Chapter 79

Third Person’s POV

Back in the city of Hoswington, the High Conclave continued in full splendor beneath the glow of countless chandeliers. Music poured through the grand hall in elegant waves while nobles moved across polished marble floors with laughter and wine-drunk ease. Servants drifted between tables carrying silver trays heavy with banquet dishes, and the air itself seemed alive with celebration.

At the center of the noble tables, Royal Duchess Anastasia Vantheir sat quietly with a crystal goblet resting loosely between her fingers. Golden wine swayed gently inside as her gaze wandered across the festivities without truly settling anywhere.

Despite the lively atmosphere around her, she had spoken little the entire evening.

“You seem bored, Your Grace,” her steward said softly after approaching from behind. “Should I summon a different form of entertainment more suited to your preference?”

Anastasia gave a faint shake of her head before taking another slow sip from her goblet. “I’m fine. It is everyone else’s night. Let them enjoy themselves.”

The steward hesitated briefly before glancing toward the empty seat beside her.

“I suppose,” she continued carefully, “the absence of the guest of honor makes the celebration feel somewhat lonely.”

Anastasia’s eyes followed hers.

The chair beside her remained untouched.

A small smile appeared on her lips, though it carried a trace of disappointment beneath it. “It is unfortunate,” she admitted. “But everyone knows how busy a Queen can be.”

Even as she spoke, her thoughts drifted elsewhere—back to the private conversation she had shared late today with Lena.

“Can you truly not stay until the end of the week?” Anastasia had asked while Lena stood near the tall windows of her designated private chamber, already dressed for departure. Outside, royal guards moved through the palace grounds below, preparing the convoy that would escort her home.

“The awarding ceremony for the individual competitions will be held this weekend,” Anastasia continued. “If the guest of honor and one of the winners is absent, the atmosphere will sour. People will be disappointed.”

Lena lowered her gaze apologetically. “Please forgive me, Your Grace. The Valeens have been acting suspiciously.”

There had been exhaustion in her voice.

Not physical exhaustion. Mental and emotional exhaustion.

Anastasia noticed it immediately.

“I suppose sending your father back early was not enough to ease your worries,” she said.

Lena turned toward the window for a moment, watching the fading afternoon light outside before finally answering in a quieter tone.

“No… unfortunately.”

That alone told Anastasia more than enough.

For the first time in years, she was seeing Lena visibly unsettled over something.

The realization amused her far more than it should have.

“It’s good that you care for your wife,” Anastasia said lightly, “but you should remember your kingdom still needs your attention too.”

Lena blinked in surprise. “Excuse me?”

At that, Anastasia finally laughed.

“I have my own ways of learning things,” she teased. “Besides, it’s written all over your face. You’ve become rather radiant since the last time I saw you.”

Lena froze completely. It’s not that she did not expect Anastasia to find out sooner or later, but it is still rather quicker than she had imagined.

With this, a reluctant laugh escaped her as well. Once the laughter softened, Anastasia leaned back slightly and studied her.

“Do you love her that much?”

The question lingered between them longer than expected.

For a brief second, hesitation crossed Lena’s face.

Not because she doubted her feelings.

But because reality remained dangerous.

The truth behind her marriage. The truth behind Miu. The consequences that could destroy everything if exposed.

Anastasia saw the conflict pass through her eyes like a shadow.

And then it disappeared.

Just like that.

As though merely thinking about this mysterious woman had washed every uncertainty away.

A soft smile slowly formed on Lena’s lips—small, helpless, and impossibly genuine.

“Yes,” she answered quietly. “I love her… with all my heart and soul.”

Anastasia stared at her for a second in complete silence.

Not from shock.

But from awe.

For the longest time, she had feared that the death of Matthew Forger had wounded Lena too deeply for her to ever truly love again. She had watched her bury herself beneath duty, war, and responsibility until there was barely anything left of the young woman she once knew.

And yet here she was now.

Hopelessly in love.

Madly so.

The realization struck Anastasia with such unexpected relief that laughter burst from her again before she could stop herself.

Lena frowned immediately. “What?”

“‘With all my heart and soul,’” Anastasia repeated dramatically, pressing a hand against her chest. “I asked a newlywed an obvious question, didn’t I?”

Lena’s expression flattened. “You’re being childish, Your Grace.”

“Oh, don’t look at me like that.” Anastasia chuckled. “I simply find it refreshing.”

She tilted her head slightly.

“I would like to meet her someday as well. You should bring her here next time.”

To her surprise, Lena answered almost immediately.

“I don’t want to.”

Anastasia blinked.

Lena crossed her arms with visible annoyance. “It’s better if only I get to see her.”

For a moment, Anastasia simply stared.

Then she burst into laughter again, louder this time.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said between laughs. “You sound like a possessive child.”

And despite Lena’s exasperated expression, Anastasia could not remember the last time she had ever seen the Queen look so alive.

—

Lena did not waste another second after leaving Hoswington. The moment she bid goodbye to Anastasia, she boarded the royal convoy and departed before any of the nobles had even realized she was gone. 

