episode_0035

The Eternal Snow Garden.

Located within the northern fortress, it was a vast garden that never melted, hence its name.

A symbol of the fortress, a place of pride.

Naturally, it was off-limits to outsiders, only allowing entry to guests who had received the official ‘invitation’ from the Winterfell Ducal family, the ruling family of the fortress.

Considered a sacred space by the Winterfell Ducal family, entering without proper invitation could lead to severe consequences.

Strict security was a given.

Step by step.

Currently, I was heading there.

As the invitee of a woman who had waited for me in the guesthouse only to leave a note and depart, I walked with ease.

Not even the guards accompanied me.

There was no need for it.

Swift and resolute.

That was my mindset towards her challenge.

“By the way, why is the lady of the house acting this way?”

For someone who clearly expressed [sincere remorse] in the original work, freedom should be granted.

That was why.

Dreaming of self-reflection, of an ugly villain daring to become a member of the Ducal family.

So, she let go of all her dreams and quietly left.

It was sincere.

The character Elden was a villain, after all.

“And there was also a description that she would never obsess over revenge.”

Well.

I understand that the deviation from the original work was due to the spectator’s withdrawal, but taking away my peaceful night is something I cannot tolerate.

No matter how noble the Duchess may be, as an official withdrawer who did not violate the rules of the Engagement Tournament and even though she may have declined, she has no right to disturb the night of a superior nobleman, a Viscount.

Even if she declined, showing her face at the Engagement Tournament is just a matter of basic courtesy.

Staying at the fortress was just a temporary retreat for a culinary journey.

If she interferes with that, then I have no reason to keep up with courtesy.

Anyway.

Right now, I was just walking to fulfill the minimum courtesy for the challenge.

A woman who was ignored after confessing her love in repentance flew an invitation to the Eternal Snow Garden, also known as the forbidden area of repentance.

Rather than escalating the situation with repeated ignorance, it was better to respond appropriately as a civilized person.

So.

“Have you arrived?”

I reached the entrance of the Eternal Snow Garden.

It was tightly woven with thick bushes, indicating that it was not a place to be taken lightly.

The interior was not visible at all.

The surroundings were so quiet that even if a person died, no one would know, creating a somewhat eerie atmosphere.

Gaelwood, who was standing at the entrance, nodded his head in greeting.

It was strange that he was standing there instead of the guards, but to me, it was actually a good thing.

I smiled and approached him.

“The Duchess has invited me to the Eternal Snow Garden.”

“Yes. She is waiting for you.”

“But why would she invite a withdrawer like me to the forbidden sanctuary?”

At my natural question, Gaelwood coughed and turned his head slightly.

He seemed somewhat frustrated by the actions of the Engagement Tournament protagonist.

Just yesterday, he had cheered me on with a gentle smile.

Perhaps it was due to visible anxiety.

Excessive attachment that deviates from the essence always leads to trouble.

Ignoring a note once could be tolerated, but any further actions could disrupt the sacred festival of the Engagement Tournament.

Especially in today’s second evaluation match, she had committed acts that should not have been done to the victor, Kyle.

Throwing the emblem of the great Winterfell Ducal family on the ground and destroying it was a serious offense that would have led to immediate imprisonment if it had been done by anyone other than her.

“Hmm… I don’t know either. I just received instructions from Master Kong.”

“Is that so.”

“Then please go ahead.”

Gaelwood entered the entrance of the garden.

I was left behind, standing there absentmindedly.

Soon, Gaelwood turned around and had a puzzled expression.

“…Aren’t you coming?”

Instead of answering, I gave him a faint smile.

**

As the dark evening sunset faded away, and the dim darkness of early night approached.

In the perennial garden preparing for a long night, Lemyang, wearing a white fox mask, stood there.

“Ha….”

I let out a deep sigh.

But instead of calming down, the turmoil inside me only spread like a wildfire meeting the wind.

Unable to bear it, I immediately stormed into Elden’s villa.

“Milady, you must not…!”

Ignoring Gaelwood’s objections, I barged in.

It was a foolish act.

Despite enduring the embarrassment and confessing my feelings, Elden, calmly chewing on fruit, clearly indicated a ‘rejection.’

“How dare… reject the confession of a lady?”

I thought it was an irresistible temptation.

I thought it was an undeniable solution.

Therefore, I confidently asserted that I would succeed.

But the insurmountable temptation only piled up, and the situation, which was supposed to be resolved, was becoming more complicated and unsolvable.

I resisted.

I, who had guaranteed victory, appeared truly inadequate and pathetic.

So much so that my body trembled with shame.

My insides twisted with humiliation.

The repeated failures with her, who had never encountered a problem she couldn’t solve, brought unbearable despair.

My mind was exhausted, and my body was breaking down.

If she, who never knew how to give up, wanted to give up, how could I not?

It was difficult to think rationally.

I kept being swayed by emotions, and impulsive actions followed as my patience ran out.

And eventually.

“Milady… I know it’s out of line, but your recent actions were inappropriate.”

I heard Gaelwood’s reprimand.

Breaking the promise to give the victor a generous score, I threw the pattern Kyle brought on the floor in a fit of anger.

I had no words, even if I had ten mouths.

Because the wrong action was right.

But I couldn’t guarantee that I would make a better choice if the same situation repeated.

When I saw Elden, my blood boiled.

It was an irresistible surge, and if I could go back in time, I felt like I would run to him and slap him in the face.

“Annoying. Disgusting. Infuriating-!”

Thud!

Lemyang, standing alone on the wooden bridge, stomped his foot loudly.

Sigh.

The snow piled on the railing began to melt.

“Or, could the main premise be wrong?”

