After that meeting, they returned to the kingdom.
It wasn't long before Olivia came to Hannah with the question Elliana had brought up.
She told Hannah about the engagement arrangement and explained that Elliana had suggested Olivia ask her what she thought about it.
At the time, Hannah had remained silent.
Olivia had told her there was no rush.
She could think about it.
It was only a question.
But after a moment—
Hannah finally spoke.
"Okay."
Olivia smiled.
"Yeah. Take your time to think about it."
Hannah looked at her mother.
"I agree to the engagement."
Olivia's eyes widened slightly.
"You agree?"
"Yes."
"You've decided that quickly?"
"Do you not want to think about it a little more?"
Hannah shook her head.
"Not really."
Olivia stared at her for a moment.
"Is that so?"
A small smile appeared on her face.
"It seems the two of you don't have a problem with it. Elliana already informed me that Draven agreed as well."
Hannah remained silent.
Her expression shifted slightly.
Olivia noticed, but said nothing.
"Okay."
She smiled.
"Then it's settled."
"There is nothing else to do but wait until the time comes."
"It will take a while. A few decades, at least."
"And nothing is set in stone. You and Draven will both have plenty of time to think about it."
Olivia looked at her daughter.
"But, my dear..."
"What made you agree to it?"
Hannah was silent.
For several moments—
she didn't answer.
Then she finally spoke.
"I don't really know why."
Olivia smiled gently.
"Is that so?"
She reached out and gently touched Hannah's head.
"Okay."
"There's still plenty of time for you to figure that out for yourself."
---
### Back in the Present
Hannah was still sitting there.
Her crystal-blue eyes remained fixed ahead.
Her lips barely moved.
"It was because..."
She paused.
"I wanted to see him."
"That's why."
Her mind returned to the moment she had first found out about what had happened.
She couldn't stop thinking about him.
*What happened to him?*
*Was he okay?*
She wanted to see him.
She wanted to know for herself whether he was alright.
But in the end—
it seemed...
he didn't want to see her.
A tear slowly rolled down her cheek.
Hannah froze.
Her eyes widened slightly.
She lifted a hand and touched her face.
Her fingers came away wet.
*...What's this?*
She stared at the tear on her fingertips.
*Am I crying?*
*Why?*
A knock suddenly came from the door.
**Knock. Knock.**
Hannah quickly wiped her face.
The door opened.
Illyria stepped inside.
"Princess."
She looked toward Hannah.
"How are you feeling?"
Hannah remained silent for a moment.
Illyria continued.
"You should begin getting ready."
"We'll be departing for the kingdom soon."
Hannah finally answered.
"Yes."
Illyria simply stared at her.
She didn't say another word.
She remained there for a moment before eventually turning her attention away.
---
### Kingdom of Eirundor — City of Dresvalle
Meanwhile—
At the military skyport of Dresvalle, several soldiers stood near the edge of the landing grounds, staring toward the massive airships that had arrived.
The ships bore the unmistakable insignia of the Holy Empire.
Holy Knights were stationed around them, standing in formation as they guarded the vessels.
The sight alone was enough to make the soldiers uneasy.
"Those are airships from the Holy Empire, aren't they?"
"Yeah."
"And those surrounding them..."
"Holy Knights."
"What the hell are they doing here?"
One of the soldiers glanced toward the enormous vessels.
"Do you think they came because of what happened?"
"Most likely."
"After everything that happened in Dresvalle, it would be strange if they didn't."
Another soldier lowered his voice.
"Still... the Holy Empire sending this many Holy Knights isn't normal."
The soldiers continued watching from a distance.
Some of them knew exactly why the Holy Empire had come.
But everyone in Dresvalle knew what had happened.
The battle.
The Rift Breakers.
The appearance of the creatures.
And—
few knew of the Dark One.
---
On the other side of the city—
a vehicle moved along the roads as it normally would.
But as several military vehicles approached the part of Dresvalle where the battle had taken place, the atmosphere quickly changed.
The streets were quieter.
Large sections of the area had yet to be fully repaired.
The destruction left behind by the battle was still clearly visible.
Three military vehicles slowly approached the site.
**SCREEECH—**
They came to a stop.
The doors opened.
Several Holy Knights stepped out.
Their armor gleamed beneath the sunlight as they looked around the ruined area.
Lucan stepped out from one of the vehicles as well.
From another vehicle—
someone else emerged.
Princess Aurelia.
She stepped onto the ground and slowly looked around.
Her eyes moved across the destroyed surroundings.
"So..."
She paused.
"This is where the battle took place?"
Lucan stared.
Aurelia's gaze moved across the destruction.
"And you said the Dark One was spotted here?"
An officer from Dresvalle's military stepped forward.
"Yes."
He turned toward the massive crater in the distance.
"The Dark One emerged from there."
Aurelia followed his gaze.
Her eyes widened slightly as she looked at the enormous hole in the ground.
"From there?"
"Yes."
The officer nodded.
"According to the soldiers who witnessed it, the Dark One emerged from that location."
He pointed toward the crater.
"But that wasn't all."
He turned his attention toward the enormous opening.
"The creatures also emerged from there."
Aurelia's expression became more serious.
"The creatures?"
"Yes."
The officer nodded.
"We investigated them after the battle."
"Based on what we've been able to determine, those creatures were identified as..."
He paused briefly.
"Spawn of the Abyss."
Aurelia's eyes narrowed.
"The Abyss?"
"Yes."
The officer nodded.
"That's what our investigators concluded."
Aurelia looked toward the massive hole again.
"And this leads underground?"
"Yes."
"The passage leads directly into the underground ruins that were discovered beneath Dresvalle."
Aurelia's expression changed slightly.
"Ruins?"
"Yes."
"We explored as much of the underground structure as we could after the battle."
The officer paused.
"But we found nothing."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing of significance."
"We found the ruins..."
"But there was no trace of the Dark One."
"No trace of the creatures either."
Aurelia remained silent as she stared into the massive hole.
The Holy Knights behind her also turned their attention toward the underground entrance.
Something had happened beneath Dresvalle.
And whatever the truth was—
it was still buried somewhere beneath the city.