Descending the familiar corridor and stone steps, he passed once again through the tall archway—now devoid of its Heavy Armor Guards—and the courtyard ca into view.
Dusk had fallen, and the sky was gradually being stained ink-black. Only the orange-red flas leaping from the stone torch basins sustained a dim, yellow patch of light in the courtyard.
The gurgling of the fountain was exceptionally clear in the silence. The sll of burning pine mixed with the crisp, bitter fragrance of plants, barely masking the lingering odor of smoke and char drifting from the distance.
Murphy’s steps were light, making almost no sound on the smooth, polished cobblestone path.
His gaze habitually swept across the courtyard: the fountain, the flowerbeds, and the two adjacent, two-story stone houses.
However, just as he stepped into the courtyard and his gaze drifted habitually toward his own stone house, he paused.
The stone steps before his door were not empty.
A small figure was sitting there quietly, hugging her knees.
Elizabeth.
She had changed out of the ornate gown stained with dust and flecks of blood. Now, she wore a relatively simple, dark blue dress. Her long black hair was draped loosely over her shoulders, shining softly in the firelight.
She rested her chin on her knees, her dark eyes staring vacantly at the distant, dancing flas. Her delicate face was hazy in the interplay of light and shadow, her brow slightly furrowed. She seed so lost in thought that she didn’t even notice Murphy enter the courtyard.
Only when Murphy’s feet touched the main cobblestone path leading to the two stone houses did the faint sound startle her.
She looked up like a startled fawn, her gaze following the sound. When she saw the figure in dark blue, a flash of panic crossed her eyes, followed by stunned disbelief.
She shot to her feet, almost instinctively, but her legs were numb from sitting for so long. She swayed slightly and quickly reached for the cold stone wall to steady herself.
"Governor of lfield?" Her voice was laced with obvious surprise. "You... You’re back? So soon?"
Murphy stopped a few steps away, watching her calmly.
"The eting ended, so I ca back." Murphy’s voice was steady, betraying no emotion. "But what about you, Her Highness Elizabeth? Why are you sitting out here alone? Where is Knight Alison?"
Elizabeth avoided Murphy’s gaze, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her dress.
"Alison... she went back. I... I just felt it was a bit stuffy inside, so I ca out for so fresh air... to sit for a bit. And, out here... with the flowers, and the sound of the fountain... it feels nicer than inside."
Murphy’s gaze swept over her faintly flushed cheeks and settled on her darting eyes. "You seem surprised I returned so soon."
"Ah? N-No..." Elizabeth shook her head quickly, but her shifting gaze gave her away.
She bit her lower lip, and after a mont’s hesitation, she said softly, "It’s just... I heard that the Ironspine Duke and the Cardinal summoned you to the command center for a eting... I thought such an important eting would last a long ti..."
Her voice trailed off, becoming almost inaudible by the end.
Murphy’s expression flickered. "How did you know I was going to the command center to see the Ironspine Duke and the Cardinal?"
Elizabeth stiffened.
She raised her eyes, darting a quick glance at Murphy before lowering them again. A noticeable blush crept up her face, and even the tips of her ears felt warm.
"I... On my way back... I heard so officers talking..."
Her voice was muffled as she struggled to form the words. "They said... they saw you being escorted by the Lord Duke’s personal Knights toward the command center... They also said you must have been going to receive a comndation and discuss important matters..."
Her explanation sounded plausible. Information travels quickly on a battlefield, so it wasn’t surprising that officers would be discussing the whereabouts of the Legendary Knight who had just achieved a great victory.
But from her unnatural deanor and evasive eyes, Murphy gleaned sothing more.
’It wasn’t as simple as her just "hearing" it on the road.’
Murphy didn’t press her for details.
He looked at the young Princess before him, at her cheeks, flushed with embarrassnt, and her tightly clasped hands. His mind flashed back to her undisguised concern on the eastern ridge, and her worry at the base of the Central Tower, where she had rushed toward him in complete disregard for propriety.
’Her actions might have been driven by the impulsiveness and recklessness typical of her age, but the concern and determination behind them were undeniably real.’
"The eting did involve follow-up defensive arrangents and comndations." Murphy looked away, his gaze falling on a patch of flowerbeds that looked especially deep and dark in the night. "But the fighting has only just subsided, and there is much to be rebuilt. The Duke and the Bishop also have many urgent military matters to attend to. It wasn’t the ti for a long discussion."
He paused, his gaze returning to Elizabeth. "Night has fallen, and the mountain air is cold. Your Highness should go back inside and get so rest. While this place is safe for now, it is still the front line. You mustn’t let your guard down."
Hearing no bla in his tone, Elizabeth’s tense shoulders relaxed slightly. She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding, yet a different, hollow feeling began to creep in.
She nodded and said softly, "Yes... you’re right. I’ll... I’ll go inside now."
She took a step, as if to turn and open the door to her stone house, but she paused again, unable to stop herself from looking back at Murphy.
The firelight danced in her dark eyes, reflecting a trace of hesitant struggle. Finally, she asked quietly, "So... you’ll be staying here at the fortress, then? The war... it isn’t really over, is it?"
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