He was at death’s door. The moment Kaiden saw the strangely opaque emerald light, he knew.

Kaiden, riding the Caladrius, was descending faster than gravity itself. Looking down at the sharp, opaque emerald light, his eyes stung.

“This time, I’ll save you.”

Kaiden reached out. It was the moment when Rohana was about to touch the emerald-colored death.

Just a little more!

Perhaps he had lost too much bl＊＊d, as his body wasn’t responding properly. If he wasn’t careful, he could lose consciousness. But even if he died, he was determined to save her first. And at that moment—

Snap!

“Got you.”

The muscles in his arm bulged as though they might burst. As he pulled her up onto the Caladrius, Kaiden muttered unconsciously.

“It’s alright now.”

His voice was harsh and raspy, yet carried a soft feeling.

“It’s alright now.”

Rohana’s body was cold. Even as his consciousness blurred, Kaiden desperately prayed that he wasn’t too late.

“It’s alright now.”

In that moment, Kaiden took a deep breath and awoke from his dream.

Morning sunlight was streaming in. His large hand frantically searched the space around the bed. But there was no one there.

Still breathing heavily, Kaiden quickly sat up. Cold sweat dripped from his body, soaking his clothes.

Then, there was a knock.

“Your Majesty, good morning.”

The attendant greeted him with a respectful bow. The large chamber, now devoid of its red decorations, was adorned in purple and silver.

As the newly enthroned third emperor, Kaiden had not changed the empire’s name, but all of its symbols had been altered.

Instead of the gold and red that symbolized the Arin tribe, silver and purple were used. Silver came from the Delcliff family, while purple was chosen by mixing red with blue, which symbolized the Kark tribe.

Of course, all of this was the work of Sirirul and Galad. Kaiden hadn’t been involved in choosing the empire’s new colors. However, when purple was chosen, it had made him pause for a moment. It was a special color to him, and today, the purple seemed to stand out more.

The imperial palace felt lonely. The exhausting days right after the war had passed, the seasons had come and gone, and now autumn was deepening once again. Through the tall windows that stretched to the ceiling, the beginning of the red autumn leaves was visible.

“Your Majesty, allow me to inform you of today’s schedule.”

The empire engaged in many needless formalities. Kaiden found it unnecessary for someone else to recite his schedule like this, but he accepted the explanation that it was to prevent any mistakes and listened quietly.

“I will begin preparations for the breakfast meeting.”

“Alright.”

It wasn’t a new schedule, so Kaiden responded casually and prepared himself.

With his silver hair neatly combed, he wore a gray formal robe adorned with a purple sash. Kaiden didn’t stop the habitual sigh that escaped him. In fact, he didn’t even try to.

“Time really…”

As he stepped into the breakfast meeting, Phelts and the newly appointed ministers stood in line, rising in unison. Most of them were still nobles from the Arin tribe.

Just because the war had ended, the world hadn’t changed overnight. In fact, perhaps the same problems still lingered.

The Arin tribe remained at the top of the trading companies, while the Kark tribe continued to work for them without even being properly compensated, and that situation hadn’t changed overnight.

“Still.”

As Kaiden listened to the ministers’ reports, he thought to himself.

“We can only keep trying to make things better, little by little.”

He cleared his throat, recalling the voice that still made his heart flutter just thinking about it.

“I’ve been hearing reports that the law was passed, but isn’t being applied to actual cases.”

The Marquis of Bronk, who had overseen the judiciary for generations, looked visibly flustered.

“Well… That’s…”

“No need to make excuses. I know the situation.”

The marquis quickly closed his mouth, which he had barely opened to explain.

“If I hear similar reports next week, we’ll have no choice but to enact a special law to impose harsher penalties. Do you understand?”

“We can only keep trying to make things better, little by little.”

Once again, Kaiden remembered Rohana’s voice.

The afternoon was just as busy. Various audiences, reports, and inspections filled his time.

A cool autumn breeze flowed through the slightly open window, carrying the sweet scent of fallen leaves.

“Galad.”

As Kaiden listened to reports from Galad and Iz, who were in charge of military affairs, he suddenly interrupted Galad. His gaze, which had been fixed on the fluttering purple curtains, now shifted to Galad and Izz.

“Yes?”

“Is that the last report for today?”

“Ah… Yes, for now.”

“Then, Iz, you take care of it.”

“What?”

