After returning to the palace, Serah was relieved to find the ceremony already winding down—a small mercy she was deeply grateful for, considering she had little interest in it to begin with. She endured the last formalities, offering her goodbyes where necessary, particularly to her comrades who had fought alongside her in the mission and to a few nobles she knew personally.
When it was all finally over, Serah slipped away as swiftly as etiquette allowed, her body heavy with exhaustion. She trudged through the palace halls and at last reached the sanctuary of her chamber. The moment she stepped inside, she let her fatigue take over. She pulled off her boots and kicked them aside without care, then unbuttoned her ceremonial shirt and tossed it onto a chair. Left in nothing more than a black tank top and her formal pants, she padded across the room toward the counter in the far corner where a bottle of wine waited.
