Long Time No See... Have You Been Well?
I stared at the horizon, my heart pounding with a strange mix of nerves and anticipation. A few days later… the day had finally arrived. The day Celine von Frostheim would set foot in the imperial palace.
I had volunteered to greet her before anyone else. …Of course, it wasn’t out of any grand sense of loyalty or courtesy. No, my only desperate thought was to shove this wretched captain position off my shoulders as quickly as humanly possible.
‘…Alright, let’s see.’
Standing before the palace’s main gate, I waited for the northern party with a fluttering heart. Ever since that day… I had been counting down the hours for this very moment. I prayed she would arrive even one day sooner and take this cursed post back from me.
‘…Still nothing?’
I craned my neck, scanning the northern road again and again. Normally I wouldn’t have cared who came or went, but today I was practically vibrating with impatience. …I paced back and forth like a child waiting for holiday gifts.
‘…Please, please, just hurry up and get here, Captain Celine.’
I kept stretching my neck in desperate hope for what felt like forever. At last, a group of mounted riders appeared in the distance. At their head rode a woman wrapped in pure white fur.
…Was that her?
Her silver hair shimmered as if shattering the sunlight. Eyes as cold and clear as ice, a deep blue. A greatsword at her waist nearly as tall as she was.
…Just as the rumors described. The former captain of the Imperial Guard and daughter of the Northern Grand Duke. Celine von Frostheim.
And my one slim hope of escape.
“You must be exhausted after such a long journey, Captain Celine.”
…Oops.
The words had barely left my mouth before I winced internally. Captain? Her official title right now was clearly vice-captain. Yet I had instinctively called her Captain.
…No. Maybe it hadn’t been instinct at all.
‘…Fine. Since it’s come to this, I’ll just naturally treat her as the captain from now on.’
If I casually locked in the title “Captain” right from the start, it would be that much easier for her to reclaim the position. …I would do whatever it took to reinstall this woman as captain!
I bowed with the utmost politeness to welcome her. I needed to make a good impression no matter what. Actually, more than a good impression—I planned to step forward and actively help her reclaim the captaincy. That way, offloading this miserable job would go much smoother.
…But.
But then.
“…….”
Celine, who had dismounted, stood stock-still, quietly staring at me. …Huh? Those blue eyes of hers were trembling in a strangely profound way. It was as if she were finally facing something she had longed for over a very long time.
She kept gazing at me in silence for so long that—
‘…W-what is this? Why is she looking at me like that?’
I grew inwardly flustered. Did I have something on my face? Or maybe my first impression had been terrible? Right as cold sweat threatened to run down my back in the awkward silence—
“…Kyle.”
Celine spoke carefully. Her voice was impossibly gentle.
“…It really has been a long time. Have you… been well all this time?”
…Huh?
I was struck speechless. …Long time? Been well?
Think about it. I had no memory of ever meeting this woman face-to-face. I only knew her name and actions from reading the original novel… From the perspective of “Kyle Rowenheim,” who had left the story early in the original, there was no way for me to know what kind of relationship he’d had with Celine.
…Right. I was Kyle Rowenheim right now. The fact that she was treating me with such warmth probably meant the original Kyle had been quite close to her.
…Get a grip, Kyle. Just play along like you know her.
“…Yes, thanks to you, I’ve been getting by reasonably well.”
I smiled as naturally as I could, giving a suitably vague answer. …I swallowed cold sweat inwardly, praying it hadn’t shown.
“Is that so… I’m truly glad to hear it.”
Celine looked at me with an expression that seemed both relieved and somehow wistful. Her gaze was warm yet inscrutable, leaving me with nothing but an itchy, uneasy feeling along my spine.
…Well, whatever. That wasn’t what mattered right now.
I steeled myself. The mood seemed decent enough. If this apparently affectionate person was willing, maybe the conversation would go smoothly.
“Um… Actually, there is something rather important I need to discuss with you.”
“…Something to discuss. What is it?”
“It’s about the captain position.”
I swallowed once, then finally brought it up.
“…As you know, this post originally belonged to you, Captain. Yet while you were away, I somehow ended up occupying it by sheer coincidence. So now, I believe it only right that the rightful owner—Captain—should take it back—”
“That cannot be.”
…Huh?
“…Pardon?”
“The captaincy… I have no intention of taking it back.”
I doubted my own ears.
“…W-wait a moment. What… what are you saying?!”
“Exactly what I said.”
“B-but Captain, wasn’t that position originally yours? I merely took it by accident while you were away—so of course you should reclaim it.”
“No.”
Celine shook her head firmly. Then she looked at me with an expression of pure, heartfelt satisfaction.
“…I heard. They say you single-handedly subjugated a horde of demonic beasts at the border. Everyone calls you the Emperor’s Blade.”
“…T-that’s…”
“…Yes. If it’s you, then it’s more than enough.”
A look of unmistakable pride filled Celine’s eyes.
