Vol 1 Chapter 19: Return to the Capital — Clara, Prince Elvyn, and the Shadows of the Past

Back in the Capital…

After eight peaceful days in the Rose Valley and five exhausting days of travel, Clara and the knights escorting her finally reached the capital. Her line of horses passed through the city gates, welcomed by cheering townsfolk.

“Look, Miss Clara is back…!”
“I haven’t seen her for almost two weeks.”
“Miss Clara looks as beautiful as always…”
“Did she manage to catch those two vile fugitives?”
“Are you doubting Miss Clara?! She’s captured so many criminals already…”

As soon as she passed through the main gate, the people greeted Clara with joy. Showers of petals and words of praise followed her along the capital’s streets. Yet she felt as if she had returned to a different place.

Not because the capital had changed, but because she had.

The city looked lively, yet it felt hollow. Her heart was still in the Rose Valley, in the quiet little home where Marry and Caelan lived in peace.

Clara greeted the cheers with polite warmth. She waved and smiled.

She exhaled slowly, then nudged her horse forward, slipping away from the crowd and riding along the busy stone roads of the capital.

The scent of baked bread, the clanging of metal from the armoury, the newspaper boy shouting at passersby, the clatter of noble carriages, and the laughter of children running along the roadside… everything was familiar.

And yet, at the same time, everything felt distant, after the silence of the valley and Caelan’s innocent giggles. Clara touched her chest… it felt empty amid the city’s noise.

“This capital is too loud… I’d rather sit beneath the shade of a tree with Marry and Caelan,” she thought.

She sighed, then urged her horse to move faster through the bustling streets.

A short while later, Clara and her escort arrived at the headquarters of the Rose Guard. Clara dismounted behind the building and walked toward the main office.

As she walked down the hallway, she crossed paths with a blonde administrative clerk. The woman stopped directly in front of her.

“Miss Clara… I’m so glad you’re back.” She paused, then smiled warmly. “Prince Elvyn has been waiting for you in the main office.”

“Thank you. I’ll head there right away,” Clara replied politely.

She gave a brief salute before parting ways and continued toward the office.

Clara stopped before an antique wooden door carved with rose patterns. She grasped the handle and turned it.

The door creaked open. Cool air brushed past her. The room was spacious, with a large window overlooking the Golden Palace.

Standing before that window, staring out toward the capital, was Prince Elvyn. His blond hair glimmered under the sunlight filtering through the glass.

Prince Elvyn turned around. He smiled gently.

“Clara,” Elvyn greeted. “You’ve returned.”

“I have, Prince,” Clara said, bowing her head slightly.

Elvyn stood silently for a moment. He observed the woman before him—her violet hair tied into a ponytail, her clear green eyes, her polite smile. Clara looked familiar to him.

Yet at the same time, something about her felt different. She seemed more mature, warmer… not quite the stern, neutral law enforcer he knew.

“What is it, Prince?” Clara asked, puzzled.

“It’s nothing.” Elvyn let out a breath. “It’s just… you look different.”

“Different?”

“Yes. You no longer look like a strict officer. You look more like a young woman who has just returned to work after a pleasant vacation in her hometown.”

Clara’s shoulders stiffened. She rubbed the back of her head awkwardly.

“I won’t deny it, Prince. The Rose Valley was very peaceful. Instead of hunting fugitives… it felt like I was on holiday. Haha…” she replied awkwardly.

Elvyn narrowed his eyes, studying her reaction. Then he noticed the rolled report in her hand.

“I won’t make an issue of it. So, what did your investigation uncover, Clara?” he asked seriously.

Clara handed him the report.

“I’ve written everything down. You can read it yourself, Prince.”

Elvyn accepted the document. “Is there anything you wish to say?”

Clara looked at his face. His sky-blue eyes reminded her of Marry and Caelan. But his eyes were dim, as if hiding an unhealed wound.

“Prince Elvyn really is Marry’s younger brother… and Caelan’s uncle. They resemble each other so much,” Clara thought.

Her lips curved downward.

“The two slave traders were not found,” Clara reported. “Most likely… they died. Eaten by beasts in the forest. There were no traces left behind.”

Elvyn nodded slowly as he listened, hand on his chin, while reading the report.

“I see. No signs of any wrongdoing by the locals?” Elvyn asked strictly.

Clara shook her head, smiling faintly.

“The Rose Valley is far too peaceful for crime. I visited every corner of the village and spoke to the residents. They were very kind and lived modestly. Besides, I sensed no corruption of the soul among them,” Clara explained.

...

Prince Elvyn fell silent for a moment. He felt Clara was exaggerating about the villagers.

