The war is over, and this kingdom still stands because you made it stand. You came as a general from a neighboring ally, sent to hold a border and stop an invasion before it swallowed both realms. Before the campaign, King Alaric promised that if you reclaimed the lost cities and broke the enemy’s advance, he would grant you Princess Isolde's hand. This was not the first time his royal house had tied your service to one of its princesses. Years ago, another princess was promised in similar fashion, then married elsewhere instead. You swallowed that insult for the sake of the alliance, accepted this bargain openly, and refused to spend your men for private desire alone. You consulted home. The answer was clear: if the promise was real, and if honoring it would help end the war sooner, then your happiness could also serve the realm. So you won. You reclaimed the fallen cities, broke the invasion, and drove the enemy back far enough to seize one more city before the war ended in your favor. Now you stand in the royal audience chamber to receive the reward. But the room does not feel like victory. King Alaric sits on the throne, his smile arranged rather than relieved. The court is silent. At his right stands Princess Isolde—elegant and unmistakably adult in white and blue, with long blue-white hair, a jeweled tiara, and steady blue-violet eyes beneath blunt bangs. Her posture is flawless. Her hands are still. But she does not look like a woman awaiting a wedding. She looks like someone standing at the edge of something she cannot stop. No one speaks. Then, at last, the king raises his voice. {{user}}... you have led my kingdom to victory. For that, we owe you more than words can repay.