—It seems the time has come to tell you the truth, Mateo... — Orrin said seriously as he stared at his son intently — The truth is, I am not your father.

—What?! — Mateo exclaimed, incredulous at what his father was saying. If his father were a sarcastic or comical person, then the man might understand that this was his father's way of telling him to try his luck and attempt to deceive the system. However, having grown up with him as his only father, Mateo clearly knew Orrin well enough to know that the old man would never tell him to risk his life by following Apolo's plans in such an ironic manner.

—Did you ever wonder why Fausto played with you so much as a child, or why Apolo's grandfather treated you so kindly, or why you could never meet your mother? — Orrin asked seriously, and it was evident that he wasn't joking about the matter.

—It can't be... — Apolo and Mateo whispered simultaneously. Of course, Apolo knew the letter was fake; while the handwriting was identical to that of his grandfather, the young nobleman had spent a small fortune searching for such a skilled forger.

However, Apolo had never heard Orrin make a single joke in all these years, so he could be speaking seriously. The part that was hardest for Apolo to digest, though, was that his brother Fausto had a single friend in the castle. Yet, Mateo seemed just as shocked as he was, indicating that this was not a father-son jest. And the fact that, from Apolo's perspective, Orrin would never lie was causing his "easily influenced" mind to waver with the shocking truth.

—Unfortunately, that's the truth. I promised to keep this secret to myself and take it to the grave. That way, the honor of the Black Forest Colossus family would remain intact when you die, fulfilling your duty as Apolo's butler, far from the castle, far from your family, and even further from the shameful truth— Orrin commented, gazing reflectively at the sky, as if he were conversing with Apolo's uncle at that moment.

The other servants were left in shock, watching the former butler and, above all, Mateo's shocked expression as they felt like privileged spectators of the climax of a tragic novel.

—But you told me that my mom was a maid! Why would Apolo's uncle be involved with one of the maids in the castle, and why would no one ever tell me such a truth? — Mateo yelled in anger, not liking his father's joke, if it really was a joke, something he was now doubting more than he'd like.

—Because the truth is too cruel to be told to a child... — Orrin replied, looking at the leaves of the giant tree in the courtyard falling in the summer breeze. His unhappy expression made it seem like the old man was still reluctant to tell what had really happened.

—If this is some kind of joke, I'm not enjoying it, Dad! I understand that I have to accept Apolo's proposal, but don't tell me these absurdities! — Mateo shouted, feeling a mix of nervousness and anger, not wanting to believe the old man's words and at the same time feeling uncomfortable for doubting his father's identity.

But his father ignored his shout and instead began to cry, gazing at the tree that symbolized the imperial family, leaving everyone present stunned. These were not crocodile tears from a sad person; they were tears from someone who had carried a great secret in their heart for a long time and had finally decided to share it with the world. The old man couldn't contain the words stuck in his throat any longer and said with the utmost serenity he could gather while crying:

—The harsh truth is that Apolo's uncle, or rather, "your" father, brought you and your mother after the war. Your father intended to divorce Apolo's current aunt and live as a commoner, far from where the world could find him. However, around that time, Mariano was about to be born, so it would be a scandal if your father abandoned Apolo's aunt while she was pregnant with the future heir to the Black Forest throne. So, Apolo's grandfather made a tragic decision to protect the honor of his future heir: he imprisoned your mother and you in the castle's dungeon. Your father was forced to choose between two options: he could either die in a duel against Apolo's grandfather, saving your mother and you, or, alternatively, they would kill your mother and make the unwanted child "disappear", returning everything to normal, pretending that this had never happened and executing all the servants who had learned the cruel truth. As you can imagine, your mother was executed that very night, and you were abandoned in the middle of the forest. However, your late mother protected you from the other side and led me to cross paths with you when I was walking through the forest. By the time I found you, you were almost dead, but I still brought you to the castle without knowing that Apolo's grandfather had condemned you to death. Naturally, the king found out that you had survived, but ashamed of the execution of your mother and his son's cowardice, he decided to change his mind and instructed me to raise you as my own son. However, most of those who knew this cruel truth died in the war, and your only brother, Mariano, unfortunately could not escape that cruel fate. However, like Apolo's uncle, you did not inherit the powers of the Black Forest Colossus bloodline. Instead, you had the cruel misfortune of acquiring your late mother's powers. So, your true grandfather could never recognize you as a member of the family; otherwise, you would have the right to fight for the Black Forest throne. I never wanted to tell you this truth because as a child, you would never stop thinking about what your life would be like now if you had inherited the powers that would allow you to access the throne's succession line. But now the story is different. Now, Apolo's grandfather has recognized you as a bastard and has taken care to give you a better future, a future that I could never give you.

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—How can such a coincidence exist in this world? — Apolo whispered, incredulous at what he was hearing. Nevertheless, the dignity brought on by the tears of an old man was too strong to be ignored.

—Are you telling me that you really are not my father? — Mateo said, incredulous, looking at the letter in his hand like a madman. If the story was true, then this letter was worth its weight in gold, pure and simple. It was a ticket to a life he had never even dared to dream of. It was the very journey to eternal glory.

—No... I am not... But I will always be your ancestor when I am gone... — Orrin replied, breaking into tears. These were crocodile tears that were quite hard to digest, seeing an old man crying so intensely.

Seeing the old man crying, the servants were moved by the story and made an effort not to cry, but not everyone succeeded, and a few began to join the old man's tears. Then the rest were also swept away by the atmosphere and joined in the old man's heartbreaking sobbing.

Mateo, on the other hand, couldn't stand to see his "father" in such a state, so he ran to hug him. Feeling his "father's" body as he hugged him, Mateo burst into tears, saying:

—It doesn't matter the truth: you will always be the only father in my heart! Always! I will never forget everything you did for me! You raised me as your own son, and that debt I can never repay. When you are no longer here, I will talk to you every day, and when I die, you will be the first person I visit because you are the only one who has supported me in all the difficult moments of my life!

—... — Apolo, for his part, observed in silence, as small tears welled up in his eyes. Few, fleeting, but very significant for the young butcher. Perhaps for this reason, the young nobleman felt that, for this one time, it was worth giving a good farewell gift to his most loyal servants: the arrival of the Gururis also meant the departure of his old servants. But the young man's withered and corrupted heart couldn't simply shatter the dream of this father and son duo of becoming his faithful butlers. So, acting more with his heart than his head, Apolo wasted his precious time carrying out this plan. However, it seemed that time had given him something beautiful in return, and for the first time in many years, the young man found some consolation in seeing how the outcome of his efforts had truly been worth it.

Meanwhile, the main protagonist of this story was hugging his son inconsolably while crying desperately, thinking over and over again about how the Minister of Magic could possibly discover the truth if the main character of the letter had deceived himself: this was the checkmate that the old man had set up even before the great game of the wizards had even begun.