Ch.34Snow Before It Falls (5)

After that, the only conversation I had with the Duke was about the black mage.

The fact that the appearance of this black mage would heighten the Empire’s vigilance,

And that black mages might continue to appear in the future.

Of course, I had already been thinking about that myself, and with the Extinction appearing in a few years, it was obviously something we needed to prepare for.

“Be careful at this hunting festival.”

The Duke mentioned that one of the five great houses likely had connections to the black mage.

He said that the appearance of a black mage in the Empire wasn’t because they had been hiding their power.

Rather, it was more likely that some house had been turning a blind eye to their existence—which seemed quite plausible.

The black mage who had brought the Empire to the brink of destruction.

How could they not have searched for such a force just because 30 years had passed?

However, since no house related to the Extinction appeared in the original story, I could only leave it as speculation.

What bothered me was the Duke’s parting words: “Be careful at the hunting festival.”

Was there something concerning about this hunting festival?

I asked him about it, but the Duke simply told me to be careful without giving any specific details.

What I know is only about events after Aileen becomes the head of the Yuris family. I’ll probably only understand what he meant when the hunting festival arrives.

I turned my head briefly to look at the Duke’s already closed office door.

Still dark, with a gloomy color.

Even the space beyond that black-painted door was dark, somehow making my mood sink.

I wondered what it felt like to be someone who voluntarily lived in the shadows.

I still hadn’t decided what to say to him—a man who chose nobility over being a father.

I couldn’t understand why the name “Iron Blood” was so important that he would constrain himself so much,

Or why it was a name worth protecting even while abandoning his only blood relative and confining himself to the shadows.

But I could understand his heart well enough.

The fact that he didn’t want Aileen’s downfall truly resonated with me.

I passed through the creaking corridor, walked past windows that let in not a single ray of light, and reached the stairs leading down to the second floor.

As if all the previous darkness had been a lie, everything suddenly brightened.

The pure white sunlight felt dazzlingly bright, making me blink as I looked at the scenery beyond the window.

Densely growing birch trees, trees said to grow only in the north, were blocking the sunlight that would have reached the Duke’s room I had just left.

…I wonder if someday, that light will reach the Duke.

It seemed unlikely, but it was something I wanted to achieve. At least before he died.

#

A cold breath touches me.

Whenever the sky brought the north wind, everyone would curl up from the piercing chill in their chests.

Looking up with a face turned bright red from the cold that neither thick clothes nor fur-lined cloaks could keep at bay.

That’s what winter was like.

Despite the painful cold it brought to people, the solitude of its scenery was so beautiful.

The bare trees without a single leaf, the frozen ground turned black,

The small sprout emerging from land where everything had withered and no greenery could be found.

It had a way of making people endlessly emotional.

Things that could only be felt in winter.

Warm tea that thaws a cold body, the fragrance of fruit eaten under blankets that cover the body,

The pure white snow that occasionally falls from the sky—aren’t these things that can only be seen in just one of the four seasons of the year?

The wind touching my cheeks had moisture in it. Moisture not yet fully frozen.

After feeling the wind heading toward the sky for a moment, I turned my head.

There was no particular reason why I came to the garden instead of going straight to Aileen.

I just came out. Somehow drawn by the scenery I saw while looking out the window.

Perhaps my body was naturally drawn to this place for no special reason.

Maybe I just wanted to step on these fallen leaves.

When that rustling sound reaches my ears, my mind becomes calm.

The fallen leaves lose their shape and crumble under my feet, and broken twigs roll to the side.

When I first came here, it was summer, but now the sky was calling for snow.

The first snow—the thought that this was the first snow I’d see in this world made my eyes narrow.

Before, I didn’t place much significance on the first snow. Why were my emotions deepening like this today?

I thought about how well I’d been doing.

When I first met Aileen, I was flustered by the position of knight escort and anxious about when I might be dismissed.

Now the appointment ceremony was just around the corner. I guess my social awareness wasn’t so bad after all.

Someday I might have to leave this world.

When I return to a world filled with bleak concrete from this medieval life I’ve grown accustomed to,

Will I have accomplished all the future I’m currently envisioning?

Rofena, Sir Chris, Lize, Aileen. Though they were few connections, I now know they’re bonds I can’t easily abandon.

A stranger belonging to two worlds. Could I leave this world without them?

Suddenly, the wind brushed against my cheek, and my gaze followed it.

And where that gaze landed.

I smiled slightly at the woman standing there.

“My lady.”

When I spoke to Aileen, who was wearing her usual black dress,

She turned her head toward me upon hearing my voice.

I wondered if she had been in the garden.

Having walked from the opposite direction of where I started, the current situation of meeting exactly in the center of the garden seemed amusing.

“Did you meet with Father?”

“Yes, I just left him.”

Aileen looked me over once, then sighed softly and moved her lips.

I could see her eyes wavering unmistakably, so I stared at her blankly.

Did she have something to say?

“…Do you dislike the position of knight escort?”

At those words, I momentarily opened my mouth slightly.

I thought she might have something to say, but I didn’t expect it to be this.

I pondered briefly why she would think I disliked being a knight escort, but nothing clear came to mind.

“What makes you think that, my lady?”

“…I worry that I might be imposing on you. With your accomplishments, you could easily be promoted to knight commander. I wondered if my asking you to remain as my escort has been burdensome…”

“If you ask if it’s burdensome, of course it is.”

When I answered that way, Aileen bit her lip as she looked at me.

The anxiety spreading in her blue eyes grew. I knew what she feared.

Remembering what the Duke had said, I shrugged slightly and continued.

