Chapter 77

Third Person’s POV

Jayden froze.

For several long seconds, he could do nothing but stare as the figure before him moved through the burning street like something pulled straight from memory and thrown violently into reality.

The crack of the whip echoed again.

Another bandit collapsed.

Then another.

Miu moved without hesitation, weaving between attacks with terrifying precision as firelight danced across the blood staining her clothes and skin. Her breathing was heavy now, visible from the rise and fall of her shoulders, yet not once did her movements falter. Every motion carried the sharpness of training. Every strike was deliberate.

It was overwhelming.

Not because of the violence.

But because Jayden know those movements.

Knew them.

His mind refused to separate the person before him from the memories buried deep inside his chest. The stance. The calmness amidst chaos. Even the way she held herself between duels—as if enduring pain had long since become second nature.

It felt impossible.

And yet—

There she was.

Even Cole seemed unable to move for a moment.

The arrogance that had covered his face earlier slowly faded as his sword lowered inch by inch. Around them, the remaining bandits hesitated, shaken by the sudden collapse of their advantage.

Then, at last, Miu stepped forward and stopped directly between Cole and the others.

The street fell strangely quiet.

Bodies surrounded her feet.

Flames roared behind her.

And somehow, despite being alone, she felt like the most dangerous person standing there.

Cole instinctively took half a step backward before he even realized he had moved.

“W-who are you…?”

The question barely escaped his mouth.

Then he immediately frowned at himself.

What nonsense was he asking?

This woman—this bloodied, dirt-covered fighter standing before him—could not possibly be the noble Marcus had been obsessing over.

No noblewoman fought like this.

No noblewoman carried herself like a seasoned warrior while standing in the middle of a battlefield soaked in blood and fire.

But then—

Why did simply meeting her gaze make his spine stiffen?

Why did it feel as though he was the one being cornered?

Miu’s eyes settled on him fully then.

Sharp.

Steady.

Cold enough to cut.

The pressure behind that gaze struck Cole harder than any blade had all evening, forcing him to stumble back another step without meaning to.

Behind her, Jayden continued staring in complete disbelief.

His breathing shook.

“P-Prince Matthew…”

The name slipped from his lips weakly, almost unconsciously.

His vision blurred as he slowly staggered forward despite the pain tearing through his wounded shoulder.

“…Is that you?”

Even he could hear how broken his own voice sounded.

As though part of him already knew the answer.

As though another part was terrified to hope.

Miu stood still for a second.

Then slowly, she turned her head just enough to acknowledge him from over her shoulder.

And nodded.

The world around Jayden seemed to collapse inward.

His knees gave out instantly.

He dropped hard against the ground, staring at her as if afraid she would disappear the moment he blinked.

All this time…

All this time, he had spoken that name only inside his own head. Like a prayer no one would answer. Like a ghost he refused to bury no matter how many years had passed.

And now—

Now that ghost was standing right in front of him.

Alive.

His trembling hand reached weakly toward her figure.

“Your Majesty…” His voice cracked apart completely. “Is it really you…? Have you truly returned…?”

He didn’t even realize he was crying until tears were already falling freely down his face.

For the first time since arriving, Miu fully turned toward him.

The flames behind her softened beneath the quiet expression that slowly formed across her face.

A smile.

Small.

Gentle.

Familiar enough to shatter whatever restraint Jayden had left.

“Yes,” she answered softly.

Then her eyes moved across his injuries, the blood soaking through his uniform, the exhaustion written all over him.

“Jayden,” she said quietly, “you fought well.”

Her gaze lifted briefly toward the burning streets around them.

“If you all hadn’t held this place… the others would never have managed to push them back, no matter how many people stood with them.”

Jayden’s lips trembled harder.

Miu turned back toward Cole, her expression sharpening once more as she adjusted her grip around the whip.

“So gather yourself and stand back,” she continued calmly. “Your wounds are deep, but you must not die here.”

