Amelia remembered the first time she met Ryn with perfect clarity.
Her father had brought her to the Arctis estate for a private tea meeting—nothing grand, just two old friends catching up. Their fathers had floated the idea of a political engagement.
As usual, Amelia had been told to sit straight, speak politely, and represent House Grandal with dignity.
She had done exactly that.
Ryn, however… had not.
He'd arrived ten minutes late, hair unbrushed, collar slightly crooked, and expression so bored she wondered if he might fall asleep mid-introduction.
Her father praised her posture.
Count Arctis proudly mentioned Amelia's potential and discussed how she would receive a strong Blessing.
Ryn stared at the ceiling.
Amelia had spared him one single glance and immediately looked away.
Lazy. Unmotivated. Disrespectful.
That was her first impression.
Why was she, the heir of house Grandal, getting engaged to a middle child? Worse of all, he's a bum?!
Years passed before she saw him again, long enough that she forgot the engagement entirely.
News had spread quickly:
Ryn Eden, middle child of House Arctis, had received only a B-Rank Blessing.
Her father was furious.
Not at Ryn—but at the idea of linking House Grandal to a house whose child had 'no hope'. He spoke bluntly over dinner:
"We should annul the engagement. Before it becomes a stain on your reputation."
Amelia had said nothing. Not because she agreed, but because she didn't know how to feel.
She remembered Ryn as lazy, sloppy, and uninterested in anything noble. Annulment would've been logical.
Yet something in her chest tightened.
She asked her father for time to think. He granted her the night.
Amelia explored the Arctis estate, her mind running too wildly to sleep. While walking, she had heard noises, like wood clashing against something.
Following the noise, she had found Ryn training in the backyard while the candles were out and no one was around.
His posture wasn't elegant. His swings weren't perfect, but he never stopped trying and correcting himself.
Nothing about him looked lazy now.
Amelia stepped into the moonlight.
"You're still training?" she asked, unable to keep the disbelief from her voice.
Ryn yelped so loudly that she flinched. He was mid-swing, and his momentum had carried him all the way to the ground.
He whirled around, eyes wide, trying to recover.
"Wh—when did you get there?!"
"You didn't hear me?"
"No!"
"Aren't you supposed to have [Enhanced Senses]?"
"Well, my Blessing doesn't work when I'm focusing hard on something. It's defective."
A long silence paused between them.
"You train like this… every night?" she asked quietly.
Ryn looked away, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I mean… yeah." He shrugged awkwardly. "It's more convenient that way."
Something in her chest tightened.
She sat down on the nearby grass. It was soft but a little wet from dew.
He picked up the sword and continued swinging,
"What brings you out here? Couldn't sleep?"
Amelia hesitated. It was so easy for her to lie here, but the truth had slipped out before she even realized it.
"My father wants to annul our engagement."
Ryn paused mid-swing, lowered the blade, and breathed out slowly, thinking for a bit.
"…Yeah. Figures."
It was a completely different reaction than she had expected, not confusion but calm acceptance.
Amelia frowned. "You're… not upset?"
Ryn wiped sweat from his jaw with the back of his hand.
"Why would I be? Engagements are stupid anyway."
She blinked. "Stupid?"
"Yeah." He leaned the wooden sword against his shoulder.
"Why does your father get to choose who you marry? Isn't that messed up?"
The question hit her like a slap. All her life, she'd been following her father's orders, never questioning them. Amelia felt as if she'd already accepted her role— the heir and political power of Grandal.
But Ryn?
Ryn looked at her as if she were just a girl standing in the moonlight.
Her throat tightened.
"You don't think it's insulting?" she asked quietly. "Having it annulled?"
"Why would it be?" He shrugged. "You don't even like me."
She was the one who flinched this time.
Ryn's voice remained painfully casual.
"You're talented. Proper. Basically perfect. I'm…" He gestured vaguely at himself.
"…me. So if you want out, you should get out. It's your life."
He said it like it was the most obvious, reasonable thing. Her father never cared about what she wanted, but Ryn did, without even realizing it.
Amelia watched him with a strange, fragile softness.
"You're different when no one's watching," she said.
Ryn tilted his head. "…Is that bad?"
"No." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "It isn't bad at all."
And right then, Amelia Grandal made her decision. She would not annul the engagement. Even deciding to live at the Arctis House.
And two years later, she was still here, with the same person.
He really does need some proper noble etiquette. She sighed.
