“My Lady, how are you feeling?”

The small, single-story house was quiet and clean. There was a wide pasture surrounding it, but it was silent, as if no livestock were kept.

Only an elderly woman lived there, and she didn’t ask any questions.

“Are you sure you don’t need my help?”

Rohana nodded.

Though modest, the beige dress was something she could easily put on by herself.

As the sponge soaked with warm water touched her body, which was covered in bruises and scrapes, she winced in pain.

Rohana simply furrowed her brow slightly, saying nothing, as she slowly wiped away the blood.

By the time she finally managed to dress herself, she felt lightheaded—perhaps due to the medicine the woman had given her or from the sudden release of all the tension.

Rohana sat on the bed and instantly fell asleep.

When she awoke with a start, the sun had already set, and it was dark outside. With no stars or moon, the sky was pitch black. Jolted awake by a nightmare, she hurriedly wiped the sweat from her forehead, threw on a shawl, and left the room.

“My lady.”

Heath, who had been deeply slouched in a chair by the fireplace, called out in surprise when he saw her and quickly stood up. He had been almost lying down, his posture very different from how he had been in Nopthal.

“Heath.”

His sky-blue hair was now loose, as though he had recently washed as well. He quickly softened his expression.

“Don’t worry. Everything is fine now.”

The words Rohana had been about to spill froze on her lips.

“I didn’t want to disturb you while you were resting, but they say Shatonwell has been secured. The battle is over, and Serin is safe as well.”

In that moment, tears welled up in Rohana’s large eyes. Heath smiled as he furrowed his brow slightly. Her tears fell steadily.

Without hesitation, Heath reached for the handkerchief beside him and moved closer to her.

“He’s someone who would naturally achieve that. You must have been worried.”

Rohana’s body trembled. Heath gently guided her to sit on the long chair he had been resting on.

“Heath… How are you?”

Sitting next to him, Rohana looked at Heath with a faint smile.

“I should have asked you first.”

Rohana shook her head. The soft glow of the small fire in the hearth cast a gentle, pretty light. Though it seemed like more tears were about to fall, Rohana held them back.

“I’m so glad Princess Serin is safe.”

She said again.

“Yes.”

Heath smiled, his crescent-shaped eyes crinkling with his grin, and Rohana couldn’t help but let out a small laugh in response.

Seeing her smile, Heath’s face darkened momentarily, but he quickly regained his usual composure.

“Shall we have a little celebration, just the two of us?”

Heath picked up a wine glass and gestured, asking if she wanted some. Rohana nodded enthusiastically.

After pouring her a glass, Heath gestured for her to wait a moment and disappeared.

Rohana slowly sipped the wine. The warm drink soothed her as it traveled down her throat.

“You should eat something too.”

When Heath returned, he placed some food on the table in front of the chairs.

On the table were steaming bread wrapped in a clean, white cloth, some cheese, and a green vegetable soup. It was a simple yet comforting meal.

“Thank you for the food.”

Eating by the fireplace reminded her of the days when she used to have dinner while watching TV after work, and Rohana chuckled quietly to herself.

It felt comforting.

At that moment, Heath looked at her steadily, then suddenly began to approach.

Unable to move, Rohana found herself locked in his pale gray eyes, frozen in place.

His elegant fingers gently brushed the corner of her eye.

“Your wound…”

Realizing what he meant, Rohana let out a small, amused sigh.

“Oh, I got a little hurt.”

Then, she suddenly gasped as she remembered.

“Heath, are you okay? You must’ve been hurt worse than me, right? You were the one shielding me the entire time, getting knocked around and all.”

Heath didn’t answer.

His usual smile vanished, and he simply stared at her without moving.

“Heath?”

At the sound of her voice, Heath blinked as if he had come to his senses.

“Are you hurt? Is it bad?”

There’s no way that could be true. Heath smiled softly and sat back upright.

“No, I’m fine.”

Perhaps it was just the effects of the medicine clouding his mind for a moment.

“I’ll make sure to prepare some good medicine for you.”

Heath let out a quiet chuckle as he spoke. Remembering Kaiden’s words, Heath briefly closed his eyes.

“What good will it do for her?”

The warmth of the fire covered his closed eyelids.

“In the end, she’ll just end up fighting on the battlefield, limbs being torn apart.”

“Healing power doesn’t prevent scars, after all.”

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

Rohana was clearly anxious.

“My lady.”

Realizing he needed to reassure her, Heath gazed at her gently. This was nothing.

“I’m really fine.”

After holding his gaze for a long moment, she finally seemed reassured and finished her glass of wine.

Dressed in plain, unadorned clothes that hid her noble status, she looked a bit unfamiliar.

For a while, Heath sipped his drink, and though Rohana ate the food Heath had brought, she did so slowly.

