Later, when Kyle is packing to leave, footsteps approach his doorway.
"Kyle…?"
He turns as the Baroness stands there, hands trembling, eyes already wet.
"Y-You're leaving so suddenly," she says softly, voice cracking. "I knew the day would come, but… I didn't think it'd be this soon."
Kyle's chest tightens painfully.
She steps forward and suddenly pulls him into a tight, shaking hug.
"You've always been like a son to me," she whispers into his shoulder. "You changed this home. You brought light to it. Please… promise me you'll take care of yourself."
Kyle's breath shudders.
He lifts his arms and hugs her back... really hugs her, the way a real son would.
"I promise… Lady Cynthia. "His voice trembles. "Thank you… for giving me a home."
She cries harder.
"You better come back," she says, wiping her tears with a shaky smile."And when you do… I expect you to walk through that door taller, stronger, and proud of who you've become."
Kyle nods, eyes burning.
"I'll come back," he whispers. "I swear it."
When he pulls away, even the knights waiting outside look moved.
The Baroness takes his hands in hers one last time, gives them a tight squeeze... then lets go.
Right outside,
The morning air hangs heavy over the Baron's estate as the Duke's carriage waits at the gate, its polished crest gleaming in the pale light. Kyle takes one last look at the place that raised him... the worn stones, the crooked training posts, the small gardens he helped tend. His home.
The Duke gives the signal, and the carriage door swings open. Kyle steps inside beside Zachary, who sits with calm noblesse, though even he glances at Kyle as if sensing the atmosphere weighing on him.
Outside, the Baron, Baroness, and Cedric stand together.
The Baroness tries to stay composed… but the moment the horses begin to move, tears spill down her cheeks all over again. She raises a trembling hand, waving desperately as if afraid Kyle might disappear if she blinked. The Baron slips an arm around her shoulders, holding her tightly, steadying her yet his own eyes are glassy under his stoic mask.
Cedric stands a little apart from them. Silent. Still.
His fists are clenched so tight his knuckles go white, but his expression doesn't crack. He just stares at the carriage with a fierce, burning intensity... the look of someone who has lost something precious but refuses to let the hole swallow him. His resolve remains firm. His promise unbroken.
I'll catch up to you, he thinks. Just wait.
The Baron, despite his stone-like face, feels the weight of Kyle's departure settle into his chest like cold iron. That quiet boy had changed their home more than any of them realized and seeing him leave, even for greatness, tore at something deep within him.
The road stretches out beneath the carriage wheels.
Inside, Kyle keeps his face blank and emotionless, staring straight ahead…
But his eyes betray him.
A single tear slides from the corner of his right eye, trailing slowly down his cheek. He wipes it away quickly, embarrassed, stunned.
"…This is the first time I've cried in years," he murmurs to himself.
A soft breeze slips into the carriage as they roll past the estate gates. Kyle looks back one last time at the Baroness doubling over as she cries into her husband's chest, at the Baron tightening his embrace around her, and at Cedric standing tall, unmoving, staring like a rival watching a storm drift away.
Kyle's hands tighten on his knees.
"Thank you," he whispers into the wind. "For giving me a home."
He turns forward again, eyes hardening with newfound determination.
"I'll come back," he vows, voice steady despite the ache in his chest. "I'll make you all proud…And Lady Cynthia… somehow, I'll repay you for everything."
Zachary glances at him but says nothing. He just nods once, as if recognizing the birth of something new in the quiet boy beside him.
And the carriage carries them onward, toward the Duke's capital, toward destiny.