“That position is now rightfully yours. As for me, I shall serve as your vice-captain and do everything in my power to help you shine from your place at the top.”
…Ah.
“So, Kyle. Please do not worry about anything and hold that position firmly… This Celine will quietly support you from behind.”
No.
…No, no, no! This wasn’t how it was supposed to go…?!?!
I felt the world go dark before my eyes.
…In the original plan, she was supposed to reclaim the captaincy, and I would quietly slip away in the chaos and make my escape. …But what was this? Instead of handing off the position, this ridiculously reliable woman had stepped forward of her own accord to support me from behind.
…At this rate, I would be nailed even more firmly into this detestable captain’s seat, no matter who tried to help me escape.
…I was screwed.
‘No, wait. This… this isn’t right…’
I screamed internally, my face turning deathly pale. Yet Celine, completely unaware of my inner turmoil, simply continued to gaze at me with an endlessly warm and dependable expression.
“…What’s wrong, Kyle? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
“Ah, no, not at all. It’s just… I’m so moved that I…”
I barely managed to suppress my desire to cry behind a forced smile.
…Farewell, my countryside restaurant.
And farewell… to my freedom.
For some reason, the path to my escape suddenly felt infinitely farther away.
After their brief greeting, Celine began walking into the palace alongside Kyle. One step, then another. Simply walking beside him with matching strides filled her chest with overwhelming emotion.
It really had been so long. Walking the same path side by side with him like this.
…No. Celine quietly corrected herself in her mind. That wasn’t quite right. For this man, this would be their first reunion in this life.
To him, this moment was nothing more than an awkward walk through the palace with the former captain he had met for the first time today.
…Even so, that was fine. Even if it was his first reunion… for her, it was the second chance she had longed for so desperately.
Just knowing that made Celine’s heart flutter and swell with warmth.
‘…He’s alive. He truly is.’
She stole a glance at his profile from the corner of her eye. That rugged jawline. Those indifferent eyes. Even that slightly awkward expression… none of it had changed.
…Just that alone was enough to bring tears to her eyes.
Suddenly, the words he had spoken moments ago came back to her.
──Please take the captain position back.
Celine smiled faintly to herself. The captaincy. To say she felt no attachment would be a lie. It was the position she had devoted her entire life to obtaining. The Imperial Guard she had built with her own two hands, one knight at a time… How could she possibly feel nothing about handing all of that over to a mere successor and stepping down?
If she wanted to, reclaiming it would not be difficult. With the prestige of the Northern Grand Duke’s house behind her, even the Emperor himself could not easily refuse such a request.
Yes, she would not deny that her heart had wavered for a moment.
…However.
The instant she looked at the man walking beside her once more, all those lingering regrets melted away like spring snow.
This man belonged at the very top, shining brilliantly. If she blocked his path with her own selfish feelings, how could that possibly be considered looking out for him?
Instead, she would gladly give it up. That position… anything at all, if it was for his sake.
She would become the wind that quietly supported his wings so he could fly higher and farther than anyone. That was the one and only wish she held in this second chance at life.
‘…Kyle.’
Celine quietly engraved his image in her heart as he walked beside her and whispered to herself.
In the previous life…
…In the end, I could not protect you.
I simply let go of your cold hand, helpless to do anything else.
But this time will be different. I will never repeat the same mistake.
No matter who targets you, no matter what threatens you… This Celine von Frostheim will protect you with my life, even if this body shatters into pieces.
‘This time… without fail…’
She carved that old vow deep into her heart once more. The very moment they stepped into the palace corridor—
Celine’s steps came to an abrupt halt.
From the other side, a woman was walking toward them. Hair as black as midnight. And eyes burning like crimson flames.
The instant she recognized that face, something icy surged up from the depths of Celine’s chest.
Empress Victoria.
…No. Victoria von Roseria… the princess.
Without realizing it, Celine’s hand moved toward the sword at her waist. But she quietly withdrew it.
…No. Not now. This was the imperial palace, where countless eyes watched. She could not draw her blade recklessly.
Yet the moment their eyes met, memories of her previous life flickered like blood within Celine’s heart.
…It was her.
The detestable enemy who had ultimately stolen Kyle’s life—the very life Celine had fought so hard to protect in the last timeline. The wicked woman who had raised the flag of rebellion, overturned the entire empire, and scattered countless innocent lives like blood across the land.
And yet here she was now, walking toward them with a face that knew nothing, as if this encounter were nothing more than a chance passing in the hallway.
…She probably thought of this meeting as nothing more than a fleeting coincidence, having forgotten all the horrors of the previous life.
Celine stared straight into those red eyes.
In the last life, she had ultimately failed to protect Kyle from this woman’s hands.
…But this time, she would absolutely not allow the same tragedy to repeat. Even if the one standing in her way was a princess of the empire—a future empress.
‘…Victoria von Roseria.’
Celine’s blue eyes sank as cold as ice.
And at last, the gazes of the two women collided in midair.