I’m an Immigration Officer!

There are days like this.

Days when you miss someone too much.
When you thought the longing had dulled—only to find it aching in your chest again, sharp as ever.
Today wasn’t Lassen’s death anniversary.

And yet, Elaine couldn’t overcome the urge in her chest and ended up standing here, in front of her brother’s grave.
“…”
Smaller than the other royal tombs.

She quietly read the inscription carved into the headstone.
Here lies Prince Lassen Castor, beloved by all.
Brother.

Her one and only brother.
The person she killed.
Lassen Castor.
The moment she whispered his name in her heart, a dull throb pulsed in her chest.

What should I even say.
She didn’t know.
She had already heard too many words. Her mouth no longer moved.

Even this morning, she had returned from yet another cursed outburst from the woman who called herself her mother.
“The sin you committed is an unpardonable crime! Burn it into your memory forever! Never forget it, you hear me!? You murderer!”
That scream—half-sob, half-curse—kept echoing inside her skull.

She’d heard it countless times over the years, and yet the words still stabbed into her heart like blades.
If Mother knew I came to Brother’s grave like this, she’d completely lose her mind again.
Elaine clenched the hem of her dress tightly.
The black dress she wore to observe at least a minimum of decorum. The black veil hiding her face.

It was the most she could offer him.
If she had brought anything else, she didn’t want to imagine what her mother would’ve said.
That was why, the moment she noticed her mother heading to the courthouse, she had come straight here.

Brother, I miss you…
Her time had frozen fifteen years ago.
That warm boy with the same green eyes as her own.

She could still see him clearly, right before her eyes.
Her brother, smiling so brightly.
The warmth when he held her hand with worry in his eyes.

And his last breath, crushed beneath the force of a power gone berserk, when he still somehow whispered her name.
“E…Elaine… It’s… okay…”
Her heart twisted in pain.

If I hadn’t been a Talent Manifestor, would Lassen have grown into a fine man by now and ascended the throne like Father?
If my power hadn’t done that to him… or if I had died in his place…
The thoughts darkened, spiraling deeper.

Endless what-ifs and could-have-beens.
What could I have done back then?
Should I have thrown myself in the way to protect him?

If I’m suffering like this because I failed to do that—because I wasn’t enough—
Just as her guilt sharpened again into another blade to tear through her,
Step.

A footstep sounded directly behind her.
“!!!”
Elaine instantly pulled the veil lower over her face and whipped around.

“Ah.”
A man stood there, his eyes dark and unreadable.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to startle—”

Before he could finish, Elaine pointed to the ground just in front of his feet.
Crack. CRASH!
With a terrible sound, the surrounding headstones tore themselves from the ground and slammed down between them.

Telekinesis.
The power to manipulate surrounding matter with invisible force.
A blessed gift—and a cursed one—that now sent an unmistakable warning to the man.

Don’t come any closer.
But the words never left her lips.
Not if you don’t want to get hurt too.

She couldn’t speak.
From the moment she killed her brother, her mouth had never been able to form language again.
“…”

But the man showed no fear.
He just stood there, calmly watching her from the same spot.
“I didn’t mean to disturb you. I only… came to visit His Highness the Prince.”

At that, Elaine blinked under her veil, startled.
His expression—was just like hers.
Regret and longing.

And the tracks of tears that had long since dried.
It was the face of someone who had lost a loved one.
 

****
Silently, I looked down at the headstones ripped from the earth to block my path.
The princess?

I’d heard the rumors.
That someone in the royal family could move objects with invisible force.
A Talent Manifestor.

There was only one Talent Manifestor in this country other than myself.
Princess Elaine Castor.
It had to be her.

Meaning—the woman now standing in front of me was a princess.
And yet, something didn’t add up.
I was sure Princess Elaine was being kept on a tight leash by the Queen.

No way would that queen—the same one whose daughter killed her son—just let the princess visit Prince Lassen’s grave alone.
That much was clear from everything we’d seen of her so far.
Besides, it doesn’t make sense that she came here alone.

Even a count’s daughter always had guards. But a princess?
It would be normal for at least a dozen or so attendants to be with her.
If I could just confirm her eye color, I’d know immediately, but the black veil covered her face completely.

