[POV Liselotte]

  The corridor leading to Leah’s room felt infinitely warmer than the rest of the castle. Perhaps it was the effect of the magical torches, or perhaps it was simply the anticipation of seeing her after a day that had felt like an entire week of revetions and confessions. When I stopped in front of her door, I took a second to smooth my uniform and let out a long breath, trying to leave the coldness of the library and Mizuki’s mencholy on the other side of the wood.

  I opened the door softly.

  Leah was sitting on the divan near the rge window, moonlight bathing her figure, an open book resting on her p—one she clearly wasn’t reading. The moment she heard the door, her head turned with a speed that made me smile; her fire-colored eyes lit up instantly, chasing away the shadow of exhaustion clouding her face.

  “Finally, you return, my silent guardian,” Leah said, closing the book and setting it aside as she stood up. “I was starting to think the library books had devoured you, or that you’d decided to move into the archives forever.”

  I walked toward her, feeling the tension in my shoulders dissolve with every step.

  “I’m sorry, Leah. I lost track of time. Curiosity is a dangerous weakness when it comes to the history of this world.”

  She stepped closer and pced her hands on my shoulders, sliding them upward until her fingers brushed my jaw. Her touch was warm—a constant reminder that I was alive, and that this was my present.

  “So?” she asked, narrowing her eyes as she studied me. “Did you find what you were looking for, or just more dust and Church lies? You look… thoughtful. Even for you.”

  “I searched for information about the origin of demons, about how everything truly began,” I replied, wrapping my arms around her waist and pulling her a little closer. “But I found very little. The official history is so heavily edited it feels like a children’s tale. I spoke with one of the advanced magic professors—someone who’s been in the throne room. She gave me hints, fragments of a past where we coexisted… but most of the real records seem to have been destroyed or hidden.”

  Leah rested her forehead against mine, sighing softly.

  “My father keeps secrets about that too, Lotte. The crown has its own shadows. But tell me… how did things go with the heroes? Mizuki said she needed to talk to you.”

  “We talked. About what was… necessary,” I said, leaving aside the full depth of Mizuki’s sadness for now. “But tell me about you. How was your day with them? Did they manage to survive a tour of the academy without panicking again?”

  Leah ughed quietly and dropped back onto the divan, tugging on my hand to pull me down beside her.

  “They’re like lost children, Lotte. Julian tries to act like a wandering knight to hide the fact that his hands tremble, and the others look around as if they’re expecting a gargoyle to come to life and attack them at any moment. Still, they’re adapting. Whirikal has a way of calming people that Orestia never will. Although…”—she shot me a mischievous look, leaning closer—“…I have to admit it was hard to focus on their questions knowing you were out there alone, probably getting yourself into intellectual trouble.”

  “Oh, really?” I replied, raising an eyebrow and returning her smile. “The Princess of Whirikal admits her guardian is a distraction?”

  “You’re not a distraction,” Leah said, bringing her face close to mine until our noses brushed. “You’re a disturbance of public order. Especially when you come back with that ‘I have secrets’ look that makes me want to lock you in here and not let you out until you tell me everything… or until you give me the attention I deserve.”

  Heat rose to my cheeks, but I didn’t look away.

  “Well, now that I’m here, you have all my attention. Though I suspect your idea of ‘attention’ is far more demanding than any of my reports suggest.”

  Leah was about to answer with one of her sharp retorts when the door burst open, shattering the electric atmosphere that had formed between us.

  “I hope you’re hungry, because the smell in the royal kitchen was strong enough to make you chew the walls!” Chloé excimed, barging in with a massive tray loaded with steaming dishes, freshly baked bread, and a jug of wild berry juice.

  Leah and I separated quickly, though she couldn’t help shooting an exaggeratedly frustrated gnce at the ceiling. Chloé, of course, noticed immediately. Her ears twitched, and her golden eyes gleamed with wild amusement.

  “Oops. Did I interrupt a moment of ‘extreme loyalty’ between the princess and her guardian?” Chloé teased, setting the tray down on the central table with a solid thud. “Sorry, but if you don’t eat now, Lotte will turn icier than usual, and Leah will start biting generals tomorrow out of sheer weakness. Eat up!”

  We surrendered to the unstoppable energy of the wolf. The three of us sat around the table, enjoying the food in an atmosphere that, for a moment, made us forget the red-tinged sky and the fact that the Demon King walked the nd once more. There was highnds meat stew, herb-roasted potatoes, and that strong cheese Chloé loved so much.

  “Today was a strange day,” Chloé said between bites. “The heroes practiced some moves in the courtyard. They’re good, technically speaking, but they ck ‘fang.’ If a demon growled at them up close, they’d freeze. But hey, that’s what we’re here for, right? To make sure they don’t die in the first five minutes.”

  “Lotte’s been researching the past,” Leah commented as she poured us juice. “She thinks there’s more to this war than just demons versus humans.”

  Chloé paused, a piece of bread halfway to her mouth, and looked at me seriously.

  “Something tells me you’re right, Lotte. The air smells old—like something that’s been cooking for a very long time. It’s not just hatred. It’s like a trap slowly closing.”

  We spent the rest of dinner sharing details of our day. I spoke lightly about what the mage had told me in the library, avoiding the parts that might arm them too much. Leah told us the funniest anecdotes about the heroes trying to understand how the academy’s magical fountain worked, and Chloé had us ughing with her descriptions of veteran soldiers eyeing the newcomers’ pristine white armor with deep skepticism.

  For a moment, sitting there together, with the warmth of the food and the sound of ughter, the outside world ceased to exist. It was just us: a princess, a wolf, and a traveler from another world who had finally found her pack.

  When we finished eating, Chloé stretched with a loud yawn.

  “Well, I’ll take this back to the kitchen before the night guards think I stole the royal silverware. Try to get some sleep, lovebirds. Tomorrow, training won’t show you any mercy.”

  She left the room with the tray, leaving us once more in the gentle silence of the night. I moved closer to Leah, who was gazing out toward the balcony, where the moon illuminated the city of Whirikal. I wrapped my arms around her from behind, resting my chin on her shoulder.

  “Thank you for today, Leah,” I whispered. “For taking care of them… and for taking care of me.”

  Leah tilted her head, rubbing her cheek against mine.

  “Always, Lotte. Whatever happens with the war or the goddesses, this is our pce. Don’t let the shadows of the library steal your sleep.”

  We stayed there, watching the lights of the capital shimmer like fallen stars in the valley, knowing that although the storm was approaching, at least for that night, the cold would not reach us.