The carriage dropped them a short distance from the house. The evening light had turned soft amber, with the last hour before full dark.

The street was quiet. The village had settled into its after-supper rhythm. A few women stood at their doorways talking in low voices, while distant laughter drifted from somewhere down the lane. The smell of woodsmoke from evening chimneys hung in the cool air as Lys and Selene walked side by side on the road to home.

They weren’t touching. Lys moved at his slightly reduced pace because of the pain in his ribs. And Selene matched his pace without him asking her to. The silence between them was comfortable but had a texture tonight after that talk in the carriage.

Lys is the one who breaks the silence first. He looked at the street, then at the houses they were passing. Looking at the difference in view of his own house and others, he said, "The front yard of our house used to look much worse when I first bought it. It looks very nice compared to other houses around us, right?"

Selene gave a small nod. "Yeah, that’s because Miss Elara, Mira, and Mitsu are all unreasonably invested in making it look right. They spend more time on that yard than they do on anything else some days."

She said it with mild affection. This mild affection of hers didn’t came overnight. It came slowly as she had been the witness to those women’s infatuation with both the front yard and the backyard.

As they got closer, the house came into view. Even in the fading evening light, the yard looked cared for. The path was swept clean. Small flowers had been planted neatly along the fence. Warm yellow light spilled from the windows onto the ground outside.

Lys slowed slightly when he saw it. He didn’t say anything. He just looked at it for a moment in surprise if that was really the house he bought. When did it get so beautiful? He didn’t know. He didn’t pay much attention to it lately.

Selene noticed him looking, but didn’t comment on it either.

They continued walking. The quietness between them felt easier now. After a few more steps, Lys spoke again, his voice casual.

"So, Selene, how have you been adjusting to the house during the day when I’m not around? It must get boring sometimes with me gone so much, right?"

Selene thought for a moment, her steps slowing a little as she considered her answer. "Hmm, it used to feel empty at first. But lately... I’ve actually started taking my priestess studies seriously again."

Lys glanced at her, genuinely surprised. He hadn’t expected that. "You have? I thought your father was always against it."

"He was," Selene said softly. "He has always been against it. He feared that if I became a proper priestess, I would become too independent. Female priestesses has been a trend these days around cities and villages, especially where adventuring guilds operate. He was scared I might leave this village and go out into the world on my own. Just like when I went to the Royal Academy and refused to come back home. If he hadn’t gone himself to drag me back, I might never have returned home." She giggled a little while saying that.

After giggling a little, she paused, looking down at the path for a second before continuing. "But now that I’m free from his constant pressure... I wish to take my studies seriously." 𝕗𝗿𝕖𝐞𝐰𝗲𝕓𝐧𝕠𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝐨𝚖

Lys asked gently, "To gain freedom?"

Selene shook her head. She turned to look at him directly; her eyes were steady. "No. To become your party member." She just dropped it like it was nothing.

Lys stopped walking for a second, genuinely surprised. He turned to face her fully. "Huh, what are you saying? My party member?"

Seeing his surprised face, Selene continued, her voice gaining a quiet determination. "Yes. By the time you become D-rank, I will have finished my studies. And you will also start taking on bigger quests that require a balanced team with a wide variety of skills. That’s why I want to do this before then. It’s better to have someone close to you as a party member, unless you want to risk getting scammed by strangers."

Lys was quiet for a long moment, processing her words. The idea of Selene, the priest’s daughter who had always seemed tied to the village and her father’s expectations, choosing to train as a priestess just so she could adventure with him... it hit him harder than he expected. It felt like a real shift, not just for her, but for both of them. He hadn’t considered the possibility of any of it till now. And he didn’t dislike the idea itself. It felt thrilling for him to imagine Selene by his side when he is battling some monsters or something.

"That’s... nice," Lys said finally, a warm smile spreading across his face. "Really nice. I never thought you’d want to do something like that with me."

Selene’s cheeks gained a little color in the evening light. She looked at him with a small, bright smile. "Yeah, its just, I’ve been thinking about it since the day you showed me your guild card. It felt right. I want to stand beside you, not just at home, but out there too. When you take on harder quests, I want to be part of your team to take on them."

Lys felt a deep warmth settle in his chest. The way she said it, it felt like this wasn’t just Selene being supportive as his fiancée. This was her choosing a future with him, stepping into a role that would change both their lives.

It felt important. Like a promise being made right here on this quiet street.

"Yeah, it’s nice," Lys repeated softly, his voice was now full of genuine affection for her vision for the future. "I like the idea of us adventuring together. A lot."

They shared a warm moment there on the quiet street. The tension from the gathering earlier seemed to melt away for a few seconds as they looked at each other. Lys felt a gentle bond forming between them, stronger than before. And Selene’s determination to stand beside him, not just as his fiancée but as a capable party member in the future, touched him deeply.

-----

They continued walking until they reached the front door.

Lys pushed it open.

The moment they stepped inside, the shift in the air was immediate. Sara was already there, sitting at the table with Elara. Mira sat on the chair beside them. Mitsu stood in the corner near the stove, quietly arranging plates. The house smelled of fresh bread and herbal tea.

From the looks of it, clearly everyone had been informed, Priest John must have made sure of that, Lys thought.

But it also meant they had all had the entire afternoon to talk about what Sara knew and what they thought about it. Sara had definitely told them about Lys’s plan to bring Tresta home tomorrow, He figured from the look on everyone’s face.

The room went quiet as soon as Lys and Selene walked in.

Lys stood just inside the doorway. He could already feel it, that he was about to sit down in front of all of them, whether he wanted to or not. The weight of their attention settled on him like a heavy blanket. He could see the questions in their eyes, the mix of concern, curiosity, and mild disapproval.

His tribunal was about to begin.