There was no feasible way for Kuon's party to make it back to the camp without leaving someone behind. As the least injured, Kuon assigned Hiou to leave for help. He returned less than an hour later with horses and men sent out by Lory. Bless that man for his optimism.
The horses took his dad and the most injured of their party. Kuon, Hiou, and one of the other guards walked the rest of the hike back until more horses came. Finally, he rode into the camp, sitting high in the stirrups despite his exhaustion.
The area around the city had completely transformed. Large roots rose in and out of the ground like ripples on the sand, sometimes breaking way to enormous sinkholes, some of which had already collapsed in on themselves. Bodies of both men and beasts crowded every corner. He had never seen so much destruction; and honestly, it looked like they'd lost. He expected solemnity and grief when he got back to the camp. What he found was neither.
He passed by makeshift tents and men nursing wounds, hope painting every expression. One man struggling with make-shift crutches noticed Kuon. His eyes widened, suddenly surging to his feet despite his difficulty.
"Prince Kuon! Light of Ashuron!"
Heads turned. Men stood. Kuon blinked in shock as all around him, voices were raised, and tears ran down more than one face. All Kuon could manage was a nod in acknowledgment, too stunned to do more.
They're cheering for me?
The roar followed him all the way to the center of the camp. There, he saw a familiar face. Kuresaki approached hand across his chest in a formal salute. Save for a cut across the brow, he looked mostly unscathed.
"Your Majesty," he said with solemnity. "Champion Hiou has already informed us of your victory. I thought it prudent to spread the details as soon as possible."
"I can see that." It explained everyone's reaction to him. "Where is my father?"
"Your father has been attended to," said Kuresaki, correctly guessing Kuon's real question. "He is resting, and I have been informed he will recover fully." His brows sunk in deeper as some other trouble occurred to him. "His healer… it's someone you won't expect, but—ah—you'll be happy to hear—"
"—I already know."
Kuresaki gave another bow, hiding his reaction. "I can lead you to her if you'd like."
"No need." The necklace's spell indicated he was close. He nearly turned to go, but he suddenly remembered. "Who is in charge at the moment?"
"Duke Takarada," said Kuresaki. "But he is injured and needs rest. I've been doing much in his stead."
"Good. I'll join to help in a minute." After I've seen her. "I'm a little surprised by everyone's reaction. To me, that is."
Kuresaki grimaced. "Ashuron had a great victory today. And cementing the royal family as the focal point of that victory will help erase all the other, ah" Kuresaki cleared his throat. "…unpleasant truths that preceded it."
Meaning people would forget Kuon had been an Accursed. He could see the ingenuity of it, even if it bothered him. He didn't like the idea of his sins being erased, but it wasn't for Kuon's cowardice that Kuresaki had done this. It was politics. A social battle that Kuresaki was evidently adept at handling. He'd have to give an official statement and work together with Lory to make sure the message was just right. But not right now.
"Thank you," said Kuon. "It is a kinder outcome than what I deserve."
"It is merely the truth."
"I see." He wanted to argue, but he was too impatient. He pushed his horse toward the tent that sat under an enormous fig tree, knowing Kyoko would be inside, pausing only to hand off the reins to a soldier before ducking through the flap.
Kyoko stood at the far end of the room, bent over the bed of a soldier. Orange feathered hair blocked her eyes from his view. Her necklace swung to the rhythm of her moving body, every gesture a dance of grace. Someone had found a physician's vest for her, the style clashing with the delicate strips of cloth that hung from her hips and over her shoulders.
Kuon watched her work from the entrance of the tent. It occurred to him he had never seen her caring for anyone other than him. He loved the deliberate movements of her hands, the small shake of her head that signaled she was talking to herself. She belonged here.
Eventually, he became aware of other people in the room. They filled every bed and aisle of the large tent. Physicians and helpers flitted around, shifting bodies and healing as they went. Many of the faces were focused on his wife, either slack in awe or whispering to their neighbors. He heard the words "goddess" and "reborn" breathed more than once. It was obvious why. Kyoko practically glowed. Though Rosa had returned to her sister, breaking any contract she had with humans here on this plane, her touch on Kyoko's essence remained.
He couldn't help smiling. Now everyone could see her the way he did.
Someone bent down to whisper in Kyoko's ear. She lifted her head slightly to respond. Then froze.
Her gaze snapped to him.
The world slowed. He stopped breathing, stopped thinking of nothing but the bright gold eyes that gazed at him. He saw the effect his appearance had on her as the rise and fall of her chest quickened. A flush spread across her cheeks and colored her eyes, tears glittering in the lamplight.
The attendant said something to Kyoko, and she broke their eye contact, gave a quick response, and then returned to her work.
He settled himself by the entrance of the tent, out of the way. He could wait. They had all the time in the world now.
She finished five minutes later, scrubbing her hands in a basin of water. She rubbed them dry against her vest as she flew down the aisle toward him. Heads turned as she passed, whispers rising to a loud buzz. He opened his arms at her approach, and she melted into his embrace.
Warmth and peace bathed him like a sunrise. He buried his nose into her hair, breathing her scent and rememorizing how well she fit into his arms. It wasn't until this moment that his heart finally accepted that she was alive. That all this hadn't permanently cost him her life.
Her arms tightened around him, then she pulled away just enough to see his face, their arms still holding each other. Her eyes were bright with tears and full of love. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.
"Are you real?" he asked.
Her hold on him tightened. "As real as you," she said. "It's good to have you back, Ren."
Because that was what this was, wasn't it? A reunion of many things. Ten years since they first saw each other in that oasis, his aura whole and unbroken. Half a year since they had met, his soul dark and hers damaged. A day since she had laid dead, her body swallowed by ceremonial fire to send off her soul to the afterlife. And now they were both here, both whole, despite everything that had tried to tear them apart.
"I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you," he said. "I thought I'd lost you forever."
Gosh her answering smile was gorgeous. "Sorry for worrying you. I promise I'll be more careful in the future."
Kuon gave a choked laugh. "I hope so. I don't think I could go through anything like that again." At her unimpressed look he relented. "Though, I guess I'm not one to talk."
Her teasing smile made his heart clench. Gods, he loved her.
She glanced over her shoulder, bouncing slightly like she was on the verge of sprinting but didn't want to. "I need to go back to work. Every second is another life I could save."
"Go." He had known this, but he'd needed to see her. "It's what we do. You heal—"
"—and you lead and fight."