The fire crackled loudly around them.

“You still have to help me…”

A small pause followed.

“…and my wife.”

Something inside Jayden twisted painfully at those words—not from resentment, but from the sheer weight of everything she must have endured to stand here now as someone entirely different from the prince he once was.

The years she survived alone.

The identity she buried.

The battles she fought in silence.

His hand slowly curled into a fist against the ground.

No.

Not alone anymore.

Never again.

Jayden forced himself back onto his feet despite the agony tearing through his body. Then he lowered his head toward her with all the respect and devotion he once carried years ago.

“As you wish… Your Majesty.”

After that, Jayden did not hesitate.

The moment Miu stepped forward, he forced his battered body to move again despite the pain tearing through his shoulder. He grabbed the nearest rifle lying across the dirt and immediately rushed toward Earn, whose body remained crumpled near the flames.

He knew.

There was no reason to stay.

No reason to interfere.

Because Cole would not survive against her.

Not against Prince Matthew.

Years may have passed. Time may have dulled practice and buried old memories beneath another identity, another life—but skill like that did not simply disappear. Not when it had been carved into the body through endless discipline and blood.

Prince Matthew had once been terrifying during duels.

And now, standing amidst fire and ruin, that same terrifying presence had returned.

Jayden gritted his teeth as he reached Earn’s side and carefully pulled her away from the spreading flames while keeping his rifle raised for any remaining bandits.

Behind him, the air itself felt heavy.

“Cole,” Miu called calmly.

Her voice was not loud. Yet somehow it cut through the roaring fire effortlessly.

“Duke Edric’s finest knight. Am I correct?”

Cole stiffened.

“Y-yes. That is—”

The words left his mouth before he could stop them.

His own eyes widened slightly.

Why… did he answer her so quickly?

As though responding to her had been instinctive.

As though her voice itself carried authority impossible to disobey.

Cole’s face twisted immediately afterward.

What was wrong with him?

He was Cole—the knight feared even within Ravaryn. A man whose very name carried weight across battlefields.

And yet ever since this woman appeared, he had done nothing but lose control of himself.

No.

Not woman.

A monster.

Because no noble woman should feel like this.

No noble woman should stand calmly in the middle of a battlefield soaked in blood while making trained killers hesitate with a single glance.

Humiliation burned violently through his chest.

Then rage followed.

His grip tightened around his sword until his knuckles turned pale.

“I’ll kill you!” Cole roared suddenly, his composure finally shattering apart completely. “Noble or not—I’ll kill every single one of you!”

With a furious yell, he charged.

Gone was the calculated knight from earlier.

Gone was the composed commander.

Now he looked almost feral as he stormed toward Miu with his blade raised high, rage drowning out every trace of rationality left in him.

But Miu did not move.

She simply stood there.

Watching him.

Watching every desperate step he took toward her.

The flames behind her whipped violently through the wind, illuminating the blood staining her clothes and face while her expression remained terrifyingly calm.

Cole screamed as he swung his sword down with all his strength.

Then—

Miu moved.

One clean step.

One fluid motion.

And her blade flashed across his neck.

Silence followed.

Cole froze mid-motion.

For one terrible second, even the fire itself seemed quieter.

His sword slipped from his fingers and clattered uselessly onto the ground.

Then both his hands flew toward his throat.

Blood poured violently between his trembling fingers.

His eyes widened in disbelief as his knees slowly buckled beneath him.

Miu stood beside him, her sword lowered calmly at her side while blood slid from the edge of the blade in slow crimson drops.

“How dare you,” she said quietly, each word colder than the last. “You trespassed onto my land… then plundered and terrorized my people.”

Cole collapsed heavily onto the dirt.

Still choking.

Still trying desperately to breathe.

Miu slowly turned toward him fully as his body twitched weakly near her feet.

The firelight reflected sharply in her eyes.

“For all your sins,” she said, voice steady as steel itself, “I will be taking your head, Cole.”