The blazing sun hung high in the sky. Ail was at the training grounds, where cadets attended their lessons, for one of his thrice-weekly archery classes. As the bow, made of dark brown wood, flexed smoothly and the string released, an arrow with white feathers shot into the distance. Ruth watched the arrow fly in a perfect straight line before turning his attention to Ail’s arms, which, though slender and seemingly fragile, pulled the heavy bowstring with ease.

“Is Elsen Miel your lover?”

Ruth, who had been observing Ail’s small frame—still slight for a 14-year-old—stiffened at the unexpected question. Ail, who was fitting a new arrow to his bowstring, spoke without looking up.

“What?”

“Jesse brought up some absurd story yesterday.”

As soon as Ail finished speaking, the arrow flew and pierced the bullseye on the distant target. Ruth was the only one visibly shaken. After checking the target, Ail set his bow down and fixed Ruth with a cold gaze. Unable to endure the weight of Ail’s piercing golden eyes, Ruth looked down, avoiding his gaze.

“And that person is supposedly involved with Erita Jenin, who might become my betrothed?”

Startled for real this time, Ruth raised his head to look at Ail, whose serene, calm demeanor was underlined by an icy chill in his golden eyes. Ruth straightened and asked seriously, “I’ve never heard of rumors about Lady Erita marrying Your Highness before…”

“It’s under consideration. Your younger sister is also one of the candidates for my betrothal. The decision is up to my father.”

Although Ail was still young, the current emperor, Pedro Linus, was of advanced age. Rumors had circulated about the emperor hastening Ail’s marriage due to his declining health. However, since Ail was not yet of age, a formal marriage was out of the question, leaving only the possibility of an engagement. Ruth was aware that his sister’s name was on the list of candidates, but this was the first he’d heard of Erita being considered. While her name might have been mentioned due to her family’s connection to the empress, it was widely understood that Erita was effectively excluded, given the emperor’s favoritism toward Tasha Kaizel.

“I believe there’s been some misunderstanding. Elsen and I are simply close friends. As for Lady Erita and Elsen, they’ve been promised to each other for a long time. I don’t know why Lady Erita is being considered as Your Highness’s betrothed, but the two of them are resolute in their feelings. And Elsen is nothing more than a friend to me.”

Ruth, his face showing clear embarrassment, went on to explain the relationships between the three. Though the Jenin family did not welcome Elsen, this was Erita’s desired marriage. Elsen had even joined the knightly order of a rival faction to be eligible to marry her. For individuals with complicated social standings like theirs, rising through the ranks as knights was often the only path.

Ruth himself had been influenced by Elsen’s decision to join the knights, although his own reasons were to escape his family’s influence.

“I can’t say what nonsense gossipmongers are spreading, but the rumors about Elsen and me are baseless. Elsen’s love for Lady Erita is unwavering. He joined the order solely to be with her.”

“You followed him?”

“I won’t deny it. I did join the order because of him.”

Thirteen-year-old Ruth had seen no other way to escape his household. Joining the knightly order had been the most appropriate choice that wouldn’t disgrace the family name while giving him a way out. Acknowledging this, Ruth met Ail’s gaze, only for Ail to smile faintly.

Then, with those crimson lips, Ail murmured softly, “Until last night, I intended to follow my father’s decision. But now, I’ve changed my mind.”

“… Pardon?”

At Ail’s sudden remark, Ruth furrowed his brow slightly, momentarily forgetting his place, and asked, “What do you mean?”

Ail turned with his attendants and declared, “I will marry Erita Jenin.”

***

The announcement of Ail’s engagement to Erita Jenin was made that very day. Ruth felt his head spinning. For some reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling that his conversation with Ail had greatly influenced this decision. Ruth was mostly in the dark about the inner workings of the imperial palace. He had no close connections there and avoided social gatherings to steer clear of palace politics as much as possible.

Now, the only person who could provide answers was Kamiel. Having recently been reassigned as captain of the second division tasked with guarding the empress, Kamiel was the one Ruth sought out. He waited until Kamiel’s duty shift ended and approached as he spotted Kamiel leading a group of knights in black uniforms. Recognizing Ruth, Kamiel dismissed the other knights and approached him with a serious expression.

“I was planning to come see you.”

“Yeah? Do you have a moment to talk?”

“Let’s go to my office.”

Nodding, the two walked side by side to Kamiel’s office within the Empress’s wing of the palace. Neither spoke, as though by mutual agreement. Kamiel, like Ruth, cared deeply for Elsen. Though their reasons differed, the three of them had shared a close bond since their days as cadets when they bunked together. Naturally, Kamiel was well aware of Elsen and Erita’s relationship. Moreover, given his role guarding the empress, he had surely heard about the engagement announcement.

