Misaki arrived too late.
By the time she reached the front of Krosmetics Headquarters, the cars were already leaving the premises. The last of the chaos had ended without her, and that made the helplessness worse. She stood there for a moment, chest tight, feeling as though she had failed in a way she could not yet name. Not knowing what had happened inside tore at her. And underneath the worry, anger burned—hot, sharp, and entirely for her father.
She took a breath and looked around for somewhere private. She wanted to call him and say everything she had been swallowing for years. But before she could take more than a few steps inside, she saw Ukraine coming toward her.
Her heart jumped.
If anyone could tell her what had happened, it was him.
"Ukraine!" she called, hurrying toward him.
He stopped at once.
From the look on her face, he knew she had already heard enough to come running.
"What happened?" she asked immediately, her voice strained with worry.
"Nothing serious," Ukraine said quickly. "Don't worry."
But Misaki was not the kind of person who could be calmed by vague reassurance.
"Ukraine, I know my father. What did he say to Miss Kro? How bad was the scene? Is she okay?"
Ukraine hesitated.
The employees were beginning to drift back in from lunch, and he didn't want to discuss something that explosive in the middle of an open hallway. Without another word, he took Misaki gently by the hand and led her behind the fountain, where the voices from the building became distant enough for privacy.
He turned to her.
"Miss Kro almost hit your father."
Misaki's eyes went wide. "What?"
She covered her mouth, stunned.
"Look," Ukraine said, lowering his voice, "things were serious in that office. And honestly… your father crossed the line."
Misaki stared at him, shaken, "I know my dad is crazy, but… but why did the CEO do that? She's putting herself in trouble."
Ukraine gloomed, "Why are you saying that?"
Misaki looked away, torn for a moment. Then she made up her mind.
"I don't know if I should say this," she said, "but my dad has a problem. He's not who people think he is."
Her breathing grew shallower with each word.
"He won't stop until he gets back at her."
Ukraine's face hardened.
"I think you should warn the CEO," Misaki said.
He nodded once, "I think it would be better if you told her. You know your father better than anyone."
Misaki exhaled sharply. "Okay. I'll do that."
Then she looked directly at him, her tone changing.
"In the meantime, stay by her side."
Ukraine flickered, "What?"
"I don't care if you were avoiding her before," Misaki said. "But not now. Until I deal with my father, stay close to her as much as you can."
He nodded, but she could still see the nerves all over him.
Misaki softened.
She patted his shoulder gently.
"Don't worry," she said. "I've got this. It'll be okay soon."
Ukraine gave a faint, uncertain smile and placed his hand over hers.
"I hope so."
...
Marketing Department
MD's Office
Sue's phone vibrated again.
And again.
And again.
She stared at the screen with immediate disgust.
Her mother-in-law.
There was no one in the world Sue despised more. Every conversation with that woman felt like being dragged across broken glass. She never called to say anything kind. Never called to ask how Sue was doing. There was always a reason, and the reason was always poison.
After the fourth ring, Sue finally snatched up the phone and answered.
"Hello."
Her irritation came through clearly.
On the other end, the woman clicked her tongue.
"Why do you sound angry? You don't even know what I want to tell you yet."
Sue was already tense, "Why are you calling me in the middle of the day? As far as I know, Zoe isn't even back from school yet."
"That's exactly what I want to tell you," the woman said. "Zoe transferred to another school. I found a perfect boarding school for her last month."
For a second, Sue forgot how to breathe. Then fury snapped through her so violently that she rose from her chair without realizing it.
"I'm sorry—what?" she said. "And why would you do that without telling me first? Zoe is my daughter. I still have the right to decide what's best for her."
"Don't you dare use that tone with me," her mother-in-law hissed. "Did you forget why I'm doing this? Do you want me to tell everyone?"
Sue shut her eyes.
"That's not what I meant. Come on. You already took her away from me. Isn't that enough?"
"It's not."
Sue could feel her blood boiling.
Zoe was the only family she had left in any real sense. Her daughter was the one piece of her life that still felt soft, still felt worth fighting for. And now she was being told that Zoe had been shipped off to a boarding school without even the dignity of a conversation.
It made her feel feral.
"You know what? Fine. Then tell me the name of the school. At least let me see her. She should know I'm still here. She should know I'm still by her side."
"No."
Sue's hand trembled around the phone.
"Why now?" she shouted. "Are you seriously doing this to me? Punish me all you want. Take my money. Take my house. But leave my daughter out of this!"
"You think I'm evil?" the woman said coldly. "This is just the beginning."
Sue nearly choked on her own rage.
"Listen to me—I know Zoe, okay? She's not ready for boarding school. She's just six!"
"I don't care, Sue. I'll call you in a month when I go visit her. You can talk to her then."
"You cruel son of a—"
The line went dead.
Sue stood there staring at the phone.
For one dangerous second, she almost threw it at the wall.
Her mother-in-law was turning her into something ugly—something all teeth and rage and desperation. And the worst part was that there was no one in the world she could unleash it on.
Not properly.
Not yet.
...
Evening
Ukraine walked close behind Kro as they left the building.
Closer than before.
Purposefully closer.
He kept hoping, as ridiculous as it felt, that she would invite him to dinner again. This time he was ready to say yes without hesitation. Misaki's warning had settled too deeply inside him. Until she handled her father, Ukraine wanted to stay near Kro any way he could.
But Kro was silent.
Completely silent.
From the moment he returned from lunch, she had barely spoken to him beyond what was necessary. The softness she had shown him over the past few days seemed gone. In its place was the Kro from the stories: distant, quiet, unreadable.