The roads back to the palace blurred beneath the darkening afternoon sky, and somewhere along the journey, the reports finally reached her.

Tungsten had been attacked.

Not a simple raid. Not scattered bandits. A coordinated assault.

The scale of the conflict alone had forced the royal palace to deploy reinforcements.

From that moment onward, silence swallowed the inside of the car. The atmosphere around her had changed completely, tension rolling off her in cold, suffocating waves.

By the time the royal vehicle entered the palace runway, it had barely stopped moving before Lena shoved the door open herself. The wheels were still turning when she stepped out.

“Your Majesty—!”

The servants near the entrance startled, but Lena was already moving. Her heels struck sharply against stone as she strode through the palace halls without pause, her cloak trailing violently behind her. But the moment she reached the main hall, her steps finally slowed.

People.

There were too many people.

The lower hall had been transformed into an emergency shelter. Injured knights lined the walls while medics rushed between them carrying bloodied cloth and basins stained red. Civilians huddled together beneath blankets, some wounded, some crying quietly, others simply staring blankly ahead in shock.

The smell hit her immediately.

Smoke.

Blood.

Burned wood.

“Your Majesty,” voices echoed one after another as people recognized her presence.

But the sounds barely reached her. It felt as though she were hearing everything from underwater as her eyes darted rapidly across the room, scanning face after face in growing panic.

What happened?

Why are there this many injured?

No…

No, it can’t be—

“Your Majes—”

“Alric,” Lena cut in sharply before the commander could finish approaching her. “Give me a report.”

Commander Alric straightened immediately despite the bandages wrapped around his head and shoulder.

“Knights from Ravaryn led armed bandits into the northern territories,” he reported without hesitation. “Several towns and cities were attacked simultaneously. Tungsten sustained severe damage.”

Lena’s jaw tightened.

“What about my men?”

Only then did she finally look directly at him.

Alric’s expression grew heavier. “Major General Jayden and Lieutenant Earn were seriously injured during combat. Their wounds are being treated as we speak. Duke Christian returned to the northern border shortly after the fighting. He intends to pursue the remaining attackers alongside the twins.”

“Injured?” Lena repeated quietly.

The word itself felt unreal.

Those two were not the kind who falls easily. If any of her strongest knights had nearly died, then the battlefield must have been far worse than she imagined.

Alric continued carefully. “The reinforcements struggled to enter the city. Multiple ambushes had been set along the outskirts specifically to delay us.” His gaze shifted briefly toward the civilians gathered throughout the hall. “Tungsten and portions of the nearby forest were burned. However… casualties remained low.”

Lena blinked once.

“The people of Tungsten fought alongside the royal guards,” Alric explained. “They held the city long enough for reinforcements to arrive.”

For a moment, Lena simply stood there processing everything. The cries around her. The wounded. The lingering scent of smoke in the air.

Then slowly, her hand curled into a fist at her side.

“And the casualties you said?” she asked quietly.

Alric lowered his head slightly. “We lost men today, Your Majesty.”

The words struck harder than she expected.

Lena froze.

For years now, the kingdom had remained stable beneath her rule. After the rebellion, it had been Christian who handled the bloodshed and aftermath while she inherited a throne already cleansed of war.

But this…

This was hers.

Her men.

Her kingdom.

And she had not been there.

Guilt crawled beneath her skin almost instantly, cold and unbearable.

“I have already arranged compensation and support for the families,” Alric added quickly.

But Lena barely heard him anymore. Her thoughts had already begun spiraling elsewhere.

To Tungsten.

To the flames.

To one person.

Then… The question almost escaped her lips.

Where is Miu?

But just before Alric could continue speaking, Lena raised a hand abruptly to stop him.

“No,” she said quietly. “It’s fine. I’ll hear the rest from Jayden.”

Without waiting for a response, she turned away and began walking toward the grand staircase.

Fast.

Too fast.

And with every step, the guilt inside her twisted tighter.

She knew exactly how pathetic this made her. As Queen, she should have stayed. She should have comforted the wounded civilians gathered in the hall, reassured the families, spoken to the injured knights, offered strength to the people looking toward her now with frightened eyes.

That was what a ruler was supposed to do.

But the only thing consuming her mind right now was Miu.

Is she safe?

Did she get hurt?

Was she terrified?

The questions battered against Lena’s chest relentlessly.

And the worst part was—

She could not bring herself to ask aloud.

Because it felt selfish. Selfish to care this much about one person while the rest of her kingdom suffered around her.

She was the Queen of Elysia first.

Before anything else.

Before being a wife.

But beneath all of that duty was another truth she could not escape.

She was afraid.

Because she knew Miu.

Knew her by heart.

Knew the kind of person she truly was beneath that soft smile and gentle voice.

If Tungsten was burning, Miu would never run away from it.

She would run toward it.

Straight into danger. Straight into the flames if it meant protecting even one more person.

That was simply who she was.

And that terrified Lena more than anything.

Because what if—

What if… she had failed to protect her again?