The invitation arrived gilded, wax-sealed in crimson and black.
A hand-written note in elegant pen read:
"You were born for more than battle, my daughter.Come claim your place beside me."— Duchess Velindra Dhim
The event?The Dhim Winter Gala—a legendary gathering of royals, nobles, and dignitaries known for its opulence… and political undercurrents sharper than any blade.
For the first time in recorded history…
Commander Shin would attend not as a ghost in black—
But as Lady Shin of House Dhim.
The Preparation
Tailors scrambled.Hairdressers whispered.Petal spun in circles just watching the lace options.
In her private quarters, Shin stood still as silk was woven around her frame—a midnight-blue gown with long sheer sleeves, split at the thigh, elegant but deadly.
Her family crest was pinned over her heart.And across her eyes—no mask. For the first time, her face would be her own statement.
Silenne watched from the doorway.
"You look like a queen."
Shin smiled slightly as jeweled earrings were clipped on.
"I look like myself… if I hadn't been forced to disappear."
Arrival at the Gala
The ballroom swelled with violins and nobles buzzing like perfume-drenched hornets.
All chatter stopped as Duchess Dhim entered first, radiating authority.
Then—
"Introducing—Lady Shin of House Dhim."
Silence.
And then—
The noble crowd turned.
And gasped.
She stepped into the light.Every movement calculated. Every step graceful.A noble-born killer in heels and silk, with eyes that could command armies or shatter pride.
Her voice echoed softly across the hall:
"It's a pleasure to meet you all… as myself."
Noble Reactions
House Garven:
"She was… the S.I.N commander? All this time?!"
House Eryth:
"That elegance. That spine. She's more terrifying in a dress than on a battlefield."
Crown Prince (watching from balcony):
"...I may need to propose again."
The Duchess's Toast
Duchess Dhim raised her crystal flute.
"To my daughter.Who walked through shadow, cloaked in silence—and emerged in silk, more powerful for it."
"She is House Dhim. She is S.I.N.She is both sword… and sovereign."
The nobles raised their glasses—some with reverence, some with forced smiles.
But none dared speak against her now.
Not when she was velvet and vengeance,a ghost who now ruled the room.
— SYSTEM NOTICE —
[ Gala Reputation +250 ]
Nobility Perception Shifted:– From: Dangerous Specter– To: Crowned PhantomEligible for:– House Alliances– Political Titles– Nobility Duels (Pending Challenge)
Later That Night
Back in the garden terrace, Shin let out a slow breath.
The heels came off. The earrings dropped into her gloves.
Silenne leaned beside her.
"You didn't just survive the gala. You owned it."
Shin smiled faintly.
"Let them play politics. I'll sip tea and end wars in heels."
"Would you ever wear the crown if offered?"
Shin turned.
"Only if I can still wear black."
They clinked teacups under the stars.
The Sanctum's central hall buzzed.
Agents gathered after the Dhim Gala, trading stories of the nobles who nearly fainted, the dress that melted hearts, and Shin's terrifying poise in lace and heels.
Then—she entered.
No coat. No mask.Just Shin, in soft slacks, her blouse loosely tucked, tea in hand, and something more vulnerable than usual in her eyes.
She stepped up onto the low dais, looked out at her gathered operatives.
"There's something I need to say.Not as your commander. But as… Shin."
Silence fell. Fang stopped mid-laugh. Petal leaned forward.
Shin took a breath.
"The prince proposed again."
A few gasps. Others nodded—they'd heard the rumors.
She held up a hand.
"And I'm flattered.But there's a problem. A personal one."
"I don't… like men. I like women."
The Room Stilled
Not from shock.But from the sheer weight of how rarely Shin ever shared anything about herself.
She continued, calm but sure:
"I won't use my body to forge alliances I can earn through action.And I won't marry for convenience.Especially not when it would mean silencing my heart."
Agent Reactions
Fang (grinning):
"Well damn, Commander. Should've told us sooner—half the palace girls were staring at you like you were dessert."
Petal (softly):
"You deserve to be loved your way."
Silenne (arms crossed, a bit too calm):
"We knew.Well… I knew. I definitely knew."
Shin blinked.
"How?"
"Because you never once looked at the prince like you look at a well-trained female operative in a tactical dress."
"I do not—!"
"You do."