She brushed a thumb under his lips, tracing their outline with both her finger and eyes. He responded to the silent plea, pulling her into a brief kiss. It was tender but charged with an underlying heat that promised more later. When there was time.
He pulled away. It was agony, but he managed to force his arms to let her go. She gave him one last smile. One last squeeze of their hands.
Then she was gone, following her hovering assistant to the next patient.
Life on the other side of a war was not glamorous. There were lives to rebuild and losses to process. It required the assistance of everyone doing their part to piece back together some sense of normalcy from the destruction.
Thankfully, Mosall had King Kuu, retired Archduke Lory Takarada, and Prince Kuon to aid that process. And, after finding a relay well, they were able to coordinate with the surrounding cities and the capital. Mosall and its people could finally start the process of clearing and rebuilding.
Duke Momose returned with the other people that had run, but despite Itsumi returning his title and position to him before the battle, he didn't stay the leader for long. The people had heard what Itsumi had done. How she had stayed to fight and worked together with one of the champions to bring down the Accursed and protect her countrymen. The people liked her, and so, Duke Momose was "persuaded" to step down of his own free will.
It was obvious Itsumi hadn't expected it but was pleased, nonetheless. In a private moment in her office not too long after the transfer of power, she'd expressed this to Kyoko.
"I never really wanted to take over my dad's place," she said. "But Tsuyoshi only studied magic and the sword, forcing me to take all those lessons. I used to resent him for it, but now I'm really glad. I don't feel like it was handed to me. It's more like I earned it, now. Like Hikaru earned his place."
She paused, gathering her emotions and taking them out carefully, like a present she wished to share with Kyoko. "When I saw you…I thought for a split second that if you'd come back, then he could have as well. But it was foolish. You were bound to the phoenix. He wasn't."
Then she folded those feelings back up, offering a tight smile to Kyoko. "I'm glad I met him. And I'm glad we killed all those responsible for this. I don't think I would have been able to move forward without that."
She was hurting, that much was obvious. But she was also pushing through. Taking that pain and planting it as nourishment for her growth. She was already a strong leader and she'd only become stronger as she got more experience.
Not that Kyoko had any sort of expertise or knowledge about leadership or politics, but if she focused on her soul, she felt like she did. Like some of the history she'd seen in Rosa's memories had stuck with her, even if she couldn't remember the details.
While some of Mosall couldn't be salvaged, there was much that could. It was an enormous undertaking of cleaning up, moving people, confirming water and food sources, and offering protection from bandits and monsters. Not to mention the documenting of the dead and clearing the fields. The enormous fissures into the underground caves remained open, some clogged with roots or bodies.
Kyoko heard all this secondhand, spending every second in the meantime in makeshift clinics. The first few weeks had been brutal on her stamina. Turned out, housing half the divinity of a goddess had consequences. She'd been cleared for work the day after the battle, but only just.
Still, her newfound light magic made things much easier. Not only was her healing more effective, but she could sense things even better. As if something in her sight had opened, allowing her to better tackle magical maladies or even physical ones. She'd managed to accidentally invent two different healing spells and improve on one in the past week alone. Most of that she attributed to a mixture of Rosa's lingering influence and her own knowledge of the human body.
Everything felt a little different. A little clearer. Like she'd spent her whole life with mufflers. Except it was not only sound. Taste gave her emotions. Light provided prisms of life. Magic danced in every corner of the world, offering memories and warnings, and insights. Shin had made fun of her more than once for stopping dead in the middle of the street to gape at something completely benign.
It was all helpful, given the number of injured and people still suffering from the rot. Even though the Djinn was gone, the Shueman's rot still lingered until she pulled the dark miasmic poison from their bodies and there were still dark seeds to purge.
The one thing she still had not been able to adjust to was the whispering. It followed her everywhere. She'd experienced this on some level at the palace when she'd been a concubine, but it had never been like this. Everyone stared. Her patients would sometimes pray to her to save their legs or help them find their true love. It was all frustrating and stupid. She'd kicked out more than a few people for disturbing the other patients. Kuon laughed at her every time it happened, giving that infuriating beautiful smile that softened at the corner of his eyes. He'd then say something wonderful like "But you are their savior" or "Now they see the same thing I do" each of which made her blush furiously and want to hit him over the head.
As it was, she made it almost a full two weeks before she finally overextended herself. It was the third day she'd spent over seven straight hours straight in the clinic. In truth, she'd had longer hours back in the palace. She just hadn't been recovering from being…well, dead.
She was leaning against her office desk thirty minutes later, having been ushered there by some very teary-eyed physician's assistants when her husband came sweeping into her private office. He was clad in simple, yet regal attire of a murky purple cloak fastened to his chest with gold rope over a deep blue tunic. The storm on his face receded the second he saw her.
Kyoko grumbled, even if she'd expected this. "I told them not to say anything to you."
His lips twitched, like he wanted to smile but the instinct was displaced by his desire to scold her. "Which is why I told them if anything happened to you, I was to be notified no matter what you said."
He came close, pinning her against the counter with his looming height. He placed a hand on her forehead, studying her, his eyes still a dark brown from Kyoko's spell. She'd offered to change them back along with his hair, but he'd declined. He liked it, and honestly, so did she. It felt right. So, it stayed.
He pulled his hand away. "You're not warm," he said. "What happened? All they said was that you felt dizzy and nearly fainted."
Untrue. She felt a little warmer now that he was so close to her.
"That's all it was," she said. "Just a dizzy spell. I'll go home and rest and be better in the morning."
"You're not going to insist that you can keep working today?"
"No. I've gotten better, just as I promised."
He raised a skeptical eyebrow.
Kyoko puffed out her cheeks. "I have! I'm not pushing myself. Listen—" She pushed him away with a hand, a little sad he had to move. Her patient chart and diagnostic notes were too far away. She held them up, pointing to the corresponding evidence as she talked. "—my connection to Rosa had some permanent effects for both of us. Now, I obviously can't study what it did to her since she's not here, but some of her effects on me are obvious–the hair, for one. The biggest thing though is that my light magic is not fully my own anymore. It's a weird mixture of mine, and Rosa's, and there are even some botanical elements you find in dryads and magical plants. Makes sense, as I acted as a go-between for two enormously huge creatures of light magic. And, to make matters worse, my soul and essence were unstable and on the brink of being dissolved into Rosa. There were going to be side effects"
Kuon's eyes narrowed. "You're not making me feel better."
