Chapter 58

Third Person’s POV

By the time they reached their chambers, the quiet of the palace had settled into something softer, more private.

Lena wasted no time. Without a word, she disappeared into the adjoining bath, the faint sound of water beginning to fill the room. It was a habit she had picked up without realizing—preparing things for Miu before anything else.

By the time she returned to the bedroom, sleeves slightly damp from testing the water’s warmth, her steps slowed.

Miu was by the window.

Not resting.

Carrying a stack of books.

Lena’s brows knit together. “What are all those? Shouldn’t you be resting?”

Miu visibly flinched, as if caught in the middle of something she wasn’t supposed to be doing. The reaction alone told Lena more than she needed.

“I…” Miu adjusted the books in her arms, offering a sheepish smile. “I just wanted to check the ledgers from the past few days I was away from Tungsten. While resting, of course.”

There was a light laugh at the end of it, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Lena exhaled, long and slow.

“You’re aware that you’re clearly a workaholic, right?” she said, tilting her head, arms crossing over her chest.

Miu sighed in return, the tension in her shoulders loosening just slightly as she walked to her desk—the one Lena had specifically prepared for her after the wedding.

“Yes,” Miu admitted, setting the ledgers down before taking a seat. “I suppose I am.”

Lena watched her for a moment, something quiet settling in her chest.

There was no denial anymore about Miu’s actions around her. No attempt to hide it.

Miu handled management matters like these too easily, too naturally—far beyond what anyone would expect from the woman she was supposed to be.

And yet… Lena said nothing.

Instead, she stepped forward.

Gently, she placed a hand on Miu’s shoulder and guided her back just enough for Miu to lean against her. The movement was careful, almost hesitant.

Miu stiffened at first.

Then slowly relaxed.

Lena’s gaze drifted toward the window, though her thoughts were nowhere near the view outside.

“Just make sure to rest,” she said quietly. “At least every now and then.”

A brief pause.

“What did Dr. Fahlada say?”

Miu’s gaze flickered. “She said I seemed… exhausted.”

“See?” Lena muttered, her voice softer this time. “I told you.”

She exhaled again, her fingers tightening ever so slightly against Miu’s shoulder.

“But fainting from exhaustion isn’t normal either.” There was a trace of frustration there, but it wasn’t directed at Miu. “I can already imagine how much you’ll push yourself once I’m gone.”

The words slipped out heavier than she intended.

Miu turned sharply in her seat, frowning. “You’re leaving?”

Lena looked down at her..

She stepped back, then lowered herself in front of Miu, kneeling so they were eye level. Her hands found Miu’s without hesitation, holding them gently but firmly.

“I have to go to the central city,” Lena said, her voice steady, though quieter now. “It’s time for the Sovereign Assembly. It’ll take about two weeks… at most.”

Her thumb brushed lightly against Miu’s hand, a small, absent motion.

“But you need to be careful while I’m away.”

Miu didn’t speak.

Lena lifted her gaze, searching her face.

Then, slowly, she reached up and cupped Miu’s cheek, her touch warm, grounding.

“I might actually go insane…” she murmured, her voice dropping, almost fragile, “if something happens to you.”

Again.

The word echoed in her mind, heavy and unspoken.

But she didn’t say it.

She couldn’t.

So instead, she held Miu’s gaze—hoping, somehow, that the meaning would reach her anyway.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

They simply looked at each other. The room was quiet save for the faint sound of water from the bath, now forgotten.

Each of them was somewhere else entirely, caught in their own thoughts.

Then—

Miu laughed.

It wasn’t loud, but it was enough to break the moment clean in half.

Lena’s brows furrowed immediately. “Why are you laughing?” she asked, a hint of offense slipping into her voice. “I’m genuinely worried here.”

Miu tried to compose herself, but another chuckle escaped anyway. “I was just thinking…” she said, her voice uneven with amusement, “about when you were still cautious about me.”

Lena tilted her head slightly, confusion creeping in. “What do you mean?”

