The road back to the capital was long and dangerous, but for the first time since arriving in this world, Diana didn't feel lost. With Kael by her side, each step felt grounded in purpose. They traveled in disguise, hiding beneath cloaks, moving from village to village with the help of those loyal to Kael.
They were not just fugitives anymore — they were symbols of hope.
In a quiet valley along the journey, they stopped at a peaceful village for a few days. Spring was just beginning to bloom. The hills rolled with green, and wildflowers dotted the earth like scattered stars. It was there, under a cherry blossom tree, that Kael finally spoke the words Diana had been feeling for weeks.
"I don't know what world you came from, Diana," he said, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "but I thank the heavens every day that you landed in mine."
She looked up, startled — not by the words, but by the truth she already knew.
"I think I was sent here for a reason," she whispered. "Not just to fight Seraphina… but to find you."
He took her hands. "If we make it through this… will you stay?"
Diana hesitated, thinking of the mirror, the storm, the attic she might never return to. Then she smiled softly.
"I already have."
In the days that followed, their bond deepened. Diana no longer feared the future — or the past. She laughed freely, taught the villagers songs from her time, and helped Kael build defenses to protect them from bandits. Together, they were a force of nature: she brought vision, he brought strength.
But the shadow of Seraphina loomed ever closer.
News reached them of Seraphina's latest act: she had claimed Diana was a witch who bewitched General Kael and caused unrest in the kingdom. Posters with Diana's name appeared on city walls, marked with warnings and death sentences.
Kael burned one of them in the fire that night.
"She's panicking," he said. "She knows her lies are catching up to her."
Diana nodded. "It's time."
Before leaving the valley, Diana entrusted Mei's uncle, a scribe in the village, with the letters she'd taken from Seraphina's archives — proof of Seraphina's correspondence with enemy states. With multiple copies made and hidden, they had insurance.
Kael trained a small group of villagers, creating a path for their return to the capital — not with armies, but with truth.
"I'm not going back just to fight," Diana told them one evening. "I'm going to speak. To tell the king what Seraphina has done — and to remind him that power must protect the people, not destroy them."
The villagers bowed to her. In their eyes, she was no longer an outsider. She was their hope.
Their return to the capital was quiet and calculated.
With the help of loyal servants still hiding in the palace, Diana and Kael entered through the old servant tunnels at dawn. They moved through familiar halls cloaked in silence until they reached the court chambers.
There, before the king and nobles, Diana stepped out of the shadows.
Gasps filled the room.
"You were declared dead!" Seraphina shrieked, rising from her seat, her face pale with fury.
"I'm very much alive," Diana said, her voice calm but fierce. "And I have proof of your treason."
She handed the scrolls to the king's advisor. The room fell into stunned silence as the documents were read aloud — each word another nail in Seraphina's coffin.
Seraphina lunged toward her, screaming, but Kael stepped forward.
"Touch her," he said coldly, "and I will draw my sword before a hundred witnesses."
The king rose slowly, his eyes dark with rage.
"Lady Seraphina," he declared, "you are hereby stripped of your title and exiled from this kingdom. Let the people know your crimes — and let justice begin."
Seraphina's screams echoed as she was dragged away.
Diana stood tall, her heart pounding — not from fear, but triumph.
Afterward, the king called Diana and Kael forward.
"You risked everything for truth," he said. "And you brought light to a dark court. For that, I offer you what I can."
He turned to Diana. "Name your reward."
She looked at Kael, who was already looking at her — like she was his whole world.
"I don't want riches," she said. "I want freedom. A life of my own choosing."
The king smiled. "Then you shall have it."
Kael stepped forward, dropping to one knee.
"In that case," he said, "allow me to offer her mine."
Gasps and whispers filled the court.
Diana stared at him, stunned.
He took her hand gently. "Marry me, Diana. Not because we've faced danger. Not because I saved you. But because I love you — and I want to build a life by your side."
Tears filled her eyes. "Yes. A thousand times yes."