The snowfall that began early in the morning gradually blanketed Ferdinand by noon.
Kaon, who had left the training grounds earlier than most, soon found himself faced with a layer of freshly fallen snow. While the entrances of each estate were neatly arranged, the gardens were covered entirely in pristine white.
Leisurely, Kaon took his steps. The sensation of sinking into the soft snow was worth enduring the cold.
“Koda! Why are you there?”
At that moment, a frantic voice was heard from afar. Running for his life and gasping for breath, someone was rushing towards Kaon with a fervent energy.
“Koda.”
“Woof! Woof!”
Recognizing the newcomer, Kaon chuckled and crouched down. The little puppy, Koda, bounded over the snow-covered ground, leaping onto Kaon’s knees. His pants, once clean, were quickly dirtied by snow and mud, but Kaon paid it no mind.
“You don’t have to run so much; I’ll hold you.”
With a small laugh, Kaon lifted Koda into his arms. The fluffy pink belly was covered in snowflakes from his romp. After brushing them off, Koda wagged his tail happily, licking Kaon’s face. The moist feeling against his cheeks was familiar.
“Young Master!”
“Were you looking for this troublemaker?”
“Yes. I was just about to tie him up, and then this little rascal decided to run off. Ah, how fast this little one can be!”
A soldier who arrived shortly after explained the situation, catching his breath.
Koda used to roam freely around the entire castle until Kaon found out about Alessia’s fear of dogs. Since then, his movements had been restricted. It seemed he was aware of Alessia’s schedule, always ready to be leashed during her outdoor outings.
“You’ve been through a lot.”
All because of that swindler. Kaon omitted the latter part, gently stroking Koda’s chubby pink belly.
Ever since their argument a few weeks ago, Kaon had been ignoring Alessia. In fact, Alessia seemed just as uninterested in him, so both parties ignored each other. But Kaon firmly believed that his will was slightly stronger.
Even now, Alessia seemed unusually calm, as if she would have preferred it this way from the beginning.
“You’ve grown a year older too, Koda.”
“Woof!”
Kaon laughed again as Koda responded, seemingly understanding the conversation.
As much as Kaon wanted to bring Koda inside and cuddle him, it was impossible. Koda enjoyed his outdoor adventures, and, more importantly, Alessia was afraid of dogs.
‘…That wasn’t a lie, was it?’
At the sudden thought, Kaon’s expression darkened. The image of Alessia, who had been so startled and breathless upon seeing Koda, still lingered in his mind. If even that was a lie, he feared he wouldn’t be able to trust Alessia, or anyone else for that matter.
“Woof!”
At that moment, Koda, who had been calmly nestled in Kaon’s arms, began wagging his tail vigorously. Not only that, but he also squirmed as if asking to be let down.
“Why is Koda suddenly…”
“Miss Alessia! Hello!”
As Kaon, trying to soothe the panting Koda, hesitated, the soldier’s cheerful voice rang out from behind. Due to the unexpected delay, Alessia had apparently finished her training and came downstairs later than expected.
“Hello, Bill! Recently it’s been snowing a lot. You guys must have had a tough time clearing all of it.”
“We’ll do our best because it’s our duty! Your concern gives us great strength, Miss.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Oh, Kaon is here too.”
As much as she would have liked to ignore him and move on, since there was a soldier present, Alessia decided to greet him first, which she hadn’t been doing before.
“Oh, um, it seems your training is over now.”
“Uh-huh. Have you had your meal? If not, shall we go to the dining hall together?”
Saying such things when there was a person in front of her.
Kaon inwardly grumbled but turned his back slightly to prevent Koda from entering Alessia’s field of vision. This might also be a lie, but just in case it wasn’t, it was a precautionary action.
Alessia Ingelos might be despicable, and he had no intention of trusting her again, but he didn’t want to see that terrified face again.
“I have something to attend to at the moment.”
Would she start another fight, or complain again? Kaon quickly left the scene. Meanwhile, oblivious Koda’s tail wagged busily.
***
“Maurice, can I really go? I feel like everyone would be uncomfortable.”
“Of course not, Miss. How could that be? I assure you, everyone will be thrilled. If you grace the sacred gathering to welcome the new year, there will be no greater honor than that.”
