As the Nuberian envoys stood up to leave, a quiet hush fell over the grand hall. Marquis Julian adjusted the cuffs of his finely tailored jacket, smiling warmly at Lady Camila.

"Your Highness, it has been an immense pleasure to discuss matters of mutual interest," he said, executing a genteel bow. "I daresay our nations will find the seeds of enduring friendship in today's dialogue, even after the great Hero's passing."

Lady Camila returned his smile, her eyes twinkling. "Indeed, Marquis. I will use all of my tools at my disposal to make sure the mourning ceremony for our celebrated hero goes well."

Two other diplomats who had accompanied Julian nodded in agreement, their faces flush with the success of a conversation well-handled. For a moment, as they gathered their papers and belongings, their gazes drifted across the room, finally quizzically resting on the cloaked figure of Ambra.

Lune, standing beside her, caught their eyes and shot them a look sharp enough to cut glass. It was a simple, silent reminder of her earlier warning. The diplomats quickly looked away, refocusing on their task.

Ambra, feeling the weight of their stares shift away from her, sent a grateful but concerned look towards Lune. She appreciated the consideration, more than words could say.

At that moment, the door to the grand hall creaked open, and in walked Deidan, adorned with his bright cobalt-blue armor. Ambra had thought he'd be gone by this time, given how long the meeting had run for, but surprisingly he was still present.

His eyes scanned the room, settling on Julian and the diplomats. He executed a formal bow to them but deliberately avoided meeting Lune's eyes.

"Your Highness, My lord, esteemed guests," Deidan began, his voice carrying an urgency. "I apologize for the interruption. The Baroness is already in the carriage. Given the lateness of the hour, she will not be able to meet you today."

Marquis Julian nodded, showing no signs of disappointment. "Of course, Captain Deidan. We understand. Thank you for letting us know."

Turning towards Lady Camila, Deidan inquired, "Your Highness, would you be amenable to arranging a meeting with the Baroness in two days' time? She will need further instructions regarding her role in the upcoming mourning ceremony. She's still preoccupied with the final arrangements."

Lady Camila nodded, her eyes still full of warmth. "Certainly, Captain. I will make the necessary arrangements."

With the discussion officially concluded, Julian and his companions bowed once more. "Until we meet again, your highness."

"And may that meeting bring more good tidings," Lady Camila responded.

As the Nuberian envoys hurriedly left the grand hall, Deidan paused and turned back towards the room's occupants. Surprisingly, his eyes met Ambra's and he raised his hand, giving her a quiet, discreet wave.

Ambra, guilty of his kindness, returned the gesture.

After the doors closed behind the Nuberian envoys, Lady Camila let out a sigh, her shoulders dropping just a fraction in the absence of her guests. Beside her, Laura looked equally relieved, the tension leaving her body as she leaned against a pillar.

"Aye, you did well, holding your magical barrier for so long," Grant praised Laura, patting her on the back.

Laura grinned, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Well, it was so riveting that I mentally checked out about ten minutes in. I was afraid I'd expire from lack of intellectual stimulation."

Emil, standing nearby, merely rolled his eyes, unable to suppress a small smile. Even Ambra let out a soft giggle, which seemed to catch Lune's attention. For a brief moment, Lune's eyes softened as she smiled at Ambra.

"I must retire for the evening," Lady Camila announced, cutting through the relaxed atmosphere. Her eyes glanced at Emil. "You needn't accompany me, it's safe anyway with all the guards. Since you'll be staying over the next few days, I suggest everyone take the rest of the night to recover. We've had a long day."

"As you wish, Your Highness," Emil responded, bowing slightly.

With a final nod to her advisors and the adventurers who had been present, Lady Camila turned gracefully and exited the hall. To any observer, she was the epitome of calm at that moment, even in spite of her exhaustion, her steps measured and her face impassive. Yet, behind that placid exterior, her mind was a whirlpool of emotion and thought.

"Ambra," the name echoed in her mind as she moved through the corridors of her wing, her steps echoing softly on the marble floors. Servants passed her by, bowing deeply, none daring to meet her eyes. None could have guessed the thoughts that raced through her mind, so skillfully did she maintain her composure.

But as the heavy door to her private chambers closed behind her, her eyes widened and her lips broke into an uncontrollable smile, almost childlike in its sheer glee. She moved quickly to her desk, her hands fluttering with a joy that was uncharacteristic of her.

"Ambra," she murmured the name again, unable to contain her excitement. "Could it be? The Hero? The one who fought against all odds, against the vampires, and sealed the fate of that terrible war? Could she be alive?"

