= Yoei’s POV =

  In the southern part of Aurathis, Yoei once again visited the cemetery. Today, the sky seemed ready to pour with rain, dark clouds gathering from afar.

  She and Vaelion were the st to arrive. Everyone else was already there. Kaelion’s body had been buried, and many knights filled the graveyard.

  But from a distance, there was one knight without a helmet, sitting silently with his face hidden behind his iron-gloved hand. The emblem on his right shoulder revealed that he belonged to the Grand Marshal Division.

  The man sat in silence, his body trembling. Perhaps holding back tears—or masking his grief with ughter.

  Yoei approached, and as she did, everyone lowered their gaze, giving her room to pass. For the first time, she stepped outside the pace without any disguise at all.

  The closer she came, the more certain she was of the man’s identity—

  “Lady Yoei…?” Valoric asked, his voice betraying the tears he had shed.

  His eyelids were swollen, his face miserable. Traces of dirt smeared across his features, and his gauntlets were stained with grave soil—likely from helping bury Kaelion himself.

  “Forgive my ignorance, are you… Sir Valoric?” Yoei asked, her voice soft and cautious.

  “There is no need to apologize, Lady Yoei. The fault is mine, for never removing this iron helmet in your presence,” Valoric replied, forcing a smile as though trying to heal a wound as deep as the ocean.

  “You are correct, I am Valoric. Valoric Otorath,” he added, as the morning sun briefly found a chance to shine upon his sorrowful face.

  Yoei gasped, quickly covering her mouth. Her eyes trembled, unable to believe what she had just heard.

  Valoric… Otorath? Wasn’t that the surname—

  “I give you my deepest thanks, Lady Yoei, for visiting my son’s funeral…” Valoric’s voice faltered as tears began streaming down his cheeks, though he somehow managed to hold onto that gentle smile.

  One by one, the mourners slowly dispersed as thunder rumbled in the distance. The wind picked up, and Vaelion, who had been standing behind her, stepped forward.

  “Lady Yoei, it is time we return. The storm will break any moment now,” Vaelion urged with concern beneath his steel armor.

  Unbeknownst to her, Yoei herself had shed tears. She quickly wiped them away, staring at her hand in disbelief—shocked that her eyes had wept without her consent.

  “But I don’t want to go back to the pace… it’s just as cold and empty there,” Yoei replied, sounding like someone trapped in meaningless luxury.

  Before she could protest further, Valoric cut in.

  “It’s all right, Lady Yoei. You may visit my home, where my wife and I reside. I’m certain she would be delighted to meet you,” Valoric said as he rose from where he had been sitting, the sunken earth beneath him marking how long he had stayed there.

  Understanding Valoric’s intention, Vaelion chose not to interfere.

  “Lady Yoei must know this: wherever you go, I shall remain your loyal guardian,” Vaelion decred, bowing with his right hand pressed firmly against his chest.

  Seeing this, Valoric picked up his iron helm, though he did not put it on. His long brown hair fluttered in the wind like a soft curtain.

  “Very well then, let’s leave before the rain has the chance to drench us all,” Valoric said with a gentle jest. Even in mourning, he refused to let others feel the depth of his grief.

  When Valoric extended his hand to Yoei, something stirred within Vaelion… a sense of unease over their closeness. Instinctively, he pced himself between the two of them.

  “Ahem… Forgive my rudeness, Sir Valoric. But according to royal protocol, Lady Yoei must not be touched by any hand that—”

  “I understand…” Valoric suddenly interrupted.

  “Then allow me to apologize for my own discourtesy,” he added, retracting his hand at once.

  The townsfolk and soldiers still lingering there could feel the air shift, as if rivalry had just been born before their very eyes. Their breaths caught, bracing themselves for what might follow.

  The tension, however, dissolved when the bck clouds above them rumbled again. Raindrops began to fall, soaking the city of Aurathis. The citizens scattered from the cemetery, fleeing from the downpour.

  One of the Grand Marshal’s soldiers then approached and whispered something into Valoric’s ear, drawing a heavy sigh from him.

  “My apologies, Lady Yoei, it seems I have matters that—”

  “It’s fine!” Yoei cut in quickly.

  “We can visit your residence another time, Sir Valoric,” she added with a faint smile.

  Valoric was about to respond, but the soldier at his side patted his shoulder—a silent signal that they had to depart.

  Without another word, Valoric and the rest of the Grand Marshal’s men left the cemetery.

  Yoei, now accompanied only by Vaelion, also departed the rain-soaked grounds, seeking shelter beneath a roof.

  They soon arrived before a flower shop not far from the cemetery. Vaelion swiftly prepared a wooden chair for her.

  “Please, Lady Yoei,” Vaelion offered, holding it out for her.

  “Eh—there’s no need,” Yoei declined politely, gesturing with her hand.

  But Vaelion’s eyes caught something else—her fingers, swollen and bruised, tinged in purplish red.

  “Lady Yoei, what happened to your fingers…?” he asked, his hand unconsciously reaching toward her fractured ones.

  “I broke them.”

  A woman’s voice came from behind him.

  Before Vaelion could turn, the woman’s hand struck the back of his armored body, sending him colpsing into unconsciousness.

  “Such a nuisance…”

  “Mira? What have you done…” Yoei whispered in shock.

  “Oh? My little Yoei… we meet again,” Mira replied with that horrifying smile.

  Yoei’s feet slowly stepped back, putting distance between herself and her.

  Raindrops continued to fall upon her head, yet Mira showed no sign of moving.

  With heavy steps, Yoei broke into a run, fleeing from the two of them—leaving Vaelion unconscious in Mira’s presence.

  The farther she ran, the heavier her steps became, as though each footfall was a betrayal of everything Vaelion had done for her.

  At st, her stride faltered to a complete stop. She turned back, worry etched into her face at what might happen if she kept running.

  “I shouldn’t have left him… a healer should never abandon the wounded…” Yoei whispered, her body trembling from the cold.

  The rain poured mercilessly over the empty city of Aurathis, only growing heavier.

  Her vision blurred, the sound of the rain faded with it, as though everything around her was being pulled away. Her head spun violently, as if twisted by unseen hands.

  Her legs could no longer support her weight. She colpsed to the ground, with no one to aid the pitiful girl.

  “It hurts…” Yoei whimpered, unable to even scream anymore. Her whole body felt as though pierced by thousands of invisible needles.

  Everything was slowly devoured by darkness. She could neither see nor hear the storm crashing down upon Aurathis.

  How long she remained unconscious, she did not know. The st thing she recalled was the bitter chill of the air and the icy touch of the rain soaking her body.

  In that deep faint, she did not dream as mortals often do. Or perhaps… dreams were nothing more than fairytales in this cruel world.

  Slowly—faintly—her hearing returned. First the sound of a door creaking open, then the rustle of fabric… then silence once again.

  Her eyes found the light once more, though everything appeared blurred. One thing she knew for certain: she was lying in her room, the walls covered in creeping vines.

  Outside her window, the rain still fell. Though she was wrapped in a warm bnket, the cruel cold gnawed at her body as though she were already lifeless.

  Then suddenly, a pair of arms embraced her from behind—gentle, warm.

  Yoei, lying on her right side, dared not turn to see who was holding her. But from the familiar scent, she was certain she knew.

  “Let me love you as family, Yoei,” came a voice from behind her back.

  “But do not ever love me in return… for that would be the end of you.”

  Not wishing to confirm whose voice it was, she simply surrendered to the warmth of that embrace. For the first time in her life, Yoei felt peace in every breath she took.

  Beyond the door to her room, someone stood, hand resting on the handle—frozen, uncertain of their next step.