Yarin's POV:
Lily was about to leave.
She had been shuttling back and forth between the Lycans and Jasper several times, and after dealing with the last member of the Lily of the Valley, she was going back to Jasper to continue her life.
"I'll miss you all." At the airport, she hugged each of us who had come to see her off. "I'll be back for the Moonlight Festival, and we can all go to the festival together."
She no longer cared about the past, not even the trivialities of her family. Gapes and Alfred had both visited her, and they got along well. Although Lily still hadn't seen her parents, it was no longer out of fear. She had found her path in the vast world, striding forward without looking back and dwelling on the past.
I didn't say that until she disappeared into the boarding gate.
"She's gone," Heller said.
I nodded.
He hesitated to speak and finally just patted my shoulder.
The Lycans returned to their long-lost peace. The demon was dead, the great danger was gone, and the people could live in peace again. Not that their lives had been particularly difficult before, but now they no longer had to worry about mentally unstable cultists carrying out terrorist attacks. It was a comforting thought.
I spent some leisurely days in the palace. I hadn't been to school in a long time. To avoid becoming the first Lycan King in history who couldn't read, I studied with a private tutor under Cynthia.
If your teachers were renowned writers or had authored math textbooks for more than a handful of prestigious schools, school might not be that important to you.
Strictly academically speaking, you left behind a natural social setting when you were out of school.
Eden had entered the university of Sivir Academy, as had Autumn. They were both adults now, and while they weren't fated mates, they didn't care. True love had transcended all rules.
According to Cynthia, the last time she talked to Autumn, she heard they were preparing for their wedding. It seemed quite early, but-best wishes to them! I hoped I'd be invited to be the best man.
One day, the little fairies came to play with me. They had become good friends with Emery and told me some things about him.
"Schoolwork is really tiring. Emery hasn't been smiling much lately," they said with concern. "His scent has changed a bit too. Ah, we don't know if it's good or bad."
"Scent? What kind of scent?"
"Emery's scent. Before, he had a fresh, leafy scent, like a lush, towering tree. Now, the tree seems a bit withered, the leaves are turning yellow, and the branches seem dry like he's sick or something!"
The little fairies had keen noses, and they could sense a person's physical condition from changes in their energy. I thought Emery had probably been working too hard lately. Maybe I should ask the Council to give him fewer tasks so he could have some time to rest.
The little fairies didn't stay long, but suddenly, Bertha came to tell me that an old man at the palace gate wanted to see Mom.
"He claims to be an old friend of the Queen's and comes from the elven race," Bertha said. "He also mentioned that as long as he mentions Jodocus, the Queen will know who he is."
Mom wasn't home; she had gone to a hospital's opening ceremony with Dad.
But 'Jodocus'? I felt like I had heard that name somewhere before.
... I remembered now. Wasn't this the former Great Elder of the Elves, a friend of Mother's from her youth?
They said he had retired and nobody knew where he had gone. He was quite old, and the elves had even thought he might have passed away.
He hadn't died, and now he suddenly appeared in the Lycan pack?
I didn't know why he had come, but my intuition told me to invite him in. He had traveled a
long way to the Lycan pack, so it couldn't be just to say hello to an old friend.
So I had Bertha bring him to the guest room and sent someone to fetch Mother.
Leaving a guest waiting wasn't very polite, after all.
As I walked to meet him, I felt that the world outside the window was bright, and perhaps some dark clouds were brewing on the horizon, waiting to be born. The world would never stop moving forward, and the old past had already dispersed like smoke. In the new future, more adventures awaited those who dared to challenge it.