Calliope spoke as if repeating words someone had once said to her.

“I-If we get separated, we’ll wait at the entrance that leads to the forest.”

“…Is that what your brother told you?”

“Mm. He said he’d wait at the entrance.”

Selina slowly drew in a breath and let it out again.

If she didn’t steady herself, she feared she might run to her brother like a madwoman.

“Where is the entrance? I’ll take you there.”

“Mm…”

Calliope tilted her head as if her memory were hazy. It seemed as if she had suddenly become disorientated; with night falling, everything had blurred together.

“There’s no need to rush. If you think about it slowly, you’ll remember.”

Selina gently took Calliope’s hand.

When her fingers touched Calliope’s, her eyes widened in surprise. But the awkwardness lasted only a moment.

Soon, she clasped Selina’s hand firmly as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

“This way. I think it was this way.”

“Alright. Let’s go together.”

Relying on Calliope’s memories, the two of them walked along the dark forest path.

Ari had transformed into a lantern-like glow, lighting the way and enabling them to avoid the most dangerous sections.

Gradually, the dense trees thinned, revealing a gentle path that was no longer a forest trail.

“There! He’s there!”

Calliope cried out excitedly, pointing toward someone.

Selina turned, her heart trembling.

Ahead of them stood the back of a man.

“…Is that your brother?”

“Mm. Yes!”

Overjoyed, Calliope released Selina’s hand and ran straight toward her brother.

‘That man…’

He stood with the moonlight behind him. Perhaps because of that, only his silhouette was visible, his features stubbornly refusing to come into view.

Without realizing it, Selina drew in a breath.

It had been three years since she last saw Calix. Yet absence had never meant forgetting him. Anyone who has ever yearned for someone with their whole heart knows how a person’s image can appear with watercolor clarity, even when they are not before your eyes.

His finely shaped eyebrows were etched into her memory.

The sharp line of his jaw.

She could feel the rise and fall of his breath with every inhalation.

Everything about Calix was engraved within Selina, like a living, breathing painting.

‘Sometimes, I resented you.’
‘You were this vivid whenever I closed my eyes—yet you never once appeared in my dreams.’

At times like that, bitterness would well up, only to be replaced by understanding.

If she were Calix, she would have done the same.

Selina’s presence was so unbearable that one would want to erase all memory of her.

‘Still, I thought we would meet again.’

Selina followed Calliope.

She had imagined that when she finally met Calix again, she would run straight to him.

But she didn’t.

Her steps felt unbearably heavy.

They trembled so much that moving forward was difficult.

“I’m here!”

Calliope ran ahead and threw her arms around her brother’s waist. Startled by the sudden embrace, the man turned around.

The moment Selina saw his face, her heart began to pound so violently that she had to clutch her chest.

But—

‘Ah. No… it’s not him.’

The man who turned around was not Calix.

No matter how closely she looked, she could see no resemblance whatsoever — just an ordinary man, completely different from him. Where that overwhelming pounding in her chest had been, a quiet, indescribable emptiness had swept in.

So it wasn’t him again.

The thought surfaced unbidden, and with it came a creeping doubt.

‘Is Calix truly alive at all?’

“Get a grip.”

Selina slapped her own cheek to dispel the growing negativity.

Calix was alive.

He had to be.

There was no other possibility.

She was barely holding herself together when Calliope took her brother by the hand and pointed at Selina.

“Sh-she saved me.”

“I was so worried when you suddenly disappeared…”

The man scolded Calliope under his breath and turned to look at Selina.

He bowed his head as if about to offer thanks, but then froze abruptly.

In a voice filled with disbelief, he asked.

“A-are you… the Grand Duchess?”

She hadn’t expected him to recognize her.

Selina was momentarily taken aback, but quickly composed herself and replied.

“You know who I am?”

“…How could I not?”

His voice was calm.

“I, too, once belonged to the Knights of Thalia.”

When she heard the name ‘Knights of Thalia’, a dull ache spread through her chest.

It was a name that no longer existed. Yet it had once been home to Calix, as well as to so many people who were dear to Selina.

How could she ever forget it?

“I see. Then it’s good to meet you like this. Though I doubt the feeling is mutual.”

“…I won’t offer empty pleasantries. Still, thank you for saving the Grand Duchess.”

The man bowed lightly.

“Huh? I told you, I’m not a Grand Duchess.”

