The meeting ended.
The Empire began to readjust itself.
The Heralds were already drawing new plans, cold and relentless.
And although no one said it openly, the decision had already been made.
They needed the Kingdom's troops.
They needed Princess Elizabeth.
But convincing her would be another battle.
Upon leaving, Emily only wanted to disappear.
She walked through the corridors of the imperial palace without looking at anyone, searching for a place that did not demand answers, that did not expect miracles, that did not remind her of what had happened. A place where she could breathe without feeling that the world still depended on her.
She found it on the private terrace assigned to the Kingdom's delegation.
Lusian was standing there, arms crossed, watching the city tinted by the lights of mana.
The snow fell gently, like extinguished ash.
Emily stopped at the threshold.
—...Lusian.
He turned his head. There was relief in his gaze. And something deeper, something only she could recognize.
—Emily —he replied, with a softness reserved only for her.
She took a few steps toward him, trying to maintain her composure… but her voice trembled before her knees did.
—We failed —she whispered, as if admitting it for the first time—. I lost… comrades, Lusian.
Her breathing broke.
—I tried to save them.
She lowered her gaze, as if she could still see the snow stained red.
—The followers were running toward us, believing we could protect them. Some of them weren't even soldiers… just temple people, refugees, the wounded.
Her fingers trembled as they clutched her coat.
—It was terrifying.
She closed her eyes tightly.
—I healed one… and three more fell behind me.
Her voice began to crack.
—I heard them screaming my name. They were asking for help. They still believed I could save them even as they were dying.
Silence crushed her for a moment.
—And in the end… they became prey.
Lusian said nothing.
Emily trembled.
—I let them die.
Lusian did not ask, did not correct her, did not demand explanations.
He simply stepped closer and embraced her.
Emily did not hesitate. She clung to him with restrained desperation, burying her face in his chest. Lusian held her firmly, one hand on her back, the other on the back of her neck, protecting her as if the world could not reach them there.
—You're no longer on the battlefield —he murmured against her hair—. Here you don't have to pretend to be strong.
She trembled.
—I couldn't do anything…
Lusian tilted his head and his lips brushed her temple in a silent gesture of comfort.
—It's not your fault —he said firmly—. It's okay.
Emily shook her head, drowned in guilt.
—But I'm a hero… I'm supposed to save people…
Lusian took her face in both hands, forcing her to look at him.
—Emily. Don't carry everything on your own. I know you. I know how much you try… sometimes too much. But there are things that can't be avoided, even when we give everything we have.
She closed her eyes. The tension began to break. The guilt, the pressure, the failure… slowly dissolved in the warmth of that embrace.
She grabbed Lusian's shirt tightly, almost pleading.
—Stay with me —she asked in a thin voice—. I… I can't sleep alone tonight.
Lusian didn't need words. He nodded.
He accompanied her to her room. He closed the door behind them gently.
And that night there was no strategy, no politics, no gods, no monsters.
Only her… seeking refuge.
And him… holding her, as she had so many times held him.