Lusian finished his day exhausted.
The moment he collapsed onto the bed, he felt the weight of the oaths, responsibilities, and training sessions piling onto his shoulders.
He closed his eyes.
Just for a moment.
The door opened softly.
Adela stepped inside slowly.
She wasn't wearing armor or ceremonial clothing. Only a light robe, with her hair falling loose over her shoulders.
Her expression was different.
There was embarrassment.
Determination.
And a confusion that made her fingers tremble slightly.
Lusian sat up.
—Adela... did something happen?
She slowly shook her head.
She took one step.
Then another.
—I...
She swallowed.
—I don't know what I'm feeling.
She sat down on the edge of the bed, leaving a small distance between them.
—Last night...
She lowered her gaze.
—I didn't understand it.
One of her hands tightened around the fabric of her robe.
—But it hurt here.
She touched her chest with her fingers.
—And I don't know why.
Lusian remained silent.
For the first time, Lusian didn't see the little girl he had known during that year.
He saw a young woman who had begun to understand her own feelings.
And that changed everything.
—Adela...
His voice was gentle.
—Tell me what you want.
She raised her eyes.
Her eyelashes trembled, but this time she didn't look away.
—I want to be with you.
She paused.
—Not because it's my duty.
Her fingers tightened over her knees.
—Not as your guardian.
She took a deep breath.
—And not as the girl who followed you everywhere.
Lusian felt something tighten in his chest.
Adela continued:
—I want to be important to you.
The words came out awkwardly, but sincerely.
—I don't know how I'm supposed to do this. I don't know exactly what it means to be with someone that way.
She looked directly at him.
—But I want to understand.
She slowly extended a hand toward him.
Her fingers were trembling.
—I want you to teach me...
Lusian stared at her hand for several seconds.
Then he took it.
—Adela.
She raised her eyes.
—Look at me.
She did.
—I don't want you to do this because you're obligated to. I want you to decide for yourself what you want to do with your life.
Lusian paused.
—Not because you're my guardian. Not because you were raised to protect me. And certainly not because you think obeying me means giving me everything you are.
Adela remained motionless.
Her fingers slowly tightened around the fabric of her robe.
—I want to stay by your side.
She raised her eyes.
—Always.
Lusian watched her in silence.
—Because it's your duty?
Adela slowly shook her head.
—No.
She swallowed.
—Because I'm the one who wants it.
Her fingers sought Lusian's and intertwined with his.
—I want it.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
—I don't understand everything yet...
She tightened her grip on his hand.
—But I want to learn.
A brief pause.
—I want to choose it.
Lusian watched her for several seconds.
Then he understood something.
This was probably the first time Adela had ever made a decision about herself.
About what she wanted for her own life.
Without thinking about her duty.
Without thinking about Sophia's orders.
Simply because she wanted it.
Lusian slowly moved closer.
He wrapped his arms around her.
Adela remained stiff for a moment.
Then she rested her forehead against his chest.
Her breathing gradually became calmer.
Lusian remained silent.
He didn't know if this was the right thing to do.
For a year, he had learned to understand Adela.
He knew how deeply she was bound to him.
He knew that her loyalty wasn't something that could disappear overnight.
And he also remembered the game.
The Adela he had known there had been capable of giving her life for Lusian without even hesitating.
Telling her no now probably wouldn't change what she felt.
It would only postpone the problem.
Lusian closed his eyes for a moment.
Then what am I supposed to do?
He didn't want to take advantage of her feelings.
But he didn't want to force her to distance herself from him either.
Finally, he spoke.
—I have one condition.
Adela slightly raised her head.
—What is it?
Lusian looked directly at her.
—If you ever have to choose between my life and yours...
He paused.
—You will choose yours.
Adela remained motionless.
She seemed surprised by the request.
Then she slowly nodded.
—Yes, my lord.
Lusian held her gaze for several seconds.
Lusian knew she was lying.
Not because Adela wanted to deceive him.
Nor because she intended to disobey him.
Simply because he had already seen how this story ended.
He had fought her in the game.
He had seen how, even covered in wounds, Adela kept getting back up.
How the White Tiger attacked anyone who tried to approach its master.
How she kept fighting when she should already have fallen.
Until death.
For Lusian.
He knew that version of her.
And now he wanted to prevent her from becoming that person again.
Lusian sighed.
I can't change that overnight.
Maybe he didn't even know whether he could ever change it.
But at the very least, he could try to teach her something no one had ever taught her before.
That her life had value too.
That protecting him didn't mean dying for him.
And that staying by his side didn't mean belonging to him.
Adela rested her head against his chest again.
Lusian closed his eyes.
That night, there was no rush.
No orders.
No impossible promises.
Only conversation.
Doubts.
Questions Adela had never had the chance to ask.
And answers Lusian had to think carefully about before giving.
For the first time, she wasn't following her lord.
She was learning to walk beside him.
The next morning, Adela woke up in Lusian's arms.
For several seconds, she remained still.
Then she looked at their hands.
One of hers was still holding his.
She had done that all her life out of habit.
For safety.
Because that was how she had learned to feel close to the person she was supposed to protect.
But this time was different.
She could let go.
And she didn't.
Adela slowly closed her eyes.
And intertwined her fingers with Lusian's again.
For the first time since she was a child...
she wasn't holding his hand out of instinct.
She was holding it because she had chosen to.
The months passed faster than Lusian expected.
The harvests, strengthened by the rooftop crops he had implemented thanks to his knowledge of the game, were abundant.