System Message Appears
— SYSTEM NOTICE —[ Hidden Trait Confirmed: Romantic Orientation – Women ]
Relationship compatibility updated.Court gossip updated.Prince's Proposal Status: Politely Declined (Gently)Noble Rumors: "She turned him down for a woman?! Who?!"Agent Morale: +15 ("She trusts us with her heart, too.")
Private Aftermath
Later, Silenne and Shin sat quietly in her quarters.
A candle flickered between them.
Silenne finally asked:
"Do you… want someone?"
"I don't know," Shin replied softly."I never had time to wonder."
A pause.
Then Shin reached for her tea, smiling faintly.
"But now I think… maybe it's time I stop leading only from the shadows.Maybe it's time I feel something too."
Silenne's smile was calm. But her hand brushed gently across Shin's.
Neither of them spoke after that.
But the silence was full.
The Sanctum felt… quieter lately.
Shin noticed it first during briefings.
Silenne no longer lingered after missions.Her reports arrived neatly, but with fewer words.She sat further down the table.
And when Shin entered a room, Silenne left just a bit too soon.
Private Logs – Petal
"Commander notices everything, except when it comes to her own heart.""Silenne looks like she's drowning in 'what ifs'."
One Quiet Evening
In the Sanctum observatory—above the clouds and wrapped in moonlight—Silenne finally stopped running.
She waited until everyone had gone to rest.
And Shin was alone, reading reports with tea in hand.
"Commander," she said, voice calm but tight.
Shin looked up.
Silenne stood still, clutching her gloves in both hands.
"May I ask something… personal?"
Shin gave a gentle nod.
Silenne stepped forward.
"Is it alright… if I pursue you romantically?"
Silence fell like snowfall.
Shin blinked once—then closed her report, setting the tea aside with precise care.
"Yes."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that. You asked, with respect. I trust your heart. And I'm not blind to how often it's chosen to stand next to mine."
Silenne's lips trembled slightly.
But just as Shin reached out to steady her—
A Voice From the Stairs
"Oh finally."
Both turned to see Duchess Velindra Dhim entering the observatory like it was her personal stage.
Wrapped in silk robes and carrying a cup of blackcurrant tea, she arched a brow.
"She told you about her preference, didn't she?"
"...Yes, Duchess," Silenne replied awkwardly.
The Duchess grinned and waved her off.
"Call me Mother if you're planning on anything serious. And let me guess—"
She turned to Shin with a teasing smirk.
"Did my daughter do the whole 'I'm a pretty princess' routine again?"
Shin's face turned bright red.
"...Mother."
Petal, somewhere in the hallway, audibly choked on laughter.
Flashback: The "Pretty Princess" Moment
During her child-form reset, Shin once twirled in her dress and loudly declared:
"I'm a pretty princess~!"
Petal, Fang, and even Seradin bore witness.
Apparently, the Duchess had been shown the recording.
Multiple times.
Back to Present
Duchess Velindra sipped her tea like it was victory wine.
"She does that when she's comfortable. When she trusts someone."
She turned to Silenne, expression warming.
"That means she's already letting you in, dear. So… don't be afraid of loving her too loudly."
Silenne swallowed hard and looked to Shin.
"You're worth the risk."
Shin, recovering her composure, gave the smallest, truest smile she'd shown in weeks.
"Then take it."
— SYSTEM NOTICE —
[ Romance Path Initiated: Silenne × Shin ]
Mutual Interest: ConfirmedEmotional Readiness: DevelopingDuchess Velindra: Already Planning the WeddingAgent Reactions: Fang—"CALLED IT." Petal—"Finally." Seradin—"...about time."
The news arrived quietly, in the form of a sealed scroll delivered by royal courier:
"The Princess of Velthanea will be visiting the Aurellian Kingdom for diplomatic review… and has formally requested an audience with Commander Shin of S.I.N."
The Sanctum was immediately thrown into chaos.
Fang dropped her sword.Petal started pacing.Silenne froze mid-strategy briefing.
"She's coming here?" Silenne asked, voice tight.
Shin, unreadable as always, simply nodded once.
"She and I… trained together. Long ago."
Flashback: A Distant Flame
Back when Shin still wore her mask of masculinity and called herself a "blade with no gender,"there had been one person who saw through it without flinching:
Princess Araline of Velthanea.
She was bold. Curious. Regal but unruly.
The only one who ever pulled Shin into dance without asking—or whispered:
"You don't move like a prince. You move like the moon. Soft and untouchable."
Shin never forgot it.
