She looks at the scars on her arms, subconsciously sliding her hand over them as she feels the groove of each of them, her mind a jumble of what caused the scars. Some are almost gone, while some look as if they're still fresh even though she has given up her title as the general almost two years ago. She has to accept the fact that she'll forever be reminded of her past for as long as her scars are there, no matter how she has gained the ability to see colours or how she is now about to step up as queen in Lucida.

Today is the day she will finally take the throne alongside her husband, stepping on the pedestal that a black blood like her would never dream of. Her childish idea of revenge is slowly turning to reality, but there's no person that she can say 'look at me now' to, as their absence is the very reason she's even had the chance to wear the crown.

She is sat down in front of the mirror; the maids have fitted her into the ceremonial outfit made especially for her, and is now touching her face up with make-up, making her eyelashes curl more, her round eyes to pop out more and her lips to curve more. She has had enough rest; thanks to Yunho who keeps insisting she needs all the rest she can get before being crowned as queen, and thanks to Seonghwa who keeps singing lullabies to her for her to sleep soundly at night.

Instinctively she looks around for her husband, but of course he's not here. He's in another room, most likely being fussed over just like she is. He's probably being suited into his ceremonial suit, similar to hers.

After her hair is brushed, her makeup is done and the jewellery is put in place, she stands up, taking one last look of herself in the stand mirror. What she sees is a woman full of scars, who looks like she's only playing dress up to hide her true self, not a supposed queen the people need.

I'm not Emira. I can never be like her.

She looks at her reflection; their ceremonial outfits are made up of two main colours: silver and red. The long, silver train of her gown extends until she can't see the end of it, pretty sure that she might even embarrass herself if she steps on it; she has to make sure that they have a good hold on her gown when they walk on the carpet leading to the throne. The red sash slung across her body is their statement for today; a statement to show that these two are the people who will lead the kingdom. The Lucida emblem is carefully placed on the sash, showing that there is no way they could run away from the fact that despite their background, they will now only serve Lucida. Despite knowing that she's not ashamed of her scars, she had specifically asked for a long-sleeved dress to make sure that the people attending the ceremony won't point them out.

She needs to act like a queen, but what difference does it make when she doesn't know how to act?

"Akira."

She turns to look at the doorway, seeing the newly appointed general - although not officially yet - standing there, looking smart in his own ceremonial uniform. Yunho has slicked his hair back, the badges he had obtained during his years as a trusted member of the army displayed proudly on his chest, and another one coming up after the ceremony. A silver belt is secured around his waist, the uniform neatly buttoned up. He gives a salute to her, but she waves it away, saying that it's not necessary.

"I'll have to address you properly now, Your Majesty," he emphasizes with a smile on his face. "I can't simply waltz in and call you 'Akira' now, can I?"

"You can call me by whatever you've called me as in the past," she tuts. "Nothing's changed."

"I really wish it wouldn't." He puts out his pinky finger, and she looks at him with a raised eyebrow. "Promise me that you wouldn't change no matter if you took up the throne." There's a flicker of thought as he utters, "Please don't turn like Emira."

She presses her lips together, which feels so heavy and thick with lipstick, reluctantly linking her pinky finger with Yunho's. "I promise. I promise that nothing will change, that it's still the same. I won't change."

"I'm proud of you, my best friend," he says, almost ruffling her hair but pulls back his hand quickly when she glares at him. "Right, sorry. Big day for you, not going to touch that hair."

"I almost fell asleep while waiting for them to touch up my hair and make up," she whispers, eyes darting towards the maids who are patiently waiting by the side, lining up with their heads down.

"You have to get used to it, Your Majesty," he replies. "As there are special events you will have people helping you to get ready..."

"I get it, I get it. Now," she breathes as she turns Yunho around before lightly pushing his back with her palms. "The ceremony is starting."

"Those from Nyla are already here," he says before he forgets. "Saw them among the crowd, somehow they managed to get the front row."

"Really?" she chuckles, heart blooming to be able to see familiar faces for a ceremony as huge as this. "I'll make sure to look out for them."

"Your Majesty," he reminds her. "Eyes on the throne and nowhere else. That's where you're heading." He shrugs, "Or else you might trip on your own clothes and I'll be the one laughing first."

