Chapter 9

That night, I stayed by my father's bedside and didn't look at the courtyard gate again.

If Luo Wenruo knew that he had missed the last time we would go home together, would he regret it?

This thought only lingered for a moment.

I have other things to do.

When Finn arrived, he brought with him the caravan's itinerary.

"Four days later, at dawn, at the western stables. Your luggage is already packed, and a seat in the carriage has been reserved for you."

He glanced at my injured hand.

"Mei has given you permission to travel, so let's set off."

"good."

"When we get to the seaside, I'll treat you to a good meal." He smiled. "There haven't been any hot meals like in the castle along the way."

I laughed too.

"Hot soup is enough."

After seeing Finn off, I returned to my father's bedside.

He was awake, holding my hand, his voice still weak.

"Don't stay just because he says a few nice words."

I tucked the blanket around him.

“Dad, I’m waiting for the caravan, not him.”

***

I stayed at home for the last few days.

My father's fever gradually subsided, and my mother made soup for him. I sat beside him and divided up the medicine that Mei had left behind.

Occasionally, when I look up, I see the gray hair at my father's temples and my mother's slightly squinted eyes as she threads a needle.

I used to think I had plenty of time.

When Rowan is less busy, he will come back to stay for a few days; when things with the wolf pack are less troublesome, he will pick up his bow again and go to see the other side of the mountains.

Four years have passed, and I've been arranging dates for him all along, while putting my own affairs off again and again.

Today, those records containing the routes and village names have been handed over to Irving.

My bow has already been loaded onto the vehicle heading to the seaside.

On the afternoon of the third day, Mei re-examined my wound.

"You can ride in a car, but you can't ride a horse, and you can't turn into a wolf and run. Once you get there, you still have to keep them."

I carefully wrote it down and put the medicine packet into my bag.

Rowan's message also arrived that afternoon.

He said Lydia had finally moved into the house on the south slope, and he would come to pick me up once he had settled her in. Sita had already had it renovated, and my table would be put back by the window.

After hearing this, I only asked the messenger to tell him:

"Come to the council chamber tonight. I have something important to say."

Afterwards, I tidied up the old room.

A few little things I treasured from my teenage years are still in the drawer. A hairband he gave me, an old brooch, and a short note that I can't bear to throw away.

My mother found me a wooden box.

I put the items in one by one and asked someone to send them back to the West Tower.

Then, I sat under the lamp and wrote a farewell letter.

When I used to write to Rowan, I would always read it over and over again, worried that some sentences would seem too intimate or not considerate enough.

This time, I didn't change it.

Rowan, I'm not waiting for you anymore.

"I was willing to give you my whole future. Now, I want it back."

At the end, I signed my name and sealed the letter.

***

Rowan didn't come that night.

The person who relayed his message stood at the entrance of the council chamber, looking somewhat troubled.

“Miss Lydia is still adjusting to her new place. Alpha said that she should take care of whatever needs to be done first, and he will listen to her when he returns tomorrow.”

I glanced at the empty chair.

Irving asked in a low voice, "Should we send someone else?"

"No."

My mother stood beside me. I turned to the people in the hall with whom I usually discussed matters and finished speaking what I had prepared.

I will no longer assume Luna's responsibilities.

The handover has been completed.

From this day forward, I will no longer be Rowan's partner.

Some people tried to persuade me to wait for him to come back.

I shook my head.

"I invited him over."

Before leaving the council chamber, I handed the letter to my servant and asked him to deliver it to Rowan.

Whether Rowan is willing to listen this time or not will not change my decision.

***

The next morning, my father saw me off at the gate of the courtyard.

He couldn't stand for long, so his mother supported him and repeatedly told me to take good care of his injured hand.

I hugged them, and tears still fell.

My father patted me on the back.

"Come back if you miss home. We'll always keep a room for you here."

"good."

Beside the western stables, the caravan was ready to depart.

Finn opened the car door for me. I held onto the car frame with my right hand and slowly sat down on the cushioned seat.

Clothes, maps, savings, and a bow were all in the car.

The road to the West Coast is long, but there I have a job and a place to stay prepared for me.

As the wheels began to turn, I took one last look at the castle.

The windows of the West Tower were still dark.

I lowered the curtain and didn't wait any longer.

***

It was almost noon when Rowan returned from the south slope.

Lydia was all settled in. He was finally able to find the time to pick up Clara.

Before returning, he specially asked the kitchen to prepare her favorite soup, thinking that he would have a meal with her first and then talk about the unpleasant things that had happened in the past few days.

She was genuinely angry this time.

But over the past four years, after each argument, they have always managed to return to their old ways.

Rowan pushed open the door to the West Tower.

The table by the window has been moved back, and the chairs have been put back in their original positions.

He took two steps inside, but suddenly stopped.

There was no map on the table.

The bow wasn't on the wall.

The bedside table was empty, and Clara's usual cloak was not on the clothes hook.

He knew she had moved the suitcase and that she was going to the beach.

But only at this moment did he realize that none of the things she left behind were things she would still use after she returned.

"What about her books?" he asked the maid who had followed him in. "Did she take them with her too?"

"Yes, Alpha."

The waitress placed a wooden box on the table.

"She brought this back from her parents' house."

Rowan opened the box.

A hairband, a brooch, and a few short notes that he himself had almost forgotten about.

All of these were things he had given away.

His hand froze on the edge of the box.

The letter that was delivered last night was still inside the cloak.

The servant said that Clara asked him to see for himself. He was having dinner with Lydia at the time, thinking that it would be better to coax her in person than to hear her angry through a letter.

Rowan abruptly took out the letter and tore open the seal.

His expression changed after reading only the beginning.

"Irving!"

The noise startled the people outside the door.

Irving arrived quickly.

Where is Clara?

"I left with the caravan this morning."

"Send men to go after her." Rowan gripped the letter tightly. "Bring Luna back."

Irving didn't move.

Rowan looked up.

"Didn't you hear me?"

"Alpha, last night she publicly resigned from her position as Luna and also announced the end of her partnership with you."

The room fell eerily quiet for a moment.

Rowan opened his mouth.

Irving looked at the letter in his hand and added the last sentence in a low voice.

"She didn't go out for a walk to clear her head."

"She has no intention of coming back."