Morning sunlight slowly spread across the Asheville Mansion.
The cold silver mist covering the estate grounds gradually disappeared beneath pale golden dawn while soft western winds drifted through the towering crystal windows of the noble residence. Servants quietly moved throughout the mansion corridors preparing breakfast while distant knight patrols rotated shifts across the outer walls beneath calm morning skies.
The atmosphere felt peaceful.
Too peaceful.
As though the world itself briefly paused before something important changed again.
Inside one of the upper chambers—
Kel quietly stood before a large silver-framed mirror.
Gone were the black training clothes from earlier.
Now—
He wore formal noble attire once more.
A dark aristocratic coat lined with silver embroidery rested perfectly around his figure while layered black fabric beneath carried subtle crimson patterns almost invisible beneath the morning light. His gloves, collar, and sword belt were arranged neatly with effortless precision while Reina's sword rested calmly against his waist.
The noble appearance suited him naturally.
Too naturally.
Not merely because he was born a Rosenfeld.
But because somewhere along the way—
Authority itself became part of him.
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly muttered:
"You look less like a young noble now and more like someone preparing to inherit a kingdom."
Kel calmly adjusted one sleeve.
"That sounds troublesome."
"You say that while radiating enough presence to silence entire banquet halls."
Kel ignored her completely.
Meanwhile—
Far below—
Reina already waited inside the breakfast hall.
The enormous dining chamber remained quiet beneath warm sunlight spilling through crystal windows overlooking the eastern estate gardens. Silver utensils rested neatly across the long blackwood table while soft aromas of tea and freshly prepared breakfast filled the peaceful atmosphere.
Yet despite the beautiful morning—
Reina's thoughts remained elsewhere.
On Kel.
On his return.
And strangely—
On the feeling that time itself had begun moving too quickly lately.
The silver-haired matriarch quietly sat at the table wearing elegant morning attire layered beneath a light black noble dress embroidered with silver sword-lily patterns. Her silver hair flowed naturally over one shoulder while soft morning light illuminated portions of her face gently.
Then—
The hall doors opened.
Kel entered calmly.
And immediately—
Reina's silver eyes unconsciously softened again.
Even after all this time—
That reaction never disappeared.
Kel quietly approached the table before taking his seat naturally across from her.
The atmosphere between them remained comfortable.
Familiar.
Like countless mornings from years ago.
Servants quietly poured tea before leaving the chamber once more.
Silence drifted softly between them for several moments afterward.
Then eventually—
Kel calmly spoke.
"I'll be leaving in a week."
Reina's hand paused slightly against her teacup.
The sunlight near the window quietly reflected within her silver eyes afterward.
Kel continued calmly.
"I'm returning to the Rosenfeld Main Estate."
Another pause.
"…Home."
Silence.
The atmosphere shifted immediately afterward.
Not painfully.
Just—
Heavy.
Reina slowly looked toward him.
"…Does the two years end this month?"
Kel quietly nodded once.
"Yes."
His dark eyes lowered briefly toward the tea before him.
"This month marks the end of my anonymous journey."
Another faint pause.
"And if I don't return soon…"
A small helpless smile appeared at the corner of his lips.
"…Father will become furious."
Inside his mind—
Sairen softly laughed.
"The terrifying Dragon Emperor still fears disappointing his father."
Kel calmly replied internally.
"That's normal."
"No. That's strangely adorable."
Kel ignored her immediately.
Meanwhile—
Reina quietly stared at him across the breakfast table.
And suddenly—
Memories began resurfacing endlessly inside her mind.
Two years.
Only two years.
Yet somehow—
It felt like an entire lifetime had passed.
Back then—
She was nothing.
A discarded noble daughter cast aside after her household collapsed beneath betrayal.
Her uncle seized everything.
Her father died broken.
And Reina herself eventually escaped into the Rosenfeld Knight Order at only thirteen years old.
Not as noble heir.
But merely as another forgotten sword.
Then—
At fifteen—
Kel chose her.
Not because of pity.
Not because of politics.
He simply looked at her differently from everyone else.
As though he already saw the person she could become someday.
And after that—
Everything changed.
The Scarlet Lake.
The endless northern journey.
Finding Sairen.
Watching Kel remove the curse that had been killing him since birth.
Then afterward—
The Vanhart Territory incident.
Blood.
Politics.
Monsters.
Survival.
And from there—
Their paths expanded even further.
Landon went south by Kel's command.
Meanwhile she and Kel traveled northeast toward Citadel through ancient teleportation routes.
Then came Arna Marlet.
The ruined magic tower restoration.
The Mercenary Alliance takeover.
Her uncle's downfall.
House Asheville's restoration.
Her rise as matriarch.
The countless nights Kel remained beside her guiding everything quietly.
And then—
The south.
Eight months.
Eight entire months he disappeared into another realm entirely.
Dragons.
Diplomacy.
War.
Kingship.
And now—
He only returned yesterday.
Yet already—
He calmly spoke about leaving again.
Reina slowly lowered her gaze afterward.
The teacup within her hands had already cooled slightly.
"…Time really passes very fast…"
Her voice sounded softer now.
Almost distant.
Then quietly—
She looked toward him again.
"…Don't you agree, Young Master Kel?"
The title itself carried old memories.
Not Lord Herald.
Not strategist.
Not Dragon Emperor.
Just—
Young Master Kel.
The boy she started this journey beside.
Kel quietly looked toward her afterward.
For several moments—
Neither spoke.
The morning sunlight illuminated portions of Reina's face softly while one small tear slowly formed near the corner of her silver eye.
Not from sadness alone.
But from realization.
That their anonymous journey truly ended now.
Eventually—
Kel half-smiled quietly.
A tired smile.
A nostalgic one.
Then slowly—
His dark eyes lowered briefly toward the table before softly replying:
"…Time really does pass away."
The breakfast hall remained silent afterward.
Kel's voice lowered slightly.
"It feels like only yesterday…"
A faint almost disbelieving laugh escaped him.
"…that I met you and Landon."
Another pause.
"And we decided to leave together for a two-year anonymous journey."
Inside his mind—
Even Sairen became unusually quiet now.
Because honestly—
Those years changed everything.
Not only for Kel.
For everyone around him.
Kel softly leaned back afterward while sunlight reflected faintly within his dark eyes.
Then suddenly—
He laughed quietly.
A genuine laugh.
Yet somehow—
Sad too.
Because nostalgia always carried sadness hidden within it.
"But…"
His gaze slowly lifted toward Reina once more.
"…it was worth it."
The warmth in his expression deepened slightly afterward.
"Don't you agree?"
Silence drifted softly through the breakfast hall.
Kel quietly continued.
"Our growth during these past two years…"
Another faint smile appeared.
"…was extraordinary."
Reina quietly stared at him afterward.
At the boy once cursed to die young.
At the man now capable of changing entire civilizations.
At the person who rebuilt her life alongside his own.
And slowly—
The tear resting near her eye finally slipped downward softly.
Yet despite that—
She smiled.
Beautifully.
Warmly.
Genuinely.
"It was worth it…"
Her voice trembled slightly beneath the morning sunlight.
"…My Lord."
The breakfast hall became quiet again afterward.
Only distant morning winds moved softly through the crystal windows while two people silently sat beneath golden dawn light—
Quietly realizing that the journey which changed both their lives forever…
Was finally nearing its end.