Alua wept against Clodine’s chest for a long while afterward.
Like someone mourning in secret for the first time since losing her illegitimate son, she could not seem to stop the tears.

Just as Clodine was thinking it had been wise to dismiss everyone, Alua slowly lifted her face, her reason barely regained. Her hands were still gripping Clodine’s arms tightly.

“Do not think that simply understanding this sorrow is enough to fulfill your duty…!”

Alua shouted as though seized by fury, yet the cry no longer carried the same sharp resentment as before.

“Is not your body now this nation? Is it not the very country my son gave his life to protect…!”

Being addressed by the name Alua had called her in childhood made Clodine feel, for a fleeting moment, as though their relationship had turned back time.

“If the nation does not remember their deaths… what, then, did our sons die for?”

Her voice, thinning with grief, carved into Clodine’s heart.

Clodine swallowed against the heaviness in her chest and nodded.

“I promise that no one’s sacrifice will be in vain.”

Even if the truth in her heart was shameful, she could now face it.

Ahazan being alive filled her with both sorrow and gratitude.
And she mourned the countless lives that had been lost to keep him so.

Regardless of what had happened to the lives and lands of Rotermann, she wished to uphold the crown of Empress she now bore without disgrace.

And in this unexpected exchange with Alua, Clodine finally discovered what had been hidden beneath the collapsed walls of her heart.

‘I will build a new Empire. It will be the only way to unite a nation fractured by war. And I want you to begin that journey with me.’

‘The choice of whether to leave with me is yours. I will simply wait for your answer.’

Ahazan’s words from several days ago resurfaced in her mind.

She had given him no answer then.
And he, without pressing or questioning her, had simply waited.

While he waited, Clodine stopped being afraid of horses.

Through relentless effort beyond their formal lessons, she had learned imperfectly, but surely, to imitate a proper canter.

“Thank you for holding the memorial, Your Majesty.”

Clodine returned to the present and met Alua’s eyes. Having poured out the hardened grief lodged in her heart, Alua looked lighter somehow.

Clodine spoke with greater resolve than ever before.

“Be my strength, Duchess of Brighton.”

Not for me.
But for you and for your son.

“That is the first command I give you as Empress.”

They held each other’s shoulders for a long moment, exchanging a look that required no further words.

***

“I see I’ve kept you waiting.”

Clodine had been stroking the broad white horse when she turned toward the voice.

Ahazan approached, dressed in immaculate white riding attire to match the horse, fastening the buttons at his cuffs.

“The meeting with the ministers ran long. Their complaints never end. One can hardly interrupt them mid-speech.”

There was irritation in his expression, but not an unpleasant one.

Clodine looked at him calmly. It meant only that she was ready for today’s lesson.

With a faint smile, Ahazan brushed a large hand over the back of her head before lifting her effortlessly onto the horse.

Clodine gasped at the sudden movement. He mounted behind her just as smoothly and pulled her close.

“What are you doing?”

Two people on one horse, what was he intending?

Ahazan only laughed low in his throat and gathered the reins. The horse began to walk.

“Ahazan, I can manage this pace on my own now—”

“Can’t you just stay still for a moment?”

His voice, still tinged with laughter, settled heavily near her neck.

Clodine fell silent. Resigned, she allowed herself to be held as they rode toward an unknown destination.

After a long stretch of slow walking, the horse quickened briefly under Ahazan’s guidance—then surged forward, nearing a full gallop.

Clodine felt her breath catch.

“A-Ahazan…”

“It’s all right, Clodine. I’m here.”

“But—”

“I will never let you be hurt. Trust me.”

His strong arm wrapped tightly around her waist. His solid warmth pressed firmly against her slender back.

In one sense, it felt like a wall she could not escape.
In another, like a shield protecting her.

Dizzy, Clodine gripped his forearm tightly with both hands.

“…I’m scared, Ahazan.”

She had spoken the words instinctively, yet the moment they left her lips, Clodine felt as though her heart had turned light as paper.

In truth, ever since O’Neil’s death since that dreadful reunion with Ahazan she had been afraid. Perhaps voicing it at last brought something close to relief.

“I know.”

After the quiet reply, she felt his arm tighten around her.

“I know it all, Clodine.”

Though their bodies were clearly separate, his words ‘I know without you telling me’ felt like a thread binding them into one.

Clodine let out a shaky breath and squeezed her eyes shut. Then she placed her hand over his and clasped it firmly, nodding.

It was her answer.

She would ride with him.

Ahazan did not miss the signal.

Soon the two of them moved as one atop the galloping horse, breathing in rhythm. Their breaths blended with the motion until it became impossible to tell which sound belonged to whom.

After running hard for some time, the horse gradually slowed and returned to a walk.

Clodine, who had not dared open her eyes until then, slowly lifted her lids.

They had not seemed to be climbing a steep path, yet they now stood atop a cliff overlooking a vast emerald forest spread magnificently below.

The noon sun stood high in the center of the sky, pouring down brilliant light. The wind was gentle.

Clodine drew in a deep breath, her chest rising and falling sharply. Though the air was not cold, her entire body trembled.

“I released your knight this morning.”

He meant Valoran Lord.

Clodine turned her head halfway, glancing to the side though what she truly wished to see was Ahazan’s face behind her.

“I crossed blades with him to loosen my own body. He’s quite capable.”

Ahazan’s breathing was slightly uneven, and he spoke with small pauses between phrases.

“I had to admit there is no one better suited to guard you here while I’m gone.”

Valoran’s release meant their wager had ended.

And it meant Ahazan would soon depart the capital.

It seemed he believed that Clodine’s silence regarding his invitation meant refusal.

“I’ll share the names of those you can trust in the council. People who will never betray you. Whether you choose to stand with me or not… that decision is yours.”

As he finished speaking, Ahazan leapt down from the horse just as he had mounted it. He reached up and helped Clodine down safely.

Yet throughout it all, he did not look at her even once.

The contrast was stark, she had not taken her eyes off him for even a moment.

“And what else is there to say…”

Like a man with little time left, Ahazan searched desperately for more words.

Clodine listened quietly. When a brief silence fell, she spoke without haste.

“Have you said everything you needed to?”

Standing with her hands clasped behind her back and her shoulders drawn proudly upright, Clodine looked more composed than ever.

Only then did Ahazan finally meet her gaze. He let out a small sigh and closed his mouth.

It was not that he had nothing left to say.

It was that he could say no more.

“Can’t you just come with me?”

As he finally voiced the question, his expression tightened slightly.

So in the end, all that magnanimous composure he had displayed until now had not been the whole truth.

Clodine had to bite the inside of her cheek to suppress the smile that nearly escaped.