As Elio’s quiet sobs filled the room, Claude closed his eyes.

Hearing the young mage speak brought back memories of how easily and unwittingly he had fallen in love with her.

Diana, who had spent her whole life confined to that desolate palace, never lost her smile for a moment.

Even when faced with insincere affection, she chose to see the good in everything.

She must have felt suffocated and trapped within the walls of the ducal residence, yet she never complained.

Lavish dresses and sparkling jewels held no interest for her; she handled responsibilities, whether big or small, with quiet, effortless grace.

Hans had mentioned her more than once, saying that everything in the household ran smoothly because of her.

Night after night, she waited patiently for a husband who always came home late, often falling asleep before she remembered to blow out the lamp.

“She must have hated me.”

The words slipped out of Claude as though he were in a confessional.

Elio, still wiping tears from his cheeks, stared at him in disbelief.

Claude’s unfocused eyes were fixed on ghosts of the past. His lips moved lifelessly; he seemed more like a corpse than a living being.

“I knew she loved me, and I pretended not to see it.”

“…”

“I hurt her on purpose. I hurled cruel words at her.”

“…”

“I couldn’t stand to admit that I loved my wife. Even though I knew better than anyone how deeply she loved me.”

Claude added in a dry, cracked voice. Then, with a hollow puff of air — part laugh, part sigh — he fell silent, as though stamping a full stop at the end of his own indictment.

At last, he looked at Elio, who remained silent, and parted his parched lips once more.

“Tell her I’m truly grateful for her staying by my side and helping me.”

Elio could only blink, lost for words.

Claude drew in a faint, unsteady breath and quietly added.

“Mage, it would be best if you stopped this needless meddling.”

“…”

“You don’t need to burden yourself with guilt on my account.”

Picking apart the feeling that weighed on Elio’s heart, Claude rose to his feet. Without waiting for a reply, he rounded the corner of the room and disappeared from view, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation.

Left alone, Elio watched the duke’s retreating silhouette.

The shadow trailing across the floor looked heartbreakingly desolate.

***

“Your Highness, please wake up.”

I felt someone gently shake my shoulder, rousing me from a deep sleep.

Still half-lost in dreams, I opened my eyes and gradually became aware that I was awake.

“It appears we’ve arrived.”

“Ah…”

It was Sir Solis, Princess Verche’s personal knight.

Slowly, the scattered memories of our journey returned.

Since leaving Azenta, the ship had stopped at several ports. The vessel, which was almost empty at first, soon became full of passengers. Fearing that someone might recognise me, I spent those days huddled in a corner with my robe drawn tightly over my face.

I never dreamed that I could suffer such dreadful seasickness. Poor Sir Solis had endured a great deal of trouble because of me.

“Shall we rise?”

He asked, offering his hand. I took it, rising unsteadily to my feet.

After barely moving for so long, my legs prickled with pins and needles as the blood rushed back into them.

“Thank you.”

Sir Solis had been nothing but kind. Although he wasn’t particularly talkative, he made sure to tell me everything I needed to know about life in the new kingdom during our journey by ship, such as which customs to be mindful of and how to navigate life there. He also told me how to send a letter back to Azenta in case of emergency.

He also provided me with detailed information about our new residence, the layout of the city and the general character of the local people. His guidance was so thorough that it would be impossible to remember it all.

Leaning on him for support, I joined the line of passengers disembarking and pulled the hood of my robe deep over my head. After the full three-day journey, I was exhausted.

As we stepped onto the deck, warm sunlight poured down on us. It was so bright that it almost hurt my eyes, but I could only stare in a daze at the view before me.

“Wow…”

A breathtaking coastal city stretched out before us like a painting.

We had arrived in the Kingdom of Millain, the southernmost point of the Awenze continent.

It wasn’t a large kingdom, but I vaguely recalled hearing that it maintained peace through the strength of its formidable magical power.

“Are you warm? You can take off your robe if you like.”

Sir Solis offered kindly. But I stubbornly shook my head.

The robe that concealed my face was the one thing I refused to take off.

The Kingdom of Millain was warm all year round. Perhaps because of that, the people here had vivid hair and eye colours. Hair like mine, pale silver, was almost unheard of. Even the blondes here had deep, almost reddish hues. If I were to remove my robe now, I would draw immediate attention.

Princess Verche had told me to relax, but that was impossible.

I didn’t want to attract attention. The mere thought of it prevented me from relaxing.

There were signs posted near the disembarkation point, but I couldn’t read a single word. I didn’t know the Awenzen language at all.

“Welcome to the Kingdom of Millain.”

Sir Solis kindly informed me, having noticed my puzzled look.

“I see.”

The port was bustling. Passengers from the ship quickly scattered in all directions. After such a long time, it felt strange — almost surreal — to stand on solid, unmoving ground again.

Sir Solis, who spoke the local language fluently, hailed a public carriage that was waiting near the harbour. As we climbed in, the carriage set off, taking us through streets filled with foreign charm.

Eventually, we arrived in a quaint coastal village. It was picturesque, like something out of a storybook. The few passers-by we saw all wore bright, peaceful expressions. Their joy seemed to reach me too, stirring a faint flutter of hope in my chest.

The warm, gentle breeze drifting in through the carriage window felt good.

At last, the carriage stopped and Sir Solis and I stepped down together.

He walked a few steps further before stopping in front of a large house.

“This is the residence that Her Highness the Princess has prepared for you. It’s fully furnished with everything you could possibly need.”

“Wow…”

The words slipped out on their own. The house visible beyond the garden wall was far too large and beautiful for just one person. It made clear just how serious my half-sister was about this gamble.

As I stood there admiring it, Sir Solis continued his explanation.

“The neighbours are all ordinary, trustworthy people. We’ve completed a thorough background check, so you should be able to live here without any major concerns.”

“You’ve gone to so much trouble to bring me here. Will you be returning soon?”

“First, I’ll show you around the residence. Then I’ll stay in the country for a while to ensure your safety, Your Highness. Once you seem to have settled in, I plan to leave.”

“Does that mean you’ll be staying by my side for now?”

He looked slightly flustered at my question.

“That wasn’t exactly what I meant. But if you’re uncomfortable, I’ll make sure to stay out of sight.”

“No, bringing me this far is more than enough.”

“But still…”

“Please. I truly mean it.”

I didn’t want to owe anyone anything more than I already did. I couldn’t bear the thought of tying down the princess’s personal knight just because of me.

Looking troubled, Sir Solis hesitated before finally agreeing to stay until I had finished unpacking and acquired everything else I needed. I nodded — there was no way I could refuse.

***

Claude woke from sleep.

It was midday, and the sunlight was so harsh that it stung his eyes. Though the world had changed in many ways, one unchanging truth remained: Diana no longer existed in it.

He sat up and, out of habit, reached for the bedside table. His hand closed around a cold bottle and the familiar shape of the glass slipped easily into his palm. He brought it to his lips.

The liquor burned its way down his throat and seared his stomach like fire. What he couldn’t swallow trickled down his jaw, but he didn’t care.

How much time had passed?

He had no idea. The relentless passage of time had done nothing to ease his grief over his wife’s death.

No matter how many days passed in the real world, Claude knew that, for him, time had stopped on the day he learned of Diana’s death.

Clink.

The half-empty bottle of harsh liquor clattered back onto the bedside table.

Unsteady on his feet, Claude rose.

As always, just beyond the bedroom door, a meal tray had been neatly laid out.

He staggered towards it, picked up the largest plate, and tipped its contents straight into the bin without a second glance.