Ryn yawned outwardly, tired from his earlier training. He shifted to the carriage window, enjoying the morning light landing on his face.
Then he noticed something. Amelia sat across from him.
Staring.
"…Did I do something?" he asked cautiously.
Amelia's expression didn't change, but the way she looked at him made his neck itch.
"No," she finally said. "You're just… slouching again."
Ryn sighed and straightened his posture automatically. "Happy now?"
"Moderately."
Thank you, [Enhanced Senses]. He silently prayed.
Ryn resisted the urge to groan. She was still the same. Two years later, and Amelia Grandal still looked more like his mother than fiancée.
The carriage rocked again. Outside the window, forests flickered past—dense green canopy rolling toward the Deimos mountain belt.
Right. Deimos.
Ryn rubbed his face, trying to focus. He remembered why they were here… unfortunately.
"Remind me again," he said, "why I'm getting dragged along on this trip?"
Amelia arched a brow.
"Because you're the Count's second son. The heir can't be sent to minor disturbances, and the youngest is too inexperienced. You are… the logical choice."
"Translation," Ryn muttered, "I'm expendable."
"Not expendable," she corrected. "Appropriately important."
"That sounds worse."
She didn't deny it.
Amelia crossed her legs neatly. Her silvery-white hair looked like fine silk from catching the sunlight.
"Besides, Baron Deimos made a formal request. Monsters in the southern ranges have been acting unpredictably. Small villages were attacked. Sending someone with a title shows respect."
"Why not send just the knights?" Ryn frowned.
"We are sending knights," she said patiently. "You're simply riding with them."
So he was a decorative noble escort. Great.
"Then..." Ryn asked. "Why are you here?"
Amelia paused. A tiny, almost imperceptible hesitation.
"The Count asked me to join the investigation," she said smoothly. "He trusts my judgment."
Ryn blinked. "Over mine?"
"Yes."
He nodded. "…Fair."
Amelia suppressed a cough that sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
Ryn leaned back against the cushioned seat, arms folding behind his head. Deimos… He hadn't thought about that place in years. In his past life, he hadn't gotten involved with the barony until much later—and even then, he barely remembered the details.
He contemplated.
Deimos mountains…Monster…disturbances…
Then it clicked.
His entire body lurched forward so hard the carriage springs squealed.
"Ah—!"
Amelia flinched violently, hand flying to her chest.
"—Ryn!?"
"Deimos," he whispered. "I'm an idiot."
"Yes," Amelia muttered automatically, then blinked. "Wait—what?"
Ryn didn't answer immediately. His mind was racing, dragging up memories he'd buried under battles, exhaustion, and the long dark years.
During the Evernight, the 'hero party' had gone to Deimos after discovering that it had been a monster breeding ground.
Though one of the monsters had given them a particularly hard time, as Ryn read from a report.
The Iron Basilisk.
A serpent the size of a large house, plated in iron-grey scales that deflected swords.
It was a tough monster, but nothing to write home about. However, things changed when a master alchemist discovered the corpse on his way to Deimos.
The man had taken a vial of the leftover venom purely out of curiosity, thinking it might help with his experiment, a meaningless diversion.
But when he combined it with other rare materials, the venom became a stabilizing agent, creating an unexpected legendary artifact.
The Vitalis Core.
An artifact that increased the user's MP, the lower their HP was. However, this wasn't why it was praised.
No, the Core had a second feature. To prevent someone's HP from reaching 0 once.
Now the real problem surfaced. If he found it first this time, it would be his.
They wouldn't discover it until five years later. This was a huge insurance and something worth burning down nations for.
But he also remembered who it had gone to originally.
Ryn looked forward to the Flame Queen sitting before him.
Amelia.
The Vitalis Core hadn't been made for Amelia—she'd simply been the one who needed it most.
Though she never asked for it, but because she pushed herself harder than anyone. Because, in the old timeline, the Core kept her standing during the Evernight's worst months.
Ryn clicked his tongue.
Perfect.
Exactly what he needed: a moral crisis before lunch.
Do I keep it this time… or give it back to the person it saved?
He couldn't decide now.
But the fact that it was even a question annoyed him.
A lot.
Amelia glanced over. "You're frowning. What now?"
Ryn forced a shrug. "Just thinking about… priorities."
"Your priorities are never good."
"Yeah," he muttered, "that's the problem."
He looked outside. They'd just passed the mountain range, and the small city of Deimos was coming into view.
Decision postponed. For now.