Back in the city of Dresvalle, life was slowly beginning to return to normal.
People moved through the streets once again.
Merchants reopened their shops.
Workers carried supplies through the damaged districts, while groups of people worked tirelessly to repair the destruction left behind by the battle.
The ruins were being cleared.
Buildings were being repaired.
And everywhere, signs of reconstruction could be seen.
The city was healing.
But inside one of the city's hostels, far from the noise outside, the atmosphere was much quieter.
Inside one of the rooms—
There were several chairs surrounding a wooden table.
Lunaria sat in one of them, his silver hair falling over his shoulders as he looked toward the woman standing nearby.
Illyria.
Her expression remained calm, but there was a heaviness in her eyes.
Lunaria finally broke the silence.
"How is the princess doing?"
Illyria answered immediately.
"The princess is fine."
"Her wounds have completely healed."
Lunaria's expression softened slightly.
"And yet?"
Illyria remained silent for a moment.
"She hasn't spoken."
"Not since she regained consciousness."
Lunaria stared at her.
"I see."
He leaned back slightly in his chair.
"It doesn't matter."
"As long as she's alive and well, that's what matters."
His expression then became colder.
"Though I still don't understand what she was thinking."
"To do something as foolish as that..."
His golden eyes narrowed.
"And you."
Illyria looked toward him.
Lunaria's voice became sharper.
"How could you allow the princess to be attacked?"
"You were supposed to be her protector."
"Yet you simply stood there while that demon attacked her."
Illyria remained silent.
Lunaria's gaze hardened.
"The princess could have died."
"And you did nothing."
His voice carried a clear sense of disappointment.
"How useless."
"You are no fit to protect anyone if you can simply stand there and watch the person you're supposed to protect nearly get killed."
Illyria lowered her gaze.
She didn't argue.
She didn't make excuses.
She simply stood there and accepted every word.
Lunaria stared at her for several seconds before finally looking away.
"...This isn't only your fault."
Illyria raised her eyes.
"It's also mine."
His hand slowly tightened into a fist.
"If only I had killed him earlier..."
"If I had accomplished my mission before things reached that point, none of this would have happened."
Illyria's eyes narrowed slightly.
*His mission...*
She remembered everything that had happened.
The way Lunaria had arrived at the port after Draven.
The way he had looked.
The killing intent he had displayed.
Then she finally understood.
*He was trying to kill that demon.*
Lunaria looked toward the window.
"I came here for one reason."
"To accomplish my mission."
"And that mission has not changed."
He paused.
"I will finish it."
Illyria said nothing.
Lunaria then turned his attention back toward her.
"As for you..."
"You will return to the kingdom with the princess."
Illyria nodded slightly.
Lunaria's expression remained stern.
"I don't trust you to keep her safe."
"You already failed once."
Illyria lowered her head.
"Yes."
Her voice was quiet.
"That is the truth."
"As her protector, I have failed."
"I have no excuse for failing to protect the princess."
She clenched her hands slightly.
"And because of that failure..."
"I deserve to be punished."
Lunaria watched her silently.
Illyria continued.
"But before that happens, I will make sure the princess returns safely to the kingdom."
"As long as I am alive..."
"No harm will come to her."
Lunaria stared at her.
"You've already failed to protect her once."
Illyria remained silent.
"So make sure it doesn't happen again."
His expression became cold.
"Once the princess returns safely, you will answer for your failure."
Illyria lowered her head.
"Yes."
"I understand."
The room fell silent once again.
Neither of them spoke.
Meanwhile—
Inside the bedroom...
Hannah sat quietly on the edge of the bed.
Her body was completely healed.
There was not a single wound left on her stomach.
Yet she remained motionless.
Her hands rested quietly in her lap.
Her eyes stared forward.
She had been awake for some time now.
But she hadn't said a single word.
Not to Illyria.
Not to Lunaria.
Not to anyone.
She simply sat there in silence.
Staring.
Her crystal-blue eyes stared at nothing.
Slowly—
the room around her began to fade from her awareness.
Her thoughts drifted elsewhere.
Back to that moment.
Back to Draven.
She remembered the moment his arm had pierced straight through her stomach.
Her expression remained blank.
*Why?*
*Why did he attack me?*
She remembered his appearance.
The look in his eyes.
The overwhelming presence surrounding him.
But there was something else.
Something she couldn't ignore.
He had recognized her.
He had said her name.
He knew who she was.
*Then why did he attack me?*
*Was he trying to kill me?*
*Why?*
Her thoughts became more tangled.
And then another question surfaced.
One that she couldn't answer.
*Why's it I care so much?*
*Why did I go looking for him in the first place?*
Hannah slowly lowered her gaze.
*What was the reason?*
The answer was buried somewhere in her memories.
A memory from long ago.
A memory from when her life had been much simpler.
A memory from before she ever understood what it meant to lose someone.
—
[Kingdom of Sylvaris.]
[The Elven Forest.]
Deep within the vast Elven Forest stood the royal castle of Sylvaris.
A magnificent structure surrounded by ancient trees and beautiful greenery.
This was the home of the elven royal family.
And this was where Hannah had spent her entire life.
Hannah was the daughter of Olivia Syltheris, the elven royal princess.
Born into royalty—
she had been the youngest member of the royal family.
She was also Olivia's first and only child.
As a princess, Hannah had spent most of her life inside the castle.
She rarely interacted with anyone outside of the people assigned to her.
Her maids.
Her mother.
Her teacher.
And her protector.
Those were the people she saw on a daily basis.
For most of her childhood—
that was her entire world.
She didn't spend much time with the other members of the royal family.
She rarely left the castle.
And she had little opportunity to interact with people her own age.
Her life was quiet.
Perhaps too quiet.
But Hannah never thought much about it.
It was simply the life she had always known.
Until one day—
her mother suddenly told her something.
"Hannah."
Her mother, Olivia, sat beside her.
"There is something I want to tell you."
Hannah looked toward her.
"What is it, Mother?"
Olivia smiled.
"One of my friends has invited us to her child's birthday party."
Hannah blinked.
"A birthday party?"
"Yes."
Olivia nodded.
"We'll be going together."
Hannah listened quietly.
At the time—
she didn't think much of it.
She wasn't particularly interested.
Nor did she feel excited about meeting someone she had never seen before.
To Hannah—
it was simply another event.
Something her mother wanted her to attend.
She had no idea that this seemingly insignificant invitation...
would become the beginning of something that would remain with her for years.