As he cupped the rain-soaked young starling in his hand, the rapid flutter of its tiny heart beat against his palm.
He gently pressed the cooling little bird against his cheek and pulled his hood farther forward.
The girl silently watched him before asking in a voice filled with an indescribable longing,
"That bird... can it survive?"
"...Yes."
Realizing that his own voice lacked conviction, Varkas added firmly,
"It will survive."
A faint smile slowly spread across the anxious girl's face.
It was an incredibly bright smile, and somehow unbearably sad.
A moment later, she turned and began running away.
As she disappeared into the distance, colors spread across the landscape like watercolor paint dissolving into wet paper.
While he stood there blankly watching the scene, Bernadette's voice echoed through his mind.
"Someday, the day will come when you discover something that truly keeps you alive."
Impossible.
It had been nothing more than a fleeting encounter.
His life could not possibly change simply because he had crossed paths for a moment with a nameless little girl.
Varkas soon turned around and began walking away.
The little bird she had entrusted to him let out a weak cry.
He parted his collar, pressed the bird close against the warmth at the base of his neck, and lengthened his stride.
The road he had walked hundreds of times suddenly felt like an entirely different place.
A strange wave of dizziness swept over him.
He looked up at the few rays of light filtering through the gray clouds before quietly lowering his eyelids.
* * *
Heavy footsteps forced their way into his hazy consciousness.
Varkas, who had been catching up on lost sleep while sitting in a chair, slowly opened his eyes.
He heard voices bustling beyond the rain-soaked command tent, and a moment later a black-haired young man clad in golden armor pushed aside the curtain and strode inside.
"Is it true that you proposed the peace talks?"
The Crown Prince ripped off his orichalcum helmet and hurled it onto the floor as he shouted furiously.
Picking up the goblet resting on the makeshift table, Varkas replied in an indifferent tone.
"I merely made the suggestion. His Majesty the Emperor is the one who actually decided to pursue the negotiations."
"That's the same thing!"
The Crown Prince strode toward him, his bright green eyes blazing.
"Negotiating with traitors... have you lost your mind? Every last one of those who raised their banners against the Imperial Family should be hanged!"
"Do you honestly believe executing every noble in the North is realistic?"
After taking a sip of wine, Varkas let out a weary sigh.
"Let's say we slaughter every Valto noble just as Your Highness wishes. How exactly do you intend to govern that vast northern territory afterward?"
"I'll reward my closest supporters with it! Or divide it among the conservative nobles! There are plenty of nobles drooling at the thought of acquiring even another patch of land..."
"The people of Valto would never accept lords from another people."
Replying with growing irritation as he rubbed his forehead, he watched the enraged Crown Prince's expression turn icy.
Patiently, he continued his explanation.
"The North is also Imperial territory. If we do not end this war now, the damage will inevitably return to the Imperial Family. More importantly, excessive retaliation could provoke resentment among the Imperial vassals."
"Including you?"
The Crown Prince sneered, his eyes glittering.
Varkas said nothing.
He silently looked at his younger cousin, whose maturity seemed never to have grown despite the passing years, before slowly rising to his feet.
As he headed toward the entrance of the tent, Gareth stepped in front of him and blocked his way.
"You act as though you're thinking of the Imperial Family, but the truth is you just want this war to end for your own sake. Do you think I don't know why you refused the position of Supreme Commander and keep lingering near the eastern frontier?"
Gareth's heated breath brushed unpleasantly against his chin.
Leaning in until their faces were only inches apart, Gareth ground out through clenched teeth,
"So you can keep slipping back to Kalmor whenever you get the chance."
"..."
"You think you're the only one who understands me. But I know you too. I've been watching you for nearly twenty years."
The Crown Prince's green eyes darkened until they were almost deep emerald.
Although their personalities could not have been more different, whenever Gareth looked at him like this, he always reminded Varkas of the late Empress.
Gareth spat out his next words.
"Did you really think I wouldn't notice that your heart has been somewhere else this whole time? Even these negotiations—you only pushed for them because they were convenient for you!"