The negotiations continued without her and before long, August had arrived. It was time to leave. The empire had stabilized enough, and Elizabeth did not have to stay anymore. One year. She had been in the empire for an entire year at this point. How time flew. She almost forgot what Castle Reinhard and Algard looked like. Her procession travelled through the streets of Yongtein. There were no parades, no crowds, and no applauses, but she was satisfied. Outside, people were busy rebuilding their city. There was still plenty of work to be done, but their future was in their hands. She had done everything she could. It was up to them now. Her carriage stopped at the city gates. When she lifted the curtain, she saw a crowd waving at her. Elizabeth smiled and stepped out.
"You're finally leaving?" Xiuying asked. She was slightly emotional.
"I've stayed long enough. It's time for me to go." Elizabeth felt the same.
"Are you returning to Algard?" Ming said.
"No, I have another assignment. I'll be replacing Her Majesty as the Royal Ambassador for the Zino Kingdom, which means I'll be going there instead."
"I see… I wish you good luck."
She smiled. "Thank you. I'm sorry I couldn't do more for you and the empire."
Ming shook her head. "What are you saying? You've done more than enough. None of this would've been possible without your help. We're forever indebted to you."
"You flatter me," Elizabeth replied.
"No, Ming is right. We were supposed to die in Liguang. You were the one who saved us," Xiuying added. "We owe our lives to you."
"That wasn't me. That was the Featherwind Sect."
"But they saved us because of you… After Liguang too, when we had nowhere to go, you decided to help us… We can't thank you enough," she sniffled. Her tears began to fall out.
"We're friends, aren't we?" Elizabeth laughed. She was starting to cry too.
"Friends, huh?" Ming repeated with a sweet smile. That simple word carried infinite potential.
"On behalf of the Xingyuu Empire, we, the Imperial Empresses, promise to repay this favor someday!" the two girls declared with a sharp bow. "We'll never forget this friendship!"
"This won't be the last time we see each other. I'll come and visit you when I'm free. You can give me a tour of Yongtein when that happens."
"That's a promise." Xiuying stretched her hand out. At the same time, she grabbed Ming's hand.
"Of course," Elizabeth responded. She moved to the next person, but before she could say anything, the person embraced her in a deep hug. She was touched. "Auntie Christina…"
"I wanted to come with you, but I can't."
"That can't be helped. You're a Brigade Commander. You have important work to do here."
"Will you be okay? You won't be lonely?"
"You're embarrassing me." She blushed. "I'll be fine."
Christina smiled. "I suppose you're right. You've become stronger, and you've gained many friends who will support you. And most importantly… you've become happier. I'm sure that… your family from New Havens, wherever they are, would be proud to see you now."
Elizabeth recalled those sixteen years she spent on New Havens and smiled. It was bittersweet. "I hope they are."
"Take care, Elizabeth. Make sure to write to me, or I'll get worried otherwise."
"I promise."
At the same time, Benedict noticed his brother and froze. "Huh? How-"
"How did I know you were leaving?" Lorenzo glared at him. "Why are you trying to avoid me?"
"I…"
"Let me guess… you thought I would be upset if I knew you became a Royal Guard."
Benedict looked ashamed. Three weeks ago, he received a notice from Sir Lest, the new leader of the knights, that he was being promoted to a Royal Guard. At first, he was very excited, but it quickly faded to guilt. Lorenzo should have been the one promoted, not him. He did not deserve it. It was a cruel joke. He could not afford to hurt his brother anymore, so he decided to hide it. He wanted to leave Yongtein like this. Sadly…
"I'm right, aren't I?" Lorenzo sighed. "You… inconsolable idiot!" he roared. He marched over, terrifying Benedict. Benedict closed his eyes and expected to be hit, except it never came. Instead, Lorenzo hugged him tightly. "You're an idiot, an idiot of a little brother… I'm not angry that you became a Royal Guard. In fact, I'm proud of it! My little brother is a Royal Guard… I could brag about you for years!"
"But I don't deserve it… You-"
"I said it before, and I'll say it again. You need to stop selling yourself short. You've more than earned it! So, stand proud! You represent the Royal Guards now!"
Benedict smiled. "I'll try. I'm glad we could talk again before I left."
"Take care of yourself. I'll handle everything else. And next time we meet, I won't lose that easily!"
He grinned. "I won't lose either!"
Not far away, Freon looked at Shirley and asked, "You told Lorenzo?"
"I'm a big sister myself, so I understand… he wouldn't want to leave things the way they are."
"Well, I guess I can understand that too." Freon remembered his little sister Nassandra. "Still, I can't believe that both of you became Royal Guards and Elizabeth's new Protectors. It feels like you skipped a lot of steps."
"Speak for yourself. You became a Ten Dawn as well."
"It's unofficial until I get approval from the Celestial Council, but you're right. Everything is happening a bit too fast for me. I can't keep up."
"Forget about that silly title," Avin interrupted. "You should focus on consolidating your Core. I'll teach you after that."
"Yes…"
Shirley giggled. "Isn't your sister going to be shocked you're a Ten Dawn now?"
"It's the same for your family. You're a Half-Perception Realm, you can use Martial Energy, and you have a Bloodline Ability. You're weirder than me," he replied jokingly.
She stuck her tongue out then smiled. "We can finally go home. It's been a long journey."
Freon looked at the sky. "Before we knew it, a year had already passed by."
They said their farewells and soon the procession began to move again. At the Imperial Palace, Queen Samanthie, Sir Lest, Prince Dannark, Lady Vellena, and the Conquestian watched them leave. Their expressions were hard to read. Elsewhere, Prime Minister Pon-Wai, Minister Keigon, General Fuwu, Minister Daiyuu, and Lady Hong-Lan were busy arguing in the Imperial Court. They did not even notice. Ten Dawn Yvonne and Runenda sensed the moving auras and sighed. Likewise, in a secluded garden, Sword King Sin slowly opened his eyes. He glanced in the direction of the convoy and smirked. How strong would they grow to be? He was eager to find out. Away from Yongtein, Elder Argo, Crus, Ludin, Terus, and Unvo, the five elder birds from the Featherwind Sect inspected their damaged ship. When they sensed the convoy leaving Yongtein, they stopped to bow. They had nothing, but respect for Elizabeth and her master.
Elizabeth, Benedict, Shirley, and Freon waved to everyone. Outside, the Imperial Empresses Xiuying and Ming, Commander Christina, and Sir Lorenzo waved back. That was not all. There was also Imperian Qiang, Cardinal Hui, Protector Chang, Lady Mingyu, General Petra, Lord Archibon, and many others. Elizabeth teared up. When she came to the empire one year ago, they fought and killed each other in this endless conflict known as war. Peace was nowhere to be found. It was a hopeless dream! However, now? People from the empire and kingdom were standing side-by-side, working towards a better future. It was unimaginable before. Of course, there were many challenges left. It was not all roses and sunshine. There was still a long road ahead. Despite that, Elizabeth believed that they could handle it. Dawn would eventually arrive. She looked forward to that promised day!