Her Past

The sky was beginning to turn orange, the once-gentle breeze now growing colder. Amid the drifting wind, two figures walked through the forest—one supporting the other.

“…Seems I made the wrong choice dragging you into that restaurant,” said Adam, his left hand carrying a bag of groceries while his right shoulder supported Galiene as she staggered along.

“Whaaat??? The food there was sooo good! Don’t you remember??” Galiene’s face was flushed red, her steps unsteady from the wine.

“Yes, it was good. But with you unable to hold back against that fine wine, I suppose it really was a mistake to take you there… though not entirely.” Adam smirked, his teeth showing slightly, after all, that wine had let him witness Galiene’s drunken antics, which he found rather amusing.

“See? That’s why we need to go there again next time, okay?”

“…Yes, boss,” Adam replied sarcastically.

After a few minutes’ walk from the city, they finally arrived home. They climbed the wooden stairs and stood at the front door. Adam pulled the house key from his coat while Galiene, still smiling foolishly, leaned against the wooden wall with the paper bag of groceries in hand.

The door opened. Adam guided Galiene by the hand to the living room sofa, then took the grocery bag and headed to the kitchen. He grabbed a cup, filled it with water, added a few mint leaves and some honey, then walked over to the icebox, powered by enchanted ice stones, and dropped a few cubes into the drink. Stirring it, he brought it back to Galiene.

“Here, drink it slowly. Don’t chug it all at once.”

But of course, being drunk, Galiene ignored him. The moment her hand touched the cup, she downed the entire drink in a single gulp.

“Haaaah…” Adam could only shake his head. His mistake for expecting a drunk person to follow instructions.

“Refreeeshiiing~” Galiene set the glass on the table and slumped back onto the sofa.

“That was mint water. It should ease the hangover a bit.”

Adam sat on the opposite sofa, watching to see if Galiene could sober up enough for a serious conversation.

“Now that I think about it… this is your house, right?”

“Yes. And you’re sitting in the living room.”

“Ahhh, right…” Galiene rubbed the sofa beneath her.

“So… can we finally start our talk?”

“Hmm… I suppose so.” Though still tipsy, Galiene slapped her cheek lightly to force herself awake.

“All right, first of all, can you tell me about your past?”

“…………”

“No rush. We’ve got plenty of time—”

“It’s fine, Adam. I’m just… not sure where to begin.”

Silence fell between them. Adam waited patiently until Galiene was ready to speak.

“……Adam, you remember the name of that fallen kingdom, don’t you?”
It was an odd question, but Adam went along.

“Kingdom Castar, wasn’t it?”

Galiene exhaled deeply, her still-flushed face turning serious.

“Good… because honestly, what happened there was unbelievable like a bad dream, even for us who lived through it.”

“Becoming a knight of Castar, especially a Knight of the Silver Order… that had been my dream since I was a child, you know?” Galiene leaned back, tilted her head upward, and gazed at the ceiling.

“As a little orphan girl, I once saw Castar’s military parade in the capital with the other kids and caretakers from the orphanage. The way they marched, their charisma, their presence alongside the kingdom’s mages, I remember exactly how it felt seeing them for the first time.”

“Wait—you were an orphan?” Adam was taken aback to learn this.

“Yes. My parents, both soldiers of the kingdom, died on duty guarding the border. I heard they were ambushed by roaming bandits.”

“…I’m sorry for your loss.”

“It’s fine. It was long ago. And life at the orphanage wasn’t bad either, my parents had connections there, though it was quite far from the city.”

“That’s when I began dreaming of becoming a soldier, following in their footsteps.”

“At first, the caretakers opposed the idea, giving me all sorts of reasons. But I was determined. Eventually, they gave up.” Galiene smiled faintly, her eyes distant with childhood memories.

“After years at the orphanage, I entered the military academy at sixteen. I studied there for two years, and by eighteen, I was officially a soldier.”

“I thought I’d immediately climb toward knighthood, but there was still a one-year service requirement. With the kingdom rarely at war, I spent that year guarding gates, patrolling the city, even working as a cook for the troops. I made plenty of friends during that time, especially while working in the kitchen.”

“After that year, I applied for the knight exam. It was tough, swordsmanship, first aid, tactical studies, and above all, grueling physical tests. Out of the 3,400 applicants, only 1,030 passed. I was among them, along with a close friend who shared my dream.”