She throws daggers at him, which makes him clamp his lips. "Is this how a general is supposed to be acting like?" she says, a joking tone underneath.

"I have deeply sinned, Your Majesty," he says with the same energy as Akira. "Please grant me your forgiveness."

"Off with the head," she says under her breath, which makes both of them slightly chuckle, something that they're so used to hearing when they were kids - one of the worst kinds of punishments the monarchy has on their people besides sending them to prison.

"It's your day, Akira," he says. "And although Emira is not here, I know that she's proud of you to see that you decided to take on the throne after her."

She looks down, her gown feeling heavy as her heart is as she grips the material. "She's-"

"She's looking at you with the biggest smile on her face from up there," he cuts her off. "Now, this is not the time to be sobbing." He lightly touches her shoulder, gripping it after. "It's your time to get what you deserve."

With Yunho by her side and the row of maids helping her to carry her dress train, she walks slowly but gracefully, as much as she was forced to learn before this day, throwing away the crude walk she has whenever she's on the battlefield. Although not perfect, she's trying her best as she walks out through the palace entrance, into the carriage where Seonghwa is waiting, looking as handsome as ever in his own attire.

Seonghwa smiles and Yunho salutes to him too, before the latter closes the door to their carriage. The former turns to Akira, giving a brief kiss to her temple as the carriage sets off, starting the day-long ceremony where they'll be transported around town, showing their faces to the people before they'll return to the palace. The people trailing behind them will witness the couple take their place on the throne, the one in charge placing the crowns on their heads as their duties are read to them.

It has been a tradition for as long as they can remember, and it is time for the two to continue with it.

Without realizing it, Akira finds Seonghwa's hand, gripping it lightly but they remain quiet. The silence is something that calms them along with the sound of the wheels turning, bringing them to town where all the people are waiting. As soon as they can see the crowd of people waiting at the edge of town, they can already hear the cheers and the applause, welcoming them with open arms. The whole town is decorated with banners praising them, congratulating them in becoming king and queen of the kingdom.

They try to look for the faces of those from Nyla but they still can't point them out, with all the people crowding around their carriage, although controlled by a part of the guards trailing and protecting the carriage, led by Yunho. Their faces are a blur but Akira only sees them as people who have accepted her, not those who used to hate her for being the heartless general. Not those who would wish death upon her anymore, but only those who want to see her flourish as the queen of the kingdom.

Everything feels so surreal to her.

Smiling and proud faces. It's as if she's trying hard to pick out any of the people who would want to oppose her, anyone who would wish bad luck upon her from the crowd, but finds none. It does seem like those who come to witness their coronation are those who were a part of the movement which favoured Akira to be their queen.

Her thoughts fly back to just a day after they had arrived in Lucida, where Jongho had handed her over what seemed like an important document sealed with wax. She was sitting alone in what is now the queen's office, Seonghwa out somewhere in the garden trying to plant his delentines again.

"What's this?" she asked, its contents unassuming.

"Open it up and see for yourself," Jongho uttered.

She didn't waste any time as she peeled off the wax seal, her eyes immediately catching the contents on what the whole document was about. She was made to understand that they were the list of people who agreed to let her take on the throne in Lucida, despite how her previous position used to be the general of the Lucida army or how her blood colour is black. There she saw the names and identification numbers of the people who had agreed to it, giving their signatures and pledging their trust in her. She saw a long list of names that even when she kept turning the pages, there were more. She didn't read until the end, still not believing her eyes.

"You might not believe it," he said. "But the ministers had declared a state of emergency in the whole kingdom, and this required the presence of a ruler. It had been quite a while since they gathered the signatures from the people; the majority had agreed for you to become their ruler."

"The majority as in..."

"95% of the whole population of Lucida," he offered. "95% agreed for you to take the throne. The other 4% was unsure, yet neutral to your appointment. They didn't sign the document, but agreed that what Lucida needs is a ruler, no matter who."

"The other 1% opposed," she concluded.

"Well, as I like to put it," he interjected, "they just had yet to open their hearts to accept you as their ruler. They refused to sign, but not all of them stated their reasons so."

