---
The Queen of Silence's parting words haunted them long after her misty form vanished into the night.
"Find me, if you can — before the silence takes you too."
Her voice clung to the edges of Kazuto's mind, even as the dawn broke, washing the sky in gentle pinks and golds. The village behind them was quiet but not empty, its people slowly remembering fragments of affection—tentative smiles exchanged between shopkeepers, an elderly couple holding hands for the first time in years. It wasn't a perfect ending, but it was a start.
The road ahead felt heavier.
"Do you think she wants to be found?" Kazuto asked, walking beside Reina. The princess hadn't spoken much since the encounter, her eyes fixed on the horizon.
"Everyone wants to be found," Haruto said from behind them, balancing on a low stone wall, his lute slung across his back. "Even those who pretend they don't."
Reina's hand brushed the edge of her cloak, where her Heartstone—still cracked—rested against her skin. It flickered, softer now, less jagged. The crack hadn't vanished, but it was no longer spreading.
"She's afraid," Reina said quietly. "Like me."
Kazuto glanced at her. Even now, Reina's strength radiated from her—shoulders squared, stride confident, sword within easy reach—but there was vulnerability there, too, peeking out from behind her scowl.
"Then we find her," Kazuto said, his voice surprisingly steady. "And we show her she's not alone."
The words came easily, though they left his face burning. He expected Reina to roll her eyes or snap back, but she didn't. Instead, she gave him a look—half annoyance, half something softer—and nodded.
"Let's finish this."
---
They found the Queen of Silence at the heart of the Forgotten Citadel, where love stories went to die.
The citadel was a cathedral of broken romance, its stone walls carved with the names of lost lovers. The air shimmered with memories—faded echoes of stolen kisses, whispered promises, and vows never kept. Heartstone fragments littered the ground like autumn leaves, catching the dim light filtering through shattered stained glass windows.
At the far end of the hall, the Queen of Silence stood, her silver gown pooling around her feet like liquid sorrow. Her Heartstone, cracked nearly to the core, pulsed faintly at her chest.
"You came," she said softly. "Even knowing what I am."
Kazuto swallowed hard. "You're not just the Queen of Silence."
"No." Her fingers traced the edges of her Heartstone. "I was once the Queen of Song. I sang for lovers at every royal wedding. I blessed each Heartstone with a melody unique to its bearer. Until—"
Her voice faltered. Her hand curled into a fist over her chest.
"Until my own Heartstone shattered," she finished. "And I could no longer hear my own song."
The silence was suffocating.
Reina stepped forward, sword at her side. "Breaking everyone else's Heartstones won't fix yours."
The queen's smile was sharp and brittle. "It's not about fixing mine, Princess. It's about making sure no one else feels this pain. If love doesn't exist, no one can lose it."
Kazuto's Charm of Miscommunication stirred, words bubbling up before he could stop them.
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard."
The silence broke, replaced by Haruto's wheezing laughter.
Kazuto's face burned. "I didn't mean—what I meant was—love isn't something you can erase! Even if you break every Heartstone, people will still fall for each other. They'll still mess up, misunderstand each other, fight, and forgive. Love isn't perfect, and that's exactly why it's worth it."
Reina's Heartstone flickered, the crack pulsing faintly.
The queen's eyes narrowed, but there was something fragile in her expression—something vulnerable beneath the anger.
"Love is pain," the queen said. "Every time you open your heart, you invite heartbreak."
Kazuto took a step forward. "Yeah. But love is also awkward, and embarrassing, and ridiculous. And sometimes, it's someone accidentally proposing to you in front of an entire royal court."
Reina made a choking noise beside him.
"And sometimes," Kazuto continued, his voice softer, "it's someone who's been hurt before deciding to try again. Even if it's terrifying."
Reina's fingers brushed her Heartstone. The crack shimmered, but for the first time, it didn't seem so deep.
"Love's a mess," Kazuto finished. "But some messes are worth keeping."
Reina's breath caught. She glanced at Kazuto, her cheeks flushed, and for once, she didn't correct him.
The Queen of Silence's expression flickered—conflict, longing, fear. The swirling storm of Heartstone fragments around her slowed, trembling in the air.
"You believe that," the queen said quietly. "Even after everything you've seen."
Kazuto's Charm stirred again, but this time, the words weren't awkward or exaggerated.
"I do."
The air shifted. The Heartstone storm collapsed, shards drifting to the ground like snow. The queen staggered, her fingers trembling against her chest.
"I don't remember how to believe," she whispered.
"You don't have to do it alone," Reina said, her voice unexpectedly soft. "No one should."
The queen's cracked Heartstone pulsed faintly, a single note rising from within it—a ghost of the song she once carried. It was thin, fragile—but it was there.
Kazuto reached out his hand. "Come back with us."
The queen's fingers hovered over his, trembling.
Then, at the last moment, she stepped back, her form dissolving into mist once more.
"Not yet," she said. "But maybe… someday."
The mist curled around them, warm rather than cold, and when it faded, the Heartstone fragments on the ground had vanished. In their place, wildflowers bloomed—soft pink, like the first blush of love.
Reina exhaled, tension draining from her shoulders. "Is it over?"
Haruto grinned. "Not quite."
From behind them, the doors burst open, and King Yukishiro stumbled in, flanked by half the royal court and an overly enthusiastic wedding planner.
"My daughter!" the king bellowed. "My future son-in-law! You've saved Aishihara and proven your love! The wedding shall be glorious!"
Kazuto froze. "Wait, what?"
"We're not—" Reina started, her face scarlet.
"—getting married!" Kazuto finished, voice cracking.
The Charm of Miscommunication chose that exact moment to activate.
"I will pledge my heart, my life, and my embarrassing poetry to you forever, my beloved princess!"
The hall exploded into cheers.
Reina drew her sword, eyes blazing. "I will end you."
Haruto slung an arm around Kazuto's shoulders. "Inevitable weddings aside, you two are the greatest love story this kingdom's ever seen."
"We're not—!" Reina tried again.
Haruto's Heartstone flared. "But you do think about him when you're trying to sleep."
Reina's sword flashed. Haruto barely dodged, cackling as he bolted down the hall.
Kazuto, red-faced and breathless, looked at Reina. "So… are we?"
Reina's glare could have melted steel. "We'll talk about it."
But her Heartstone, still cracked, glowed warmer than before.
---
Kazuto never found his way back to his world. Somehow, he didn't mind.
King Yukishiro appointed him Royal Ambassador of Love, an entirely new title with absolutely no job description beyond "spreading awkward romance and happy endings across Aishihara."
With Reina at his side (mostly to keep him from causing too much trouble), and Haruto occasionally tagging along to provide unsolicited commentary, Kazuto found himself tangled in endless misunderstandings, impromptu love declarations, and at least three accidental engagements.
It was messy.
It was embarrassing.
It was love.
And somehow, Kazuto wouldn't have it any other way.
---
THE END
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