A hypothesis with no apparent answer.

Was the absolute premise that Elden’s change was a lie wrong, making it impossible to see a solution?

Could it be that his change was true?

“No way-!”

That couldn’t be true!

It’s too late for that now!

Thud!

Lemyang rolled his foot nervously again.

He didn’t want to consider the possibility that the main premise was wrong.

All the attempts he had made so far had failed, and all the plans he had to make in the future would go awry.

He hoped that the main premise was not wrong.

Or.

“Does he know my true identity?”

He found out his true identity as Elysia Velocim and predicted that a revenge drama would unfold, then withdrew.

It was a plausible hypothesis, but his attitude was consistently calm.

That was too much.

There was no sense of crisis in Elden, who seemed to be enjoying his stay in the palace, to the point of appearing naive, making the hypothesis of proving his innocence not very likely.

“Sigh…”

In the end, no answer could be found through mere contemplation.

To unravel him, one must speak the truth.

Even if it meant revealing one’s true self.

Due to the chilly weather, Remyang’s long sigh turned into a white mist as it floated away.

That was when it happened.

Soft footsteps from behind.

Adjusting his posture to untangle himself, Elden turned around.

“Your Highness.”

“….”

Something sounded off.

It wasn’t the footsteps of two people, but one.

And the sound was unmistakably recognizable.

“What… Why are you alone?”

“Oh, that.”

The stone bridge in the perennial garden.

Only Gelwood had arrived there.

Approaching cautiously, Gelwood handed over a note.

“Elden Master gave this to me at the entrance and then left. He tried to persuade me, but he said this was his best effort.”

“This… is your best effort?”

“I apologize, but that’s what he said.”

Remyang received the note.

What could be written on it that would be considered his best effort?

Rip.

Remyang tore open the note like tearing off a bandage.

And began to read.

“I apologize for replying with a note like this. I hope you can understand that this is my best effort.”

…Apologize?

“I heard that you waited at the annex. I should have known, but I was delayed in training.”

Of course.

He was training peacefully…!

“Through Gelwood, I received Your Highness’s kind feelings. I am grateful for your excessive support to a humble person like me.”

…Grateful?

But you lost in the second evaluation?

“However, I am a resigner who humbly gives up the opportunity for a marriage with Your Highness through self-reflection.”

I see…!

I get it!

So why did you give up?

“Now I dream of change. It’s a long time coming, but I want to become a new person by riding the favorable wind and wandering the kingdom.”

Oh, don’t be ridiculous!

You think you can hide your true feelings?!

“Therefore, I respectfully return Your Highness’s precious feelings in this letter.”

What…?

So… are you officially rejecting my confession…?

“I appreciate your kindness, but it seems I cannot accept Your Highness’s love.”

Wait a minute…!

The confession was just a means to send you to the front lines…!

It wasn’t sincere!

Why would I like someone like you…!

“I wanted to meet you in person and convey this message, but as you know, I am a resigner and do not want to cause unnecessary harm to other candidates, so I am relaying it through Gelwood. Please forgive me.”

No…!

Since when did you care about causing harm to others?

You even enjoyed causing harm to others!

“So please, kindly accept my feelings.”

Don’t delude yourself!

I never had feelings for you in the first place…!

“I am afraid.”

What…?

Suddenly?

“If a ‘resigner’ were to be revealed to have a ‘designated partner’ in the sacred marriage tournament, it could tarnish a long-standing tradition. Even Your Highness would not want that.”

A designated partner?!

Are you seriously deluding yourself just because you received one confession note?!

You’re nothing special!

“So, I hope you have a peaceful night.”

Sh-sh-shiver!

“Resigner, Elden Raphaelion”

Remyang’s hand holding the letter began to tremble violently.

Once again.

Once more.

Elden, the snake bastard, smoothly slipped out of the net.

It was a snake bastard that was hard to catch, making the anger rise even more, as it wagged its tail and ran away.

Nevertheless.

There was nothing to do but stare at it, driving oneself crazy.

The contents of the carefully written letter left no room for rebuttal.

It was a letter that only spoke the truth, without a single mistake or loophole to catch or tail to hold onto.

Just.

“Unfair! It’s unfair!”

He felt unjust as if he truly believed in his confession.

Not knowing that he almost vomited at the comfort of the note, he felt unjust as he wondered if he would boast, “I, a man who rejected the confession of the Grand Duchess.”

Thud!

“Gr-Great, Grand Duchess?!”

Remyang, who had come down from the stepping stone, started running, lifting the hem of her skirt.

There was only one thing she wanted to correct.

But…

“Elden-!”

The entrance to the garden was filled with empty darkness.

Elden’s figure was not even visible in the shadows.

“Haah! Haah!”

It was frustrating.

It was unfair.

The helplessness of being dragged around by him, unable to do anything, was bringing an unerasable shame.

He was clearly the one who had the upper hand at the beginning.

But at some point, he had been stripped of the upper hand, and the reality of just following behind him was frustrating to the point of despair.

Where.

Where did it all go wrong?

Why was the victim clinging to the perpetrator like this?

It was incomprehensible.

In the end, all she could do was.

Rip!

Rip!

Tearing the letter to shreds.

Into pieces, so they could never be put back together.

Like tearing apart his heart, Remyang had to tear the letter until it turned to dust.

“Gr… Grand Duchess…?”

Rip!

Rip!

*

At the same moment.

Elden, who was leisurely returning to the annex, looked up at the sky.

Shoosh-!

Just then, a shooting star appeared, leaving a long tail as it flew by.

“Oh-! A shooting star-!!”

Elden cheerfully exclaimed, immediately clasping his hands together to make a wish.