“Julion, what’s wrong? You don’t look good.”
I set down my fork and examined Julion’s complexion.
He stammered out a reply, his face still stiff.
“Mt…Hale. Why there…”
Julion’s golden eyes wavered uneasily.
His appearance was like that of an abandoned puppy. I was confused.
“Why? If you’re busy preparing for the ceremony, I can go alone for a bit. Or is there another reason…… Julion?”
Before I could finish, Julion abruptly stood up. With a contorted face, he urgently exclaimed,
“You can’t go alone!”
“…No, if you’re busy, I understand.”
“Even if I’m dying from being busy, I will never let you go alone. Never!”
It was almost like a desperate cry.
In surprise, I looked at Julion and asked,
“Okay. I’ll go with you. But why are you so worked up?”
Julion didn’t answer.
Instead, he bit his lower lip, covered his eyes with one hand, and sighed as if in pain.
After a moment, a quiet voice escaped Julion’s lips.
“To me, Hale Mountain is where I lost you.”
Only then did I realize the source of Julion’s anxiety.
Trauma.
Unless Julion is a fool, he must now logically know I won’t leave anymore.
However, simply facing something related to the painful past was enough to bring back those emotions.
‘It’s because of me.’
I could see Julion’s fingertips trembling.
Inexplicable guilt weighed heavily on my shoulders.
Nothing I could do would change what had already happened. However, I still had the power to shape the future.
I carefully placed my hand over Julion’s hand on the table. I sensed a slight tremble in his hands.
“I’m sorry, Julion.”
As I firmly held Julion’s hand, he looked up at me again.
The golden eyes that sparkled moments ago now have an indelible shadow.
“Please don’t apologize. If I hear your apology, I feel as if you will vanish into thin air.”
“…Ah, I’m sorry about that too. No, that’s not it.”
Julion’s expression darkened even more. Perhaps he was exerting all his strength to chase away the memories and emotions from when I left.
That was the thing about trauma. There was no visible illness, nor was there a miraculous cure. It’s just mental anguish that one has to overcome by themselves.
I stood up and approached Julion. His steady gaze followed me slowly.
“Well… what can I do to help?”
I faced Julion and took both of his hands in mine.
Julion, calmly giving me his hands, looked like a big puppy, which made me chuckle softly.
“I won’t leave you anymore. Not when we go to Mt. Hale, not when we come back. I’ll keep holding your hand like this.”
Julion’s breathing was uneven. But it seemed to calm down little by little.
I held onto Julion’s collar, not averting his gaze.
There was a momentary confusion in Julion’s eyes, but he didn’t stop me. I gently pulled Julion closer and stood on tiptoes.
“……!”
The sweet scent of Julion and the soft sensation on my lips. After a quick and light kiss on his cheek, I stepped back.
Julion looked incredulous, touching his cheek where I had just kissed.
“W-what… right now, Rohiriel, I mean…”
“Why are you so surprised?”
Julion’s face flushed as red as a ripe tomato.
I don’t know why he was so shocked when I kissed him more intimately the last time.
His reaction is just adorable.
Smiling, I approached Julion again and put my arms around his shoulders.
“You seem a bit calmer now. Should we do it again?”
Julion’s eyes widened, and the redness traveled to his ears. In a different sense, it seems he’s getting worked up again, but at least his eyes are shining now, so I think it was a success.
It was meant as a playful tease, so I tried to step back at this point.
But suddenly, Julion’s hand firmly gripped my waist.
“Well, that one time is certainly not enough.”
“…Huh?”
“Ten times. No, let’s keep going.”
“Um, wait…”
I couldn’t say anything more.
Julion’s mischievous expression filled my view.
ִֶָ 𓂃˖˳·˖ ִֶָ ⋆★⋆ ִֶָ˖·˳˖𓂃 ִֶָ
Late winter, before spring fully awakens.
The last vigorous gusts of wind had created a dazzling spectacle on Mt. Hale.
“Wow, this place never fails to impress.”
The chilly air brushing against my nose felt refreshing.
The winter scent penetrated deep into my lungs, invigorating my senses.
The sky was blindingly clear and sparkling white.
“Be careful, Rohiriel. There’s a lot of snow.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve missed this snow-covered scenery so much.”
The last time I was here, it was summer, so I didn’t see this scenery.
While Mt. Hale is stunning in the summer, its unique beauty may be more apparent in the winter.
Excitedly, I quickened my pace.
