The castle was silent when I woke up in the middle of the night.
It wasn't a noise. Nor a dream. It was that strange feeling of being awake for no reason.
I looked around. They were all still asleep, scattered across the bed, as always. Rai'kanna was practically taking up half of my arm. Elara was curled up near my legs. Vespera was turned toward the wall. Liriel was sleeping on her back, with a calm expression that didn't match her personality. Lyannis was farther away, but still close enough that our hands almost touched.
Carefully, I got up so I wouldn't wake anyone.
I opened the window slowly.
The night air in the dwarven kingdom was different. It carried a faint scent of heated stone and metal, something that had already become familiar over these past days.
I spent a few minutes just looking at the illuminated city. Small golden points scattered through the streets, reflections on walls studded with minerals.
"Do you always wake up at this hour?"
I turned my head.
Briena was at the window of the room next door, leaning on her arms, watching me.
"Sometimes."
She gave a slight smile.
"I thought only dwarves had trouble sleeping."
"I sleep well. I just think too much."
"I noticed."
We stayed silent for a few seconds, just looking at each other from a distance.
She seemed different at night. Calmer. Less impulsive than during the day.
"Are you still thinking about today's mission?"
"I am."
"Because it was easy?"
"Because it was too easy."
She tilted her head.
"For us, that's a reason to celebrate."
"For me, it's a reason to be suspicious."
She laughed softly.
"You're strange, Takumi."
"Me or the world?"
"You."
The way she said that didn't sound like criticism. It sounded like admiration.
She rested her chin on her hands.
"Can I ask you something?"
"You can."
"Do you really like all of them?"
I glanced inside the room for a moment.
"Yes."
"In different ways?"
"Yes."
She nodded slowly.
"That's beautiful."
"It's complicated."
"To me, it seems simple."
"Why?"
She shrugged.
"Because you don't hide it. You don't lie. You don't pretend."
I was silent for a few seconds.
She continued.
"I grew up watching political marriages. Unions without feelings. People who tolerate each other for the sake of the kingdom."
Her gaze became a little more distant.
"When I saw you at dinner, surrounded by them, it seemed… different."
"Different how?"
"Real."
A light breeze moved her hair.
"You don't seem like someone who is with them out of obligation."
"Because I'm not."
She smiled.
"I know."
Silence again.
This time, comfortable.
"Briena."
"Yes?"
"Why did you ask me to marry you like that?"
She didn't answer right away.
She looked at the city, then back at me.
"Because I've never seen someone like you."
"That's not enough reason."
"For you, maybe not. For me, it is."
She took a deep breath.
"You're strong, but you don't act like someone strong. You're respected, but you act like someone ordinary. You received a legendary sword today and you still seem worried about not depending on it."
I stayed quiet.
She was describing me better than I would myself.
"That caught my attention from the very first moment."
"You barely know me."
"I know enough."
Her tone was calm, but firm.
"I don't want to marry for politics. Nor for tradition. If I ever marry, I want it to be because I chose to."
"And you chose me?"
"Yes."
The answer came without hesitation.
My chest felt strange for a moment.
It wasn't discomfort. It was the weight of her sincerity.
"I can't promise you anything right now."
"I know."
"I have bigger things to face."
"I know."
"I might not even come back alive from certain battles."
She gave a small smile.
"I know."
I took a deep breath.
"Then why do you insist?"
"Because even so, I'd rather try than never say anything."
We fell silent again.
She broke the mood with an unexpected question.
"Are they jealous of me?"
"A little."
She laughed.
"I thought so."
"You provoke them too."
"On purpose."
"I noticed."
She moved closer to the window.
"Can I make another request?"
"Depends."
"When you leave… don't forget me."
I looked straight into her eyes.
"I wouldn't."
She seemed satisfied with the answer.
"That's already enough for now."
A soft noise behind me.
I turned my head.
Rai'kanna was sitting on the bed, looking at me with a sleepy face.
"Who are you talking to?"
"The wall," I replied.
She narrowed her eyes.
"Liar."
Briena laughed from the other side.
Rai'kanna got up and came to the window.
"Oh… it's you."
"It's me," Briena replied, smiling.
"Does he keep you from sleeping too?"
"No."
Rai'kanna crossed her arms.
"He thinks too much."
"I know," Briena said.
Lyannis appeared right behind her, as silent as always.
"If he's awake, it's because something is bothering him."
"It's not bothering me," I replied.
"It is," she said.
Elara appeared soon after, still drowsy.
"What's going on here?"
Vespera came up behind her.
Liriel last, with an annoyed expression.
In a few seconds, they were all at the window with me.
Briena watched the scene with a curious smile.
"Now I understand better," she said.
"What?", Elara asked.
"Why he seems different."
Rai'kanna rested her head on my shoulder.
"He's just like that."
We stayed there for a few minutes, talking about small things, nothing of real importance.
But to me, it had great value.
When we returned to bed, I felt something different.
It wasn't tiredness.
It was lightness.
For the first time since we arrived there, my mind was quiet.
I closed my eyes with the image of the illuminated city still in my memory.
And with the calm certainty that, even in the midst of wars, responsibilities, and omens…
There were still simple nights.
And conversations that needed no sword at all.