Miu only smiled wider, eyes glinting as she lifted a finger and pointed lightly toward her own neck—just beneath the collar, where a faint scar still lingered if one looked closely enough.

Recognition hit instantly.

“Ugh,” Lena groaned, the sound full of regret as she dropped her head forward—right onto Miu’s knees.

The sudden, dramatic movement only made Miu laugh harder, her head tipping back this time, shoulders shaking with it.

“That was—” Lena lifted her head just enough to speak, clearly flustered. “I already said I’m sorry about that.”

Miu looked down at her, still smiling, something softer threading through her amusement now.

Without thinking, she reached out, cupping Lena’s face between her hands.

Warm.

Close.

Lena looked up at her, still faintly frowning, still a little embarrassed—and somehow, that only made it worse.

Miu bit back another laugh, though the smile never left her lips.

She didn’t say it.

Didn’t say how endearing Lena looked like this—so unguarded, so openly affected by something that had long since passed.

Instead, she just watched her.

And thought.

No matter how much Lena had changed over the years—how much harder she had become, sharper, more distant to the rest of the world—

She had never learned how to hold herself back when expressing her affection.

Not when she’s truly in love.

And that, more than anything, was dangerous.

Because it made teasing her far too easy.

“Stop laughing at me,” Lena muttered, her voice quieter now, almost sulking as a small pout tugged at her lips. “I already feel bad.”

That did it.

Miu’s smile only deepened, her thumbs brushing lightly against Lena’s cheeks as she leaned in just a little closer, scrunching her nose—utterly unapologetic.

—

The day of Lena’s departure arrived faster than it should have.

At dawn, the service court was already alive with movement—far more than usual. Trucks lined the pathways, crates stacked high, vans were being lined up as well, as voices overlapped in hurried checks and last-minute preparations.

“Woah… where’d they all come from?” Paolo muttered, turning slowly as he took in the unfamiliar faces filling the court.

“They’re merchants from Tungsten.”

The voice came from behind them—calm, composed, and far too close.

Both Paolo and Piolo jumped, straightening instinctively before turning on their heels. “Your Majesty—!”

They bowed quickly, stepping aside to make way.

Lena barely reacted to the commotion she caused. She simply walked past them, her gaze already scanning the crowd.

“Miu invited them to travel with us to the central city,” she added.

There was the faintest pause after that.

An unspoken of course she did.

At first, Lena had resisted the idea. The added risk, the unpredictability, the sheer number of civilians to account for—it had all been… inconvenient.

But Miu had asked.

And Lena, whether she cared to admit it or not, had never been particularly good at refusing her.

The thought lingered just long enough for her to exhale quietly through her nose.

A doting wife, indeed.

Behind her, footsteps approached.

“Your Majesty—”

Duke Christian emerged from the corridor, his expression tightening almost immediately as he took in the scene before him.

The crowd.

The numbers.

“We should increase the number of guards,” he said, voice low but urgent. “My men won’t be enough to secure this many—”

“No.”

Lena didn’t even let him finish.

The single word cut clean through the noise.

Christian paused, clearly caught between pressing further and holding his ground.

Lena’s gaze drifted across the court again, sharper this time.

She had already taken nearly half of the palace’s forces for this journey. Any more, and the palace itself would be left exposed—vulnerable in ways she wasn’t willing to risk.

And beyond that—

More guards meant slower movement.

More delay.

Her jaw tightened slightly.

Around them, the merchants from Tungsten continued their preparations, seemingly unaware of the quiet tension unfolding nearby. They checked ropes, adjusted loads, counted their goods again and again.

Nervous.

Uncertain.

Most of them had never traveled beyond familiar routes, never set foot in a market as vast as the central city.

And yet—

They were here.

Ready.

Determined.

Lena watched them for a moment longer, something thoughtful settling behind her expression.

Then she exhaled.

“Take Piolo and Paolo from Jayden’s unit,” she said at last, her tone decisive. “That will be enough reinforcement.”

There was a brief silence.

Then—“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Christian’s shoulders eased, relief flickering across his face before he turned to carry out the order.