Hajin stood in front of the small, cracked mirror in their inn room, tugging at the collar of the silk shirt they had picked up earlier that afternoon.

The fabric was high-quality, a deep charcoal gray that looked a lot better than the dirt-stained adventurer gear he usually wore, but it felt incredibly restrictive around his shoulders.

"I hate this," he muttered, trying to adjust the silver buttons. "How do people breathe in these things?"

Beside him, Juna was having an even harder time. She was dressed in a dark blue dress that had been tailored to accommodate her tail, but she looked like she was ready to tear the whole thing apart with her bare claws.

"Master," she said, her ears pinning back as she reached behind her to scratch at her shoulder blades. "These clothes... they are very itchy. Why do humans wear things that bite back?"

He looked over at her and couldn’t help but let out a short, genuine laugh. She looked stunning in the formal wear, the dark fabric making her silver hair stand out even more, but her expression was one of pure, concentrated misery.

"It’s called fashion, Juna," he said, finally giving up on the top button and leaving it open. "Apparently, the more uncomfortable you are, the more important you look to everyone else."

She let out a low huff, her tail giving a single, annoyed flick through the slit in the dress. She stopped scratching for a moment and looked at his reflection in the mirror.

"Is what happened at the guild earlier really going to be okay?" she asked, her voice dropping into a more serious tone.

He paused, his fingers lingering on his collar as he thought back to the scene in the guild hall.

"You mean Yenna?" he asked, shrugging once. "It’s fine. She’s used to being the smartest person in the room and having everyone jump when she speaks. Having her ego crushed by an unregistered rookie wasn’t part of her plan, but she’ll get over it."

He turned away from the mirror and grabbed his belt, making sure his ranker badge was visible.

"Besides," he continued, "we have bigger things to worry about tonight than a ranker with a bruised pride. If the Flint family is going to be there, things are going to get complicated very quickly."

She nodded slowly, her ears twitching as she finally stopped fighting with the fabric of her dress.

"I will stay close," she promised, her eyes sharpening.

"Good," he said, heading toward the door. "Now let’s go get this over with before I decide to change my mind."

They left the inn and began the walk toward the palace district, the evening air cooler now that the sun had finally disappeared behind the city walls.

The streets were less crowded than they were during the day, but there was a different kind of energy in the air, a sense of anticipation as carriages bearing noble crests began to roll toward the inner gates.

Juna walked beside him, her footsteps silent despite the formal shoes she was forced to wear. She stayed quiet for a long time, watching the way his jaw stayed tight while they got closer to the palace.

"Master," she said softly, breaking the silence.

"Yeah?"

"Why is your relationship with your family so bad?" she asked, her ears flicking toward him. "Is it really just because they banished you? It feels like there is something... heavier than that."

He stopped walking.

His expression turned instantly dark, his eyes narrowing as his mana gave a sudden, sharp spike that made the air around him feel heavy. The light in his eyes seemed to dim, replaced by a cold, hollow shadow that Juna had never seen before.

She jumped back instinctively, her tail puffing up as she realized she had stepped onto a landmine she didn’t even know was there.

"I’m sorry!" she said quickly, her hands coming up. "I shouldn’t have asked. I didn’t mean to—"

"It’s not you," he interrupted, his voice flat and devoid of any emotion.

He took a slow, deep breath, forcing the mana back down and smoothing out his features until he looked like himself again, though the darkness in his eyes didn’t entirely vanish.

"Don’t apologize," he said, looking at the path beneath his feet. "Your question just made me remember someone I’ve spent a long time trying to forget. It wasn’t directed at you."

He started walking again, his pace a little faster than before.

"The Flints didn’t just banish me," he added, his voice so quiet it was nearly lost to the wind. "They tortured me. They tried to break me until there was nothing left to erase. And they weren’t the only ones who wanted me gone."

She followed him without another word, sensing that the conversation was over. The silence that fell between them now was different than before, weighted with the history of a past she was only just beginning to understand.

They reached the massive palace gates a few minutes later. A squad of royal guards stood at the entrance, their armor polished to a mirror finish as they checked the invitations of the nobles arriving in their carriages.

Hajin reached into his pocket to pull out the Royal Badge the King had given him, but as they stepped into the pool of light at the gate, one of the guards held up a hand to stop him.

The guard looked from Hajin’s face to the silver ranker badge on his belt, and then his eyes widened. He immediately stepped back and gave a stiff, respectful salute.

"Pardon the delay, Sir Hajin," the guard said, his voice loud enough to make several nearby nobles turn their heads. "The Captain informed us of your arrival. Please, go right through. The Princess is already expecting you."

He didn’t even ask to see the invitation.

Hajin let out a long, quiet sigh, feeling the weight of dozens of curious and annoyed gazes from the nobles still waiting in line. He gave a small, stiff nod and walked through the gate with Juna close behind him, her ears twitching at the sudden attention.

Inside the palace courtyard, the scene was even more crowded. Dozens of nobles and their children were moving toward the main ballroom, their expensive silks and jewels shimmering under the mana lamps.

Hajin stopped for a moment, looking at the display of wealth and status that he had been separated from for years.

He felt a familiar knot of tension tightening in his stomach, a physical reminder of why he had never wanted to come back here.

He took a slow breath, centering himself as he prepared to step into the lions’ den.

"So it really is you, big brother?" A small and calm voice said, from his right.

Hajin froze and turned his head to see a short girl standing a few feet away. She had messy purple hair and large, intelligent purple eyes that seemed to be scanning him with intense curiosity. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

She was currently holding a small pastry in one hand, taking a slow bite while she waited for him to respond.

Juna’s ears pinned back as she looked from the girl to Hajin, her eyes wide with confusion.

’Big brother?’