On their way back to the mansion after the inspection, as usual, Maurice was cheerfully chatting away. It seemed like he wanted to invite Alessia to the annual gathering of the knights when the new year arrived.
“Tch, what honor.”
Grinning, Kaon, who was listening to their conversation from a distance, couldn’t understand why they would want to invite a mage, and a fake one at that, to the gathering of knights. Of course, Maurice was completely clueless about what she had done.
“It’s an honor… Well, then I’ll stop by for a moment. After all, everyone gathers at the knight’s building, right?”
“Yes, exactly. You won’t be disappointed, I’m sure. Actually, I’m quite friendly with the head chef. If you knew how much effort he puts into the knights’ gathering, you’d surely be surprised, Miss.”
The grand feast prepared for the knights’ gathering was because Ferdinand would generously distribute food to everyone, including the relatively poor residents, and enjoy the festivals held in the city when the new year arrived.
So Maurice packaged it up like that, emphasizing how much more attention they had to pay in a mansion that hosts a lord. He truly had a remarkable skill.
“I’m looking forward to it. Maurice seems to know how to charm people.”
Charm people? As if that’s some kind of magic.
Kaon almost automatically mocked everything now. He found it ironic that Alessia was so generous with her praises to anyone but him.
“So my head is merely a decoration, but you’ll say that Maurice is good at charming people? Why not just say my mouth developed an extra talent.”
The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed. Why did Alessia have such a sharp tongue only towards him, while being so pleasant to everyone else?
He even knew Alessia’s weaknesses, not to mention those of the Ingelos family. If he was going to do that, she should at least treat him better in the future, but that fake mage did as she pleased, without rhyme or reason.
Of course, he didn’t hold all the cards; Alessia also knew his secret, but… no matter what, seeing her so sweet in public while being so cruel in private left a bitter taste in his mouth.
“Oh, dear. If Kaon hears this, he’ll be jealous. Handsome men have many sins, but please don’t make me a sinner.”
“Haha, Kaon? He wouldn’t do that.”
“A man’s heart is known only to himself. Oh, perhaps Kaon is glaring at me right now? I feel an unusual aura directed at me.”
Did he have eyes on the back of his head? In fact, Kaon, who was indeed glaring at Maurice, grimaced. What nonsense about a man’s heart, he was getting fed up. Maybe it would be better to just get rid of a man who attached himself to such things.
Alessia, who was confidently asserting that it wouldn’t happen, also annoyed him. Of course, there was no reason to be jealous of Maurice. Even because of Alessia? That would never happen.
It was just irritating how casual they seemed to be, even talking about strange things. When they were alone, he would call him “Kaon Ferdinand” or just “Hey,” her voice dripping with coldness, but in front of others, she would affectionately call him “Kaon” like before, and that annoyed him.
As he swallowed the various reasons for irritation, Kaon eventually sighed.
“How did it come to this?”
He was barely a year older, yet he felt like he had aged several years. The cause was obviously Alessia. Just thinking about that unpleasant swindler messed up his mind.
The dilemma of whether to reveal Alessia’s true identity or not wasn’t a concern. He had discarded that dilemma long ago. After all, after the truth came out, it would be more painful for Ferdinand than any problem the two families might face together.
So, the dilemma that had tormented him for the past few weeks wasn’t that, but rather his relationship with Alessia.
He and Alessia might have drifted apart, but they were still destined to live together for the rest of their lives, or at least until they reached adulthood.
There were still two years until adulthood, and pretending someone doesn’t exist was easier said than done.
Yet, apologizing without doing anything wrong was strange, and in any case, it was a headache in many ways.
Cough.
Just as he was once again sinking into the swamp of his dilemma, a small cough echoed distinctly in his ears.
“Oh, Miss. Are you feeling unwell?”
“No, Maurice. I think it’s just a little cold. Once we’re in the mansion, I’ll be fine once my body warms up.”
Alessia smiled as if nothing was wrong, but she seemed a bit strained.
‘…Do I really know her?’
Although her face looked a bit pale, Kaon pretended not to notice. She’ll figure it out herself, he’ll keep his distance. As if casting a spell on himself.
🍉🍉🍉
Kaon: I hate her! She’s so pretentious!
Alessia: *lets out the tiniest cough*
Kaon: *immediately concerned*
sigh. you guys are so frustrating (and cute) (≖_≖ )
