Dahlia did not even realize how much time had passed before she found herself standing in the night after the wedding had ended.
Now, only Dahlia and Luias remained in the room.
He was the first to speak, his voice low and quiet.
"Now… it's just the two of us, Lia."
That name—Lia.
Dahlia flinched in shock.
There were only a few people who knew her nickname: Gwynnslun, Betty, the villagers… and one more.
A noble young man who had once helped her leave the royal palace by carriage long ago.
Through that chance encounter, they had become friends.
'… As?!'
For the first time since coming to the Empire, Dahlia lifted her head and looked up at him.
"At last, I can see your golden, jewel-like eyes again."
Luias smiled softly.
"It's been a long time, Lia."
"…H-how… As… you…"
"I'm sorry. I never meant to deceive you. If I had told you back then that I was the Emperor… we probably wouldn't have even become friends."
Tears welled at the corners of Dahlia's eyes.
"Then… now? Why… why did you marry me?"
"That is—"
She could see his hesitation.
After a brief pause, Luias spoke before she could hear an answer.
"Lia, I've dismissed all the attendants. No one will come near this room until morning. I'll sleep in another room. You must be exhausted… get some rest tonight."
With those words, he quietly left the room.
Silence fell at once.
The moment the door closed and she was left alone, Dahlia could no longer hold back the emotions she had suppressed.
Nor her tears.
The dam broke all at once, and silent sobs shook her body.
The sorrow of losing the one she loved.
The guilt of failing to protect someone precious.
The shock of being betrayed by a friend she trusted.
All of it crashed down upon her at once.
She was a bride who had held the most magnificent wedding in the world.
Yet the only thing that filled her first night was her weeping.
***
Dahlia knew it as well that Luias truly cherished her.
If she so much as showed interest in something, he would give it to her without hesitation.
If she looked even slightly uncomfortable, he would immediately change it.
Despite his busy schedule, he always made time to visit her, to dine with her, to walk beside her.
Rumors spread throughout the Empire in no time that the Emperor was hopelessly devoted to his Empress.
And yet, surrounded by all that devotion, not a single smile ever lingered on Dahlia's face.
At night, she could not sleep, tossing until dawn. Even in the mornings, she could barely manage a few bites of food. The light slowly drained from her face, leaving only a cold pallor behind.
Still, she fulfilled her duties as Empress to the very end.
Luias wished she would rest, even a little, but every day, she steadfastly carried out her responsibilities.
It was her way of hiding a heart that was quietly crumbling.
Yet her body grew thinner by the day.
The sound of her muffled sobs in the dead of night.
The way she would sit motionless at the table, her spoon left untouched.
Her eyes gazed out the window without a word.
Even those around her could no longer ignore the change.
Several months later, Luias carefully suggested a walk, as he always did.
"Lia, would you like to take a walk tonight?"
Dahlia nodded silently.
The two of them walked slowly, without speaking, through the garden said to be the most beautiful in the Empire.
It was a one-of-a-kind garden.
Luias had prepared solely for Dahlia, personally choosing each flower with care.
Amid the fragrant blossoms, only the sound of their footsteps echoed through the stillness.
As he was about to escort her back to her room after the quiet walk, Luias suddenly stopped.
After hesitating for a long moment, he finally spoke.
"…Lia. I know you've been looking for that knight."
"...!"
Dahlia froze in shock. She had moved carefully, in secret, but it had reached his ears in the end.
Seeing her silence, Luias smiled faintly, sorrowfully.
"I'm not here to scold you. The truth is… I know where he is."
"W-What…?!"
For the first time, Dahlia's eyes widened with life.
As if she had forgotten how to breathe, she looked at him with desperate hope.
He confessed in a low voice.
"The reason I couldn't tell you, even though I knew… was because I was afraid you'd leave. If I told you, you would go to him. I was afraid of that."
His voice trembled.
"But watching you wither day by day hurt even more. So…"
Luias could not bring himself to finish the sentence.
Dahlia's eyes shook.
She couldn't believe it.
'Since when and how had he known Gwynnslun's whereabouts?'
She had exhausted every source of information in secret, yet never found him.
'Then how… could As…?'
Luias' next words gave her the answer.
"I hid him. When I realized you were searching for him, I sent people ahead. When we found him…"
He faltered.
"…he was already gravely injured. It was a miracle that he was still alive."
Dahlia's lips trembled. She had known.
Her cruel father, King Rubere, would never have released Gwynnslun peacefully.
"Is Lun… is Lun… alive now?"
Her trembling voice carried both hope and fear.
Luias nodded.
"Thankfully, yes. He's alive. He's deep in one of the Empire's mountains, where no one ever goes. In a secluded cabin—somewhere no one could easily find."
Tears blurred Dahlia's vision.
"…Please… please tell me where it is… As, please…"
She sounded as though she might fall to her knees.
"The path is dangerous. Steep cliffs, treacherous terrain."
"It doesn't matter. I can go. As long as Lun is there… even if just for a moment. I only need to see that he's safe and I will come back."
Her voice trembled, but her eyes were resolute as if promising she would return.
Luias looked at her in silence for a long moment.
"…I'll help you."
He said quietly.
"I'll send you to him. Without anyone knowing."
