Dawn had yet to break, and a thin mist still shrouded the outskirts of Red Tide City.
When Louis opened his eyes, faint morning light lay quietly across the ceiling.
He had not slept particularly well. The strange noises the Brood Hive had made before it burned down still echoed through his mind.
He closed his eyes, but could not dispel his unease and agitation.
The Red Tide Fief was safe now, but "now" had never meant "the future."
He turned his head slightly, his gaze settling on the girl beside him.
Emily slept peacefully, her long azure hair spilling like water across the snow-white pillowcase. Her lashes trembled faintly, and a delicate blush colored her cheeks.
She seemed to be lingering in the afterglow of last night.
Her hand clutched a corner of his nightclothes, as though she depended on him even in her dreams and refused to let go.
"Did I try a little too hard last night?" Louis gave a wry chuckle.
After all, whether for love, duty, or political reasons, the Red Tide Fief urgently needed a "symbol."
An heir to reassure the nobles, soldiers, commoners... everyone.
Yet he, the lord of the fief, could not even sleep peacefully.
He reached out gently, carefully easing Emily's fingers off his clothes without disturbing her dreams. Then he quietly sat up and dressed.
His right hand shifted, his fingertips tracing the air.
With a faint, resonant hum, a translucent screen slowly unfolded before his eyes. Its blue-and-white interface hovered in the air like a sheet of ice.
He drew a deep breath, his gaze turning clear and calm in an instant.
It was as though he had suddenly gone from husband and lover back to the young lord navigating battlefields and crises.
"Come on... what news will today