"What about you?" she countered. "Which percentage are you a part of?"

He linked his hands in front, eyes on the document. "Maybe if you'd flip a little further you'll see my name and signature." There's a softness prominent in his eyes, despite his unsmiling face. "I may not have fully forgiven you for killing my father, but I trust that you have changed. You're more..." there's a slight curve on the corner of his lips, "sympathetic. So I trust you'll be a fair ruler, just what Lucida needs."

When Jongho was about to turn around to leave the office, she stopped him. "Jongho."

He turned around, face inquisitive but unable to guess what she's about to tell him. He tilted his head, prompting her to speak.

"I kept thinking about this and... I think that you're the best candidate to work as my correspondent between the palace and the people. You understand both sides, and it's- it'd be nice to have people that I know around me. If Seonghwa trusts you a lot, I know that I can trust you."

He blinked, fully unexpected for the offer of a job right there and then. "You're offering me a job in the palace?"

"Only if you want to," she quickly refuted. "I know that your lifelong dream was to be a musician, but I only thought that you have this knack for this kind of job." She tried to smile before she stood up, slightly causing him to step back, as if scared. "I'm- I don't have full confidence in myself to rule this kingdom, so it'd be nice to have someone like you around me, someone that I know and can trust."

His body relaxed as he heard her confession about not being fully confident to rule a kingdom. He couldn't deny how the hard feelings he had towards her would not be gone just like that, but he had witnessed how she had changed from the general she used to be, her emotions easier to read as compared to then.

"If Your Majesty's wish is to have me as your correspondent, I will not deny it. Your wish is my command," he said this with a sincere smile. He bowed before excusing himself, but before he closed the door he had uttered, "I don't know how it'll be like on top of the hierarchy, but I trust that you're fully capable of it. If you could lead an army, you can lead a kingdom."

He shut the door, and for once Akira felt the burden being lifted off her shoulders.

Her mind swims out of the encounter she had with Jongho, to find her eyes travelling to the banners placed all around town. Her and Seonghwa's portraits are everywhere, and she finds it like an otherworldly experience to have people looking up to her sincerely, and not because they're scared of her. She wants to think of what the reason is for them being so accepting of her besides from the fact that they're desperate, but her mind forces her to close that thought. What matters is now that they have accepted her as their ruler, and she must do her very best to have Lucida standing proud on its own once more.

Ceremonious music is blasted through town, accompanying their carriage as the people continue with their cheers, a celebration long overdue. Her heart feels strange, like she's sitting on a cloud looking down below, the people looking at her with eyes that express admiration instead of fear. She feels like she's slowly being accepted back into her own kingdom, the very place she was told that she does indeed have royal blood coursing through her veins.

The carriage does its obligatory round in town, covering every possible route through the main place for social activities before it makes its way back to the place and finally stops in front of the majestic arched entrance of the palace. This is the place where they will alight the carriage, walking on the carpet rolled out for them, towards the throne that has been moved to the top of the steps right in front of the main doors of the palace to accommodate the ceremony. The throne is placed under a shade, creating a temporary pedestal for the two rulers.

The weather is perfect for a day like this; the sun barely showing but the weather warm enough. No signs that rain will fall. They see that with today's event, the people are allowed to enter the palace compound, waiting on the sidelines as they are about to witness the enthronement of the couple.

"This is more nerve-wracking than getting married," Seonghwa utters in a joking tone, but his voice is slightly shaky.

She's in the same state, but she shoots back. "You were the same when we were getting married. You were shaking badly when you were putting the ring on me." She puts up her hand, showing him the gem-encrusted wedding ring. "But you said we're in this together."

"Caught me right there," he replies, and he offers her arm to her. "Shall we, my queen?"

She wants to point out how her toes are curling from hearing him say that, but instead she nods with a simple smile on her face, accepting her arm. They step out of the carriage, and the maids who are ready outside the carriage quickly attend to her dress train, picking it up to make sure that it's carefully arranged before she's supposed to start walking.

Everyone is already in place, even Yunho who has taken his spot near the throne, his duty to stand on guard in case anyone decides to interfere with the event. His sword is dutifully on his side, sheathed and ready to be wielded in case there's a need to. There's a somewhat bittersweet feeling seeing Akira preparing to start walking towards the throne alongside Seonghwa.