"Thank you… truly, thank you, As."
At his words, Dahlia smiled brightly.
A brief silence followed, then he added.
"If you don't wish to… you don't have to return to the Empire."
"...?!"
Her eyes widened.
"As…?"
He smiled.
"It's alright, Lia. Do what you want."
"...!"
"I know now… I can't hold onto you any longer out of my own desire."
Luias smiled gently.
"Letting you go… is the last gift I can give you."
At those words, tears spilled from Dahlia's eyes.
Guilt and gratitude overwhelmed her, leaving her speechless.
Instead, she embraced him.
"…Thank you."
Luias said nothing, simply holding her and gently patting her back.
That night, he helped Dahlia slip out of the imperial palace in secret.
As if everything had been prepared in advance, it was all done swiftly and quietly.
To travel the remote mountain road leading to the Empire's border, she needed a horse—and he gave her the fastest, quietest one.
Before mounting, Dahlia looked at Luias for a moment and asked softly,
"As… may I ask one last thing?"
"Anything."
"My father… no, King Rubere. What did he demand from you in exchange for this marriage?"
"That…"
Seeing his hesitation, Dahlia knew he must have paid a heavy price.
"I know you suffered a great loss. What I don't understand is why this marriage was worth that much to you. I wasn't even a good Empress…"
"No, Lia. You were. Truly."
He denied it urgently, sincerity in his voice.
"King Rubere demanded troops… and several territories."
"What?! How many?"
Luias could not bring himself to say it outright. It must have been an absurd demand.
"…I heard he planned to send you into a political marriage in the Western Continent. I couldn't… let that happen."
Dahlia's eyes shook.
Another truth she had never known.
Once again, she realized she had been nothing more than a tool for her kingdom and she smiled bitterly.
"As… may I dare ask one more favor?"
"Anything."
"Make the entire Kingdom of Rubere… a part of the Empire. But please, show mercy to the innocent people."
Her request meant war.
It also meant she was offering her own country to the Empire.
There was no hesitation left in her eyes.
Luias looked surprised, then slowly nodded.
"…I swear it in the name of the Emperor of Aureum."
At those words, Dahlia gave the smallest smile for the first time since coming to the Empire.
Then she cut a lock of her red hair and placed it in his hand.
"Take this. Use it as proof and declare me dead."
"Lia…?"
"Say that the Kingdom of Rubere mocked the Empire by exploiting a sick princess, and stole troops and land. Declare the marriage annulled, and let the royal palace pay for its crimes."
She was ready to abandon her name, her status—everything.
Luias silently clenched her hair in his hand.
"Thank you, As… I can never put into words how grateful I am. And… I'm sorry. For everything I've—"
"It's alright."
Even without hearing the end of her sentence, Luias gently reassured her.
She mounted the horse, and it swiftly carried her away from the imperial palace.
***
The mountain path Luias had told her about was truly treacherous. Impassable by horse.
Still, Dahlia did not give up.
Using her hands and feet, tearing her clothes and skin against sharp rocks, she kept climbing.
Knowing Gwynnslun was alive, that alone allowed her to breathe again.
At last, a small cabin appeared at the base of the rocky mountain.
The closer she drew, the slower her steps became. Her body trembled, her heart pounding relentlessly.
She saw a familiar figure from behind.
Gwynnslun, carrying firewood, is about to enter the cabin.
Even from afar, Dahlia recognized him instantly.
But he was far thinner than before, and the scars visible between his clothes bore silent witness to the suffering he had endured.
Sensing her footsteps, he stopped and slowly turned his head.
In that instant, tears spilled from Dahlia's eyes.
Her legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.
She couldn't breathe. Her throat tightened. Her vision blurred until she could see nothing clearly.
"…Lun… Lun…"
With a breaking breath, she called his name—desperately, achingly.
"…Could it be… Lady Dahlia?"
His voice trembled too but not with doubt. With certainty.
"Ah… ah… Lun… Lun!"
She wanted nothing more than to run into his arms.
But the moment she saw his face, overwhelming guilt and years of sorrow held her legs in place.
Toward the collapsed Dahlia, Gwynnslun moved step by step, following her voice.
With trembling eyes, she looked at him, but the deep, clear blue eyes that once resembled a tranquil lake could no longer see her.
For the crime of loving royalty.
For the crime of standing beside her.
King Rubere had taken his eyes, leaving only cruel scars behind.
And yet, his hands searched desperately for her.
Dahlia seized them tightly, as though she would never let go again.
Though he could not see, his voice and smile remained unchanged.
"Lady Dahlia… I've been waiting."
"I'm back, Lun."
As if embracing the entire world, as if never to let go again, the two held each other tightly.
Gwynnslun's arms were still warm.
Time, pain, even a separation longer than death itself—none of it had stolen that warmth.
Dahlia clung to him, her body shaking as she poured out all the days she had endured, sobbing until she could hardly breathe.
"Lun… sob… Lun…"
"Lady Dahlia…"
Longing and guilt, love and relief. Every emotion twisted together, crushing her heart.
At the end of a long separation, the two finally found each other again, sharing breath and warmth once more.
Like a promise fate had delivered far too late, they vowed without letting go of each other's hands to hold all the time that lay ahead together.