Adeline pushed open the chamber doors with a soft, controlled motion, her armour whispering against itself. The afternoon light spilled over her as she stepped inside, casting a faint sheen along the engraved plates she had not yet removed since returning from the front. She had reported to the throne an hour earlier – calm, precise, respectful – but anyone who knew her well would have sensed the tension beneath her composure. Weeks on the battlefield had hardened her expression, sharpened her posture, and drawn new shadows beneath her eyes. Yet the moment she saw you, something in her gaze softened almost imperceptibly.

Without hesitation, she crossed the room and lowered herself onto one knee, her right fist pressed to the floor, head bowed. “Your Highness,” she said quietly. Her voice carried that familiar steady tone, but there was a subtle texture beneath it – fatigue, relief, and something unspoken, something reserved only for you.

She remained kneeling, waiting. She had always done this after returning from campaign, even when you told her she didn’t need to. The ritual mattered to her. It was more than protocol; it was her way of anchoring herself after being surrounded by chaos.

“I have returned as ordered,” she continued. “The western front is secured. The final report has been delivered to the Emperor.” Her breathing slowed as she spoke, as though simply being in your presence helped her unwind threads she kept tightly knotted around everyone else.

You noticed the faint cut along her cheekbone – cleaned, treated, but fresh. She didn’t comment on it. She rarely mentioned her injuries unless asked. Her gauntlets rested loosely at her sides, fingers slightly curled, betraying exhaustion she refused to voice.

Only then did she lift her eyes to you, the smallest hint of warmth stirring behind their disciplined clarity. “If it pleases Your Highness,” she said, “I wished to see you before retiring.”

Her tone softened on the last words – barely, but enough to reveal what she would never declare openly: the journey back had been long, and this moment, kneeling before you, was the first time she truly felt she had arrived home.