“Wow, nearly half failed?” Adam leaned forward, intrigued.

“Yeah. Even hulking soldiers I thought would breeze through dropped out in the early stages.” Galiene puffed out her chest proudly, recalling her success.

“So then, you became a Knight of the Silver Order?”

“Uh… no. I became a knight of Castar, but not of the Silver Order.”

“So? Did you take another exam to get in?”

“No. You have to be acknowledged first. And no one knows the criteria for that recognition.”

“No one knows?” Adam stroked his chin, curious. “Then how did you end up as one of them?”

“I swear, not a single knight in Castar knew how the recognition system worked.”

“So I just kept fulfilling my duties. Unlike soldiers, knights had different responsibilities and mission: destroying threats to Castar, busting illegal energy-stone smugglers, raiding bandit fortresses, even fighting monsters encroaching on our lands. I kept at it, over and over, for eight months straight.”

“So to be recognized… you just keep taking on missions?” Adam asked again, probing.

“Umm… not really. My platoon was led by a knight lieutenant who had served for about four years, and not once had he ever been summoned or acknowledged to even try taking the Silver Order test.”

“…Okay, that’s confusing. Do you have to do something extraordinary before you can be recognized?”

“Extraordinary… not exactly. As far as I recall, I was summoned after carrying out a mission with my platoon.” Galiene closed her eyes, trying to recall what she remembered about the reason she was accepted.

“At that time, we were ordered to scout a bandit hideout. According to the intel we received, they were forming an alliance with another bandit group to open a smuggling route. Their goal? To strengthen their presence with dangerous weapons.”

“So we went to the suspected location and discovered a camp with a hidden entrance nearby. We secure the camp from any bandit, when we tried to open it, we found a magical trap set on the door. I didn’t know what kind of trap it was, so I pulled my comrade away, and by reflex, I bring forth an ice wall around the door. The explosion went off, we were all thrown back and injured, but fortunately the blast was contained. Only minor wounds from the scattered ice shards.”

“……That’s exactly what I meant by an extraordinary act, Galiene.” Adam said, smacking his face with his hand.

“Is that sooo…? I don’t think so.” Galiene’s words started to slur again, the refreshing effect of the mint water clearly beginning to wear off.

“…Maybe you should rest bef—” As Adam was about to rise from his seat—

“NO!… no… I can still continue my story, Adam… don’t worry.” Galiene cut him off before he could finish, unwilling to stop.

“…Alright then, what happened after that incident?” Adam sat back down on the sofa.

“After being confined in the military hospital for several days to recover, I was approached by an older knight. He didn’t say much, he simply handed me a magic scroll. Written on it was an invitation to take the test to become a Silver Order knight. At first, I didn’t believe it, since there was no official meeting or announcement about such a thing. But the Castar military seal, imbued with magical energy, convinced me the scroll was genuine.”

“Why were you so certain? What does that seal mean? I mean, couldn’t someone forge a letter like that to trick you into doing something and get you expelled from the military?”

“Because that seal can only be held by important personnel in the military or royal institutions. And a seal infused with magical energy? That can only be owned by high-ranking sorcerers… or the king and queen themselves.”

-

Their conversation continued regarding the exam to join the Silver Order Knights, from how Galiene was treated professionally at the very beginning, with the Silver Order Knights welcoming her and the other 440 participants of various races, to the grueling physical tests, even harsher than those required to enter the Castar Knights: surviving in the wilderness with their magical energy sealed, advanced combat techniques, techniques for evading pursuit, and even enduring torture.

“You… actually went through all that?” Adam was stunned, amazed at how Galiene could have endured it.

“To be honest, more than once the thought of giving up crossed my mind during the test. But my brain kept convincing me to push on, it would’ve been such a waste to quit halfway. I’m still grateful that thought came later in the process. If I’d thought that way during the early stages, I surely would’ve stopped. Those trials were truly exhausting and infuriating.”

“Haha… I can’t even imagine myself getting through something like that…”

“I suppose… the purpose of the exam is to separate out those chosen, to see who has the determination to endure it all.” Galiene gestured with her hands as if illustrating something being split apart.

“And after my inauguration ceremony with 33 other participants, I finally donned the silver armor upon my body, and I was assigned to the unit led by Captain Lawrence.”

“Captain Lawrence…” Adam recalled his encounter with Lawrence, and how he treated his subordinate Galiene. Those moments replayed vividly in his mind.