"Wait until I'm done talking." She flipped to the next set of notes. "I reviewed all the treatments I've done in the last few days. As I've gotten used to my light magic, I've been using it more. Today, I used more than I have since the day Rosa returned. I think I just overexerted myself."
"Magic fatigue," said Kuon with a flat voice. "Do I need to say anything?"
Kyoko slapped the pages shut. "No, because I just did the talking for you."
"Good."
She tapped a pen to her lips, thinking. "I'll need to manage my schedule according to my limits and slowly work on building it up. I bet part of it is because everything in me is still healing as well. At least on the spiritual side of things. Physically, I'm in perfect health."
"That's good to hear." Kuon's voice lowered to a purr.
The pen paused against Kyoko's lips, a flush creeping up her neck. They'd finally had their "wedding night" a few days after the fall of the dark djinn. It was still one aspect of their relationship she was adjusting to. In a good way! But despite the frequent encores, she still felt shy about it, in or out of the sheets.
Kuon had no such reservations.
"Stop it." She pointed her pen at him. "You still have things to do today."
"I've already made arrangements to take the rest of the day off." He grinned, pleased with himself. In two short steps, he was in front of her again, taking one hand and placing a gentle kiss on her knuckles, eyes locked with hers the whole time.
Kyoko's face burned.
"Will you come home with me, my princess?" he murmured.
Her smile inched upward against her will. "I still have some patient notes to write."
"They can wait until tomorrow."
"What if I forget what to write?"
He gave a deep chuckle. "Highness, if I can make you forget anything you said to your patients, I will take that as the highest compliment."
It was a new habit of his, calling her by a title even if she hadn't officially received one. She liked Highness and Princess better than some of the other ridiculous rumors that circulated around her, and though she had never told him this, he somehow knew.
Her smile sharpened to a grin. "I guess I could be persuaded."
She did make him wait until she had written her notes, but he took her home straight after. Later, when their passion had been exhausted, they cuddled under the sheets, his hand lazily running through her hair. He did that a lot more after the color change.
She was happy and exhausted in a wonderful sort of way. Everything was warm, safe, and vulnerable at the same time. It was the most terrifying and amazing feeling in the world, and she loved sharing it with her husband.
"Do you like it?" she said. "The color of my hair?"
His hand paused, stalling for so long that she sat up, thinking he had fallen asleep. Instead, his gaze was distant, a pinch between the eyebrows that set her heart fluttering in anxiety. She held the sheets to her chest, leaning close.
"You don't like it," she said.
"That's not it," said Ren. "It's hard to explain."
"I've got time."
He gave a hum in thought, words coming out slowly as if he was piecing it all together even as he said it. His aura was a muted purple, open and thoughtful. "It reminds me to be grateful to you. For your life, and our second chance. You died due to my mistake, and even if you're here now, that fact will never change."
He placed a hand against her cheek, gazing at her with a mixture of both pain and joy.
"You are not here because of anything I did. I was not the one to bring you back. It was Rosa, and yourself. Your love of Ashuron and its people. Your determination and selflessness gave you the strength to take those burdens from the demi-goddess and return. I see and remember all that from this color, and I love you all the more for it. I want to cherish you because I know even better how lucky I am to have you."
Kyoko swallowed down the lump in her throat. "I see."
She didn't see. Not what he probably wanted her to. He probably thought he was being romantic and supportive or complimenting her but that was not what she heard. She slipped out of the bed, rounding to the other side.
Ren sat up, his confusion obvious. "What are you doing?"
Kyoko rummaged through a drawer. "Getting my scissors. It's time to shave off all this orange."
In a split second, she was flung back onto the bed. She screeched in both terror and delight as he trapped her in his arms. She squirmed against his hold, but he kept her back flush against his chest, his stupid strong arms unmovable.
"It's not bad," he insisted. She snorted and she could almost feel him frown in response. "It's not. I promise."
"You'll have to convince me of that."
It was the wrong thing to say.
Hot breath tickled her ear. Goosebumps ran down her entire body. Her struggle stopped as she became aware of every spot their skin touched. Heat radiated from her husband, the aura around them changing to a deeper warm color and feeling. She knew this aura. She'd been becoming well acquainted with it for the past two weeks.
"I take it back," said Kyoko gasped. "No need for convincing. The message has been received."
"Good." The aura receded and he kissed her neck before releasing her to lie down. "I know you wanted to get a good night's rest. Kanae will wake up tomorrow."
Trust him to know how to divert her ire. It worked, even when she knew what he was doing. She couldn't help it. Her stomach tightened at the thought of Kanae.
"Do you think she'll be okay?" said Kyoko.
Kuon muttered something she didn't quite catch.
"What was that?"
"She'll be fine," said Kuon, which was definitely not what he had said before. "And besides, if she's not, you'll be right there to catch her."
Consciousness returned to Kanae in one great rush. Her eyes snapped open, body tense and alert. She had a split second to recognize both Shin and Twig before a wave of pain rushed through her. She groaned, battling the blinding moment of agony as it strove to drag her back into unconsciousness.
There was someone talking, movement, then something slipped between her lips. She gulped the liquid down, the cold soothing her sore throat.
Slowly, the pain subsided.
She opened her eyes again to find Shin, smiling at her like he'd found buried treasure. Twig was there as well, fully human-sized and everything.
"Feeling better?" said Shin.
She frowned at them both.
"No," she said. "Which means I'm alive, so I guess there's that."
"There's that," agreed Shin with too much of his trademark enthusiasm. "It was close, to be honest. You'd be dead if it wasn't for me."
"What am I, chopped bark?" Twig bristled in irritation. "I saved you both, so you wouldn't be here if it wasn't for me."
"Of course," said Shin. "But you would have been too late, so it's really thanks to me she's alive."
"And without me, you would both be dead. So, if Kanae should thank anyone it should be me, who—"
"—by the gods, shut up!" She'd meant to speak with her usual half-hearted gruffness, but it came out in a snap, real anger bubbling in her chest. It coursed through her, so hot that she couldn't keep going for fear of yelling. Or crying. Whichever, it didn't matter.
She pressed a thumb and forefinger to her eyes, trying to keep back the building pressure. Thankfully, the other two kept quiet as she collected her scrambled thoughts. The last thing she remembered was being stabbed, the inhibitor, the relic, and then…nothing. How was she still alive?