Still, from the way she reacted so fiercely…
There was no doubt she was emotionally unstable.
Maybe someone who had loved Lassen.

Or maybe his magic tutor from childhood.
I glanced toward the tombstone and read the words etched into it.
The Prince Beloved by All.

If he had been wise and kind from a young age, it wouldn’t be surprising if at least one person still remembered him with affection.
So maybe she was the princess. Maybe not.
Either way, I probably shouldn’t pry too deeply.

That veil was likely a deliberate choice.
I had no desire to get tangled with the royal family again.
So I cleared my throat and spoke.

“You came to pray for Prince Lassen, then. As I said, I truly didn’t mean to intrude.”
We didn’t have any reason to get involved. Better to just respect each other’s space.
I’ll stay out of your business—so you stay out of mine.

“…”
The woman didn’t reply.
She looked at me for a while, then slowly turned her head away.

That was more than enough of an answer.
I, too, turned away in silence.
Lassen Castor.

The son King Rio had loved so dearly.
The tragedy of House Castor.
I gazed down at his grave.
If the tragedy began with a son, what could ever end it?

Was it something you had to let go of yourself?
Or could another child carry you through it?
Or—if not that—maybe you just had to live inside the tragedy until your final breath.

The thoughts tangled.
The woman also kept her distance, watching the grave in silence.
Quiet.

Nothing moved between us—not a word, not a breath beyond our own.
Ten steps apart, the two of us stood in separate grief.
And then, just as she turned to leave the grave—

“…There was someone precious to me.”
I spoke quietly.
Her head turned slowly back.

“But because of my mistake, she died. It was unmistakably my fault.”
She looked at me.
In that wordless gaze, I could feel it: Why are you telling me this?

But I didn’t stop.
“Today isn’t her death anniversary either. But somehow—I can’t imagine another day when I’d miss her more.”
There’s honesty you can show only to strangers.

Words you can say only to someone you don’t know.
Someone who might be more honest with you than a lifelong friend.
A stranger.

She didn’t ask who I was.
This would likely be the first and last time we ever met.
It was safe to show our pain.

So I murmured quietly:
“I think… Princess Elaine is just as pitiable as Prince Lassen.”
Her shoulders flinched hard.

I knew how dangerous that line was.
It was a statement defending a royal who had killed another royal.
The kind of thing a public officer should never say.

But I went on anyway.
Staring straight through the black veil that hid her face.
“To condemn her as the woman who killed her brother… when surely she suffered the greatest shock of all.”

I pitied her.
Because she, too, had lost someone she loved.
And so I couldn’t stop speaking.

“With no one to lean on… she had to endure the world’s blame alone.”
I don’t know why.
Maybe it was foolish meddling. Maybe misplaced sympathy.

Or maybe—I saw myself in her.
In how she shattered.
“But I believe… someday, she will rise again.”

Because one day—she must forgive herself.
You must forgive—but not forget—and rise.
Do not awaken in fury, like the King.
Do not lose yourself in madness and dependency, like the Queen.

“For the sake of those who fell first… we must stand again.”
Just as Renee once reached her hand out to me—
—I now reach my hand out to her.
The princess looked at me.

 
****
Stunned, Elaine stood motionless, rooted to the spot.

“…”
Even after the man had said everything he meant to say, he still waited silently for her reply.
For the first time, a question stirred in her.

Who are you?
A man who resembled her.
A man with the same expression.
He, too, had said—

—that he had driven someone precious to their death.
Elaine looked into his eyes through the veil.
Eyes soaked in sorrow, but glinting with twilight.
Yes, his expression mirrored her own.

Sorrow. Regret. Longing.
But his gaze… was different.
There was something decided in his eyes.
Something resolute.
Deep and unwavering.

How did he overcome that grief?
How did he come to bear that look in his eyes?
Slowly, she lifted her hand.

Crack…
The headstones—ripped out of the earth just moments before—returned to their places.
Now, there was no barrier left between her and the man.

Elaine took a step forward—one slow step.
Who are you, to say those things to me?
Words she had never heard before.

