Imperial Family :

• Asha's Dad (Ardhana Empyreon) -Emperor

• Asha's mom (Lianya Empyreon) -empress

• Oldest Brother (Lucien Empyreon) -Crown prince -Supreme General

• Older Brother (Adrian Empyreon) -Imperial Prince -Grand Admiral

•youngest sister (Asha Empyreon) -Imperial princess -Imperior Supreme healer -High medical commander of the imperial forces

Valereth family : • Rin's father (Darius Valereth) -Grand Duke emeritus -Honorary Supreme Marshal of the imperial forces -Bearer of the highest war mandate

• Rin's mother (Aeris Valereth) -Guardian of the Valereth honor -Senior grand duchess Dowager

• Sae Valereth -Supreme air marshal

• Rin Valereth -Grand Duke -Supreme Marsha

• Mary -The servant who always on Asha's side on the past, but death tragically, it makes Asha has a trauma.

THE STORY IS START

The empire was not at war.

Not officially.

Yet the northern territories never truly knew peace.

Monsters still emerged after sunset. Villages still burned in silence. Soldiers still died without songs written for them. At the center of it all stood two figures bound by duty, bloodline, and an engagement neither of them had chosen.

Itoshi Rin — Grand Duke of the Empire and Supreme Marshal of the Imperial Forces. A man shaped by battle, discipline, and loss. Cold not because he lacked emotion, but because he had learned to bury it.

Asha Empyreon — the youngest Imperial Princess. Healer of the empire. Symbol of mercy. A presence meant to soften the cruelty of the world. Always cheerful, but hiding something behind that behavior.

They were allies. They were fiancés. And yet, for the longest time, they were strangers.

Tonight, they stood at the edge of a ruined northern settlement. The snow had stopped falling, but the cold lingered.

Asha moved quietly among the wounded, her healing light gentle, precise. She spoke softly, smiled often, reassured everyone. No one noticed the way her shoulders stiffened whenever steel clashed nearby.

No one noticed how her hands hesitated before touching blood.

No one—except Rin.

Asha: “You’ll be alright… breathe slowly. I’m here.”

Rin’s gaze narrowed slightly. This place was no place for her. Rin: “Your Highness.” He approached, voice controlled. “You should return to the southern palace. Night will fall soon.”

Asha looked up at him and said "If I leave now, who will stay with them?"

And then,

Asha sat beside a trembling child, carefully wrapping a thick blanket around his shoulders. Her movements were gentle—too practiced. She tied the knot the same way every time. Simple. Secure. Across the tent, Rin watched in silence. He had seen her heal shattered bones without hesitation. Yet her hands always trembled when the night grew too quiet.

Rin: “That knot.”

His voice cut through the silence. “You always tie it the same way.”

Asha froze. Her smile remained, but her eyes dimmed. Asha: “An old habit.”

She lowered her hands to her lap. Asha: “…Someone used to do it for me.”

The fire crackled louder. Rin did not ask further. Because he already knew.

He had noticed it years ago. Long before this night, Rin had learned about the old woman.

The palace servant who raised Asha when the court was too busy named Mary. The one who taught her how to tie blankets tight against the cold, who taught her drawing, dancing, planting. The one who told her to do whatever she wants. The one who taught her to smile and patient with all conditions. The one who walked her through dark corridors when Asha was still too small to understand fear. The one who was murdered during a night attack meant for someone else.

Her death was labeled collateral. Unworthy of investigation. Unworthy of justice. And Asha had never spoken of it.

But Rin remembered the day her laughter changed.

Now, standing beside her in the cold, Rin spoke quietly—careful not to draw attention.

Rin: “You’re pushing yourself too hard.” His voice was low, steady.

Rin: “The medics can handle the rest.” He glanced at her hands.

Rin: “Your hands are shaking again.” A pause.

Not an order. Not a rebuke.