Either way, a good amount of time must have passed. She was in a bed, not a camp cot. The stone ceiling told her she was inside a city of some sort. And she wasn't buried by tons of rock, which could only mean one thing.
"We won?" It was the only explanation.
Shin opened his mouth to answer, but Twig jumped at the chance.
"Yes! And we grew a new fig tree, which is why you can see me in all my true glory." He struck a pose, obnoxiously cheery. "And the Dark Djinn is gone, thanks to the phoenix."
The phoenix?
"You've been asleep for a while." Shin regarded her carefully. It felt like he could see straight through her. "There were a few moments we weren't sure you would make it."
Ah. He'd worried quite a lot, hadn't he? She'd done that to him.
Another memory surfaced; Vaith, asking her to submit. To make a wish and gain the power to save everyone. She'd rejected the temptation and broken the relic.
It hadn't been righteousness that had helped her refuse. It had been pride. Stupid, willful pride, to not make the same mistake that had cost the prince the life of someone precious to him. And to her.
She'd cursed his stupidity. Blamed him for Kyoko's death. Yet, there she was, doing the same thing he had. She'd gotten herself into trouble and nearly died, all in the name of anger. She hadn't needed to be that reckless. She could have found a different way to fight Hirotaka, but she hadn't. She'd wanted to bring him down in the most destructive way possible. Even now, the rhythm of anger kept her pain at bay, its heat drumming through her veins.
"Am I allowed to sit up?" said Kanae.
"Ah, yeah." Shin hurried to help.
It took a lot of time, with several breaks so she could swear at her stiff joints and bandages, but in the end, she managed to lean against a cushion of pillows. She could see the room properly, now. It was nondescript, with a few chairs, a table, and medical equipment in the corner. She could see another building out a window, but it didn't tell her much else.
Her focus shifted to the man she loved—even if she shouldn't, given how short a time they had known each other. Their tie had formed at breakneck speed due to trials and separations. She just hoped—or at least, knew she should hope their love would hold under the banality of everyday life after the Djinn. It was hard to care much for anything right now.
She shoved down those thoughts, not wanting to deal with them right now.
"You look good," said Kanae, and he perked up at that. "I meant healthy. You're not hurt." The most she could see was a nearly healed cut on his cheek.
"You've been asleep for two weeks," said Shin. "Though it was mostly medically encouraged. She—uh—the physician suggested it would help you recover faster."
"I look great as well," said Twig, puffing out his chest. "It feels so good to have this much light magic around again. The gardens are going to flourish."
The dryad waxed on about the trees and flowers he planned to cultivate. Kanae didn't pay attention. She was still trying to come to grips with the fact they had won. It just didn't feel real.
"Kanae?" said Shin, voice gentle. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine." At his continued disbelief, her anger flared again. "Mo! I said I'm fine! Stop treating me like I'm fragile."
"Alright! I was just making sure… because, um… there's something else to tell you."
"Just hurry up and spit it out because I'm really starting to get tired of..." She trailed off. In her frustrations with Shin, she'd raised her left hand to shake it at him. The sleeve of her shirt had fallen back, revealing her hand.
It was a disfigured mess. While she still had all five fingers, they were all bent in odd ways. It looked like a chunk of her forearm was missing as well, new skin still healing in hues of black, pink, and purple. When she tried to move her fingers, nothing happened.
Silence fell. Even Twig stopped his twittering, shrinking in on himself. The movement snapped her focus away from her clearly non-functioning hand. Something else was building in her, though she couldn't name it.
"Is this what you wanted to tell me?" she said.
Pity from anyone else would have sent her into a rage. Shin managed to look admiring even as he grimaced in sympathy. "No. I was hoping to address that second."
"It's from when I broke the relic, isn't it?" she said.
"It is."
"And there's something else you wanted to tell me? Something more important?"
"It can wait until we address this."
And, so easily, her control over her emotions slipped again. Her voice trembled under her attempt at calm. "What is there to address? My hand will never function again. I can never wield another spear." Her master's spear was broken and likely buried forever below the city. Yet another blow. "I'm lucky to be alive, Shin. I'm lucky my pig-headed, stubborn fury didn't jeopardize the entire mission. You told me to remember you. You told me that. I didn't listen. This is the result of that."
His expression was blank as he leaned back in his chair, arms crossing over his chest. She expected hurt. He proved her wrong. He was infuriatingly perceptive to the end.
"There's no need to keep cultivating that self-hatred," said Shin. "It's okay to be angry at Kyoko's death."
Blood rushed loudly in her ears. She snarled and leaned closer. "You're an ass."
He flashed her a smile. "It's one of my best qualities."
"You—"
"—it doesn't matter anyway," cut in Twig. Her fury turned to him, so powerful the dryad actually flinched backward. "What? It doesn't. Because Kyoko is—"
Shin smacked a hand over Twig's mouth. The dryad shoved it aside, swearing in a strange tongue. In response, Shin slapped his hand back over the dryad's mouth again, and so it went for a moment. Swearing and slapping until it got to be too much.
"Enough."
They eventually stopped, slapping at each other's hands until coming to a reluctant truce. They communicated something through their grumbles and glances, but Kanae didn't care anymore.
"What is this "other thing" you wanted to tell me?" she said.
The door opened at that moment and Kanae's heart came to a full stop.
Kyoko stood in the doorway. The Kyoko she knew, but… it also wasn't her. Her hair was orange, and her aura was too bright. Too ethereal. Her face brightened in a familiar way though, pure joy spreading across those familiar cheeks.
The answer came to Kanae a second later.
"Rosa," said Kanae in a curt tone that made the fake Kyoko freeze. "I see you finally decided to rise from the grave."
"Oh, er, no—that's not…" The orange-haired Kyoko scratched the back of her head, glancing at Shin and Twig. The latter raised his eyes to the ceiling.
"I tried to tell her," Twig said. "But this one—" he pointed to Shin, "—stopped me, and now all of you are being so awkward."
"You were too blunt," said Shin. "These things require tact."
"Tact? Coming from you?" The dryad barked out a laugh.
Kanae grabbed something heavy from the table beside her and threw it with her good hand. The thing bounced off Twig's head, the rebound thunking against Shin for a bonus.
"You two should never have been introduced," said Kanae. "Gods, talk about manic. And you, demi-goddess…" Her mouth twisted at the bitter sight. "What do you want with me?"
Rosa tapped the tips of her fingers together in a nervous tick. She again glanced at Shin and Twig. What was she looking to them for?
