The news had spread quickly—the victory was theirs, the war had ended, and the prince was returning home.

Mydei.

You hadn't seen him in what felt like an eternity. He had promised—no, he had sworn—that he would return, though neither of you had been foolish enough to believe that fate guaranteed such things. He couldn't die, that was for sure, but still, nobody expected the war to end so quickly.

And now, as the gates open, he was finally here.

He was still the Mydei you knew, the crown prince, the warrior—yet something had changed. His hair, still messy as ever, was streaked with dust and sweat, but those golden eyes—sharp and unyielding—sought you out in the crowd.

And the moment they found you, everything else faded away.

He approached with the same confidence that had always defined him, but there was something softer in his steps now. When he reached you, he hesitated for the first time in his life. "You're still here," he murmured, voice rougher than you remembered.

His hand twitched at his side as if he wanted to reach for you but wasn't sure he had the right. You could see the exhaustion written all over his face, the weight of everything he had endured. Yet, beneath it all, there was relief—a quiet, overwhelming relief that mirrored your own.

You didn't wait. You stepped forward and wrapped your arms around him, feeling the solid warmth of him against you. Mydei stiffened for only a moment before he exhaled, arms coming around you in a crushing embrace.

For once, there was no sharp remark. Just the sound of his heartbeat against your ear, steady and real. When he pulled back, his hands remained on your shoulders, grounding himself. His golden gaze roamed your face as if memorising every detail. "I kept my promise," he murmured.