Airen stood atop the fortress wall overlooking the northern plains, a place that could only be reached by ascending the stone staircase.

    To tend to the wounded, she needed to descend the stairs and leave the meeting chamber, but—

    Her heart wavered. She needed a moment to steady herself.

    She gazed upon the vast, open field.

    And in that moment—she understood her fate.

    "I... am being abandoned."

    She had suspected this might happen.

    No matter how she knocked on that closed door, no matter how she proved her loyalty,

    No matter how hard she tried—

    The one who should have been her guiding sun, her lord, never once bathed her in warmth. Instead, she was always pushed away.

    No matter the achievements she brought, they were ignored. No matter the words she spoke, they were unheard.

    Yet, she had clung to her father''s words, never letting her pride waver, training tirelessly to remain steadfast.

    Striking a scarecrow with her sword had been a good way to clear her mind, and through sheer will, she had endured.

    She had wanted to burn herself away for her lord’s sake.

    The more she was deemed unworthy, the more she wished to set her unwavering loyalty ablaze and prove herself.

    But—Airen was no immortal.

    The raging fire of her devotion had dwindled to a mere ember, fragile enough to be extinguished by the faintest breeze.

    And now, when she had clung to the hope that her loyalty would finally be acknowledged—

    She had been given an order that was no different from "Go out and die."

    Even someone as resolute as her could not help but falter.

    But she refused to think that way. She steadied herself, forced her trembling heart into stillness.

    Perhaps, just perhaps—Lyn Brans had given her this task as a chance to earn merit.

    A fleeting, desperate hope.

    "...Father..."

    The face of the only family she had left came to mind.

    What should I do now?

    If the sword I once raised to protect others can no longer do so—

    No, if I am no longer even permitted to protect—

    Then how am I supposed to live from here on?

    "The Juliet family exists for the sake of the Brans family."

    She had lived by that creed, treating it as an unshakable truth.

    Yet even she was reaching her limits.

    Would they finally acknowledge me if I stayed and fought to the bitter end?

    Would Lady Lyn, in the end, at least recognize that I gave my all for her?

    If I refuse to surrender even as a prisoner of war, if I remain loyal until my last breath—

    Will my devotion finally reach her?

    The thought nearly brought her to tears. But she held them back.

    Even if she was being cast aside—until the very end, she would keep her father’s last words.

    Even if she were to die fighting for her lord.

    If that was her fate, then she would accept it.

    So why—

    Why did her chest ache so unbearably?

    She thought to herself.

    If only there had been just one person.

    Just one person who could acknowledge her efforts, who could see how hard she tried—

    And at that moment.

    "So this is where you were."

    "...!!!"

    Startled out of her thoughts, Airen snapped her head in the direction of the voice.

    Standing there—was the silver-haired man who had, over time, become a familiar presence.

    "I checked the infirmary, but you weren’t there. Took me a while to find you."@@@@

    "S-Swen...? What are you doing here...?"

    "What do you mean? I came to see you, of course."

    Ah.

    So he had come to bid her farewell.

    Now that she thought about it, she had grown rather fond of Swen.

    At first, their cohabitation had been unintentional, but in hindsight, it had not been unpleasant.

    He had provided a warmth she had always longed for.

    Simply sharing space with someone had been... enjoyable.

    And he—

    He was perhaps the only one in the Brans Army who had ever placed any faith in her.

    "...I see. You''ve come to say goodbye. You truly are a kind person."

    She forced a smile.

    A fragile, sorrowful smile—one that seemed ready to crumble at any moment.

    But she would not let herself waver.

    She did not want to burden him with the weight she bore.

    The emotions she had to endure alone—she would not trouble him with them.

    "Swen, the time I spent with you... was not unpleasant. I will never forget it. I will protect this fortress until the very end. ...Still, if I do not return to Arnel Castle—"

    The moment she spoke those words, her body trembled ever so slightly.

    "You may take whatever is left in my home and use it as you see fit. Some things may fetch a decent price if sold."

    She had spent weeks watching Swen, and he was a kind man.

    Whenever she trained alone, he had subtly left food for her.