The Arrival
She stepped out of the royal carriage in silver and rose-gold armor, her cape embroidered with phoenix feathers. Her crown sat tilted playfully atop a head of soft honey-blonde curls.
Princess Araline.
She saw Shin standing in the courtyard, hands behind her back, dressed in her formal S.I.N commander's coat and polished boots.
And without hesitation—
She ran up and hugged her.
Not a quick embrace.
A full, arms-wrapped-around-her-waist, head-resting-on-shoulder hug.
"My Shin. I missed you."
And for the first time in… well, ever—
Shin blushed.
Visibly.
Vividly.
Petal and Fang both froze. Silenne's hand twitched by her sword.
Shin cleared her throat softly.
"A-Araline. It's good to see you again."
Araline pulled back just enough to smile up at her.
"Still taller than me. Still gorgeous. Still pretending you're not made of starlight."
Shin took a breath.
And silently screamed inside.
The Tension in the Sanctum
That night:
Araline stayed in the guest wing.
Silenne sharpened her sword. For four hours.
Petal whispered, "We're in trouble, aren't we?"
Private Conversation
Later, in the Sanctum gardens, Araline and Shin sat on the old stone bench where the moonlight hit just right.
"You've become everything I imagined… and more," Araline said softly.
"And you've become a political force disguised as a flirt," Shin replied.
"Would you have said yes?" Araline asked, gaze serious now."Back then, if I'd asked you to stay."
Shin looked down.
"I might have.If I'd known who I really was.If I hadn't been so afraid of being seen."
Araline leaned in again—this time, not for a hug.
But Shin placed two fingers gently against her lips.
"I'm not the shadow you once reached for.I'm something new now. And someone already sees me."
Araline smiled sadly.
"Then I won't try to steal your heart.But I might make her earn it properly."
Shin chuckled.
"She already is."
— SYSTEM NOTICE —
[ Rivalry Sparked: Princess Araline ]
History Level: HighRomance Intent: DeclinedPassive Status: Rival of the HeartSilenne's Emotional Response: Brewing StormAgent Fang's Commentary: "This love triangle gonna need armor."
The invitation was simple—delivered with a single pink camellia.
"One last dance under the stars. Like old times. Come as you truly are this time."—Araline
Shin stood silently at the training courtyard, moonlight kissing her black formal dueling jacket and silver-threaded sash. No armor. No mask. No blade hidden in shadows.
Across from her stood Princess Araline, in ceremonial dueling garb lined with royal feathers and protective glyphs. She smiled—not smugly, but like someone greeting a long-lost part of themselves.
The gathered agents watched from a respectful distance, none daring to intervene.
Even Silenne stood still, arms folded, her expression unreadable.
The Rules
No lethal strikes.
No magic above tier three.
Winner determined by disarmament or knockdown.
Shin activated her Auto Dodge passive.System logs flickered quietly in her vision.
[ Auto Dodge: Engaged. ][ Fear Suppression: Active. ][ Observation: Locked. ]
The Duel Begins
It started with grace.
Like an old waltz reborn in steel and silence.
Araline moved like wind and memory—her blade curved, not to kill, but to test.Shin flowed between attacks effortlessly, coat fluttering with every evasion, a shadow made flesh.
The audience was breathless.
Then—Araline feinted.
And Shin dodged—
—but stepped exactly where Araline wanted.
Her foot landed on the engraved stone rune from Araline's old technique.
[ Auto Dodge: Interrupted. ][ Magic: Rebound Trap Detected ]
Too late.
A burst of kinetic force swept her feet from beneath her.
In one elegant motion, Araline disarmed Shin mid-air and caught her in a single arm spin, before laying her flat on the stone floor—gently.
Shin blinked, stunned.She hadn't even seen the rune laid.
"Still fast," Araline whispered, brushing a loose hair from Shin's face."But I told you once… I fight with intention, not instinct."
The World Stared
The Commander had lost.
Even with auto-dodge, fear suppression, perfect timing…
She had lost.
And yet—
Shin exhaled softly. A calm, humbling smile on her lips.
"You beat me. Fairly. Without breaking who I am now."
"I never wanted to break you," Araline said, kneeling beside her."Only see if the woman I once loved could still dance."
A pause.
Then a softer voice:
"And she does. More beautifully than ever."
