And Thus… It All Comes to an End - Chapter 4

I scanned the faces of those standing there, utterly stunned, with a slow and steady gaze.

“——Oh, that’s right. One more thing before I depart. Since the engagement is annulled, I require no alimony. However, I expect to be properly remunerated for the work I have performed for the Royal Family over these past three years.”

After making that declaration with deliberate lightheartedness, I turned my steps toward Julius Falkenhain, the Assistant Prime Minister, who had been on the verge of standing up earlier.

About ten years my senior, with refined features and a composed demeanor, he was a man of constant cool-headedness. A figure held in high esteem even within the Royal Palace.

“Julius Falkenhain. ——Won’t you come with me?”

The moment those words reached him, his blue-grey eyes wavered ever so slightly. A flash of surprise, followed by hesitation. But what surfaced next was the color of resolve.

“There is no way he would go!”

Behind me, the furious shouts of the Prime Minister and the high officials erupted.

“That’s right! Julius, give her a firm refusal!”

But Julius didn’t even glance toward those voices. He simply looked straight at me, his lips curving into a faint, soft line.

“I will go.”

That single sentence was quiet, yet it made the entire hall tremble. The stir of the crowd froze; the very air seemed to stop.

“Thank you, Julius. Anne, come in!”

“Yes, Lady Luciana!”

The doors were thrust open, and Anne knelt without a moment’s hesitation. Pulling a magic tool from her breast pocket, she let it slide across the floor, tracing a line as she went. In an instant, a complex crest was drawn, and a faint light began to spread.

The radiance illuminated the walls and reached the ceiling, making the air vibrate with energy.

“Drat! It’s teleportation magic! The activation is abnormally fast! Someone, stop them!”

The King’s roar echoed through the room.

“It’s useless.”

I gently took Julius’s hand and stepped into the center of the magic circle without a shred of doubt. The light enveloped us. I cast one final glance at the panicked men and let a thin smile play on my lips.

In the next heartbeat, the light swallowed everything. My vision, the air, the sound—everything drifted far, far away.

When I opened my eyes, we were standing before the ancient castle of Eisenberg.

“Are either of you feeling nauseous from the jump?”

“I’m fine.”

“I am fine as well. In fact, I’m surprised. That was the gentlest teleportation I’ve ever experienced.”

Anne let out a sigh of relief and gave a joyful bow.

The stone walls of the old castle were covered in moss, silently testifying to the long passage of time. The light spilling from the windows of the corner tower felt nostalgic, and beyond the heavy iron gates lay my home for the first time in three years—a vast, sprawling garden.

“Honestly, Julius. Look at the marks your nails have left on your palm.”

When I gently took his hand, I noticed the red indentations remaining there. Back in that hall, he must have been clenching his fist with all his might while watching over me. The remnants of that tension were quietly etched into his skin.

“Is that not because the Lady of Eisenberg was signaling me with her eyes not to come to her side?”

His voice sounded slightly sulky—a tone quite different from his usual self. I couldn’t help but let out a little giggle.

Well-groomed brows, a sharp gaze—his expression usually gave off a cold impression. But I knew better. I knew that within him resided a certain kindness and an unshakable conviction.

“It’s Luciana, Julius. Please, call me that—at least until the day I am called ‘King’.”

“Is that acceptable? Then, Lady Luciana I look forward to working with you from here on.”

“Heh. Well then, first, let’s go discuss our future plans with my grandfather.”

I pushed open the heavy doors and stepped onto the flagstone corridor. Matching my pace, Julius walked beside me, and I cast a soft glance toward him.

“You know, Julius looking back on these last three years, we really did work ourselves to the bone, didn’t we?”

My voice echoed through the quiet hallway. He smiled slightly, the light particles from the window illuminating his profile with a soft glow. The stone walls reflected the sound, letting it melt into the clear air. Sunlight filtered in, stretching long shadows across the floor.

“The Prime Minister would give you orders, and then you’d pile an immense amount of work onto me, wouldn’t you? Between the palace chores and matters of national importance, there were times I thought I’d lose my mind.”

I laughed, though a trace of lingering fatigue seeped into the depth of my voice.

If Julius hadn’t lent me his hand, I surely would have collapsed. Amidst the workload that increased day by day, he had stood up to the Prime Minister and voiced his objections time and again.

“‘Did you offer another bitter counsel today? Even though it’s futile.’ I wonder how many times I said that to you.”

As I mimicked my tone from back then, Julius lowered his head slightly and answered quietly.

“Even so, those were not tasks that should have been your responsibility. I could not simply remain silent and watch you submit to such things.”

His voice carried his usual calm and sincerity. Come to think of it, it had always been like that. Not once had he ever overlooked an injustice.

“In the beginning, Anne used to glare at you every single time, even though it wasn’t your fault.”

“W-well, that’s because I thought he was the Prime Minister’s pawn! By the end, though, it was just the three of us sharing wry smiles over mountains of paperwork every day.”

“Truly. That tea time after finishing work was my only pleasure.”

A nostalgic atmosphere flowed between the three of us. Suddenly, I slowed my pace and asked in a slightly more serious tone.

“Say, Julius. You realized what my face looked like under the veil, didn’t you? We were together for so long, and so close. But thank you for never saying anything.”

His blue-grey eyes wavered for a fleeting moment. After a brief silence, a gentle smile returned to the depths of his gaze.

“Yes. However, you were even more beautiful than I had imagined.”

At those words, something surged softly deep within my chest. His long eyelashes brushed his cheeks as his eyes narrowed with that smile. Feeling as though I were being wrapped in his kindness, I gave a small laugh and looked forward.

At the end of the corridor, the light of the old castle began to fill the space.

A new era was quietly beginning to unfold.