“The criminal has been safely handed over, so we shall return!”

At his voice, the knights fell into formation. Dailun mounted his horse, muttering curses under his breath about the Grand Duke ignoring him.

Beside him, riding parallel, Ubbus suddenly turned to look back.

‘That’s.’

As the clouds parted and sunlight streamed through, they spotted a carriage perched atop the ice cliff, previously hidden, now overlooking them.

It was impossible to tell who was inside. Judging only by the Growen knights surrounding it, one could only assume the occupant held a high status.

Just as Ubbus’s gaze lowered again, his eyes met those of the Grand Duke. A cold, murderous stare shot back—seeming to demand, how dare you look in that direction?

Ubbus quickly turned his head forward. Never before had the seemingly emotionless Grand Duke worn such an expression.

Though deeply curious about who might be inside that carriage, he lacked the courage to risk drawing the Grand Duke’s ire.

Now, his mind was focused solely on returning to the capital as quickly as possible to report everything to the prince.

‘He must be eager to hear.’

The master he served had shown intense curiosity about the ruler of Growen.

Ubbus spurred his horse faster, eager to reach the one who awaited his return.

Meanwhile, just as the church, having received the criminal and the sacred relic, hastened their departure—

The Grand Duke, having observed the church’s movements, turned his back, heading toward his beloved.

Meanwhile, inside the carriage atop the ice cliff that had caught Ubbus’s attention, sat Yerpi.

Through the carriage window, she had silently watched the encounter between the church and Growen.

‘It’s over safely.’

Yerpi exhaled a sigh as she observed the church’s departure.

After Charlotte’s soul had dissolved, she had thought everything was finished—but many matters still remained unresolved.

After Charlotte’s soul vanished, her body had reverted to its state before aging began.

Raymond speculated that the Charlotte they had witnessed in her final moments—rapidly aging—might have been due not to her physical body, but to her soul aging at an accelerated rate.

A body left behind after the soul’s departure should rightfully return to dust. Yet Charlotte’s body remained—only the soul had departed, while the body still breathed.

This was likely due to divine power. Charlotte’s body would now age without a master, empty and soulless.

Thus, what the church had taken away was merely Charlotte’s shell.

Punishing her would be meaningless, though the church remained unaware of this truth.

“That’s right, Dante?”

On her lap lay a small black dragon, fast asleep.

Yerpi had come to the ice cliff to witness Charlotte’s handover, but Dante, who had briefly lost her, couldn’t bear even a moment apart and insisted on staying by her side.

Yerpi gently stroked the sleeping dragon’s back.

Dante curled tightly into a ball, twitching only his front paws in response. The child’s steady breathing brought calm even to her heart.

“You’ve slept for a long time.”

Dante remained deeply asleep, as he had been continuously since boarding the carriage. Ever since the Oblite incident, Dante’s sleeping hours had drastically increased.

Was it due to the trauma from back then? Not only did he sleep more, but he now suffered separation anxiety, refusing to leave Yerpi’s side even for a moment.

The child stirred her pity. Yet, at the same time, questions about him refused to leave her mind.

‘Back then, the hand reaching into the jade orb was clearly a human child’s hand.’

It was that hand that had pulled her out of the orb, and only later did she realize it was Dante who had pulled her out. Yet Dante remained in the form of a young dragon.

The Great Tree in the Autumn Territory had barely survived, but no fruit had been obtained from it.

For a long time to come, Dante would have to wait, trapped in his dragon form, for the fruit to ripen once more.

‘But back then, clearly…’

For just a brief moment, Dante had taken human form. In that instant, hope had flared.

She didn’t know what connection existed between the child and herself, but there was surely a possibility.

As she gently stroked the sleeping Dante’s back, she suddenly noticed the emptiness on the back of her hand.

The seals of Spring and Summer remained intact, but the seal of the King of Autumn, who had opened the path for her, was no longer there.