“Lawrence is someone truly worthy of holding the rank of captain. Even though the Silver Order Knights are a gathering of people capable of ‘surpassing their limits,’ Captain Lawrence stands on a different level, skilled in tactics, combat, and magic. I’ve even heard that the military high command once sent him and a few other knights on espionage missions against a neighboring nation that had once clashed with the Castar Kingdom.”

“Wait, knights doing espionage? I’ve never heard of that before.” Adam asked.

“The Silver Order Knights are sworn to answer directly to the commands of the kingdom’s highest authorities, not just the military. If the king or a high-level sorcerer orders us to act against the kingdom’s enemies, we will obey and give it one thousand percent. That’s why, among the Castar Knights and soldiers, the Silver Order is often called ‘The Right Hand of the Kings.’”

“No wonder Lawrence could so easily establish connections with the three factions of Dramud City.” Adam muttered quietly to himself, processing the new information.

“Whaaat??? I can’t hear you, Aadammm…” Galiene, still tipsy, strained to catch Adam’s mumble.

“No, I didn’t say anything…” Adam dismissed it, and in her drunken state, Galiene simply accepted his words as truth.

Adam realized that, even though he kept listening to Galiene’s past, he still couldn’t understand why it weighed so heavily on her shoulders alone.

“Galiene, I don’t mean to underestimate what you went through to become a Silver Order Knight, but…..”

Adam recalled the moment he saw Galiene and Lawrence fight, the rage he felt upon seeing her captain’s face. He thought to himself, there must be something left unsaid about that man.

“With how furious you were toward your captain, there must be a reason you acted that way toward him.”

“……………..” Galiene remained silent, her head bowed.

“I’m sorry, Galiene, but I must ask you…”

“…….Marth 14th, 1332.” Galiene raised her head again and spoke with a gloomy expression.

“Eh?”

“After three months of intensive training as a Silver Order Knight, that was the day I received my first assignment as a member of the Order. On that day, we were deployed together with the Castar Royal Knights to eliminate monsters that had attacked a region where a village stood.”

“Adam, as an adventurer, you know about the monsters called ‘Death Bringers,’ don’t you?”

“Yes, I’ve had experience with them.”

“…Good. Then you know they never leave their territory unless something disturbs them or draws their attention, right?”

“Yes, but why are you asking me this?”

Adam paused, trying to grasp the reason behind Galiene’s line of questioning.

“…Don’t tell me…”

“Yes. That village had stood on that land for a very long time, it could even be considered a historic village. The land was deemed safe, outside the domain of any monsters.”

“And yet, somehow, hordes of monsters attacked that village. Strange, isn’t it?”

“And as you’ve guessed… a monster from the ‘Death Bringer’ list also joined the assault, alongside other lower-class monsters.”

“How… how could that happen?”

“We didn’t know either. All we knew was that a village had been attacked, and we were sent to investigate it, as the spearhead of the Castar Kingdom.” Galiene paused for a moment. “At first, we were ordered to scout the village, find out what had attacked it, report back, and wait for the cavalry. Of course, we were shocked by the sheer number of monsters present.”

“Although our orders were to scout, seeing so many villagers that trying to flee got slain by the monster, made the Castar Knights take action without considering the mission’s true purpose. Honestly, I was grateful they acted, forcing us to join them, because the duty of the Silver Order Knights is to obey the commands of our superiors without considering the consequences. However, under the rules of engagement, we were allowed to improvise if the mission circumstances went beyond the given scenario. And with the Castar Knights rebelling against their orders, this situation was indeed beyond the scenario.”

“The battle began. Out of the 100 Castar Knights deployed, 55 were killed and 30 heavily wounded. As for us, we lost 4 knights and had a few light injuries among the 20. You might think those casualties were too many, but considering the vast number of monsters we faced, that toll was… acceptable.”

“No, no! That many casualties, and among knights at that? Just how dire was the situation for so many to fall?”

“It was dire indeed—hundreds of monsters, and three monster belonging to the highest tier on the ‘Death Bringer’ list: Scrathria, Draveroin, and Butnespra. With no coordination and no battle plan formed before the fighting began, the battlefield descended into chaos.”

“Good god… three at once…” Adam, who had his own experience hunting them, couldn’t even imagine how one would face three ‘Death Bringers’ at the same time, especially without proper initiative or preparation.

“But what happened afterward… was far worse.”