“I pity Princess Elaine as much as I pity Prince Lassen.”
Words not of condemnation.
Words of sympathy.
No—more precisely—
Words of understanding.

A feeling she had never experienced before.
Elaine stepped closer to him.
I want to know.

How you overcame it.
I want to hear.
What you went through.

She slowly reached her hand toward him.
If this wasn’t a hallucination, if this was real—she wanted to speak to him. Even if just once.
And the moment her hand nearly touched the edge of his coat—

Step. Step.
“There you are.”
People from the Queen’s side entered the royal burial grounds.

They were the Queen’s attendants—those who reported Elaine’s every move.
“!!!”
The princess immediately stepped back.

The attendants looked at the man and sneered.
“…Chief Inspector Nathan Kell.”
The man called Nathan Kell gave a slight nod.

“Good day.”
“You’ve yet to return to the southern border, I see.”
“I had some time to spare. Thought I’d visit an old friend.”

At that, one of the attendants scoffed.
“I didn’t know you and Prince Lassen were friends.”
“We weren’t. I just… suddenly wanted to visit his grave.”

“A prince you had no relation to?”
“As a subject to a royal, we had a relation.”
Sharp words passed between them.
The discomfort was plain.

Elaine stared blankly—until she saw Nathan Kell bow slightly in her direction. She flinched.
“Then I’ll be on my way. My lady—though I do not know your name, thank you. However brief, I was grateful to speak with you as a friend.”
He was offering to leave first—before either of them could be dragged into trouble.

Wait.
Startled, she tried to speak.
“Ah…”

But only meaningless breath escaped her lips.
And so, her only understanding soul turned without hesitation and walked away.
 

****
That night.
After enduring yet another round of curses and screaming from the Queen, Elaine sat in her bedroom in a daze.

Her mother’s words still hurt—but something else preoccupied her now.
Chief Inspector Nathan Kell…
The one person who understood her—gone before she could even ask his «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» name.

Why did he say those things to me?
She wanted to ask.
But now she couldn’t.

He had left.
And she—she was someone who couldn’t speak.
Elaine pushed herself to try, mustering courage.

“Ah… uh…”
But only meaningless sounds came out—groans without shape.
Chief Inspector Nathan Kell.

No matter how hard she tried, the words stopped like they’d hit an invisible wall.
“Ch… K—”
She slumped again, giving up.

That familiar, suffocating helplessness crept back in.
“Princess, it’s time to rest now.”
Her only faithful handmaiden, Hanna, approached gently.

Elaine looked at Hanna—and then, an idea flashed across her mind.
She quickly grabbed the maid’s hand and began writing with her finger on Hanna’s palm.
Letter.

If she couldn’t speak, she would write.
Her mouth was sealed, but her hands were free.
If she couldn’t communicate with voice, she would use words on paper.

Why didn’t I think of this before?
Hanna blinked, then nodded quickly.
“Ah, a letter. Right away, Princess.”

Not even a minute later, Hanna returned with a stack of stationery.
“Whew…”
Elaine steadied her breath, picked up the pen, and wrote at the very top:

To: Chief Inspector Nathan Kell
She didn’t know what post he held or where exactly he was now.
But his name—she remembered clearly.
Next, she moved the pen to the bottom of the page.

From: Ele—
Elaine hesitated just before finishing her name.
A sudden, uneasy thought passed through her mind.

If he finds out I’m the princess…
Would Nathan Kell condemn her like everyone else?
She didn’t know.

He was the only person who had shown her sincerity.
The only one brave enough to bare his darkest past even upon first meeting.
He was her only understanding soul.

She didn’t want to be judged by him too.
Then… should I send it anonymously?
Just then, Nathan’s last words echoed in her head.

“However brief, I was grateful to speak with you as a friend.”
She hesitated—then wrote one short word.
From: Friend

An awkward word.
A word that didn’t suit her at all.
“…”
For the first time in so long, the corners of her lips twitched upward.

Elaine spent the rest of the night clutching that letter, writing and erasing, writing and erasing again—
—feeling a new kind of emotion slowly spread across her face.