,” Matthew said, gesturing vaguely with his hand. “The one who came to pick you up after school last week.”Aldren’s brows pulled together just a little. “My mom picks me up.”“I know,” Matthew said quickly. “But that day—she didn’t. I saw you with him.”Aldren stared at him for a second longer, then looked back down at his drawing, his pencil tapping lightly against the paper as he tried to remember.Oh.His face shifted, recognition settling in.“You mean Uncle Kael?” he said.Matthew’s eyes lit up immediately. “So you do know him!”Aldren nodded once

The city stretched wide beneath the fading light, its edges softened by the slow descent of evening. Traffic moved in steady lines, headlights blinking on one after the other, like a quiet signal that the day was ending whether anyone was ready for it or not. The sky had turned that particular shade of amber that made everything feel suspended between moments—not quite day, not quite night.Inside the car, the silence felt different.Kael rested one hand against the steering wheel, his gaze fixed ahead, though his focus wasn't entirely on the road. The hum of the engine blended with the distant noise of the city, but neither reached him fully. His thoughts had turned inward, circling something he couldn't quite name.His mind lingered somewhere else.A smaller street.A quieter space.A boy's voice filling the car with unfiltered curiosity, questions tumbling out without hesitation or calculation.He exhaled slowly, adjusting his grip just slightly. The leather felt warm beneath his p