Leonora leapt into her father's arms before he could even finish speaking.It was a sudden, desperate embrace — warm, trembling, and long overdue. For a moment, Aurelion froze. Then his aged hands, rough from years of duty, rose and wrapped around her. A warmth he had long forgotten how to give returned to his heart.
Her tears pressed against his shoulder. In that single moment, the man who had once seemed untouchable — distant, rigid, a fortress of pride — became only a father again.
With his voice breaking, Aurelion called softly,"Roland… come here."
The young man hesitated, but when he joined the embrace, all three clung together — father, daughter, and son — bound by the affection that should have existed long ago. The weight of years spent apart, of silence and regret, dissolved into that single embrace.
When the moment passed and the air settled, Aurelion exhaled heavily and turned to Leonora."My dear," he said, his voice gentle but firm, "have you thought about the last discussion we had?"
Leonora blinked, the warmth of the moment still lingering in her chest. She hadn't thought of her father's old proposition at all — not once since reuniting with Youri. But looking at him now, frail yet proud, she felt that it was time to repay the gift he had given her — his acceptance.
"Yes, Father," she said softly. "I'm ready to accept your proposition. After everything you've done for me today… what kind of daughter would I be if I didn't?"
Aurelion's lips curved into a faint, almost nostalgic smile. "Thank you, dear."Then, turning toward Youri, his tone shifted into something more formal, almost regal."In that case," he said, "I must ask something of you as well."
Youri straightened, the gravity of Aurelion's words settling over him.
"Son," Aurelion continued, "I know what I'm about to ask may be difficult to accept. But it is necessary for this union to be fully recognized under Imperial and noble law."
He paused, then delivered his verdict:"You must relinquish your last name… and bear the name of Kaelthorn. From this day forward, you will be known as Youri Kaelthorn, Duke of the Kaelthorn estate."
For a moment, silence filled the room again — only this time, it wasn't tension. It was shock.
Leonora stared at her father, wide-eyed. Roland nearly dropped the glass in his hand. And Youri… Youri just blinked, trying to process what he had just heard.
Then, in his usual unflinching honesty, he replied:"Father… I understand your request, and I fully intend to comply." He scratched his head awkwardly, then added with disarming sincerity, "But there's just one problem. I have absolutely no idea what a duke even does."
For a heartbeat, no one moved — and then laughter erupted like thunder.Even Aurelion, the old iron duke himself, chuckled until he coughed, while Roland nearly doubled over.
Youri looked around in confusion until Leonora reached up and gently caressed his face, smiling through her laughter."Don't worry, dear," she said warmly. "Everything will be taken care of for you. All I need is for you to be yourself… and my pillar."
Still slightly confused, Youri smiled back — because as long as she was with him, nothing could touch him. Not his past. Not his guilt. Not the shadows that clung to him.
Night fell softly over the Kaelthorn estate.Aurelion stood on the grand balcony, looking out toward the horizon — the sky dark but painted with distant stars.
"It's been a while," he said quietly, almost to himself, "since I lost track of time like this."
Youri joined him, standing silently beside the old man. He followed Aurelion's gaze up to the stars — endless, cold, and strangely comforting. For the first time in years, he felt peace.
"Dear Father," Youri said after a long pause, "I hope that one day, I can look at the sky and say the same thing you just did."
Aurelion turned his head slightly, regarding him with those sharp black eyes. He could feel it — the strange aura surrounding Youri. It was the scent of death, of countless ghosts clinging to a single soul. Yet beneath that darkness, there was something else — faint, fragile, but still burning: light.
Whether that light would last a moment or a lifetime, Aurelion could not say. Only time would tell what fate had in store for the man who now bore his name.
When it came time to leave, Aurelion's medicine had begun to take its toll. His strength waned, his breath uneven. Leonora, Roland, and Youri bid him goodnight.
It was strange — how the man they had once feared now felt like a bridge, a guide binding all their destinies together.
Six months later.
Leonora and Youri were married.It was not a grand ceremony — no noble guests, no crowds, no politics — just a small, private gathering with those who truly mattered.
Youri was formally recognized as the Duke of Kaelthorn. Together, they filled the ancient halls of the mansion with laughter, warmth, and love. For the first year, their lives felt like a fever dream — a life they both thought they would never have.
But peace, as always, is fragile.
In the midst of a rising war between the Empire and the rebel forces at Orion, a call came from the capital.It struck like a blade to the heart.
Youri was ordered to deploy — to lead a mission to annihilate the enemy fleet.
When Leonora heard, her world collapsed. She pleaded with him through tears, begging him not to go. Somewhere deep inside, she knew what that deployment meant.
That night, Youri spoke privately with the Imperial Minister. When he returned, his face was pale, expressionless. Something had changed — something dark and final had taken root in his eyes.
Leonora grabbed his arm, her voice breaking. "You can't go. Please, not again. You'll die out there!"
He said nothing.
Desperate, she chained him to their bed — trembling, crying, her hands cold as iron."If you step onto that ship again," she whispered, her voice cracking, "you're dead to me."
Youri stood still, looking at her with eyes that held no anger, only sorrow.Then he broke the chain, gently, and walked out without a word.
Leonora fell to the floor, sobbing. She knew the truth — the same truth she had known long ago.She was about to lose him… all over again.