Startled, Iz, whose silver hair was tightly bound, asked. She then narrowed her eyes as she stared at her emperor.

“Your Majesty?”

“If you say it’s by my delegation, that’ll be enough. Besides, since you’re the one handling the practical work, it’s more fitting.”

“Your Majesty!”

“Good luck.”

“Your Majesty?”

Leaving the bewildered Galad and the unsurprised Iz behind, Kaiden rose from his seat.

“Your Majesty?”

Galad called out to his lord again, still unable to believe the empty space where Kaiden had just been. Iz crossed her arms and leaned deeply into her chair.

The autumn breeze was quite refreshing. This was unlike him, but maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing. Iz chuckled and passed the pile of documents to Galad.

“Let’s get to work.”

***

“It’s really autumn now.”

Rohana said in a sing-song voice. Before her, sitting in the garden, was Count Sibolle, who was trying hard to hide his discomfort.

Rohana flipped through the thick documents with a calm expression. The count, unable to lower the Arin tribe’s flag in the library due to the pain in his heart, was flustered by Rohana’s sudden visit.

“Y-yes, indeed.”

“The records of your exploitation of Kark tribe children are already sufficient… There’s nothing more to confirm.”

“That… That’s a misunderstanding.”

The count reached out to grab Rohana as she rose from her seat.

“I’ll be going now,” Rohana said, her eyes wide as if to ask whether he actually dared to try and stop her. Her rosy cheeks, flushed with vitality, glowed in the autumn sunlight.

“Th-then, at least a meal today…”

“Unfortunately, I have a prior engagement.”

Even if she didn’t, she had no intention of dining with him. Rohana spoke as politely as possible and left his residence.

How long had the carriage traveled? Familiar lands came into view. A grand new building stood where the safe house used to be—far larger than most dukes’ estates.

Looking at the sign that read *R.D.*, Rohana entered. As she stepped down from the carriage, shading her eyes from the bright light, a familiar voice called out from behind.

When she turned around, there stood Heath, his ocean-colored hair grown long again like in the old days, though he still wore the same black clothes.

“Heath.”

“It’s been a while, my lady.”

At the title she hadn’t heard in a long time, Rohana raised one eyebrow. Heath simply shrugged as if to say, “What’s the big deal?”

“Have you been well?”

“You really should stop speaking so formally…”

“I’m still a lady. I’ll just keep things the way they were.”

Heath chuckled at her words, then walked alongside her.

As they passed the brightly colored trees, a wide lawn came into view. People, both children and adults, were gathered there, eagerly doing something. From the mansion that now stood where the safe house once was, the cheerful sounds of activity echoed, bringing a sense of joy.

“How is it going?” Rohana asked.

“It’s going alright, I suppose. Convincing people that this is an educational institution and not a militant group is still a bit difficult, though,” Heath replied honestly.

“Well, everyone needs to be able to control their magic properly,” Rohana nodded, thinking of the power of magic.

“It would’ve been nice if we could’ve done this sooner,” she said. Heath let out a small sigh, unable to hide the lingering bitterness in his voice. Rohana, trying to recover the cheerfulness in her tone, added, “But it’s getting better, little by little.”

The wind blew, and Heath brushed his hair back. She was right.

“Yes, that’s true,” Heath agreed with a smile.

“You must be tired. Wouldn’t it be better to skip the walk and go inside for a meal?” he suggested.

“Shall we?” Rohana said.

Crisp autumn leaves gently fell onto the well-maintained stone path.

“Sirirul will be delighted to see you, my lady,” Heath said.

“That’s really kind of him,” Rohana smiled, recalling Sirirul, who had been warm to her from the very first meeting. In hindsight, she now realized just how generous and broad-minded he had been.

Under the clear blue sky, a few clouds floated lazily by.

“My lady,” Heath suddenly said. Rohana looked up at him. He gazed at her for a moment before closing his mouth and shaking his head.

“It’s nothing.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll tell you next time, if the opportunity comes.”

“I have no idea what you’re on about,” Rohana teased, and Heath laughed. But then he paused, sensing something she hadn’t noticed yet. It was a subtle presence, the kind only shared between lifelong companions. The sound of familiar hooves approached.

“Hmm…”

“What is it?” Rohana asked, her eyes wide with curiosity. Heath raised an eyebrow and turned his gaze.

Following his eyes, Rohana turned her head as well.

Standing in front of the *R.D.* mansion’s sign was a familiar figure.