It seemed too fantastical to believe. Yet, all signs pointed toward that unimaginable possibility—Lune's constant presence by Ambra's side, the guild's unusual deference toward her, and now the Marquis's words about the Hero named Ambra. Lady Camila's fingers drummed on her desk as she pondered the implications.

"I can't be certain," she admitted to herself, her eyes clouding with a mix of doubt and hope. "But if it's true—if she is alive and has chosen to walk among us, even in disguise—then we have been blessed beyond measure."

For a few precious moments, Lady Camila allowed herself to revel in the joy that thought brought her. Her mind flickered through memories of dark days, of losses and sacrifices that the kingdom had endured. The Hero had been a beacon then, and if she still lived, then she was a beacon still.

Gathering her composure, her face settling back into its practiced, royal expression. But in her eyes, there danced a light that hadn't been there before—a light fueled by hope.

------

In the solemnity of the Duke's library, Ambra sat alone, a dim lamp casting a puddle of light on the table before her. The room was otherwise swathed in shadows, filled with tomes that held the world's knowledge. Yet, tonight, those silent books seemed to mock her. Her eyes moved over the text in front of her, but her mind was a chaotic swirl, making it impossible to comprehend the words.

Deidan, her former student. The lie she had told him today loomed in her thoughts, knotting her stomach into unbearable tightness. The deception was a tangible weight, pressing down on her until she could almost hear the creak of her own conscience. It was as if she had betrayed him all over again, and the guilt gnawed at her incessantly.

And then there were the nightmares—those tormenting visions of Lilith that had begun to bleed into her waking hours, making her dread the coming of another night. Every time she closed her eyes, she was assailed by horrors that left her soaked in sweat, heart pounding.

She'd come to the library seeking solace, a temporary escape from the labyrinth of her thoughts. With permission from a kindly maid, she'd hoped to lose herself in the words of scholars long gone. But even that small comfort was denied to her tonight; the words were mere squiggles, devoid of meaning as her focus continued to falter.

The door to the library creaked open, and Ambra started, her body going rigid as though she'd been caught in an illicit act. The flicker of a candle's flame entered the room, accompanied by Laura's tired face.

Both girls froze, staring at each other in surprise.

"Laura," Ambra spoke first, breaking the silence. "I didn't expect anyone else to be up at this hour."

Laura chuckled softly, her eyes tinged with fatigue. She was dressed in her pajamas, her hair tied back in a messy bun. "The same could be said for you. What brings you to the library in the dead of night?"

"I could ask you the same," Ambra retorted, attempting to dodge the question.

Laura sighed, setting her candle down on a nearby table and taking a seat across from Ambra. "Fair enough. I had some things on my mind and couldn't sleep. Books have always been a good escape for me. But it looks like you're having a hard time concentrating."

"You're observant," Ambra admitted, closing the book in front of her.

"I could say the same about you," Laura replied, her voice softened with fatigue. She took the seat opposite Ambra, her eyes searching the crimson gleaming orbs beneath Ambra's cloak. "You look like you're wrestling with demons."

The phrase hit too close to home, and for a moment, Ambra felt a lump rise in her throat. Her hands clenched involuntarily, the parchment crinkling under her grip.

Ambra hesitated, torn between the desire to unburden herself and the instinct to keep her cards close to her chest. Finally, she sighed, the weight of her worries too heavy to bear alone any longer.

"I spoke to Deidan today," she finally managed to say, her voice quivering as if the words themselves were fragile. "It's complicated, but I'm not proud of what I did. Lies... they catch up to you, you know?"

Laura simply nodded, her gaze never wavering. "And these lies, they're haunting your nights?"

Ambra looked down, her eyes burning. "Yes... They're melding with other nightmares. I can't tell where one horror ends and another begins. I couldn't stand the thought of lying in bed, waiting for another dream to torment me, so I came here. And yet, even here, I can't escape my own thoughts."

The lamp's dim light cast a soft glow on their faces, emphasizing the fatigue that had settled into their features.

"Do you ever question why you're here?" Ambra began, her voice shaky as she navigated through her tangled thoughts. "I mean, I've already fulfilled my role as the Hero. I defeated the Vampire Queen. So, what's left for me now? Especially when... when I've become this filthy thing I fought against? Ollie was there once but..."

Her eyes, that unsettling shade of crimson, shimmered with the tears she was holding back. "I despise what I've become, Laura. Every time I look in the mirror or catch a glimpse of myself and see this silver hair, these fangs, these blood-red eyes... It's like I'm staring at a twisted version of myself. I've become the monster in my own story."