“I’m still not sure if I’m worthy of being by your side, my lady. I’m still inexperienced and lacking.”

Someone to lean on emotionally. That’s what the Duke wanted in a knight escort.

Someone who could open Aileen’s closed heart, someone she could lean on emotionally.

Could I say that the Aileen now was different from when I first met her?

I had my doubts. Though the Duke had asked this of me, could I really open Aileen’s heart as he said?

Her eyes weren’t as cold as when we first met,

And her words weren’t as sharp as when I first heard them. But that was all.

She still rarely smiled, and her expression still darkened when looking at others in the Duke’s residence.

She often collapsed into sleep at dawn, exhausted from work.

Even if she had changed, if asked whether she was happy, could I answer yes?

The weight on my shoulders grew heavier as time passed.

What started as a simple thought to prevent tragedy had now snowballed to the point where the Duke asked me to remain as her knight escort.

I could have abandoned this responsibility and left for somewhere else.

With my power, I might have been able to evade the knights’ pursuit and find a way back to my original world.

But I couldn’t help but laugh at the impossibility of that now.

It might have been possible at first, but how could I just leave now?

I smiled faintly at her response to what I had said.

“…That’s not true.”

When I meet those blue eyes looking at me.

When I face those sparkling eyes that resemble the Duke’s but still contain emotion, my heart wavers like this.

As her calm voice reached my ears, I gazed at her steadily.

It bothered me that she wasn’t wearing a cloak despite the cold weather.

How could she come out like this when the wind was so chilly?

As I wrapped my cloak around her body, Aileen flinched and placed her hand on my arm.

“Evan, I’m fine—”

“I’m not fine.”

I looked briefly at Aileen as she hesitated and tried to pull away from me, then wrapped the cloak around her body.

Though not thick, it could at least block the cold wind.

I wouldn’t feel the cold anyway if I used mana.

After adjusting the cloak, Aileen stared at me intently. Perhaps she wanted to hear the rest of what I was saying earlier.

However, the answer was already as good as decided.

“It’s burdensome, and honestly, I’m not sure if I’m doing a good job as a knight escort, or if I’m even worthy of standing by your side.”

“……”

“So, I look forward to your continued guidance.”

When I said that and slightly bowed my head, Aileen’s eyes widened.

Her pupils dilated with surprise and confusion. I smiled faintly as I looked at her, then turned my gaze toward the sky.

“You asked if I dislike the position of knight escort, right?”

“…Yes.”

“I like it. Very much.”

I couldn’t deny that it was an attractive position.

The benefits given to me simply for being her knight escort were overflowing.

Though the responsibility was great, the rewards were equally substantial.

“Is that so.”

Aileen looked at me for a while, then followed my gaze to look at the empty sky.

The gray-white sky reflected in her blue eyes.

As if snow could fall at any moment, the white sparkling space where light shattered—what was she thinking as she looked at it?

All I knew was that the anxiety in her eyes had disappeared.

I wasn’t sure what I meant to her,

But if she wasn’t anxious when I was by her side, that was enough for now.

Her lips, which usually formed a horizontal line, moved to create an arc.

“…I’m glad.”

I was surprised by that smile I had never seen before, by the gentleness it brought.

When those lips, always a beautiful crimson, curved gracefully.

When her blue eyes no longer contained coldness and shone brilliantly.

I stared blankly at Aileen, amazed that she could smile so beautifully.

Snow begins to fall.

White petals falling from the sky, landing on the desolate trees and beginning to bloom splendidly.

The garden turning white—this pure white verdure that could only be seen in winter.

Yet my gaze remained fixed on Aileen.

Like a moth following only the brightest light, my gaze followed only her.

I looked at her with the small wish that the smile that had disappeared in an instant might continue a little longer.

I had always thought she was beautiful, but seeing her smile like this made it feel completely new.

Those blue eyes, that snow-white skin, those blood-red lips.

They looked as beautiful as if crafted by a sculptor. Remembering what I had said before, I murmured absently.

“…You granted my wish.”

When Aileen looked at me at those words, I thought her snow-white cheeks had turned red.

Perhaps she was embarrassed at being caught smiling. But her appearance just seemed new to me.

I had hoped she would smile brightly at least once, but I never thought it would happen like this.

My sunken mood felt like it was floating again.

The sky I saw when I opened my eyes this morning had seemed merely cloudy, but now with the snow falling, it looked quite beautiful.

After looking at the sky for a moment, Aileen, who had been watching the snow melting on the ground, slowly opened her mouth.

“It’s your birthday.”

Is that so.

Hearing those words, laughter burst out involuntarily.

Since a full day hadn’t passed yet, today was still my birthday.

The fact that she was still mindful of that made my chest feel ticklish somehow.

My birthday, which no one else had cared about—Aileen’s gesture of remembering and granting even that trivial wish.

It seemed to engrave itself more intensely in my heart than anything else I had seen in my life.

I used to think it strange that people cherished the first snow so much.

Just like rain falling, snow is just frozen moisture from the sky, isn’t it?

I thought there was nothing special about it.

But now, watching the first snow fall, I felt a tingling sensation in my chest.

My birthday. The day I met people who remembered and celebrated my birthday for the first time.

The day marking exactly half a year since meeting Aileen, and the day she smiled brightly for the first time.

Though each might seem trivial when considered separately, those small things felt more precious to me than anything else.

After glancing at the now calm Aileen, I looked up at the sky where snow was falling.

I closed my eyes gently.

Recalling the memory that people make wishes when the first snow falls.

Next year, and the year after that.

I silently wished that I could remain by her side.