"The thing is…I'm not Rosa." At Kanae's unimpressed stare, the fake Kyoko's voice lowered with each word. "Since we were bound when I died, I was able to come back with her. It really is me, Moko-san."
It was the nickname did it.
A violent feeling collided with Kanae's chest. She swung her legs out of the bed and was across the room before anyone could protest. Kanae raised a hand—
—and slapped her.
Kyoko held her red cheek, mouth open in shock. "Wha—!"
"You monstrously dense fool!" Kanae shook from head to toe, her palm stinging. She'd wanted to knock Kyoko right onto her self-righteous backside, but Kanae's depleted strength hadn't even budged her. "I told you to take care of yourself. I told you not to get killed. Did you listen? No! You never do! You never think about how your actions might affect the people around you."
Kyoko bristled, jaw squaring as her eyes flashed. "I was running away! It wasn't like I was trying to put myself in a dangerous situation. They were looking for me and—"
"—of course they were looking for you. You're an easy target!"
"Says the woman who nearly died herself."
"Your job was to keep yourself and the flaming phoenix safe."
Kyoko opened her mouth to give a furious reply but froze. Her eyes widened, every inch of anger melting away, slack and stupefied. It morphed into a clear understanding. Then she rushed forward.
Kanae closed her eyes, waiting for the retaliatory slap. Wanting it.
Instead, a heavy weight thumped against her chest as she was squeezed in a familiar constricting hug.
"I'm sorry," Kyoko said it with all her trademark sincerity.
"Shut up." Something was wrong with Kanae's voice. She blinked, and tears rolled down her cheeks. "I won't forgive you for making me go through this."
"I know. I'm sorry for worrying you."
It all sank in. The knowledge that Kyoko was alive. The very real, feeling and presence of her arms warped around Kanae. She returned the hug, pulling the small physician in even tighter as it became even harder to speak.
"This was more than just worry, numbskull," she blubbered, ugly and broken and relieved. "You were dead."
"I know."
"I saw your body. Watched it burn."
"I'm sorry."
Kanae shook harder., Every injury across her battered body begged to cease the hug, but she didn't care. The pain meant it was all real. That Kyoko was alive.
"It was necessary in the end," said Kyoko. "My death. The burning of my body. All of it. Rosa wouldn't have returned otherwise."
Kanae grumbled under her breath. "Of course it was. The next time I see that phoenix, I'm going to murder her. She can remain ashes for all I care."
Kyoko chuckled, snuggling deeper into Kanae's embrace. Normally, Kanae would throw her off, but it was a special occasion and Kanae was feeling downright delirious with relief. She could be generous for now.
The nice feeling lasted all of five seconds before it was interrupted by the unwanted presence in the room.
"It will be hard to kill something that's no longer here," said Twig.
She had forgotten about Twig and Shin. Neither of the men had tactfully bowed out and Twig, in particular, was determined to be rude. He grabbed Kyoko's wrists and carefully but firmly untangled the two of them.
"I thought you were a physician," huffed Twig. "Look! Your hugging hurt her so much it made her cry."
"Not exactly." Shin at least had stayed put, eyes glittering in mischief. "You're mostly wrong, but sort of right."
Twig frowned. "How can I be both? That makes no sense."
"Human logic. It is beneath you to understand."
Twig gave a solemn nod. "Of course it is. I'm impressed you understand. I might have been wrong about your tact."
"You really weren't." Kanae smiled. She was surprised by how easy the expression felt. "He does have little tact."
She ignored Shin's predictable nonsense response and focused on sitting down. She felt a lot weaker. Everything sagged, but not in a bad way. Like when carrying something heavy for hours, the subsequent lightness that comes from having that burden removed. She felt light and untethered and weak.
Kyoko remained where Twig had moved her aside, frozen like prey waiting for their predator to choose which direction to leap.
"I'm…sorry," said Kanae. "Your death. It was hard on me."
Kyoko clasped her hands together, looking down as if in prayer. "I know. I'm sorry."
"Mo! And stop apologizing. I'm the jerk that just slapped you and yelled at you."
Kyoko grimaced. "It's hard to say how we will deal with loss until it happens. And you were faced with a very strange mixture of both loss and a miraculous reunion."
Kanae rolled her eyes. "And now you sound like a therapist." She raised her damaged hand, staring at the bent knuckles and splotchy skin. She hadn't expected to survive. It was a miracle this was all she had to show for her recklessness.
The clinic bed dipped as Kyoko sat down beside her. "Do you need a therapist?"
"In Rosa's name, no."
"There's no shame in therapy."
Kanae stewed, sort of annoyed at Shin who was keeping the dryad distracted by switching between praising and insulting the creature. It allowed Kyoko and her to have a semi-private conversation. Because both men were apparently incapable of just leaving.
"Maybe we should both get therapy," said Kanae. "Or was your return smooth and conflict-free?"
Kyoko's nervous laugh said it all.
"Something to think about," said Kyoko. "You'll need physical therapy at least. For your hand. I don't know enough about the ligaments in the wrist, but Lory says there's a surgeon back in the capital that might be able to help return some function."
"Something to think about," echoed Kanae, and Kyoko gave a hopeful smile. She tentatively leaned again Kanae. After a second's pause, Kanae rested her head against the top of Kyoko's, feeling uncharacteristically soft.
"I was scared for you, too," said Kyoko. "For a while there, I didn't think I could do it. You were so weak." Her voice shook.
"But you did," said Kanae firmly. "You're always steady in the midst of the chaos. Always have been. I'm sure it was that steadiness that saved me."
Kyoko gave a hum in response.
Neither moved for a while, Kanae drinking in the peace she finally felt. The knowledge that those she loved were all safe. She'd left her home with such bitter anger, and then her master's grave with a similar resentment. The goddess had given her the miracle of Kyoko's return, and she wasn't going to waste that.
"We really did win, didn't we?" said Kanae.
"Yeah."
Kanae realized something with a start. She pulled away so quickly Kyoko nearly fell to the floor.
"Prince Kuon," said Kanae, unable to say anything else. Was he dead? How was Kyoko holding up?
But Kyoko smiled a second later.
"He's alive and okay. There's a lot to catch up on."
"Alright," she said, then paused, remembering something else. Her eyes narrowed, Kyoko leaning back in response. "How about we start with this business about you being married?"
Kanae should be dead.