Ambra's voice cracked, and she clenched her fists to stop them from trembling. "And the thirst... God, the thirst for human blood is unbearable. It's like I'm being tormented by my own existence. I have tried so hard to not consume blood at all, the fact that I crave it... It makes me want to cut my heart out."

Laura absorbed Ambra's words, her eyes soft but unflinching. She seemed to be choosing her words carefully when she finally spoke. "I can't claim to understand the depths of what you're going through, Ambra. But I know what it's like to question your place in the world, to wonder whether you still have a purpose. It's a lonely, desolate feeling."

She leaned forward, her gaze earnest. "But you're not alone, Ambra. You have friends. And Lune clearly cares for you. I care for you, and I can assure you Grant and Emil do too. Ollie loved you so much too. You've given so much to this world; you fought against the Vampire Queen not for the glory or recognition but for the hope of a better future."

Laura paused, as if measuring the impact of her next words. "You've earned the right to rest, Ambra, to search for that elusive 'what comes next.' You owe it to yourself."

Ambra looked up, her eyes meeting Laura's. "But how can I rest when I can't even look at myself? When I hate what I've become so much? I've tried so hard, so so hard to remain positive at all times. I thought the world may still need a hero, but does it really?"

Laura reached across the table, taking Ambra's trembling hands into her own. "Listen, Ambra. You might have the eyes of a vampire, the fangs, the silver hair, but those don't define you. You are still the Hero who saved countless lives, who sacrificed her own humanity for the sake of others. And nothing can take that away, not even the things you despise about yourself."

A tear slipped down Ambra's cheek, cutting a path through the anguish that had settled on her face. "You really think so?"

Laura squeezed her hands reassuringly. "I know so. We haven't known each other for incredibly long, but I've known about you for a long time, just without a name. And I also know that you'll find a way to navigate through this darkness. Because if the Hero who saved the world from the Vampire Queen can't, then who can? You're a human who stood up and fought when nobody else would. When countries retreated, you marched forward."

Ambra's eyes held Laura's, and in that moment, a shard of the burden she'd been carrying seemed to lift. The words were a balm on wounds she had thought were inescapable, and although she knew that her struggle was far from over, the feeling that she wasn't alone gave her a fragile sense of hope.

"Thank you, Laura," Ambra said softly, her voice thick with emotion. "Thank you for reminding me that even heroes need to hear that they're not alone."

Laura smiled gently, letting go of Ambra's hands. "We all need to be reminded of that sometimes. Now, let's try to get some sleep, shall we? Tomorrow is another day, and who knows? It might be the day you start to find those elusive answers."

Just as Ambra was beginning to think about leaving the library, a knock at the door interrupted the heavy silence that had settled in the room. The door creaked open and Lune's head popped in with a curious expression. The icy, stoic protector was nowhere to be seen; instead, she seemed oddly awkward, her eyes shifting around the room.

"Ah, Laura. Ambra," Lune greeted, walking into the room. "I didn't expect to find both of you here. A maid told me I might find Ambra here, Sorry if I'm interrupting something."

Ambra noticed that Lune seemed to be hiding something behind her back. Her fingers were tightly wrapped around an object, but neither she nor Laura made any effort to point it out.

"Not at all, but I thought you were going to step out and come back later tonight," Ambra said, her curiosity getting the better of her. "What were you up to?"

"Ah, well, you know... just some errands," Lune replied, failing to meet Ambra's eyes as she attempted to dodge the question. It was uncharacteristically poor evasion for someone who usually held herself with an air of untouchable coolness.

Laura, sensing the shift in Lune's demeanor and perhaps wanting to spare her further awkwardness, chimed in. "Why don't you take Ambra to bed? She did mention she was feeling quite tired."

Ambra shot Laura a puzzled glance, not recalling when she'd made such a statement, but Lune eagerly seized the opportunity. "Yes, absolutely, we should definitely go to bed," she said, a hint of uncharacteristic enthusiasm in her voice.

"Alright, then," Ambra agreed, still a bit confused but touched by Lune's strange yet endearing behavior. She turned back to Laura. "Thank you, Laura, for everything. Have a good night, and don't stay up too late reading."

Laura grinned. "I make no promises, but thank you. Sleep well, Ambra."

As Ambra and Lune left the library, Lune's steps seemed lighter, almost excited. The awkwardness had melted away, replaced by a kind of muted eagerness. It was a small and subtle change, but it made Ambra smile.

What a strange, emotionally fraught night, she thought. But for the first time in a long while, she felt a glimmer of something that she hadn't felt in ages—hope. The weight of her own identity, her own struggles, seemed a little less burdensome, if only for the night.

As they entered their shared room, Lune finally revealed what she'd been hiding—a small, beautifully crafted wooden box.

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