Thanks to that child’s sacrifice, she had been able to exit the jade orb. Yet this too raised questions.

Even if this world was created by dragon power, it made no sense for a sentient being to sacrifice themselves for another rather than for themselves.

And she couldn’t even be certain she was worthy of such sacrifice.

What kind of beings were they, that they would strive so hard to protect her? She gazed at the remaining patterns on the back of her hand, but no answer came.

Though the Autumn seal had vanished, one seal remained unclaimed. It would lie within the Winter Territory, a place Yerpi had yet to visit.

A thought occurred to her.

‘Perhaps, if I go there, I might find the answers.’

As she entertained this vague notion—that the answers might lie in the land of winter—there came a knock. Tap tap. Someone was knocking on the carriage window.

She already knew who it was. Carefully placing the still-sleeping Dante onto the carriage seat, Yerpi stood up.

Opening the door, she saw the person she had longed for most. Raymond stood before the carriage, waiting for her.

Judging by the time that had passed since the church’s departure, the sky behind Raymond was painted with crimson twilight.

His silhouette against the sunset was so beautiful she couldn’t look away. Like enchanted, Yerpi took Raymond’s hand and stepped out of the carriage.

The two walked hand in hand in silence, all the way to the very edge of the cliff.

The ice cliff, the pure white snow, and beyond it, the crimson twilight settling over the pristine white forest—was a scene of surreal beauty.

As she stood mesmerized by the view—

Raymond removed his cloak and wrapped it gently around Yerpi. The black fabric carried his familiar scent and warmth.

When she had first climbed the ice cliff alone, the frozen wind had stung her skin like blades, but now she felt no cold at all. Surely, it was thanks to her beloved.

This moment, gazing at the sunset together, felt full, and deeply precious.

Of the two, it was Raymond who spoke first.

“So only I failed to remember.”

Raymond was blaming himself.

But it wasn’t his fault that he hadn’t remembered his past-life beloved. Yerpi comforted him.

“Don’t say such things.”

The reason Raymond couldn’t recall his past life was entirely due to Charlotte.

Charlotte had taken and used all of his power, leaving him without the strength to recover his memories.

Moreover, she herself hadn’t remembered everything perfectly from the beginning.

In fact, her memories had been so jumbled that she had nearly pushed him away.

That they now remembered everything and could be together was the result of their mutual strength and love—their love that had endured across lifetimes.

No matter how mighty a dragon, no matter how great a queen, all were merely incomplete fragments.

The issue was choice. Which path to walk. Which decisions to make—this was entirely up to the individual.

She herself had faced such a choice. So had Charlotte. In the end, Charlotte had refused to accept the truth and chosen to destroy her own soul.

Leaving behind only an empty shell bearing the name Charlotte Deilang.

“We just need to move forward together now.”

Raymond gazed deeply at Yerpi as she said this. Their embrace after regaining their memories had been burning hot.

Backlit by the fading sunset, they kissed deeply.

The red sun sank beneath the horizon.

Together, beneath the crimson-darkened sky, they returned to the carriage.

As the carriage door opened, the cold air startled Dante, who opened his heavy eyes.

Dante, just waking, looked uneasy at first, but calmed upon seeing Yerpi.

Seeing the child like this made her heart ache even more. Yerpi, stepping into the carriage, pulled Dante tightly into her arms. Then the child asked.

The child’s question struck her with double meaning. Yerpi exchanged a brief glance with Raymond, then slowly nodded.

“Yes. It’s all over. Now, let’s all go home together.”

Dante’s eyes widened with hope. Overcome by the child’s unique charm, she could only press a kiss onto the little dragon’s small forehead.

“Yes. Back to our home. You, my lord, and me. All of us, together.”

Seeming energized by her words, Dante flapped his wings. Seeing him stretch like a cat and wag his tail, she too felt her spirits lift.

At the sight of Dante, even Raymond’s lips curled into a smile.

The three of them were preparing to return home.