Chapter 21

Miu’s POV

I changed into the new clothes Lena had brought the moment our conversation ended. The fabric felt unfamiliar against my skin—too clean, too soft—but my thoughts were already drifting elsewhere. The people of Tungsten are waiting.

When I stepped out of the bathroom, I stopped short.

Lena was still there.

She stood by the window, her back half-turned to me, the light outlining her figure in gold and shadow.

She sighed as soon as she heard my footsteps.

“For the past years…” she began quietly, turning to face me, “my father and I have faced countless threats to our reign.” Her voice lowered. “They haven’t stopped. Not even now.”

I stayed silent.

“Perhaps…” She took a step closer. “I’ve grown too wary of such things.” Another step. “Too used to seeing danger where it may not exist.”

Her eyes met mine—and they were different. Softer than it was earlier when she had a sword pointed at me.

“I was too hasty earlier,” she said. “Too quick to judge.”

The words settled between us, heavy but sincere.

“…I’m sorry,” Lena finally said, her voice absolute and firm.

My heart skipped.

To think that Lena—now a Queen—would apologize to me. After everything I had revealed, after the mess of my past spilling out between us, I had expected her to simply let what happened fade into silence. Royals weren’t known for apologies. Not to people like me.

But then… I smiled.

Why was I even surprised?

Yes, she was intimidating now. The crown, the war, the weight of a kingdom had sharpened her edges, made her seem untouchable—distant, almost unreal in her elegance and beauty. People bowed to her, feared her, whispered her name like a warning.

But I knew better.

Lena had always been kind. Unwaveringly so.

The war may have hardened her. The crown may have forced her to grow steel where there had once been softness. But it was that kindness—quiet, stubborn, unyielding—that had won my heart in the first place.

And standing there, watching her look at me not as a threat anymore but as a person…

I realized it was still there.

Still her.

When I didn’t answer right away, Lena spoke again.

“Do you… really want to get involved with Tungsten’s rehabilitation?” she asked.

My face brightened before I could stop myself. Just the fact that she asked me sent a rush through my chest.

“Yes!” I answered a little too quickly.

Lena studied me. “Can you handle it?”

Her voice held genuine concern, but the question stirred something uneasy inside me.

What had happened earlier proved how sharp she was. Lena noticed things—patterns, inconsistencies, people. She had good judgment. A dangerous amount of it.

And she wasn’t wrong to ask.

The knowledge and skills needed to revive Tungsten—to manage people, resources, politics, rebuilding—were far beyond what a mere daughter of a provincial lord should possess. Certainly not something one could learn in such a short time.

If I answered honestly… she would know.

If I hesitated… she would know.

I lowered my gaze slightly, steadying myself.

This wasn’t just about Tungsten anymore.

It was about how much of myself I was willing to reveal—and how much longer I could keep walking the line between who I was… and who I claimed to be.

Still… something inside my chest flared every time I stood among those people. Every time I caught a glimpse of hope in their eyes.

“Survive…”

Mother’s voice echoed in my mind.

I closed my eyes.

I’m sorry, Mother.

Ever since I escaped that night—after abandoning my name, my title, my country, my people—surviving had only brought more pain. Not relief. Not freedom.

Just pain.

From then on, every breath felt like it burned my lungs, as if living itself was a punishment I could never escape. I held on to that sliver of guilt because without it, my life felt empty. Meaningless.

Guilt was all I had left.

But now…

Standing here, surrounded by people who still believed tomorrow could be better—

It felt different.

For the first time in so long, it felt like I had found something again.

A reason to live on.

I don’t want to run anymore.

Even if it means it could cost everything my mother had put on the line for my escape.

I promise I will restore—even if only a fragment—of what my own father destroyed. The thing that crumbled away while my mother and I simply sat by, dreaming and waiting for a throne that never came.

I promise… I will restore Tungsten.

I lifted my gaze to Lena, resolve settling deep in my chest.

“Only if you give me the right justification,” I said at last.

My hand curled into a fist, steady this time. Unshaking.

“I need justification to act as an official representative of the royal palace for the rehabilitation of Tungsten.”

I didn’t look away.

This wasn’t a plea anymore.

It was a decision.

Her gaze faltered. I could see it—just for a second—but it was there. The determination in me, the unshakable weight behind my words, seemed to make her question everything she thought she knew about me, again.

But then… she drew in a deep breath and straightened, standing taller than she had before.

“Very well.”

She extended her hand toward me. A hand shake. A gesture that carried the weight of the crown, of power, of trust.

“I shall officially appoint you as the official Royal Commissioner for Tungsten’s Civic Restoration.”

My chest tightened.

Royal Commissioner.

The word hung in the air like a promise, like a lifeline.

I lifted my hand slowly and took hers, feeling the firmness of her grip—of her decision.

This wasn’t just a title.

This was the first real step toward righting the wrongs my family had left behind.

And for the first time in years, I felt… capable.

—

“Daliah?” I called out the moment I stepped into the kitchen.

The room was alive with movement. Pots simmered, voices murmured, and I immediately spotted Daliah in the middle of directing the women from Tungsten through their new tasks. She looked completely in her element.

“Daliah, I need to ask you something,” I said as I approached.

The moment she noticed me, her expression changed entirely.

“Miss Miu!” she exclaimed, hurrying toward me. “Are you feeling better now?! Why are you here? You should be resting!” Her words spilled out in a rush, her hands already hovering as if she were about to check me for injuries all over again.

I paused.

For the first time, I let myself feel it—the warmth of someone’s concern, genuine and unguarded. Instead of shrinking away from it like I usually did, I held onto it.

Then I smiled at her. Softly.

“I’m better now,” I said. “Thanks to you.” I let out a small chuckle as a memory surfaced. “I heard you were so upset that you scowled at the Queen on my behalf.”

Daliah’s eyes widened instantly.

“I–I don’t know what you’re talking about, Lady,” she said quickly, shaking her head a little too hard.

The corners of my smile lifted. Even in denial, her worry for me was obvious—and somehow, that made my heart feel a familiar warmth.

“She told me herself,” I continued to tease.

But instead of reacting the way I expected, Daliah huffed and crossed her arms, leaning closer to me.

“Next time she misbehaves again,” she whispered fiercely, “tell me. I will lecture her until her ear falls off.”

My eyes flew open. “P-please, there’s no need for that, Daliah—”

I waved my hands frantically in front of me. “It was just a misunderstanding between the Queen and me.”

She studied my face, her expression serious now. “Are you sure?”

I smiled and nodded. “It’s true. I wouldn’t hold a grudge over something like that. She admitted her mistake… and she even apologized.”

At that, Daliah’s gaze softened, the tension draining from her shoulders.

“She really is a very kind person,” I added quietly, a relieved smile settling on my lips.

I noticed the way Daliah’s expression faltered—just slightly—when I said that.

Despite barely knowing me, she chose to see the good in me too.

And somehow, that mattered more than she could ever know.