I heard Julion’s worried voice from behind, but this place was almost like my own backyard.
In the distance, I could even see the villa where Mother used to stay.
Seeing the smoke rising from the chimney, it seems the person I’m looking for is inside the house.
“Who exactly lives here that you need to meet before the coronation?”
“You’ll probably recognize them when you see their faces.”
“So it’s not someone I’m well acquainted with, then.”
“Well, technically, yes.”
Even if they weren’t close, he probably knew them to some extent.
Julion asked a few more times out of curiosity, but I responded with a small smile.
Snowflakes began falling from the sky again.
“I’m worried you might catch a cold.”
“It’s okay. By the way, it’s really beautiful…”
Julion unfolded an umbrella, which I didn’t notice him carrying.
It was a shame the sky was obscured, but it was starting to get chilly, so I quietly stuck close to Julion’s side.
“Rohiriel, you said you started treating when you were nine?”
“Yes, that’s right, you remembered that?”
Curious again, I asked Julion, and he smiled faintly with a contemplative look in his eyes.
“You said it, so how could I forget?”
Once again, without any warning, he blurted out some heart-pounding words.
Embarrassment was mine, so I coughed awkwardly to hide it.
Julion turned to look at me; our eyes met, and he chuckled again.
‘Oh, that laugh again.’
It’s that small smile that’s the problem.
The way one corner of his mouth lifted.
That warm, shimmering gaze.
His slightly crinkled eyes.
I was weak on that face.
As I tried to calm my pounding heart for no reason, Julion spoke.
“So, do you know what happened to the patients you treated when you were young?”
“Um…… yes? Oh, my patients. Some I know, some I don’t.”
“I see. Did you have any special experiences? Something unforgettable?”
I didn’t know why he suddenly asked about my childhood, but I answered sincerely.
“Of course there are. Plenty of them.”
“Have you ever treated a child?”
“Yes. My first patient was a child, too. After I treated him, I fell asleep for a bit, but he suddenly disappeared, so I don’t know what happened to him after that.”
“You mean the child who was buried in the snow?”
“That’s right. Actually, I’m not sure if the treatment was completely successful. It was my first time, so I was inexperienced in many ways.”
I had asked a servant who was there at the time to call for help and stayed by the child’s side.
But in my exhaustion, I briefly fell asleep, and when I woke up, the child was gone, vanished without a trace.
I tried searching for him later, but he had disappeared so mysteriously, remaining only as a memory.
As I thought about it, I stopped walking with a sudden sense of discomfort.
As I was lost in these thoughts, I suddenly felt a sense of unease and stopped in my tracks.
“Julion.”
“Was he your first patient?”
We spoke almost simultaneously.
Julion’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh, yes. He was my first patient. Thanks to that child, I decided to become a physician.”
“I see…….”
Julion’s expression was subtly complicated.
He averted his gaze slightly, swallowing hard, and it seemed like he was somehow embarrassed, though I couldn’t quite figure out why.
Uncertain about how to interpret the situation, I inquired.
“But did I really mention that my first patient was a child buried in the snow?”
I couldn’t recall saying such a thing, no matter how hard I tried to remember.
Or maybe I was so distraught over my mother that I misremembered.
Julion cleared his throat lightly and smiled knowingly.
“Well, I’m not really sure.”
“But earlier, you said you remembered everything I said.”
“Of course I remember everything.”
“So why are you unsure now?”
Julion’s smile deepened.
For some reason, his cheeks are a little flushed.
Whether it was due to the cold or some other reason, I continued to feel a strange discomfort.
I moved forward again, still unsure of what was bothering me. I didn’t think Julion was going to give me a straight answer.
“I don’t recall going into such detail…”
As I pondered, we had unexpectedly arrived at the villa’s front.
“We’re here.”
“Let’s talk about it later.”
The scent of savory soup filled the villa’s surroundings, as if someone were preparing food.
In addition to Julion and me, several knights, including Zenid, had come along, so surely someone inside would have noticed our arrival.
Yet, there was no response.
‘They must be on guard.’
Approaching closer, I knocked on the villa door.
Knock, knock, knock. The solid sound echoed, and soon the door slowly opened.
A petite, delicate girl, smaller than myself, emerged.
She had a lovely face resembling my nanny’s, with soft brown hair.
The sight of her familiar features made my heart ache for a moment.
At first, she looked at us warily, but soon recognized me and smiled brightly.
“Sister Rotty…!”