“A deafening explosion echoed from the direction of the Castar Kingdom. It wasn’t very loud from the village, but loud enough for us all to hear it. Shortly after, a cavalry soldier arrived and told us, a massive explosion had struck the Royal Palace, throwing the entire kingdom into panic, and recalling all troops stationed outside the capital back to it.”

“We asked the remaining Castar Knights who could still fight to stay in the village and guard it from possible threats, while the Silver Order Knights rode with the cavalry toward the capital, using the horses we had tied near the village.”

“When we arrived… flames spread everywhere, burning houses and buildings alike. Thick black smoke rose high into the sky. Civilians were running in every direction. At the capital gates, many soldiers were rushing inside, desperately trying to evacuate the civilians. We didn’t know what else to do, but with the explosion that had struck the Palace, we decided to head straight there, to save the king.”

“But as we spurred our horses toward the Palace, we saw tongues of flame dancing atop it. The flames were so long that they sometimes tore through whatever lay beneath the towering palace walls.”

“Then the ground quaked violently, panicking our horses and throwing me and some of the knights off our horses. The tremors grew stronger, and then, massive earthen spikes erupted from the palace, tearing through everything they pierced, houses, restaurants, historic statues, even gardens and farms.”

“Of course, those spikes also erupted beneath where we stood. I and the others were thrown off, our horses bolted away, forcing us to continue on foot toward the Palace.”

“We ran… encountered wounded soldiers… ran again… corpses of civilians lay scattered among the rubble… kept running… a father weeping over his family that turned cold… all of it flashed before my eyes.”

“As we neared the Palace, we and the royal sorcerers we met saw a figure flying amid the great flames. At first we couldn’t make it out clearly, but then… we recognized him. One of the very figures we served and obeyed, Ulfi Leventhore, a high-ranking sorcerer.”

“…Your kingdom’s sorcerer was the one behind all that?” Adam asked, his face stricken with shock.

“…Yes. But not entirely.”

“But you just said that sorcerer—”

“He was there, but that was not the sorcerer the people of Castar knew.” Galiene’s tone grew grim.

“His entire robe was in tatters. His once-charismatic face had become gaunt and hollow. And his eyes… his eyes were pitch black. His entire body was bristling with black thorns jutting out from every part of him. Do you reaaalllly think… someone like that could still be called human?” Even through her drunken haze, Galiene’s emotions overflowed, though at times she struggled to stay focused.

“And then… then… what I remember next, he himself conjured a fire spell, a massive fireball, and hurled it south of the capital. The sheer magical energy in it was overwhelming—it annihilated anything in its path, simply by passing through it. JUST—BY—PASSING!” Galiene emphasized the terrifying power of a high-ranking sorcerer.

“Not long after, a massive explosion roared from the southern capital. The shockwave blew everything away. And, had I told you yet?” Galiene suddenly turned to Adam with a question.

“Told me… what?”

“From the moment I saw Master Ulfi up there, already succumb to madness, black smoke began pouring out from the Palace. The first time you see it, anyone with magical energy in their body would shudder. That… was Blaeath. The plague that began scarring this world.”

“The Blaeath plague… it started in the Castar Kingdom…” Adam’s face paled with terror at Galiene’s revelation, realizing that the fallen kingdom wasn’t the first victim of the Blaeath, but the source of the curse.

“Yes… After that, I and the other knights, along with the sorcerers who had survived the magical shockwave, tried to shield ourselves from the embers carried by the violent winds. And from there… appeared Captain Lawrence, along with his three subordinates, riding horses, carrying a large leather sack strapped to his steed.”

“Though I remember Captain Lawrence still being at the military base when I was about to leave for my mission, the rest of us Knights were grateful to see him. He was one of the senior Knights who was deeply respected, and we hoped he would lead us, because even our squad leader was confused about what to do in the midst of what was happening.”

“He gathered us all to storm the king’s castle, claiming he knew what had to be done. Of course, it sounded like a suicide mission, but he convinced us that if we could defeat the sorcerer, we could stop the spread of the black smoke.”

“Of course we followed the captain’s words. With him leading us, we and the royal sorcerers who could still stand charged forward toward the castle. Naturally, our movement drew the attention of the ‘sorcerer.’ However, the artifact the Captain carried strengthened the magic of every spellcasters including us, the knights, making the protective barriers, which had previously been penetrable, impossible to break through.”