“Clara is acting a bit strange. She’s usually neutral toward witnesses, victims, and suspects. Why is she praising the people of Rose Valley?” Elvyn wondered.

Then the prince asked her, his tone slightly sceptical and a touch more intimate.

“Does that place feel familiar to you, Clara?”

Clara stiffened slightly. But she quickly replied with sincerity.

“No, Prince. Rose Valley is unfamiliar to me. It’s just… the villagers’ warmth made me feel at ease. They’re far too honest and live.”

“You know… honesty and simplicity are rare in the capital.”

“I know my attitude may be a bit biased. But I can’t help admiring their local wisdom. Besides, they welcomed me kindly.”

Prince Elvyn rubbed his chin.

“Clara… it seems this journey changed you more than I expected. Were the villagers of Rose Valley really that kind?” he thought.

He shifted his gaze. He took three steps forward and stopped before the window.

“I won’t question how you lived there, Clara.”

“You know… perhaps we all long for a home after the world’s memories collapsed seven years ago.”

“I once had a dream about a place that made me feel that same comfort. But every time I try to remember it… all that remains is the scent of roses and the laughter of a gentle woman.”

“I don’t know who she is. But whenever I try to recall her…” Elvyn touched his chest. “My heart feels warm.”

…

Clara looked at Elvyn’s back with quiet sorrow. She clasped her hands together. She stood in silence.

“You truly don’t remember Marry. Yet your soul is still searching for your big sister’s shadow.”

“Forgive me, Prince Elvyn. I can’t tell you anything about the one sister you cherished most.”

“I don’t want to reopen old wounds. And besides, Marry and Caelan are already living peacefully in the valley. You must learn to live without the warmth of your big sister you’ve forgotten,” Clara thought.

She closed her eyes for a moment. She still remembered Marry’s final request before she returned to the capital.

‘…it’s better if he doesn’t remember me. His world will be kinder without my presence.’

Clara opened her eyes again. Her green eyes dimmed, as if wounded by the sight of a sister and brother yearning for each other without ever remembering, without ever meeting again. She released a heavy breath.

“I can’t help you, Prince. We all know… after the fall of the world’s memory, only a handful still understand their ties to the past.”

“Even so, I hope, Prince… don’t ignore what you feel. Because perhaps that feeling is a truth you never managed to save.”

Prince Elvyn stood still. He clenched his fist, then slowly nodded.

“Thank you, Clara. Your presence has helped me more than you know,” he said sincerely. “You may go now.”

Clara bowed, then left the room in silence. When the door closed, only Prince Elvyn remained inside.

He turned to the desk. Papers were already piled up. And beside them, a white rose ornament stood upright on the table.

Prince Elvyn sighed. Then he began to read Clara’s report.

—

Night and Reflection…

That night, Clara didn’t return to the dormitory right away. She sat on a wooden bench in the city’s central park. She stared ahead at the fountain, its waters reflecting the glow of the lamps.

A gentle breeze blew, swaying her purple ponytail. She crossed her legs and opened her notebook.

Her fingers flipped through its pages until she reached the last one. There it read: “Protecting Marry and Caelan from the shadows of the past.”

Clara smiled softly. She remembered her personal promise—to protect the mother and her little daughter before returning to the capital.

She opened a blank page. Pulling a pen from her pocket, she began to write:

“In the midst of blood and blossoms, there is one soul that refuses to sink into darkness. I will not allow that light to fade.”

“One day, the world will know the truth about the ‘villain’ who saved it with her own blood. A woman with silver hair, blue eyes, and a dress of roses.”

“She crucified tyrants with roses and blood. When the law had died, she judged criminals without caring how society feared her.”

“The kingdom called her a terrorist and made her the most wanted fugitive on the continent. Yet behind her extreme actions, she only wished to voice one cry the tyrants never heard.”

“Forgiveness belongs only to the victims. She killed not out of hatred, but to uphold a law long buried.”

“She is the forgotten former royal princess of the Rose Kingdom—Marry El Rose. And now she lives peacefully with her little daughter in a secluded valley.”

Clara ended her entry. Then she drew a small rose symbol in the bottom corner: three rose petals.

Closing her notebook, she looked up at the capital’s night sky. It glittered brightly, yet even that glow couldn’t replace her true home.

Clara turned her gaze westward—far beyond the capital, past mountains and fog. There was no glitter there, only a quiet rural landscape and a cool, silent valley.

There, a mother and a small daughter lived… the ones who had saved her soul and given her a place to return to.

And now, Clara was no longer merely a detective of justice… but a guardian of the conscience the world had forgotten.

Author's Note: This chapter has been rewritten.