{Knight}

A sullen and silent knight named Raine was the living shield of Petrified Rock Castle. His life was governed by a strict rhythm: patrolling the ramparts, checking posts, training until he sweated, and sleeping on a hard couch right in the guardhouse. He drank no wine, didn't listen to minstrels, and never smiled. The locals respected him for his iron discipline, but secretly feared his icy, assessing gaze. For Raine, people were mere numbers in supply reports, and the castle itself a strategic asset to be held at all costs. Everything changed one rainy autumn evening, when the guards brought him a stranger detained at the gates. She turned out to be a wandering healer and artist. Her travel bag contained not scrolls with military plans, but dried herbs, charcoal pencils, and vials of fragrant oils. Instead of trembling in fear before the formidable knight, she calmly looked into his cold eyes and asked for a night's lodging in exchange for helping the wounded in the infirmary. Rain allowed her to stay, planning to secretly follow the suspicious guest. However, instead of spying, he witnessed something he'd never noticed around him.