My footsteps felt light, as though the weight that had been pressing against my chest had finally lifted into the night air. My heart was still beating, but this time it was not from fear. It was from a relief that had arrived too late to feel real.
My primary objective had been accomplished.
Veralyn Silvercrown was alive.
Every step I took away from the academy's hall felt like a confirmation of that fact. The music and laughter that had once filled that grand room now sounded faint, gradually fading, replaced by the quiet of the night and the cold touch of wind against my skin.
I should have felt satisfied. Even happy.
But something was bothering me.
Another set of footsteps followed behind me.
Slow. Steady. Unhurried.
I glanced back over my shoulder.
Not a guard.
Not a noble.
It was a silver-haired woman who, just moments ago, had nearly lost her life in front of the entire kingdom.
The woman who was supposed to die tonight was now walking behind me. No shackles. No escort. Without a single word.
My chest tightened slightly.
I had not asked her to follow.
I had not told her not to, either.
Yet the fact that she had chosen to walk behind me made me nervous in a way I could not explain. We had already passed through the academy grounds and the outer corridors lit by street lamps, but the distance between us had never really grown.
Why was she following me?
That question kept circling in my head, growing more persistent with every step. Eventually, I gave in.
I stopped and turned around.
She stopped as well.
For a moment, we stood facing each other beneath the glow of a street lamp. A soft, bluish light, emanating from a mana stone embedded within an iron post, illuminated the path between us.
The light caught her silver hair, making her look almost unreal. As though she were not someone who had just escaped death, but a part of the night itself.
I swallowed and gathered the courage to step closer.
The nearer I got, the clearer her face became. Pale and exhausted, yet still holding a resolve that was difficult to put into words. Her eyes were still cold, but not empty. More precisely, they were filled with a quiet vigilance.
And I noticed something.
She did not seem afraid of me.
If anything, I was the more nervous one.
"Is there... something you want to say?" I finally asked. My voice came out softer than I had intended.
"Why?"
That single word fell without warning. No anger. No excess emotion. And it was precisely because of that simplicity that my chest ached a little.
"Sorry?" I replied reflexively, completely unprepared for the question.
Veralyn raised her face slightly. Under the mana stone's light, her pale eyes looked straight into mine.
"Why did you save me," she repeated quietly. "A woman like me."
There was no hatred in her voice.
No gratitude, either.
Only an honest confusion.
The question left me silent for a moment. I searched for an answer that would not sound contrived. I was no hero. I had no intention of pretending to be a good person just to look noble.
"Maybe... because none of it made any sense to me," I answered at last.
Veralyn looked even more puzzled. Her brow furrowed ever so slightly, a small expression that was almost invisible, as though she were trying to comprehend a perspective that was entirely foreign to her.
I let out a quiet breath, then continued before my courage evaporated.
"You worked so hard to become the best," I said. "Studied magic until you collapsed, learned the politics of the kingdom, carried yourself with the poise of a noblewoman. All of that, for one person."
I looked at her, making sure she was still listening.
"And yet your engagement was annulled just like that," I went on. "Without an explanation. Without a chance to defend yourself. And worse still, they wanted to execute you on the spot."
Those words hung in the night air.
Veralyn lowered her head slightly. Her silver hair swayed gently in the breeze, hiding part of her face. For a moment, I thought she would deny it or push back against what I had said.
But she did not.
"...You know too much about my life," she said finally. Her voice remained flat, but there was a faint tremor beneath it that was almost imperceptible.
I smiled bitterly.
"Of course I know a lot," I replied, scratching my cheek. "You are the most famous student at the academy. A magical genius, perfect grades, and your status as the prince's fiancee. It would be hard not to hear something about you."
"Former fiancee," she corrected, short and precise.
"Right, yes. Former," I said quickly. "What I mean is, that status no longer applies. Not because you were unworthy, but because the whole situation was a mess."
She stared at me for a moment.
A stare that immediately made me feel the need to explain further.
"I am not a stalker," I added hastily. "In case that is what you are thinking."
"Hm," she murmured softly. "You know far too much for someone who just happened to be passing by."
"That is because I am a good listener," I replied without thinking.
"That is the excuse stalkers often use," she said flatly.
"I have been slandered with remarkable elegance," I answered in a panic.
Veralyn did not respond. She only watched me for a few seconds longer than before, as though she were judging whether I was serious or simply an odd person who happened to have too much money.
Silence settled between us once more.
Not awkward, but not comfortable either. Just a quiet filled with the lingering tension of a long night.
I cleared my throat softly and looked away, trying to calm my own heartbeat. The night breeze blew gently, making the mana stone light above us sway.
Veralyn took one step closer.
Then, in a tone that was perfectly calm, as though the question were the most natural thing in the world, she spoke.
"So," she said, breaking the silence of the night, "where are we going?"
The question was simple. Too simple, which was exactly why I went quiet for several seconds.
"Huh?" I turned to her reflexively. "You want to... come with me?"
She tilted her head slightly, her silver hair shifting with the movement. Her expression remained composed, almost devoid of any strong emotion.
"You saved my life," she answered flatly. "It would not be strange for me to repay that debt."
Her answer only left me more confused.
I scratched the back of my head, trying to sort through my own thoughts. To be honest, I had never planned this far ahead. From the very beginning, I had only ever focused on one simple thing.
Saving her.
After that, my mind was blank.
But seeing her standing before me like this, alone, with nowhere to return to, something heavy settled in my chest. Not pity. More like a concern that I could not simply brush aside.
If Veralyn stayed close, at least I would know she was safe. At least I would not have to lie awake every night wondering whether this woman was still alive, or whether she had already become the next victim of the kingdom's political games.
"...I actually have a place to go," I said after a moment of hesitation. "A house. Fairly large, and not too far from here."
I paused, then added in a quieter voice, "But are you sure you want to follow me?"
Veralyn looked at me briefly, then gave a small nod.
"That will not be a problem," she answered without hesitation.
A response far too calm for someone who had just lost everything.
I stared at her for a few seconds, then let out a quiet sigh.
"Then," I said, "come with me."
We began to walk side by side along the night road, lit by the pale glow of mana stones. There was no conversation. No grand promises. Just a woman who had lost everything, and a man who had finally found a reason to walk forward.
But for the first time since I was born into this world, my steps did not feel lonely.