When Sofia finished giving instructions to her troops, her gaze returned to the square.
Alejandro and Leonardo were still standing in front of Lusian.
They were still arguing.
In the middle of a destroyed city.
Sofia watched them for a few seconds.
Her expression changed.
She had tolerated enough.
Larriet slowly opened her jaws.
The roar shook the square.
The stones trembled.
The soldiers stopped moving.
The civilians stepped back.
Even the heroes fell silent.
Sofia stepped forward.
She didn't need to raise her voice.
The presence of the three magical beasts around her made any demonstration of strength unnecessary.
She stopped in front of Alejandro and Leonardo.
"Are you going to keep this up?"
Neither answered.
Sofia fixed her eyes on Alejandro.
"Or are you finally done disrespecting my son?"
Alejandro clenched his teeth.
"I was just—"
"I don't care."
The response was immediate.
Sofia took another step.
"You can hate him as much as you want. You can blame him for every misfortune that happens in this kingdom."
Her gaze turned icy.
"But remember something."
Larriet bared her fangs.
"You're speaking to the Duke of Douglas."
A spark ran across Thunder's body.
Umber let out a deep growl.
"And you're speaking in front of me."
The silence was absolute.
Alejandro took a step back.
Not out of cowardice.
By instinct.
He knew perfectly well who stood before him.
Sofia Douglas.
The tamer of the three magical beasts.
The woman considered by many to be the most powerful human being in the world.
And no one in the Duchy of Douglas doubted what would happen if she decided to stop holding back.
Leonardo lowered his gaze slightly.
Sofia continued.
"Do not mistake my son remaining silent for weakness."
Her gaze shifted from one to the other.
"If you want to argue about responsibility, do it after the rescue is over."
A pause.
"And if you threaten him again…"
Larriet stepped half a pace forward.
"There will not be a second warning."
No one answered.
Sofia then turned toward Emily.
The tension in her face eased slightly.
Emily took a deep breath.
"Mother-in-law…"
Sofia raised a hand.
"No."
Emily stopped.
"You don't have to defend him."
Sofia looked at Lusian.
For the first time, her expression showed something other than anger.
Pain.
"I already know you will."
Emily remained silent.
Sofia stepped away.
"Finish tending to the wounded."
And she walked away.
Thunder, Umber, and Larriet followed her.
Only then did the square begin to breathe again.
Lusian said nothing.
He stepped away from the others.
He walked through the ruins until he found a fragment of wall that was still standing.
He sat down.
The embers illuminated his face.
Emily found him a few minutes later.
She approached slowly.
"Lusian…"
He didn't respond.
Emily sat beside him.
For several seconds, neither of them spoke.
"I shouldn't have arrived so late," he finally murmured.
Emily looked at him.
"It wasn't your fault."
"You don't know that."
Lusian stared at the ruins.
"The Omega creature appeared at the border."
His voice was low.
"My army was there. We couldn't let it advance into the duchy."
He clenched his fists.
"But then the monsters started fleeing."
Emily understood.
"Because of the Omega."
Lusian nodded.
"Yes."
He looked north.
"They were too fast. We couldn't catch them without breaking formation."
He paused.
"And I wasn't going to sacrifice my soldiers chasing them."
Emily remained silent.
"So we maintained formation."
Lusian lowered his gaze.
"But the horde kept moving forward. In formation, we couldn't move at the same speed as them."
His fingers slowly curled into fists.
"When we reached Valther… it was already too late."
"The Omega?"
"It had already been defeated."
Lusian lowered his gaze.
"When we arrived, the battle was already over."
Emily studied his face.
He didn't look like the duke she had seen so many times before.
He looked exhausted.
"I made the right decision for my soldiers," Lusian murmured, "but hundreds of people died."
His fingers slowly tightened.
"I couldn't save them."
Emily remained silent.
She didn't try to argue.
She knew that telling him it wasn't his fault wouldn't make what he was feeling disappear.
She simply took his hand.
Lusian didn't resist.
She intertwined her fingers with his and moved a little closer.
"Are you tired?"
Lusian took a few seconds to answer.
"Yes."
One word.
But it came with a level of honesty Emily rarely heard from him.
She rested her head against his chest.
"Then rest for a while."
Lusian remained still.
"I can't."
"Why?"
He looked at the ruins.
"Because there are still people who need help."
Emily raised her head slightly.
"Your soldiers are working."
Lusian didn't respond.
"The doctors are tending to the wounded. The mages are stabilizing the mana. The heroes are still here."
She gently squeezed his hand.
"For once, let everyone else do their part."
Lusian looked at her.
Emily smiled faintly.
"You don't have to save everything by yourself."
Those words struck him harder than he expected.
Lusian lowered his gaze.
For several seconds, he struggled against something even he didn't know how to explain.
He had tried to change the future.
He had tried to prevent the tragedies he remembered.
He had tried to protect everyone.
And yet…
People were still dying.
"Emily…"
His voice was barely a whisper.
"Yes?"
Lusian closed his eyes.
"Sometimes I feel like no matter what I do…"
He stopped.
He didn't finish the sentence.
Emily waited.
"…things just end up worse."
She didn't ask what he meant.
She didn't need to know.
She simply moved closer and hugged him.
"Then don't do anything right now."
Lusian opened his eyes.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Emily rested her cheek against his chest.
"Just stay with me for a moment."
Lusian remained silent.
Then, slowly, he wrapped his arms around her.
Emily closed her eyes.
"You don't have to be the duke."
A pause.
"Or the man who has all the answers."
She hugged him a little tighter.
"Just be Lusian."
He closed his eyes.