After passing through a long corridor, they entered Kamiel’s office. Kamiel instructed the guards stationed outside not to let anyone in, then motioned for Ruth to take a seat. Once Ruth was seated, he waited for Kamiel to sit down. As Kamiel finally lowered himself into his chair, he let out a long sigh.

“You came to ask about what happened, didn’t you?”

Though Kamiel hadn’t elaborated, Ruth nodded, knowing exactly what he meant.

“Erita had already been ruled out as a candidate. His Majesty’s favoritism for Lady Tasha Kaizel is so well-known that I assumed your sister was the strongest contender and didn’t pay much attention. I don’t understand how things turned out like this.”

As of this morning, Ruth’s younger sister, Leia Kaizel, had been the most likely choice for Ail’s betrothed. In fact, it wasn’t merely speculation—the decision had seemed practically finalized. Yet everything had changed in the span of half a day. Ruth had no idea how Ail had managed to convince Emperor Pedro, but whatever the reason, it left Ruth feeling troubled.

Covering his mouth with his hand, Ruth muttered, “I think I made a mistake.”

Hearing Ruth utter the word “mistake,” something he rarely admitted to, Kamiel looked surprised and asked, “What do you mean?”

“I told His Highness about Erita and Elsen. Then suddenly, he declared that he would marry Erita. Did I offend him?”

Still haunted by the incident, Ruth voiced his concern, but Kamiel shook his head firmly.

“That’s unlikely. His Highness wouldn’t make a decision based on something so trivial. Even if you had committed a major offense, he wouldn’t have cared. He’d simply resolve it by killing you.”

Kamiel’s blunt response was meant to reassure, but Ruth still seemed uncertain as he murmured, “Then why did he suddenly decide…”

“Probably to strengthen his external family’s influence. Trust me, I’ve been around His Highness long enough to know—he’s young, but he’s not swayed by emotion. If anything, he’s too cold and calculating. Sometimes, I even wonder if he has a heart. This was purely a strategic move.”

“Do you think so?”

Ruth still looked concerned as he asked again, prompting Kamiel to give him a warm, reassuring glance.

“Yes, I do.”

“I feel like it’s my fault this happened because I brought up Elsen and Erita. It feels like I said something unnecessary,” Ruth muttered, his voice heavy with guilt.

“Everyone already knew the rumors, and Ail probably did too. You don’t need to feel responsible for this,” Kamiel replied gently. “All you need to do is be there to support Elsen.”

Despite Kamiel’s reassuring tone, Ruth couldn’t shake an ominous feeling.

“This marriage… there’s no way to undo it, is there?”

“Imperial marriages aren’t like those of regular nobles. Once they’re announced, they almost never change, no matter the reason.”

“… I thought as much.”

Ruth already knew the answer but had asked anyway, clinging to a faint hope. With the public announcement, Erita was now officially Ail’s betrothed, and nothing could reverse it. If the engagement were broken, the Jenin family would be branded as traitors. It was a politically volatile situation.

“What’s done is done. There’s no point in agonizing over it. The best thing to do now is to move forward,” Kamiel advised firmly.

“I don’t think it’s going to go well,” Ruth murmured.

“Which is why we have to support him,” Kamiel said, his voice calm but resolute.

Ruth, listening to Kamiel’s measured reasoning, lifted his head, his expression still clouded.

“It’s not going to be easy to move on. Elsen has been holding on all this time because of that dream.”

“There’s nothing we can do. Life doesn’t always go the way we want,” Kamiel replied.

Among the three of them, Kamiel was the most pragmatic. Ruth had all but given up living within the confines of reality, while Elsen tried to align his dreams with it. Kamiel, on the other hand, accepted reality as it was and worked within its boundaries. He never sought more than what was possible, making him the most rational and clear-headed of the three. Kamiel was almost always right.

“I should go see Elsen,” Ruth said, rising from his seat as though resigning himself to the situation.

Kamiel also stood and approached Ruth, giving him a firm pat on the shoulder.

“Be there for him. He’ll need your support more than mine.”

“Yeah,” Ruth sighed softly before leaving Kamiel’s office. Though Kamiel’s explanation had reassured him that the situation wasn’t his fault, Ruth couldn’t shake the nagging guilt. For some inexplicable reason, he felt responsible, and the weight of that guilt was nearly unbearable.