She took her time with the knowledge, chewing it over to savor exactly what it meant. What her life would have meant if it had ended.
Her mulling wasn't typical. Kanae didn't look back on principle, annoyed when the pain of the past gripped her life and took control. Or maybe it had always been in control, and she'd been deluding herself the whole time.
Whatever it was, she was looking back now. And regretting and questioning and sighing in frustration. There was nothing else to do since she'd been put on bed rest for the next few weeks. While Shin and Twig were an enormous distraction, they weren't with her every second of the day. Shin had other duties and Twig was busy fussing over the new fig tree. When the tree's roots attacked, it collapsed a lot of the underground caverns, disrupting the vast underground water that helped what meager plants grew in the area.
Worries for other people. Not her.
On her second week trapped in bed, Hiroaki showed up. He came in as her physician, sporting a number of half-healed scratches and bruises. His mouth twitched in a self-conscious grimace.
"You're looking better than expected," he said. "Which, I honestly should have seen coming."
"And you look like something a dog spat up." Kanae tried to grin, but both the words and the jocular feeling behind them rang hollow to her ears.
He took care of her. Changed her bandages, cleaned her wounds, asked questions, and took her vitals. All the while, guilt chewed through her. Seeing him reminded her of everything that happened in those caves and all the life-endangering shit they'd gone through. What part she had played in that shift. She hadn't been the one to actually kill Hirotaka, but she had done her very best to do so. She felt responsible for his death.
"I heard what happened at the end with your dad."
His back was to her, so she only saw a beat of stillness, his shoulders hunching forward. Then he sighed, turning to face her. He was still a delicate flower-child of a man, but it was like the color of the petals had faded, maturing into the latter half of their life where instead of growing, they were decaying.
"I'm sorry," said Kanae. More empty, stupid words, but they were still important to say.
Hirokai gave a nod. "No, actually. I wanted to thank you." Her eyebrows rose at that, and he hurried to clarify. "If you hadn't started the process of breaking his relic, he would have died an Accursed. But he didn't. At least, in the end, he was how he had been before, and I was able to be with him. You gave that to me, and I'll forever be grateful."
His gratitude irked her more than it should. "I wasn't thinking about saving him," said Kanae. "I was thinking about saving us."
"I know. But I'm still grateful." He finished putting the bottles and bandages away in their boxes and drawers, cleaning his hands in the bowl. He moved deliberately, taking care to clean each cuticle. "I'm moving back to the capital once this is all done. Go through my dad's things. Return to my studies. Whatever else I decide. The king has been gracious enough to give me a sizable reward that I could live comfortably on for the rest of my life."
"I didn't get a reward."
"—yet. I'm sure you'll get a parade and everything if you don't stop them."
Now that was satisfying to see. A wilting flower he may always be, but he was starting to grow thorns. Which made him a lot less annoying than most people.
Speaking of annoying people, five seconds later, Shin arrived.
They bickered. He squawked. She complained about being stuck and thought more about what had happened to her and her place in life and what would happen next. Everything was muddled like a palate of pain, colors blurring until it resembled nothing but a whirlpool of mud.
Kyoko. The Phoenix. Shin. Her hand. Hiroaki. Pain. Death. Loss. Impotence. Resurrection. Renewal. Love. Commitment. Loyalty. Obligations. Her spear. Ashuron. Twig. That stupid dryad, why did he give me a piece of bark?
It took her a humiliating four hours for Kanae to realize what exactly it was that Twig had given her. Then only about five seconds for everything that had been stewing in her mind to snap into place. She knew what had been bothering her. What path she needed to take next and why Hiroaki's response had bothered her.
She threw a pillow at Shin, who had fallen asleep in the chair while doing a dramatic reading of a nauseating romance book.
"Hey," she said as he wiped drool from his chin. "Do you think you could show me how to use a sword?"
About one month later, the city held a festival. No one knew who had originated the idea but the rumors of one spread like literal wildfire through Mosall. By the time the king had been informed of such rumors, the thing was half-planned. He was quick to jump on the idea, making it an official holiday that the whole kingdom would celebrate in the years to come.
Kyoko had spent much of the latter half with Kanae and Shin before they had quietly slipped away, getting some much-needed privacy. Twig, for whatever reason, loved hanging around Kanae and either missed or ignored every hint that the two wanted to be alone. The festival, however, was large enough that the dryad had finally opted to go back to the tree to avoid the humans for a night.
Kanae's spirits were returning, and Shin was a large part of that. Kyoko couldn't help a smile when she thought of Kanae falling in love. Her friend deserved the best.
Kyoko sat on a bench near the center of the city, quietly humming to herself and watching the sky turn dark. The hole where the tree once stood was now filled by the plant's roots, twisted to a large point reaching toward the sky. While it was no longer the shaded city, the tree was still at its center. People had strung spelled lights around the base, their laughter illuminating the world with a soft glow. Someone was playing music and the sounds of people dancing pattered just beyond her sight.
Her husband took the seat beside her, leaning down for a quick kiss.
"I wondered where you went off to," he said. "Dad is looking for you."
The idea of the king of Ashuron looking for her was not nearly as intimidating as it once had been, but she still took an extra-large swallow of wine before asking. "What does he want?"
"No idea." Then he noticed her apprehension. "You're not scared of him, are you?"
"No," she said too quickly, betraying her hesitance. "Look…" She had to find a way to explain. "I'm still processing lots of things, okay? I sort of stole you away from the capital and became whatever it is I am, I married you without their knowledge and…I don't know. He could hate me for some things if he wanted to."
She knew that it was silly. There was no single piece of evidence she had for this claim, but the fear felt too real. She couldn't shake it.
Kuon let out a long sigh, the one that implied she was being ridiculous. It sort of pissed her off.
"It's a legitimate concern," said Kyoko. "He hasn't come to talk to me or anything."
"Maybe because you spend all your days in the clinic."
"He could have still sent for me. He is the king, and I would have to answer to him."
Kuon suddenly stood up, holding out a hand for her. "Then I guess you'd better answer."
She pouted for a second before taking his hand. He could have at least said something more to alleviate her fears, even if she knew she was being silly. But he was also probably right. She should just get this over with and find out the truth rather than sit there for several minutes wondering what was going to happen.
They made their way through the streets, walking between shadows and streaks of spelled lights. Some people cheered as they passed. Others didn't notice, too preoccupied with dancing and other forms of merrymaking. She felt their jubilation like a song, their energy tugging on the ends of her hair with the invitation to join them. It was tempting, and she had done much celebrating already with others, but now was not the time.
