Five years.

It had been five years since Mel Medarda had left Piltover. After the war. After her mother's passing. She'd returned to Noxus because they had no one but Ambessa Medarda and Mel would never be her, ever. But she was all the people of this nation had.

She was thirty-two when she'd left, now thirty-seven. She didn't feel that old. She felt young and lost more often than not.

Some of the people who worked close to Ambessa - not that there were many - helped her. She was acquaintances with the captains and generals of the Noxus army, and some of the close trading partners. Other than that, there were the cleaners, cooks and servants of the great building Ambessa had lived in and ruled in, the one Mel had grown up in with Kino and Mother. She'd insisted she could take care of herself but they'd insisted they liked their jobs.

One of the cooks, in particular. There was one, a man who would personally bring her meals instead of having a servant bring them over. He brought her breakfast in bed when she requested and stayed to chat a while longer while she ate her lunch. Always carefully and delicately prepared. She could tell he cared for her, more so than the rest of them did. And goodness, was she lonely, after nearly six years without Jayce or anyone. Thirty-seven and lonely.