My Ruin to You - Chapter 104

By dusk, they cleared the trees. Beyond the horses’ bobbing heads, the walls of a castle came into view: Molin, territory of Count Rodelac. Only then did Valen slow.

“How do you feel?”

His first concern, as always, was her. He tilted his head, studying her complexion. Though exhaustion clung to her—the kind that could knock her out the moment she rested—she couldn’t possibly be more drained than him, who’d ridden nonstop. Roseline mustered a smile, teeth neatly aligned.

“I’m fine.”

“Your head?”

“That too.”

“Shouldn’t have asked. You’d lie either way.”

Despite the jab, he pressed a kiss to her pallid forehead. Unlike usual, the touch lacked its usual softness—just a faint sting where his lips brushed skin. Roseline rubbed her forehead absently, and Valen stared.

“Why?” she asked when she noticed.

“You’re not crying.”

“…Should I be?”

“After what you pulled with the knights, I thought you’d be sobbing again.”

“I’ll cry for you next time. Right now, I’m too tired.”

He huffed a laugh without reply and adjusted the reins. As they neared the castle, the rare ease between them hardened. The reason soon became clear: an endless line of refugees stretched along the sunset-lit walls.

“The late Viscount’s people, I suppose.”

“Seems so.”

Roseline’s gaze darted restlessly. Her posture, which had been slightly slouched, straightened abruptly. It was a relief that so many had survived the chaos, but the thought of these displaced people wandering in winter, unwelcome anywhere, twisted her heart.

The silver-armored soldiers lining the castle walls and guarding the tightly shut gates made the situation clear. While she understood the lord’s inability to take in all the refugees, their plight still ached in her chest.

Yet there was nothing she could do. She had no storehouses to open, no territory to offer shelter—nothing but her own shame, which kept her from even speaking to the one man who could solve this.

“You come first for me.”

“…What?”

“Only once you’re settled can I afford to consider their future.”

As if reading the tension in her rigid back, he softened the blow.

It was hard to say whether this was fortunate or tragic. His willingness to help was a blessing, but the condition attached was grotesque. At best, it was devoted love; at worst, it revealed everything wrong with the empire.

The image of a tyrant who’d ruined a nation for a woman’s sake came to mind. History had painted both the tyrant and the woman as villains, and until now, Roseline had agreed. But her perspective had shifted—perhaps the woman’s side deserved to be heard too.

“The order seems backwards, Your Highness.”

Roseline shamelessly pressed further, suggesting that stability would come faster if discussions happened now. Having seen their suffering with her own eyes, she couldn’t feast in comfort while ignoring it.

“No, the order is correct.”

“…”

“But I understand. I’ll… try.”

Surprisingly, he conceded. Roseline’s smile bloomed, sharp eyes curving sweetly—an expression he hadn’t seen in far too long. Valen’s gaze narrowed, his elegant brows knitting as he studied her dimpled cheeks. Unable to resist, he flicked one lightly.

“You’re infuriating.”

Infuriating, but I’ll indulge you. Relieved, Roseline let her smile fade with a sigh. As hoofbeats grew heavier and the gates loomed closer, he yanked her hood deep over her face. Simultaneously, soldiers rushed forward, kneeling in perfect unison.

“We greet His Highness, the Grand Duke.”

A booming voice echoed along the castle walls, and the murmuring refugees began to bow one by one. His hair, dark as pitch, was a symbol of his noble status, and the way he gazed down from his horse dominated the frigid air with undeniable authority.

“Open the gates.”

Edan, riding close behind Valen, issued the short, firm command. Slowly, the heavy gates groaned open. As the massive doors creaked aside, the kneeling knights sprang up to clear the path.

Clop, clop. The moment Valen’s horse stepped past the threshold, Roseline drew a sharp breath. Within those high, thick walls, it felt like stepping into another kind of crisis.