And for reasons he did not want to examine, it bothered him.
They were almost at the car.
Still, she gave no sign that she intended to stop and look at him the way she usually did. Ukraine held onto hope until the very last second—until she was almost stepping into the vehicle.
Then he forced himself to speak.
"Miss Kro. Excuse me."
Kro turned slowly. Her expression was perfectly neutral. "Yes?"
Ukraine gathered his courage.
"Is that dinner offer still valid?"
A pause.
"It is."
Relief flickered in him—
then died at once.
"But not today."
Ukraine's words crumbled inside his throat. Still, he pushed forward.
"May I know why?"
Kro glanced away for a moment, scanning the area almost casually.
The gesture hit him at once. It was exactly what he had done when she invited him the first time—looking for an escape.
And then she found one.
"Sue!" Kro called out.
Ukraine turned instinctively.
Sure enough, Sue was leaving the building, her shoulders tense, her face worn from whatever misery the day had handed her. She looked over and headed toward them.
When Ukraine turned back, Kro was already looking at him. She wore the fakest smile he had ever seen. And in that instant, he understood.
Sue arrived by the car.
Kro's tone changed completely.
"Sue," she said brightly, "are you ready for our drinks night?"
Normally Sue would have questioned the sudden invitation. Normally she would have narrowed her eyes and tried to figure out what Kro was playing at. But after the phone call with her mother-in-law, a drink was exactly what she needed. Maybe several.
She nodded almost immediately.
"Yes. I am."
"Great," Kro said. "Let's go."
Then she looked back at Ukraine, who could only smile and nod like a man caught red-handed.
"Goodnight, dear one."
She slipped into the car. Sue followed after her.
Ukraine stood there as the vehicle pulled away from the headquarters.
Then he let out a helpless laugh.
He had underestimated her.
Again.
Not just her instincts, but the precision with which she could return a move. She had seen through the trick he pulled with Misaki the night before.
And now she had answered it, neatly and without mercy.
"Checkmate, Kro," he murmured, chuckling under his breath.
...
Azaradan
Night
Poqo threw another stone into the river and watched the ripples widen under the moonlight.
This place was theirs.
Or as close to theirs as anything could be.
It was hidden far enough from Pix to feel safe, secluded enough that no wandering servant or suspicious soldier would stumble across them by accident. The river shimmered silver beneath the night sky, and the fireflies drifting above the reeds made the whole place feel enchanted.
Poqo liked that.
The battlefield was where he belonged by duty.
But here, by this glowing river, he felt like another version of himself might be allowed to exist.
Then he heard footsteps behind him.
He turned immediately.
She was there.
Kenna stood beneath the trees in a black silk cloak, the hood shadowing most of her face. She wore no jewels tonight. No shimmering bracelets, no anklets, no ornaments that could betray her with a single sound.
Slowly, she lowered the hood.
Her red hair spilled down her back like a ribbon of flame, and just like that, Poqo's whole world seemed to steady.
He wanted to take her into his arms at once. Wanted to hold her against his chest and prove to himself that she was real, that she was here, that the war had not swallowed him before he could see her again.
But they were not there yet.
Not openly.
Not safely.
So they only stood and looked at one another, and somehow even that carried too much feeling to hide.
Kenna's eyes were full of relief.
She had waited through battle after battle, knowing each victory could still return him to her dead.
Now he stood before her alive. That was enough to make her heart ache.
She walked to the river's edge where he waited.
"How long have you been here?" she asked, her hands clasped inside the trumpet sleeves of her cloak.
"Not long," he said. "Don't worry about that."
He searched her face.
"How are you?"
Kenna smiled faintly. "I've been waiting for you to come back safely. So right now… I'm more than fine."
Poqo's expression softened, "It makes me the happiest man alive to hear you say that."
He stepped closer, though still not enough to touch.
"I've been thinking about you every day. The moment we returned, I nearly ran straight to Pix."
A quiet, breathless honesty settled into his voice.
"I don't know what's happening to me anymore. These days I want to bless my eyes with your sight every second."
Kenna looked down for a moment, smiling despite herself.
"I know," she said softly. "I'm in the same place."
Then her smile faded into caution.
"But we have to be careful. If my father finds out about us, you'll be the one who suffers. And I can't bear that."
She lifted her eyes back to him.
"So let's keep meeting like this… until the time is right."
Poqo's jaw tightened.
"Kenna, sometimes we spend months on the battlefield. What if your father chooses a suitor for you before then?" His voice dipped lower. "You know I won't survive that."
Kenna's pulse quickened, "What are you trying to say?"
Poqo took one step closer. His eyes never left hers.
"I'm saying…" He drew a breath, "Marry me, Kenna."
For a moment, the whole world went still.
Kenna's heart burst with joy so suddenly that she forgot every rule placed on her. They were not supposed to touch—not like this, not until vows had been spoken and witnessed and blessed.
But in that moment, she did not care.
She rushed into his arms.
Poqo caught her instantly, holding her as though he had been born for the task. She pressed her head to his chest, and his arms folded around her with such fierce gentleness that tears burned in both their eyes.
"There is no Poqo without Kenna," he whispered.
She clung to him tighter, "And there is no Kenna without Poqo." Her voice trembled with feeling, "I love you. I love you very much."
Poqo closed his eyes, "I love you so much I would give you my life."
And he meant it.
Standing there by the river, beneath the moon and the fireflies, they needed nothing else.
Not crowns.
Not titles.
Not permission.
Only each other.
Because in that life, with all its dangers and rules and waiting, being together was the only thing that made either of them feel whole.
***