System Message
— SYSTEM NOTICE —[ Duel Lost: Growth Achieved ]
Auto Dodge Limitation Unlocked: Cannot bypass the will of the heart.Skill Unlocked: Intent Recognition – Read the opponent's emotional drive to predict technique.Public Reputation: +30 ("She bowed in defeat without losing pride.")Silenne's Emotional Pressure: High
Later That Night
Silenne found Shin alone in the garden.
Shin looked up with that quiet, composed expression.
"You saw."
Silenne sat beside her.
"I did."
A pause.
"You let yourself lose."
Shin tilted her head.
"Not entirely. She earned it."
"And if I asked for a duel?" Silenne asked, eyes narrowed.
Shin smiled.
"I'd still lose."
"Why?"
"Because I already gave you something she never got."
Silenne's voice dropped to a whisper.
"What?"
Shin leaned in.
"My future."
The courtyard lanterns were nearly out when Shin left the garden.Moonlight made a thin ribbon along the path back to the Sanctum—silver on black stone, quiet as breath.
Footsteps followed. Measured. Familiar.
"Walk you home?" Silenne asked, voice low.
Shin glanced back, the faintest smile touching her lips. "Please."
They fell into step—no masks, no missions—just the soft whisper of heels and blade at hip, their shadows occasionally merging where the path narrowed.
For a while, neither spoke. The night was kind enough to let them try.
At the old camphor tree, Silenne stopped.
She worked her jaw once, like a fighter testing a bruise that wasn't on skin.
"I watched you lose," she began, breath steady, eyes not. "And I realized I've been… retreating. Not from danger. From you."
Shin waited. No saving. No rescue. Only room.
"I was so sure I'd lose you," Silenne continued, "to a crown… to your legend… to the woman you might become without me. So I started losing you early, with distance. It felt safer to imagine I had no chance than to try—and confirm it."
She laughed once—small, ugly, honest.
"I'm the bravest coward I know."
The wind moved through the branches; the Sanctum hummed in the far distance. Shin stepped a little closer—enough that the heat of them changed the air.
"Thank you for saying it," Shin murmured. "I can't fix fear with a blade. I can only hear it… and decide if it's telling me the truth."
Silenne's hands tightened on her gloves. "And what does mine say?"
"It says you've been standing guard over a door labeled 'Someday'—and tonight you realized the room was empty unless you walked in."
Silenne's breath trembled. "If I walk in, I don't know how to—"
Shin took her hand. Not a commander's gesture. A woman's.
"Then we learn the room together."
Silence again. Softer, this time.
Silenne looked down at their joined hands, then back up, and her eyes were the same ones that had once followed Shin through hell and back—but now they were unarmored.
"May I try something terribly reckless?"
"Yes," Shin said, already smiling.
Silenne leaned forward and pressed her forehead to Shin's—no rush, no capture, just a promise that had been waiting for the right breath. Shin exhaled, and the knot in the night eased.
When they broke, Shin lifted Silenne's knuckles to her lips and kissed them—precise, reverent.
"You don't have to win me," she whispered. "You just have to stay."
Silenne laughed again, and this time it was warm. "Staying is my best skill."
"Good," Shin said. "Then I'll assign you to it."
They resumed walking. Two meters later, Shin stopped, cheeks faintly pink.
"One more thing," she said, a little shy despite the legend etched into her name. "I… like when you call me Shin like it's not a title."
Silenne's answering grin was bright and wicked. "Shin."
Shin bit her lip, defeated in the best way. "Unfair."
"Finally," Silenne murmured, "something I'm allowed to be unfair about."
They reached the Sanctum steps. Above them, a lantern flickered out; the world grew a shade more intimate.
Silenne squeezed her hand. "I'll make mistakes."
"So will I," Shin said. "We'll apologize. We'll try again. And tomorrow I'll still be here asking how you take your tea."
"Strong," Silenne replied, "like the woman pouring it."
A door clicked somewhere; the hour turned. Shin tilted her head.
"Walk me the rest of the way, Silenne?"
"Every day you'll have me."
They went inside. The door closed, and for once the shadows of S.I.N were simply that—shadows, not burdens.
— SYSTEM NOTICE —
[ Bond Deepened: Shin × Silenne ]
Trust: +20Vulnerability Shared: AcceptedNew Duo Passive: "Stay Command" — When fighting within sight of each other, resolve recovery increases and hesitation effects are reduced by 50%.Personal Protocol Unlocked: Evening Walks (non-operational; morale boost)