Yunho's reminded of the day of Emira's enthronement, the teenager forced to become queen at a young age after the loss of her parents. On that day, the whole kingdom was still grieving after the loss of their rulers, so the day was a sad one for them, not something to celebrate. They witnessed the young princess walking to the throne with tears in her eyes, sitting alone as she was crowned.

He watches as the signal for the two new rulers to start walking resonates throughout the compound, Akira and Seonghwa walking arm in arm. His heart clenches at the sight, seeing how bright their faces are.

Emira, your little sister is queen now. This was your wish, but what did we have to lose for you to see the wish coming true?

Then he looks at Akira's face, a sad smile making its way to his face.

Now that I've looked at her longer, you two do have similarities. How could we be so blind to not notice it?

Yunho's attention is stolen when he sees some people who seem to be more excited than the others. His first instinct is to have his hand fly to his sword, but he chuckles when he realizes who they are.

The young masters of Nyla have indeed kept their promise to stand in the first row of the audience, cheering the loudest as Akira and Seonghwa come closer to where they are.

"That's my brother!" Wooyoung shouts, waving his arms in the air, doing some kind of embarrassing dance, with Mingi on his side copying him. "Not my real brother but I still love him the same!"

Yeosang, San and Hongjoong are slowly facepalming, distancing themselves from the two who are definitely the other ones under the spotlight. Meanwhile, Seonghwa tries to control his expression as he gives off a painful smile but his eyes are shooting daggers at Wooyoung and Mingi. He tries to tell them they're being a tad bit embarrassing for him, but fails to do so as they keep on shouting and cheering.

Some of the guards are already preparing to attend to them, but Yunho gives a signal to them to stop advancing. "They're not a threat, only an excited bunch of friends. It's fine, you may retreat."

They quickly nod following Yunho's orders before returning to their original positions. They return their attention to the future king and queen, who are already halfway to the throne.

Seonghwa feels Akira's grip around his arm tightening the closer they get, but both their eyes are kept straight forward, on the seat that will be theirs in a matter of a few minutes.

After the long journey which felt like it lasted for hours, they arrive in front of the throne before they turn to face the crowd. The crowd is silenced, waiting for the moment they will take a seat.

Both of them glance at each other, and Seonghwa gives a reassuring smile to her as they finally take their place. With them sitting on the throne, horns are blared and Jongho takes place beside them to read them their duties before they are crowned.

This time around, all of the young masters give him a whoop of cheer as Jongho clears his throat to read the document out loud. All throughout the session, Akira and Seonghwa focus on the words although they already know their duties beforehand. It seems like a different experience to hear their future responsibilities being read out loud, in front of thousands of people.

This makes them realize how there's no turning back.

After Jongho has finished reminding them of their duties, he bows and steps back to give the palace staff who are now responsible to crown the rulers. Because there's no previous ruler to hand over the crown to them as per tradition, the crowning ceremony will only be done by the appointed staff. The crowd falls silent again as the crowns are lifted up from the red velvet pillows.

The crowns are shining with expensive encrusted gems, and Akira gets flashbacks to when Emira was bearing the same crown. She promises in her heart that she'll do her best so as long as the crown belongs to her. She feels the weight of the crown placed on her carefully.

Akira... remember that one who bears the crown, wears the crown. Things won't be easy for you from now on, Yunho had told her.

Has my life ever been easy? Has our lives ever been easy? she had replied.

As soon as the crown has fully rested on her head, she looks to the side to see Seonghwa with the crown, before her eyes travel to Yunho too. She can't read what he's feeling right now, as he's not smiling... but he doesn't look mad either. Worried?

Jongho clears his throat before stepping up again, hands clasped behind before announcing, "I hereby declare Your Majesties, King Park Seonghwa and Queen Akira Hwang, as the official rulers of Lucida. The people of Lucida pledge our loyalty to both of you."

Their agreement echoes throughout the kingdom as Akira and Seonghwa stay seated on the thrones, the crowns fitted perfectly on them.

All hail the king and queen of Lucida.