Heath kept his gaze fixed on the fireplace, trying not to stare at her too intently.

“By the way, Heath.”

A shadow fell over her face as she gazed at the fire beside him.

“What happened with R.D.?”

He had expected the question, so Heath wet his lips before speaking slowly.

“I don’t know the exact details, but…”

He explained what he had seen in the square earlier, where he briefly encountered Kaiden with the princess in his arms.

“It seems R.D. attacked Bardi’s side, likely trying to re-kidnap Serin. It looks like there was a spy from R.D. within Bardi’s ranks as well.”

Rohana’s lips parted slightly.

“Franz Soyez.”

“Do you have someone in mind?”

“Yes.”

At her dry response, Heath frowned slightly, then quickly spoke as if there was no point in hiding it since she would find out anyway.

“It seems the condition for safely returning Serin was cooperation with R.D..”

Rohana slowly sipped the remaining wine. Just as Heath was about to speak again, having watched her throat move, Rohana spoke first.

“Aurelia must be at the palace, then.”

Her calm expression had returned to that of the duchess she usually was.

“Yes.”

Heath, unconsciously tensing up, answered.

He didn’t say, “I’m sorry, but I don’t have much to offer.”

Heath couldn’t even bring himself to look at Rohana, whom he couldn’t take his eyes off earlier. This wasn’t something he could apologize for or interfere with. He needed something stronger than wine.

“Heath.”

“Yes.”

“Now that I think about it, there’s something I still don’t know.”

His expression asked, *What do you mean?* and Rohana smiled gently. Her calm voice flowed steadily.

“What exactly is your relationship with Kaiden?”

Heath fidgeted with the glass he was holding for a moment.

“That’s a long story.”

“Well, the night is long.”

Rohana kicked off her slippers, curled her legs onto the sofa, and wrapped her arms around her knees. Sitting beside him, she gently leaned her small head against the wooden backrest.

“I met Kaiden about ten years ago, around here. Back then, I was the leader of the rising R.D. faction.”

At the sudden revelation, Rohana, who had been sitting comfortably, immediately straightened up. Heath chuckled and continued his story.

“I came here with the old landowners of Nopthal to retrieve the son of Dustin Delcliff.”

Heath spoke candidly.

“He had fled from the royal family and was hiding here with the help of a local lord.”

Rohana’s brow furrowed slightly.

“And that house was actually Aurelia Bree’s.”

Rohana’s eyebrows twitched, and she slowly nodded.

“I’m not sure why, but…”

Though the reason was obvious to everyone, Heath held back.

“Aurelia insisted on being taken to Nopthal, and since she was the daughter of the man who provided the hideout, we couldn’t refuse her. So, the three of us returned to Nopthal together.”

The crackling sound of the fireplace filled the room. Though it wasn’t cold, the small fire emitted a warm, comforting light.

“After that, it was a constant cycle of strategies and battles. Kaiden steadily built his power by purging numerous rival factions. Even though he was just a child, he didn’t act like one. Sometimes, he seemed more mature than me, and at other times, rougher than someone like me, who had grown up in the streets.”

It was the familiar, gentle tone he hadn’t used in a long time.

“Heath, can I ask you a personal question?”

Rohana, who had seemed to be organizing her thoughts, spoke up. When Heath nodded, she hesitated briefly before asking.

“Why did you leave R.D.?”

Heath’s expression faltered, and his gaze wavered.

“Kaiden always says I ‘quit’…”

Heath drained his glass of wine before continuing. His brow furrowed with the memory.

“But that’s not it.”

“What happened?”

His narrowed eyes seemed to sift through the past.

“You know how Kaiden came to gain the empire’s trust, don’t you?”

Heath started to speak but stopped himself. Rohana already knew about the ‘ Axton’ execution. When she noticed the shadow that crossed his face, she instinctively realized it.

“After that, R.D. split into two factions. As you know, Lazar became the core of the opposing side.”

“Kaiden’s elimination of Axton must have been a bitter blow to the Kark people.”

The moment Heath looked into her violet eyes, his words were cut short.

“Yes.”

“Despite Kaiden doing that, how can you still stand by his side?”

“Well, I’m not one to engage in fights I can’t win. I trust the judgment of someone I believe can prevail.”

“You believe Kaiden is still on the Kark’s side, even after what he did?”

“Yes.”

“How…?”

Just thinking about the original events made Rohana doubt him. How could anyone trust a man who had led the slaughter of his own people?

As she considered pressing for more information, she stopped when she noticed Heath’s visibly darkened expression.

“I’m sorry, I asked too much.”

“No, you’re always welcome to ask. We can always stop whenever there’s something we can’t talk about.”

At his playful remark, Rohana let out a small laugh for the first time in a while. Their conversation continued in a relaxed and light-hearted manner.