On the day before his return to Adelina, Theodor strolled through the imperial gardens with Princess Lenoa.

“I will continue investigating this man, Crook Zegner.”

“Please do, Your Highness.”

They were alone among the flowering hedges, with no attendants, guards, or curious onlookers nearby.

To anyone watching from a distance, the scene might have appeared romantic—a prince and princess walking side by side through a sunlit garden.

Yet their conversation was anything but romantic.

They spoke of revenge—a subject far removed from what two betrothed royals would normally share.

After explaining everything his shadow knight had uncovered, Theodor finally allowed himself a moment to study Princess Lenoa’s face.

Then, after a prolonged silence, he carefully spoke.

“I am glad I had the opportunity to see you today, Your Highness.”

“Ah—yes. I am glad as well.”

At that brief exchange, the atmosphere between them subtly shifted.

It grew warmer yet more tense, filled with a strange mixture of comfort and nervousness that neither of them could quite define.

“You once told me that you wished to maintain our engagement.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Then… would you allow me to invite you to Adelina soon?”

Their betrothal had begun as a means of exacting revenge—or rather, Princess Lenoa had insisted that becoming engaged to the Crown Prince of Adelina would be the most effective way to bring down their enemies.

But Theodor now desired something more. Beyond politics and revenge, he found himself drawn to her strength, dignity, and quiet determination. He wanted to know Princess Lenoa not merely as an ally, but as a person.

To him, their engagement was no longer simply a convenient pact forged for vengeance.

It had become something deeper—perhaps even the beginning of a bond that could endure for a lifetime.

“I have grown fond of Cerclezia. Just as you told me, there is warmth here. The people possess a certain brightness and a strong sense of belonging.”

“…….”

“So I would like to show you my world as well, and I hope that you will come to like it… and me.”

Princess Lenoa’s eyes wavered—subtly, but enough for him to notice.

It was rare to see her so uncertain and hesitant, almost shy.

Yet Theodor found that glimpse of vulnerability beautiful. It told him that she understood precisely what he meant.

“Your Highness, I… I…….”

She could not finish her sentence.

Perhaps his words had caught her off guard. After all, the man who had once seemed so cold and distant was now speaking to her with unmistakable sincerity.

“I do not want our relationship to end as nothing more than an engagement.”

“……!”

“So please, consider marrying me in earnest.”

Princess Lenoa did not answer—not with words. Her lips parted slightly, but no sound emerged.

Theodor did not pressure her. He had not spoken because he expected an immediate response.

He merely smiled, content with the silence that followed.

Their relationship was only beginning, and he was willing to allow it to grow slowly and steadily.

***

Time passed swiftly.

Before long, it was the day before Laila’s departure for the war.

Early that morning, Laila returned to the estate, utterly exhausted after spending a long day with the Imperial Knights preparing for their deployment.

“Haah…….”

She released a weary sigh.

“Commander.”

“Oh—Derrick.”

Derrick, the vice-captain of her order, was waiting for her at the entrance. His expression was unusually solemn.

“Why are you making that face?”

Laila asked with a faint smile. It was not difficult to guess the reason. He probably wanted to see her before she left for the battlefield.

“Please… take me with you.”

“No.”

Her answer came immediately—firm and final, as though she had already known what he would ask.

Derrick’s shoulders sagged.

“You must remain here and protect Lord Carlo, especially now that we are short on knights.”

It was true. Carlo commanded only a small number of knights—not because he lacked wealth or prestige, but because he preferred it that way.

He could have established a grand and lavishly funded knight order if he wished, yet he had deliberately kept it small.

While preparing for his revenge, Carlo had chosen caution over strength, limiting the number of servants and knights around him to reduce the risk of outsiders uncovering his plans.

And with Laila’s exceptional abilities, even a small unit had always been more than sufficient.

“But still……”

Derrick began, clearly uneasy, but Laila silenced him by raising one hand.

“I will return soon. I will not be hurt.”

“…….”

As vice-captain, Derrick knew that his duty was to remain behind and protect Lord Carlo. Yet every part of him longed to follow her instead.

In his heart, his true lord was not Carlo—it was Laila.

Her swordsmanship alone inspired awe, but Derrick respected her character even more deeply.

Although she was not someone who easily opened her heart to others, she treated those under her command with genuine warmth and fairness. She was compassionate even when she tried not to show it.

‘They say war is merciless…….’

Derrick was not afraid that she would be wounded in battle. He knew that few swordsmen alive could rival her skill.

What truly frightened him was something far deeper—that the horrors of war might wound her heart instead.

“Take good care of the knights while I am away. You will have more responsibilities in my absence, so do not attempt anything too dangerous. And do not push yourself too hard, Derrick.”

“……Yes, Commander.”

“And… please take care of Lord Carlo.”

Her voice was soft, but the sincerity behind her words was unmistakable.

The way she spoke—so naturally placing Carlo’s safety above everything else—left Derrick unable to respond.

He bowed deeply, concealing the storm of emotions within him beneath his lowered head.

‘Please… return safely.’