    He often engaged her in conversation, making sure she was never isolated.

    It could not have been easy, housing a higher-ranking officer of a different gender.

    Yet never once had he voiced a complaint.

    He was compassionate.

    And because of that, she feared he would try to stop her.

    That he would beg her to abandon this foolish duty and beg Lyn Brans for another chance.

    If he said something like that—

    She would have no choice but to ask him to leave.

    She would have to sever this tie, force herself to say goodbye, and suppress the emotions threatening to spill over.

    Because if Swen became too entangled with her—

    He would inevitably share her fate.

    And she could not allow that.

    But—

    Swen spoke words she had never even considered.

    "Huh? What are you talking about?"

    "...What?"

    "I’m not leaving. I’m staying right here. Our lord instructed us to earn merit, didn’t she? We should do exactly that. Oh, and Jack and Silin already left. They asked me to pass along their apologies and wish you good fortune."

    "What... What are you saying?"

    Airen stared at him, wide-eyed, her voice quivering.

    "I said I’ll be staying here in the fortress with you."

    "...What?"

    Her voice shook.

    "Why? Why would you? Staying here means—"

    And finally—

    She could no longer look away.

    "Just use the embers that remain to make us some tea. For as long as we’re together."

    "...!!!"

    And then—

    At last, the tears she had fought so hard to suppress spilled over.

    "...Hhk."

    Airen buried her face against Swen’s chest.

    He said nothing, simply resting a hand on her back, gently patting her as she cried.

    "I... I..."

    It was fine if no one acknowledged her.

    It was fine if her devotion never reached her lord.

    If she could become the daughter her father would be proud of,

    If she could live long enough to be recognized by the Brans family in the end—

    But all those lies she had told herself...

    All of them shattered, one by one.

    It wasn’t fine.

    She knew her devotion would never reach Lyn Brans.

    She knew she would never be acknowledged.

    And once the armor of lies she had worn for so long crumbled—

    The truth became painfully clear.

    She had been lonely.

    So unbearably lonely.

    No one had ever truly seen her. No one had ever recognized her.

    And now—

    Now that she had finally cast off those lies—

    She realized something.

    The man standing before her...

    He was the only one who did see her.

    "...Hic... hkk..."

    For a long time, she sobbed in Swen’s embrace.

    And Swen held her through it all.

    After all—

    There was no one else who would come looking for her.

    In that moment, they simply shared each other’s warmth.

    ***

    As time passed—

    Her tears finally ceased.

    Swen continued to gently pat her back.

    "Do you feel a little better now?"

    "...Yes."

    She had held back her tears for so long, but now that she had finally let them out—

    It felt as though a great weight had been lifted from her chest.

    She had no idea why she had spent so many years forcing herself toward an unattainable goal, enduring and enduring for something that would never be realized.

    And now that she had cried in front of him—

    Now that she had let go, even if just a little—

    She could finally think clearly.

    Airen turned her head slightly to look at Swen.

    He was handsome.

    She had never been one to care much for appearances,

    But even so, he was striking enough to catch her eye.

    But that wasn’t what was shaking her heart right now.

    It was his kindness.

    His warmth.

    The strength of someone who refused to abandon her.

    Even now, as he continued to pat her back—his touch was so warm.

    When Lyn Brans had abandoned her, she had wondered how she was supposed to live.

    But maybe—

    Maybe the answer wasn’t as far away as she had thought.

    For the first time in her life—

    She considered a future beyond the Brans family.

    And that was something she never would have dared to think—

    If not for the man standing before her.

    "I’m glad you’re feeling better."

    "Mm."

    But—

    Nothing about their situation had changed.

    Even now, an army of over thirty thousand was advancing upon them.

    Realizing this, Airen’s expression grew serious.

    "Swen... Staying here is too dangerous. Shouldn’t we abandon the fortress and flee? If you pledge allegiance to Serpina’s army, I will follow—"

    "No."

    Swen’s answer came without hesitation.

    And now that she thought about it—

    He had always been like this.

    With unwavering confidence, he met her gaze—

    And he smiled.

    "Now, Lady Airen..."

    "...?"

    "It’s time to earn some merit."