Vivid | Lee Minho

☙ Epilogue

"My lady, the delegation from Count Isek's estate has just arrived."

"Is that so? Let us hurry and greet them, then."

It had been a particularly windy afternoon, which made an outdoor event such as this one rather troublesome. Nevertheless, you made your way alongside Ryujin to your awaiting guests, breathing in the faint scent of the sea being carried by the breeze.

A lot had changed in the past year and a half.

Valorieve's efforts to overthrow the status of the king had proven to be successful. The sixteen states that comprised the alliance finally gained autonomy over their governments, and all had recovered their ancient titles of independent nations. Though, the shift was gradual and had busied the representative Houses greatly.

Valorieve was one the first states to elevate itself from the status of a fiefdom into that of a dukedom, as it was once known four centuries past. The declaration made little difference in the workings of the land and its government—perhaps the alterations in the ranks of nobility were the most significant of changes. After all, Valorieve, like the rest of the former fiefdoms, had been entirely self-sustaining under the incompetent rule of the royal family.

It was, however, a boost of morale for the people of Valorieve. To return to their former glory, to once more become the land of the benevolent warriors sung about in their folktales.

As for you, you did not think that much had changed.

"Is that not the Marquis?"

Someone, somewhere nearby, wondered aloud, and you halted in your steps, looking around you hopefully, unabashedly.

"My, it really is!"

There, in the midst of a growing cluster of excited nobility, you glimpsed a cape of imperial blue. Such a familiar, lovely color.

Perhaps etiquette would demand that you greeted your guests first, but you determined that the delegates could afford a short wait as you diverted your route, heading towards the crowd with a special lightness in your steps.

You could allow yourself a sliver of selfish indulgence every once in a while.

"Make way for the Marquise! Make way!" Seungmin, and the other knights in your entourage, called out, making the circle of nobles fracture and disperse to reveal a clear path to the man at the center of it all.

It had only been three days since you last saw him, but the sight of him still sent a stampede of emotions through your heart as though you had been apart for lifetimes. And he noticed you instantly, breaking away from his conversation to reach to you.

It took every ounce of your propriety not to run up to him right then and there.

"Your Lordship," you breathed, beaming with such an exhilarating feeling. "Welcome back."

"You will not cease addressing me so formally, will you, Lady Y/n?" Minho grumbled jokingly as he pulled you into an embrace, and you laughed. You could not help but laugh out your boundless joy at seeing him again.

"I thought you were returning late at night."

"And miss the inauguration of your new school? Unthinkable," he pulled away only slightly, and there was that enchanting smile he had seemed to reserve for your eyes alone. His hand found yours and so reverently, he brought it to his lips, his fond murmur tickling your skin, "I hurried back to you the moment my business was finished."

Oh, you had missed him. You had missed him so greatly you thought it would be the death of you.

"Thank you for hurrying back." you closed your hand over his, wanting nothing but to nestle into his arms and simply melt away. "The palace was lonesome without you."

"Forgive me, my heart," he hummed, busy pressing another kiss to the top of your forehead before he chuckled, "We should turn to your guests. I fear they might disintegrate us with their gazes."

You had not forgotten about the tens of people that surrounded you, but their presence seemed to pale in comparison to Minho's. Merely a speck in the back of your mind. Nevertheless, you had your moment of self-indulgence, and now your responsibilities beseeched you to return to them. Unfortunately.

The rest of the afternoon passed with ease. You opened the doors of the new school with Minho by your side and celebrated in the attendance of investors and members of the project's team. You spoke with Chaeryeong, who had been appointed as the head of the teaching staff, and watched as the would-be students explored their new school for the first time. It was a gratifying afternoon that ended almost too quickly, and you found yourself returning to the palace by the early beginnings of evening.

When your carriage rattled into motion, you felt a weight plop on your shoulder followed by a tired mumble, "Lend me your shoulder for a little while."

All that hurrying must have worn him out, you thought with a silent chuckle. This seemed to be a specialty of Minho's.

The truth was that a lot had changed for you. The night you freed yourself of your curse had frightened you, for it brought with it a sudden, daunting realization that tipped your world over. To want—to dare to live had been such an inconceivable notion. It deified all you had planned for and left you lost. Suddenly without purpose or drive.

Finding your place and learning to settle in the world of those fated to live had been difficult. You had carried with you centuries of pain, oceans of grief, and they were not so easily forgettable. Broken memories still lurked in the nooks of your mind, recollections of distant lifetimes, of a different you.

And that difference was because you had changed. Little by little, step by step. Until one day, you looked into the face of your nightmares and found nothing there but your own echo. An echo that sometimes reminded you of your unforgotten torment, and sometimes cheered you on as you ventured out into the world. As you made mistakes and loved and grew.

As you lived.

"Rest, then," you pressed a tender kiss to the crown of Minho's head, your words and your fingers lost in the wispy waves of his hair. The path toward healing might have been long and arduous, but you were a lone wanderer no longer.

"I'll wake you."

Author's Note: Hello! Thank you so much for reading this far! Writing this story was so much fun and I hope that you enjoyed reading it just as much! Have a lovely day wherever you are! ♡