“Because of that, we reached the palace safely. And to my surprise, there were still Castar Knights alive there, including my childhood friend. With the artifact the captain carried, we tried to hold off the high-ranking sorcerer, while the Captain and his subordinates went inside the palace to find a way to truly defeat him.”

“Do you know what artifact your captain was carrying?” Adam asked, his face serious and curious.

“No. It was merely a crystal stone of many colors. We never had the chance to ask about it. What mattered was that it empowered all of us, and in that situation, that was exactly what we needed.”

“Element clashed against element, every impact of spell against spell was deafening, our faces filled with fear. We, the eighteen Silver Order Knights, struggled to hold our ground against Castar’s strongest sorcerer, just to buy Captain enough time to find a solution to destroy the sorcerer who had turned into a monster.”

“Six out of the eighteen Silver Order Knights remained after who knows how long of fighting, whether it was due to being caught off guard by civilians turned into monsters, or being outmaneuvered by the sorcerer. Lord Ulfi hadn’t been made the kingdom’s strongest sorcerer without reason. With only six of us left, we decided to take one final stand, to protect the artifact the captain carried from getting destroyed, together with the four surviving Castar Knights, because that artifact was the reason we were still alive.”

“Not long after we began deflecting the sorcerer’s barrage of spells, a blinding spell of light with overwhelming energy descended upon him. Even so, the sorcerer managed to withstand it. Seeing that, we focused our strongest attacks on his barrier, shattering it so he could no longer resist the surge of power.”

“The barrier broke, and the light spell consumed the sorcerer completely, burning him to nothing but ash, leaving only his long wooden staff, half-burned. Though the surroundings were still dangerous with cursed citizens roaming everywhere, we couldn’t suppress our relief that we had survived.”

“The Castar Knights went into the palace to check its condition, while the six of us approached the sorcerer’s staff, giving him a final salute. After all, it was to him that we had sworn to stand, even though we had failed to protect the kingdom’s king and queen. I suppose this was our way of coping with the guilt of failing in our primary duty.”

“As we paid our respects and bid farewell to those we had lost, suddenly a loud noise erupted from inside the palace. I volunteered to check the situation inside while the others stood guard outside. And… once I entered…”

“Galiene?” Adam asked, noticing her sudden silence.

“……The Castar Knights lay in pools of blood inside, alongside King Godric, whose crown was held in the hands of one of Captain subordinates, and Lawrence… with his sword… stabbing my friend right before my eyes.”

“I… couldn’t comprehend what was happening in front of me. The Silver Order Knights… slaughtering their own comrades who had fought alongside them to protect the kingdom, and killing the King. My heart desperately wished it was just an illusion, but when my friend fell after the sword was pulled from her, I realized what I was seeing was real.”

“Before I could even process it, Lawrence’s subordinates attacked me, and I reflexively defended myself. I screamed at them, demanding to know what they were doing, but no answer came, only the sound of clashing steel. I fought back with everything, swordsmanship, spells, anything to make them speak. But their numbers overwhelmed me. By chance, my strongest spell struck the king’s crown, shattering the embedded blue gem. Afterward, magical energy burst from the jewel and surged into me through my right hand.”

“I remember the sensation, the searing heat, the pain spreading through my hand. It was unbearable. Yet Lawrence and his men didn’t seize the chance to strike me down. Instead, they froze, staring at each other, then at my right hand blazing with blue fire.”

Adam glanced at Galiene’s right hand as she recounted the event.

“Your right hand… is it…?”

“Yes… That’s when I first awakened the magic sword you’ve seen.”

“Not long after, they fled the palace, leaving the King’s lifeless body behind. Despite the pain, I forced myself to run after them. Once outside, my eyes fixed upon the Captain and his men with the Rainbow Crystal, and behind them, a portal. In an instant, they all vanished into it.”

“After that, I heard a beastly roar to my left, along with the screams of the remaining Silver Order Knights. Somehow, after we defeated the sorcerer, the palace was overrun by townspeople turned into monsters. Their numbers were overwhelming, and we were utterly exhausted. One by one, they were swallowed by the horde. I grabbed the last surviving Knight, carried him, and used wind magic to glide swiftly above the ground. Like a coward, I fled, abandoning the Kingdom of Castar, and not offering my life to protect it for the last time.” Her flushed face from the alcohol twisted, her lips trembling as tears streamed from her eyes.

