When Ruth arrived at Elsen’s quarters, Elsen was already sitting in silence, staring blankly into space. Their shared dormitory, meant for two knights, was empty except for him. Ruth felt relieved at the solitude as he stepped into the quiet room and approached Elsen, who sat on the edge of his bed.

“You heard the news?”

“Yeah.”

Elsen acknowledged Ruth’s presence but didn’t look at him, his voice low and despondent. Hearing the sorrow in his tone, Ruth moved closer and wrapped an arm around Elsen’s shoulder.

“If you want to cry, just cry,” he said softly.

Elsen was strong-willed and principled but also reserved in expressing his emotions. Beneath that exterior, however, he was delicate and deeply sensitive. At just thirteen, he had determined his future and joined the knight order to pursue it, his determination driven by his emotions. Elsen lived solely for love, and Eritha, just like him, was a steadfast and sentimental girl who had cherished her childhood memories without wavering.

Understanding the depth of their bond, Ruth couldn’t offer shallow words of comfort. He could only hold Elsen’s weary shoulders, gently soothing him. Elsen’s body was cold to the touch as Ruth embraced him. Pressing a soft kiss to Elsen’s hair, Ruth felt Elsen relax slightly, closing his eyes as he murmured softly.

“It’s my fault. I didn’t have the courage. I should have proposed to Erita earlier,” Elsen lamented.

“You were just being cautious. This isn’t anyone’s fault. It was just meant to be this way,” Ruth replied, trying to offer comfort.

Ruth said the words he most wanted to hear himself to Elsen. Yes, this wasn’t anyone’s fault. Everything was simply destined to turn out this way. Neither Elsen nor Ruth were at fault, he thought, trying to reassure both himself and Elsen.

“When I first met Erita, she was only seven years old. But I knew right away. I knew she was my destiny,” Elsen continued, his voice full of pain.

Ruth held Elsen’s shoulder silently, not saying anything. Just a few days ago, Ruth never would have believed that someone could feel their fate the moment they met someone. Especially not for children, like the seven- and thirteen-year-olds they were at the time. But now, Ruth felt he understood the feeling a little better. Although it was different from what Elsen had felt for Erita, Ruth had experienced something similar when he first met Ail. Though it wasn’t a pleasant sensation, it felt like some strange fate. The fear and ominous feeling that had come with the overwhelming beauty of the young emperor had unsettled him. Even at twenty-two, Ruth had never expected to feel such terror from a fourteen-year-old boy. Still, there was nothing he could do about it.

“She was so young. Maybe because we met when we were so young, it feels like such a long time has passed. And because of all that time, she became so precious to me,” Elsen said, his voice heavy with longing.

Ruth listened quietly to Elsen’s complaints. He could feel the tightness in his chest, but he wasn’t emotional enough to cry alongside him. Ruth hadn’t cried since he was ten. It just turned out that way. And so, even now, he couldn’t bring himself to shed a tear.

“Even now, when I close my eyes, it feels like she’s running toward me. A little girl, running straight to me,” Elsen whispered, his voice breaking.

At those words, Elsen finally broke down, tears falling as he buried his head against Ruth’s shoulder. Ruth closed his eyes, pulling Elsen into a tight embrace, his hand resting gently on Elsen’s hair.

“It’ll be okay. I’ll be here for you. Whenever you need me, I’ll be by your side,” Ruth whispered, kissing Elsen’s forehead, as though swearing an oath.

In Ruth’s life, there weren’t many things that mattered. The strength and pride to not follow his father’s will, and then his mother, Elsen, and Kamiel. Those were the only things Ruth wanted to protect. Nothing else mattered to him. What happened to the world, he didn’t care. As long as he could protect what was precious to him, he would do anything.

“No matter what happens, I’ll be on your side. I’ll stay by you,” Ruth promised, his voice firm.

Ruth disliked people. He couldn’t stand the desires and ambitions they showed, nor the cruel deceit they used for their own benefit. He hated the dark side of human nature that this world displayed. People would flatter the strong and trample on the weak. For the sake of power and wealth, they would sacrifice even their families, betraying and abandoning the ones they loved. They would steal from others without a second thought to gain power. Ruth loathed the viciousness of mankind.

But there were a few things in this treacherous world that remained pure. The boys in love, those who wished to protect what they loved. Souls that remained pure despite being hurt and broken.

He wanted to protect those few pure things from the dirt of the world. To keep them as they were, carefully and beautifully, so no dust from this world would soil them.

To do that, Ruth would do anything. He felt he could even give up his life for what he valued. That was the extent of his emotions. Sympathy and love—everything.

kamiel, Elsen, and his mother. They were the only people in Ruth’s world, the only precious things he had. Protecting them was how Ruth protected his pride and the little bit of feeling he had left. They were his purity.

Feeling a sharp pain in his chest, Ruth made the same vow to himself again. He would do anything to protect them.

The day after the announcement of the engagement, Ail spent the entire day inside the imperial palace, meeting with the empress, the extended family, and members of the Jenin family to finalize the exact schedule for the public announcement and engagement ceremony. He rushed around, unaware of how time passed from morning to evening, postponing all his lessons. Ruth, who had been following Ail around all day, was on the verge of exhaustion. The administrator, who was responsible for Ail’s schedule, kept updating him on the next locations, assigning knights, and adjusting the timing, leaving Ruth to skip meals as he worked.

After a hectic day, Ail finally stopped by the empress’s palace. It was already nearing dusk. Ruth, relieved that Ail’s schedule for the day was over, hoped that once the evening shift was settled, he could go back to his quarters and rest. He was crossing the garden, full of the sounds of nature, when Ail suddenly stopped in his tracks. When Ail halted, all six of his attendants and ten knights who were following him also stopped. Ail turned around and gestured for Ruth to come closer.

“Is something wrong?” Ruth asked, concerned.

Ail looked up at Ruth’s face and asked, “Did you cry all night?”

Ruth felt a bit awkward at the sudden question. It was strange how quickly Ail had asked, and while it was true that he hadn’t slept well last night, he hadn’t cried.

“No, I’m just a little tired from the work,” Ruth replied.

“Looks like you did cry,” Ail said.

“No,” Ruth denied firmly.

Ail muttered, “Is that so?” and turned around to continue walking. For just a brief moment, there was a flicker of interest in his eyes, but in an instant, Ail’s mood shifted, and he became cold again. Ruth couldn’t help but recall what Kamiel had said about Ail—how he was a cold-blooded person who showed no emotions. Kamiel’s words echoed in Ruth’s mind, and he realized that Ail was certainly different from ordinary people.

What was he thinking? Ruth couldn’t understand him at all. His behavior was so strange, as if he didn’t grasp how to show curiosity in a human way. It was as though Ail was an emotionless creature trying to mimic human feelings. Everything about him felt out of place and awkward. Ruth couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong, that Ail was more peculiar than he had initially thought.