I'm glad Lerunda's there for Gaius. 🙏
And I'm doubly glad Gaius's perspective is not warped by the pain of his father's death: he's clear enough to see that Lerunda is not at fault for any of this. Heck, nobody aside from Lan even knows she's the true Miko and the prince and his guards do not know her name. She might be the Miko but she's also completely innocent from whatever the hell the humans are doing.
Lerunda and Gaius now see each other as equal partners. I love this.
They now share a dream for the future. It is a sad and painful time, but it is also an important turning point in their lives that I hope they'll carry forward into adulthood. I would love it if Gaius can also become at least nearly as strong as she is, given her potential magic power as the Miko. I kinda remember Lan saying that the Miko can appoint "knights" so maybe she can lend him some power or bestow some kind of powerful blessing on him as a kind of guardian.