“…Galiene…”

“After that, we ended up in the middle of the forest. I don’t know how long I had been flying. I dispelled the magic from my legs and we both crashed down to the ground. Every bit of strength had left me, and the same for the Knight I carried. I lay on the ground, struggling to take in as much air as I could. And do you know what happened next? That Knight I carried… his hand had been bitten by one of those monsters. The whole time I was carrying him on my back, he had been biting down on the leather glove he wore, trying to keep himself from harming me.”

“I… didn’t know what to do. The man I saved began turning into a monster, and I… had no strength left… I hoped… I kept hoping every second that he wouldn’t change into a monster. But as if the world punished me for being a coward, he transformed quickly. His black eyes stared at me, and he lunged. I couldn’t do much, I only raised my right hand with my sword in it… and somehow, the Knight ended up being pierced straight through by my blade… I pushed his lifeless body away from me…”

“I wanted to cry… to scream… to pound my fists into the ground… but my strength was completely gone, and I lost consciousness. When I woke up, I was in a carriage, all of my movement restrained with magical seals, and the old man manager of Spiritforest City’s Arena was there, staring at me with pity on his face…”

“……………………………….”

Adam couldn’t say a word, his mouth agape in shock at what he had just heard. What Galiene had gone through was far worse than he had ever imagined.

“HOW COULD I POSSIBLY NOT HATE HIM?! HE KILLED HIS OWN COMRADES!!! MY CHILDHOOD FRIEND!!! THE KING!!! HE SACRIFICED ME AND THE ORDER’S KNIGHTS FOR HIS OWN SELFISH GAIN!!! HE EVEN MADE ME KILL MY FELLOW ORDER KNIGHT!!! HOW COULD I POSSIBLY NOT HATE HIM?!” Galiene could no longer hold back her emotions. Her drunken flush was masked by the furious red of her anger, her furrowed brows and clenched teeth showing the storm raging inside her.

“EVERY ENEMY I FACED IN THE ARENA—I SAW LAWRENCE’S FACE ON THEM. I FOUGHT THEM WITH EVERYTHING I HAD. I DON’T CARE IF IT WAS EXCESSIVE! I MUST DEFEAT HIM! AND FORCE HIM TO KNEEL AND BEG FOR FORGIVENESS AMONG THE RUINS OF CASTAR KINGDOM!”

Adam stayed silent, watching Galiene pour out the burden she had carried all this time.

“BUT… WHEN I FACED HIM AGAIN… I COULDN’T DO ANYTHING… He defeated me easily. He even lectured me about how lacking I was… even called me disgraceful… WHEN HE HIMSELF IS FAR MORE DISGRACEFUL THAN I AM!”

“I… I!!!”

Adam could no longer hold back his own emotions. He leapt up from the sofa, ran to Galiene, and embraced her as she was overwhelmed by a storm of emotions, with her hands clutching her head.

“Galiene… I don’t know what to say… Anything I could say might sound like a lie to you, or empty words, because… there are no words strong enough to make you feel better after everything you’ve just told me.”

“But… there’s one thing I’ll promise you…something I say from the deepest part of my heart.” Adam tightened his embrace, one hand gently stroking her brown hair, trying to give her warmth and a bond of comfort.

“I’ll stay by your side with everything I have. I don’t know what the future holds for us, whether good or bad, but as your comrade, I’ll face it all together with you. That’s why…”

“Please… don’t carry your burdens alone anymore…”

Slowly, Galiene’s ragged, heavy breathing began to steady. Her body loosened, freed from the weight that had bound it. The hands she had used to clutch her head dropped away. Small sobs escaped her lips, and then her right arm wrapped around Adam, holding him back. She rested her head on his shoulder, clutching at his shirt as if afraid to let go of something precious. Adam continued holding her as she sat limply in his arms.

Gradually, the grip on his shirt loosened, and her sobs faded into silence.

“Galiene?”

Adam loosened his embrace to check on her, only to find her, cheeks still flushed, fast asleep on his shoulder. It startled him, considering how quickly it had happened, but given her drunkenness and the release of all the burdens she had carried for so long, Adam found it only natural.

“…Rest well.” Adam stroked her head one last time, then slipped one arm beneath her knees and the other behind her back, lifting her into his arms. He carried her to her bedroom, laying her down on her usual side of the bed, and covered her with a blanket.

“Thank you… for opening up to me.”

Adam quietly stepped out of the bedroom after gently patting Galiene’s blanketed form.