The green rooftops of the duchy had already become part of the landscape.
A silent symbol of survival.
But the good news ended there.
The reports that arrived grew increasingly disturbing:
—Larger monster packs.
—More aggressive mutations.
—Blocked roads.
—Isolated villages.
—Entire regions cut off from contact.
And there was something worse.
The areas considered safe were disappearing.
Each new map showed a little less territory under human control.
Albert summarized what everyone was beginning to fear.
—My lord... the kingdom is entering a critical phase.
Lusian stared at the map spread across the table.
A shiver ran through him.
He didn't need anyone to explain it.
The world was moving toward a stage he knew far too well.
But this time, he couldn't simply remember what would happen.
He had to decide what to do.
That same afternoon, Lusian made an announcement in the castle's central courtyard.
His voice echoed throughout the square.
—To all adventurers of Bronze rank and above.
Those present looked up.
—The Douglas Duchy is seeking volunteers to escort a caravan to Acropolis, the capital of the kingdom.
A murmur spread through the crowd.
Acropolis.
The political heart of Carpathia.
The place where the kingdom's most powerful nobles would gather as the situation began to deteriorate.
And, in the game...
the place where one of the most dangerous stages of the story began.
Lusian continued:
—We will be carrying reports on the situation in the regions under our protection. We also need to personally assess the condition of the roads and the cities that remain connected.
He paused.
—I want everyone who joins us to be prepared. The road to the capital is no longer safe.
At one side of the square, Lirianne and the members of Blue Current exchanged glances.
Kaela smiled.
—A new adventure?
Lirianne slowly shook her head.
—A new war.
Martha, meanwhile, remained seated in a room inside the castle.
Since Lawrence's death...
Since the oath mark had disappeared from her body...
her world seemed to have turned gray.
The door opened.
—Go away! —she shouted without even looking—. I said I wanted to be left alone!
The figure who entered wasn't a servant.
—Lady Martha...
She raised her head.
When she recognized him, her eyes widened.
—Lawrence...
Lusian froze.
Martha struggled to her feet and walked toward him.
—I'm not Lawrence —he said gently—. I'm Lusian.
But she shook her head.
—No...
Before he could react, she threw herself at him.
She hugged him with desperate strength.
—Why did you leave me? —she sobbed—. Caleb... you... why does everyone leave?
Lusian tried to hold her without hurting her.
—Martha...
—Just let me feel like I'm not alone...
Her voice broke.
The exhaustion, alcohol, and weeks of pain finally overwhelmed her.
Her body lost its strength.
Lusian caught her before she fell.
He said nothing.
There was nothing he could say.
He simply remained there, holding a woman who had lost too much.
When Martha finally fell asleep, Lusian carried her to her room.
He laid her down.
Covered her with a blanket.
And remained by the door for several seconds.
The promise he had made to Lawrence weighed more heavily than ever.
The morning of their departure arrived in silence.
Douglas Castle seemed busier than ever.
Adela held Lusian's hand as they waited beside the carriages.
Her White Tiger, curled up at her feet, raised its ears as it sensed the tension.
—Do we really have to go that far? —she asked quietly.
Lusian smiled slightly.
—Yes.
He looked toward the road descending from the fortress.
—It's time to move.
Adela didn't let go of his hand.
From a castle window, Isabella watched the scene as the maids finished preparing the luggage.
She said nothing.
But her gaze remained on Adela for several seconds.
They had both chosen to remain by Lusian's side.
And now they would have to share the same journey as well.
One floor above, Sophia was preparing the reports. According to the latest reports, the duchy had become the kingdom's main center of human survivors.
Her expression was a mixture of pride, concern, and a small amount of frustration with herself.
—I can't stop him...
She sighed.
—He's not a child anymore.
She looked down toward the courtyard.
—He's the duke.
Albert, immaculate in his commander's uniform, supervised the escort's formation.
One hundred knights.
Two hundred light soldiers.
Fifty elite adventurers.
And a small group of mages selected from the inner circle.
It was Lusian's first major journey as duke.
And everyone knew that every mistake he made would be watched.
But none of them was the real reason Lusian's heart was pounding.
The reason was in Acropolis.
Elizabeth.
It had been eight months since he had last seen her.
Eight months without hearing her voice.
Without seeing her smile.
Eight months since that farewell at the Academy.
Now they would meet again.
And it would be in the heart of the kingdom.
And it was also the place where his future was about to become even more complicated.
He took a deep breath.
—It's time.
The massive castle gates began to open.
The sound of the mechanisms echoed throughout the fortress.
The caravan began to move.
Albert marched alongside Lusian's carriage, alert to any movement.
Behind them came the soldiers, adventurers, supply wagons, and several refugee families who had decided to follow the duchy in search of a safer place.
Isabella was there as well.
She made no attempt to hide the way she looked at Lusian.
Adela, meanwhile, remained quieter after their farewell, though she still sought to stay close to him whenever she could.
And Sophia...
Sophia never stopped watching him.
As if she were still trying to understand just how much her son had truly changed.
The entire duchy seemed to be moving behind him.
Minor nobles.
Knights.
Servants.
Adventurers.
Refugees.
People who now depended, directly or indirectly, on the decisions of the new duke.
Lusian could feel the weight of those gazes upon his shoulders.
As the caravan slowly left the fortress and began descending along the mountain roads, Lusian looked back one last time.
Then he turned his gaze toward the horizon.
Acropolis was waiting.
And with it...
Elizabeth.