Chapter 43 – Coronation Ceremony

Yura and Ren were already dressed in their ceremonial attire.

She wore a white kimono embroidered with pale blue petals along the folds, so delicate they seemed to drift with every movement.

Ren, on the other hand, wore a black kimono adorned with violet wisterias—the symbol of the blade he had received during the ritual.

He couldn’t help but rest his hand gently on Yura’s belly.

“I can’t wait to meet you…” he murmured with a warm smile.

“Stop, not now.” Yura blushed, brushing his hand away. “This is a serious moment, you know?”

Ren chuckled softly.

“In a way… I’ve always dreamed of being a father.”

Yura glanced at him from the corner of her eye, though her tone grew firm.

“Even so, you’ll leave soon for your next mission.”

Ren found no words to answer.

“Don’t misunderstand me, Ren.” Yura reached out and took his hand. “I won’t tie you down to these lands. I just want you to come back… Yukihana is our home.”

The silence that followed was heavy, almost tangible. Then her voice softened, but carried a sharper edge…

“Besides… I know you promised her you’d return.”

“…”

“Just promise me you’ll make her as happy as you’ve made me.”

Ren lowered his gaze. Before he could reply, Yura straightened and looked at him with tenderness.

“Come. It’s time.”

He tightened his grip on Wisteria’s hilt.

“I wish I could say I wanted to abandon my mission… but if I don’t defeat the shadows of Solmara, they could rise to threaten us again.”

“I told you—it’s all right.” Yura smiled, though her eyes held a quiet sorrow. “You don’t owe me an explanation. I knew this from the moment we left Cegris.”

She took a deep breath.

“I only wish I knew… how much time we have left.”

Ren looked straight into her eyes.

“I’ll stay until Yukina is born.”

The name lingered in the air like a vow.

With resolve, Yura took her katana and pushed open the great doors of the castle. Ren followed at her side, Wisteria in hand.

As they crossed the threshold, the city erupted in cheers. Thousands of citizens filled the streets, lit by ice lanterns and banners of sky blue that fluttered in the wind.

Together, they descended the grand staircase of the Aseina residence—the castle once again beating as the heart of the nation.

Halfway down, Yura paused at a high balcony. Instantly, silence fell.

“People of Yukihana.” Her voice rang out, clear and solemn.

The crowd held its breath.

“Fifteen years ago, I was exiled… on that day, my mother gave her life to save mine.”

Her fingers trembled faintly, but her gaze never wavered.

“For ten long years, I wandered the continent. I lived as an adventurer, training day after day… with the hope that one day, I could return here.”

She turned to Ren and, with a small bow, gestured toward him.

“It was then that I met the man who now walks at my side. He gave me the final push forward.”

She raised her sheathed white katana high.

“I don’t believe in coincidences. Our fates were bound together.”

She intertwined her fingers with Ren’s. The crowd stirred, murmuring with emotion.

“Thanks to his strength… and the allies we’ve gathered in these three long years of struggle.” Her eyes searched for Luisina and Latina among the masses. “And above all, thanks to you—the citizens who never stopped yearning for freedom…”

Her voice rose, clear and sharp as ice.

“Today, at last, I can say these words: Yukihana is free!”

The roar was immediate. Thousands of voices rose in unison, tears streaming down faces as banners and lanterns waved like a living sea of snow.

In the months that followed, Yura and Ren devoted themselves to rebuilding Yukihana. They reopened the gates to trade, abolished Solmara’s forbidden weapons, and, above all, restored production across the devastated prefectures. Little by little, the streets filled with life again.

The frozen silence gave way to laughter and chatter.

And so, a year passed in the blink of an eye.

“Who’s the fairest in Yukihana? Why, you are, of course, my princess…!” Ren lifted his daughter into his arms, drawing bursts of giggles with his clumsy faces.

Yura watched him, her smile a blend of tenderness and mischief.

“To think someone once feared so much would end up surrendering like this.”

“Look at her…” Ren brushed a finger against a tiny cheek. “She’s beautiful. A little you.”

Yura stepped closer, tucking a loose strand of the girl’s hair into place.

“You’re right…” she whispered proudly. “There’s so much vitality, so much determination in her eyes…”

The little Yukina reached out her small hand toward her mother’s face. Yura held her close to her chest, and Ren wrapped his arms around them both.

The three of them embraced beneath the light of dawn, wishing that moment could last forever.

But deep in his heart, Ren knew the truth: this peace was only an illusion. The final mission was calling to him, like an echo in the darkness, reminding him that his time was running out.

                                                                                ***

While Yukihana basked in its peace and prosperity, far away in Cegris, Ada Schubert remained trapped in her office. The mountain of documents seemed endless.

“I’m sick of all this pointless paperwork…” she sighed, tossing the sheets to the floor in frustration.

Diana knelt calmly and began picking them up one by one.

“Why don’t you quit?” she asked quietly. “You’re still waiting for him to come back… but no one ever said this had to last forever.”

Ada pressed her lips together.

“I know… but he promised he’d return.” Her voice wavered, just barely. “I want to believe he’ll keep his word.”

She stood and walked to the window. From there, she gazed out over the moonlit city, her expression a mixture of longing and fatigue.

“Maybe…” she whispered, “maybe it’s time to leave Opera behind.”