She ignored the new insight her magic gave her and followed Kuon through the streets. His back was its own beacon of comfort. She knew his aura like her own. It still mystified her sometimes that he loved her, but with such intimate insight into the world around her, she could feel his sincerity. His every word and action toward her conveyed his affection. It was part of the reason she sometimes felt shy with happiness around him, even now. He truly did love her wholeheartedly.
The knowledge helped her as they crept past the last group of partiers, comprised of more noble families. She blushed as they cheered her and Kuon's arrival. Her husband gave a natural wave of acknowledgment, somehow accepting their praises without inviting anyone to approach. She'd have to ask him how he managed it.
They walked past a short gate and into a more secluded area behind a large mansion. There was one small table out here, chipped in a few places but obviously of good quality.
Lory sat at the table across from Duchess Woods, who wore a red dress with a matching shawl wrapped around her. A delicate veil descended from a bed of gems and crystals atop her forehead that stopped just at the tip of her nose. The fabric was not sheer enough for most people to make out any details, but Kyoko could see through it. She saw the scarred skin that had taken Jelly's eyes and wished she could have done better to save them.
Lory wore robes with long loose sleeves. The colors and details were a little ostentatious and ridiculous. She was glad to see some of his more ridiculous side coming back out. He had a fork in one hand, a piece of cake wobbling dangerously on its edge like he had forgotten it was there. He likely had, with both his and Jelly's attention on the man that stood next to them.
King Kuu stood by the table, his crown resting on his temples. He was arguing with the couple but stopped the moment Kuon and Kyoko arrived. Kuu beamed even as Lory grew sullener.
"There you are," said Kuu. "You found her quickly."
"She still has the necklace," said Kuon. "Though I don't need it to find her anymore."
Kyoko couldn't help a small smile, despite her nerves. She resisted the urge to touch the broken aquamarine around her neck that she never took off. "You're not the only one that doesn't need a searching spell."
"Yes, yes, you're both in love and it saved the world and all that," grumbled Lory. "Did you have to interrupt us on our date?"
Jelly huffed in agreement, letting out an annoyed "Exactly."
"This can't wait," said Kuu. "I'm leaving tomorrow, and I need to be able to tell my other advisors what her answer was."
"...are you talking about me?" said Kyoko. Why in the world would he have to talk to his advisors about her?
Kuu made a motion with his hand. From the mansion, two more chairs came speeding out next to the table. Kuu held out one obviously meant for her.
She tried to share a look with Kuon, but he was busy observing his father down. Kuon looked wary which definitely wasn't helpful for her confidence.
At the king's pointed look, she gathered her courage and took the seat. He gently helped her before taking his own, turning it so he faced her instead of the table. Kuon, she noticed, had been left to stand, as if he wasn't included in the conversation about to take place.
"I want to ask what your intentions are," said Kuu. "After all of this."
In a mental moment of pure manic insanity, she thought he was implying she didn't want to stay with Kuon. Because obviously, that's what this was about. This baka dad thought about nothing but his son for ninety percent of his existence.
She had half risen out of her seat, ready to vehemently deny that she would ever think of leaving him when it hit her how silly that assumption was.
"Excuse me," she said weakly. "What?"
"For the country," he said with patience. "What do you want to do?"
She still wasn't sure what he was asking. He noticed this, giving her an encouraging smile. It was warm and fatherly and reminded her of her own father's smile when she was very young and confused about why some drugs and potions interacted with others.
"Um," she began, in a marvelous act of eloquence.
The king kept his encouraging smile, even if his eyes creased at the edges a little more. "When you return to the palace," he said. "What do you want to do? You'll be given an official title, and eventually, queen consort when Kuon takes his place—" Kyoko let out a sound like a mouse being stepped on. "—but what, if anything else, do you want to do? What would you like your role to be within Ashuron other than that?"
Kyoko blinked, surprised. "I… hadn't really thought much about it." She had been too busy reconciling her love for Kuon, dealing with the Accursed, and most recently, dying and then being reborn. "I suppose I thought I'd go back and keep working at the clinic."
Kuu nodded. "You could do that. It would be a little different because of your title change, and who knows? Maybe one day you could take over Lory's position there."
Lory huffed. She couldn't determine if it was in disbelief or acknowledgment.
"But I want you to know you have options," Kuu continued. "My wife, for example, focuses on national relations. While she first started that role due to her being the former princess of Aquiteris, she grew into it and took it as her own."
"I had no idea that your wife was from another country," said Kyoko, though it did explain Julie's somewhat paler skin and natural regal bearing. What Kyoko wouldn't give for that constant poise.
"It was originally a political marriage," said Kuu. "To better our relations after my father had made enemies of just about everyone. We were lucky that our marriage blossomed into love; and now, I can't imagine life without her."
He left off in a daze, likely thinking about his wife and how beautiful she was and wherever else went through the king's head. His face had melted into something comical, and Kyoko barely recognized him as the war-hardened imperial king he usually was. The lines of fatigue were still there, faded after several good meals and a few weeks of peace and they would likely never fully disappear. But if being dramatic about his love for his wife and son distracted him from those scars, then she couldn't think him silly for that. Love, after all, was often the thing that both built and destroyed nations.
Lory let out a pointed cough, snapping Kuu from his reverie.
"The point is," said Kuu. "I must tell my councilors something. They're all pretty antsy about what you want to do."
"...Why would they be antsy about that?"
"Because you could take over the kingdom if you wanted to."
Kyoko now knew, without a shadow of a doubt, which parent Ren inherited his mean side from. She frowned in annoyance. "Please stop mocking me. I know you're mad at me for marrying your son without your permission, so you don't need to beat around the bush about it."
His eyes widened in such genuine innocence she almost believed his act. "I'm not mad at you for marrying him."
"Yes, you are," said Kyoko. "A baka dad like you couldn't possibly be happy I'd marry his son without you there."
"I admit, I am hurt I wasn't able to be there—" Kyoko only just managed to stop herself from flinging out a hand to say see! I told you. "—but you're going to have a big ceremony at the palace for the masses anyway, so I'll still see it. But, ah…don't mention the marriage around Julie until after that ceremony. She might be a little upset about it."
Jelly let out a snort, and Kyoko silently agreed. She could imagine Julie being more than a little upset.