Only Calliope, still failing to grasp the situation, tilted her head in confusion.

“Then… we’ll be on our wa—”

“Wait.”

Selina stopped the man as he turned to leave. Looking up at him as if to ask if he had anything else to say, she spoke.

“I want to meet the Elder.”

The man’s face—carefully composed until now—drained of color.

“H-how do you know about the Elder?”

“…Did you think I wouldn’t?”

Selina’s voice was calm.

“He’s already well known within the imperial forces.”

“Th-that may be so, but—”

At last, he fixed her with a wary, sharply guarded stare and demanded.

“You didn’t come all the way here just to meet the Elder, did you? Whatever your intention may be, do you really think I’d willingly lead you to him?”

In response, Selina drew a piece of parchment from her cloak.

On it was a detailed map—the exact location of the fortress, precisely as Callios had described it.

“I already know where it is. If you won’t take me, I’ll go on my own.”

“Hah. Unbelievable.”

The man clicked his tongue in disbelief.

However, upon further consideration, he realized that Selina was right. If she already knew the location, refusing her outright would serve no real purpose. In fact, since she could potentially become a threat herself, wouldn’t it be better to keep her in his line of sight?

At least that way, if she did anything reckless, he could step in.

Perhaps sensing his hesitation, Selina offered a faint smile and asked.

“So? What will you do?”

“……”

After a long moment of deliberation, the man finally nodded.

The fortress where the Elder lived was not far away. However, Selina was more astonished by the location and appearance of the fortress than by the distance. She had vaguely imagined a hidden stronghold, such as a fortress carved deep underground or concealed among the treetops.

Instead, what stood before her was a castle.

An ancient stone stronghold, worn by time yet still steadfast — unmistakably the work of master craftsmen.

‘To think someone would choose a place like this for a stronghold…’

In a way, the so-called Elder seemed to have a remarkably bold temperament. Otherwise, he would never have chosen such a conspicuous location for a fortress, knowing full well how much attention it would attract.

“It’s me.”

The man called out his name to the guards stationed at the gate. After confirming his identity, they opened the gate and let him through.

“Why are you so late? I told you not to wander around this area so carelessly—hm? And who is this young lady?”

“Don’t tell me you went out and came back with a lover?”

The two gatekeepers stared at Selina, eyes wide, muttering among themselves.

“That’s not it! Absolutely not!”

The man flailed his hands wildly, trying to clear up the misunderstanding, but the guards already looked convinced.

“Ha… This is why a man has to be handsome. If you’re good-looking, you go out for a bit and come back with a woman.”

“Exactly. And where on earth did you find a beauty like this…?”

The two of them couldn’t take their eyes off Selina.

“I—I told you, that’s not it!”

“Not that kind of person? So she’s not your lover? Then who is she?”

“This person is—”

Hesitating, the man finally revealed Selina’s identity in a careful voice.

“…She is Selina Silas, formerly the Grand Duchess of Thalia.”

The moment the name Selina Silas left his lips, the area fell deathly silent.

Not only the gatekeepers, but even the villagers standing farther away froze, all eyes turning toward her.

“Huh? What’s wrong with everyone?”

Calliope, unaware of the reason, tilted her head in confusion and clung tighter to Selina’s arm.

The expressions of those who had looked upon Selina favorably just moments ago twisted instantly.

They rushed towards the man, demanding answers.

“Why did you bring that woman here?!”

“She’s spotted the fortress—does that mean we’re all as good as dead now?! Did the Duke’s army march right up to our doorstep?!”

“That—that’s not the case. Lady Selina said she wished to meet the Elder.”

When the word ‘Elder’ was mentioned, an even heavier silence descended.

The atmosphere became as solid as a frozen lake in the depths of winter.

“…You’re telling me that woman came here already knowing the Elder is present?”

“Th-that is correct.”

“And yet you brought her here anyway? You lunatic!”

“It didn’t seem as though she had ill intent. She truly appeared to have come only to meet the Elder. Still, I thought it only proper to inform him of this—”

“On whose authority?”

Suddenly, a sharp, glass-shattering voice cut through the air.

It sounded strangely familiar, and Selina had the feeling that she had heard it before.

She turned towards the source of the voice.

“Where did you learn such manners? You don’t burden the Elder with meaningless reports just because you feel like it.”

The speaker was Karen Rymont, one of the former commanders of the Knights of Thalia.