Laila gave Derrick a reassuring pat on the shoulder before heading toward her room.

Just as she expected, Carlo was already there waiting for her.

“Laila.”

“Carlo.”

The moment she saw him, she walked straight into his embrace.

She remembered the vice-captain’s parting advice—get enough rest and eat properly before your departure. It was the most fundamental yet essential rule for any knight. To survive a war, one needed strength and a clear mind.

Therefore, she intended to spend the night resting peacefully beside the man she loved.

“I was waiting for you.”

She had only been gone for a few hours to complete the final preparations at the palace, yet from the way he spoke, anyone might have thought she had been away for days.

A quiet laugh escaped Laila as she nestled deeper into his embrace and whispered a small prayer within her heart.

‘Please, let this war end quickly—so that I can return to him.’

“Mm. I am back.”

Carlo nodded against her shoulder as though savoring the words. His breath brushed her neck, causing Laila’s heart to beat faster.

“Ah!”

A startled gasp escaped her when Carlo suddenly lifted her from the floor. Acting on instinct, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his head.

“What are you doing?”

“What are you doing? I cannot see anything when you hold me like this!”

Unlike the flustered Laila, Carlo merely smiled with perfect composure.

“I only wanted to spend some time alone with you. We will not see each other for a while.”

At those words, Laila stopped struggling. A sudden wave of sadness weighed upon her chest, and she silently rested her head against his shoulder.

Carlo pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead before carrying her out of the room. He did not stop until they reached the highest point of the mansion.

A private dinner awaited them on the rooftop.

A modest table stood beneath the evening sky, illuminated by candles whose warm golden flames resembled the fading sunset. A gentle breeze carried the faint fragrance of daisies, their white petals swaying delicately in the wind.

“Daisies……”

Laila murmured, her eyes widening.

“They are your favorite flowers, are they not?”

When she turned toward him, Carlo smiled and pressed a kiss to her hair.

“You knew? I have never told you that.”

“Of course.”

He replied simply, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.

Warmth flooded her chest.

He remembered even the smallest details about her—things she had never spoken aloud.

The carefully prepared dinner, the tender atmosphere, and the way his gaze lingered upon her alone—

It was more than enough.

It was perfect.

At least, until an unexpected interruption shattered that perfect moment.

“……What is this about?”

Carlo stood with an apologetic expression after the head steward unexpectedly arrived and called him aside.

“I am sorry. I have to leave—right now.”

This was the night before she departed for war. Tomorrow, she would face the nightmare of the battlefield, yet he was leaving her now?

“An urgent message arrived. Duke Crussian has summoned me…….”

Laila silently lowered her gaze. If the summons had come from Duke Crussian, she knew there was nothing she could do to stop Carlo from leaving.

“Laila.”

Carlo knelt before her and gently cupped her face. The remorse in his eyes was unmistakable.

“I am so sorry. I will return as quickly as I can.”

“You truly have to leave now, do you not?”

She wanted to seize him and beg him to remain with her—just this once. The time they had left together was rapidly slipping away.

“Yes. He would not have summoned me unless it was urgent.”

‘Because what matters most to you is not me, but your revenge.’

“I understand……”

Laila replied quietly, lowering her head. She kept her eyes fixed upon the ground even as Carlo pressed a gentle kiss to her forehead and left the rooftop.

“……Hh—”

A trembling sound escaped her lips. One by one, tears fell at her feet, silently gathering upon the cold stone floor.

***

“Commander, have you heard? The prodigy knight Laila is marching to war.”

Knights clad in gleaming golden armor and carrying the banner of the Adelina Empire slowly made their way through the mountain pass. Under Theodor’s orders, they had been dispatched to support Cerclezia in the ongoing conflict.

“Yes,” replied a man with striking orange hair, tying it high behind his head as a bright smile crossed his face. “With her there, this war will be over in no time.”

He was Nathan—the same knight who had once offered Laila a dessert with a friendly smile.

‘That woman… she looked so much like the Princess.’

Nathan had never forgotten the woman he encountered while scouting Cerclezia’s capital.

He knew that the Princess he had loved since childhood had died long ago. Yet the woman named Laila possessed the same innocent eyes and gentle, luminous presence. Whenever he thought of her, his heart stirred uneasily.

‘No… it cannot be.’

Countless people in the world bore a passing resemblance to one another.

Nathan shook his head vigorously as though trying to banish the foolish notion. Yet the more he resisted it, the more vividly both faces emerged within his mind—Laila’s and the Princess’s.

“Commander, there are bandits ahead!”

Nathan turned his gaze toward the figures threatening a group of travelers beyond the ridge.

“So we will have to draw our swords before we even reach the battlefield.”

In one fl*id motion, he drew his longsword and turned toward his men.

“Move quickly. Protect the civilians first—then eliminate every last one of them.”

“Yes, Commander!”

The easygoing smile Nathan usually wore disappeared. In its place emerged the cold, razor-sharp focus of a seasoned knight.

Balancing the heavy blade effortlessly in one hand, he urged his horse forward and charged directly toward the enemy.