Kyoko frowned further, thinking. If he wasn't upset about that, then why would he tease her about taking over the kingdom? Just to be mean?
She looked back to Kuon who just gave her an encouraging smile. She was both glad and annoyed he hadn't said anything throughout this whole exchange, giving his support while also letting her make her decisions about her future. It would have been nice to have his input right now.
Kuu tilted his head at her, his regard still warm and open. Like he really didn't have any animosity toward her.
"I don't think you realize just how tight a hold you have on the people right now," he said. At her continued stare he explained. "You don't just have light magic. You feel like Rosa. It's obvious to anyone that so much as walks within a mile radius of you that you and her are connected. Stories of your glorious revival from the dead have spread to every corner of the kingdom. There's a reason everyone is convinced you're either her reincarnation or her sister come down to take Rosa's place."
"But I'm not…" Her voice weakened, stammering as she tried to gather exactly what was happening. "I'm just me… with just some jumbled mess of a soul that got tangled up with Rosa's."
"Which is even more impressive," said Lory, speaking up for the first time. He had given up his task of feeding Jelly, watching their exchange closely. "I have never heard of a human being able to house half of a goddess's divinity; but apparently that's what you did, even if it was for a short time with the assistance of the fig tree. Talent has nothing to do with that. It speaks to your nature. The very essence of who you are and what you are capable of. The truth does not at all lessen the incredulity of it."
Kuu leaned in, nodding excitedly. "And seeing that our very kingdom was founded by King Hizuri and his apparently half-goddess wife Rosa who we are descended from—Thank you for telling us about that by the way. Lory, how did that piece of information get lost in history?"
"Likely magic," said Lory. "Alteration of historic texts. Decades of misinformation meticulously constructed by the Accursed etcetera. I'll be doing more investigating later." He gave a pointed stare. "After I've had my cake date with Jelly. Which was supposed to be a private date."
Kuu gave a wide smile. "I'm glad you finally managed to convince this old man, Duchess Woods. He deserves a wonderful woman like you, even if he doesn't know it."
Jelly raised her chin a tad higher, earrings swinging in rhythm of her obvious irritation. "I'd appreciate your words more, Your Majesty, if you weren't interrupting us."
"I told you, I don't have time. I'm leaving tomorrow." He ran a hand through his hair, searching wildly for support. "Tell them to stop harassing me, Kuon."
"I'm fairly certain you're the one harassing them," said Kuon smoothly. "And you'd better finish your thought. Kyoko looks like she's about to pass out."
Which was true. The world was spinning. She'd assumed everything about her magic would blow over. Never had she thought that it had the power to unseat the current leadership.
They're just silly rumors.
She wanted to shout. To scream. To raise her fists and tell the king how stupid he was for thinking like that. But with their assessment, the significance her presence had on others finally sank in. Everyone could feel the tie she had to Rosa, whether she wanted them to or not. She was no longer just a simple girl from Nembu. She wasn't even a future queen consort. She was something more.
The realization stirred up emotions she'd let settle in the past week, threatening to change her. To shift her self-image into something different. How different, she still wasn't sure, but she hoped it would be something bold and confident without the presence of self-importance.
"I don't want to take over the kingdom," said Kyoko, her voice low and steady, despite the turmoil inside her. "I wouldn't know what to do."
"You will with Kuon, eventually," said Kuu. "That's why I'm asking you now what it is you want. Kuon has been studying his whole life to take over as king, but you don't have to adhere to the typical standards of royalty. Especially since you'll be the kingdom's new deity as much as their queen."
That didn't help. That really didn't help.
Kyoko put her head in her hands, trying to steady her whirling thoughts. She couldn't be a goddess. She was mortal. Probably? Maybe? Besides, she had no idea what to do. Everything she'd say, everything she'd do would reflect on the kingdom. There would always be people watching. Always judging. And what if she did something wrong? She'd hurt all of Ashuron. They'd think her a fake goddess when she wasn't even a real one anyway!
A hand pressed on her back, and she looked up to see that Kuon had finally come over. His touch was an anchor, pulling her back from her panic attack.
"You'll be alright." He said it with perfect confidence. "And you won't be a deity to the kingdom." Kuon shot an annoyed look at his father who grimaced in apology. "We will put out the truth of what happened. My sins. Your sacrifices. Everything. The people will be able to decide what to think about it, but we will never expect something that ridiculous from you. You don't have to be anything different than who you are because that is the person who was worthy to bind themselves with Rosa. It wasn't a fluke. You weren't chosen out of convenience. She couldn't have come back with anyone else by her side."
Heat prickled behind Kyoko's eyes, threatening to spill. She desperately wanted to believe him. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because I know you."
It was incredible how grounding that was. It planted itself firmly into her soul and for a second, she thought she could see herself the way Ren saw her. It made her love for him swell, even as it gave her confidence to straighten up in her chair.
She rubbed her sleeve against her nose, feeling like the proper mess she looked but not caring as much as she might have a second ago. They spent a few more minutes making solid plans, discussing what she would do for now and when the wedding would take place. When their conversation dissolved into general chatter, Lory stood up and flicked his hands at them.
"Go somewhere else to discuss which one of you is more in love," he said. "I want to finish my date in peace."
They finally left, with Kyoko glad for the clattering of their exit to mask her jitters. Everything still felt a little too big to be real.
The king sidled closer, bumping playfully into Kuon's shoulder.
"And don't worry about being king right away," said Kuu. "After the wedding, I'll give you guys a year before I abdicate. Call it a honeymoon present."
"Five," said Kuon firmly. His hand was linked with hers, and she could feel his grip tighten slightly in possessiveness. "That is, if Kyoko is all right with that."
"Five years would be nice," she said, unable to help a playful smile even with her tight nerves. "I need to learn some more etiquette before I become queen and I still have a rather large hole in my general education."
This time she relished the annoyed sigh from her husband, glad to tease him for a bit.
Her smile faded as she watched Kuu and Ren interact, wondering why it was she had been so convinced that the king had it out for her. She had helped save the kingdom! Brought back Rosa, and in Kuu's eyes, been the catalyst that saved Kuon from death. The king had never in any of their conversations given her reason to doubt him. So why had she?
The answer hit her with terrifying clarity.
"Ren," she said, the two of them stopping immediately due to the use of his real name. "After we return to the palace, could you help me find my mother?"
Thank you for reading!
We are almost at the end! The last chapter will be released next week. Look forward to it and my looooong goodbye note.
-Blushweaver