As he walked, he realized that he had come much farther than expected.
“I might lose my way if I continue.”
Regrettably, it was time to turn back. However, at the edge of Louis’s gaze, he noticed colors other than the usual white landscape.
“Huh?”
Just when he had resigned himself to not finding any herbs, he spotted a small flower blooming at the cliff’s edge.
The flower had the same violet hue he had seen in books.
Louis’s eyes widened. His face brightened instantly.
“That’s it!”
Coincidentally, snow began to fall. Without hesitation, Louis hurried toward the herbs. His mind was focused on collecting them and returning quickly.
The assumption that there would be solid ground beneath the snow was the problem.
When he reached for the flower, the ground was already crumbling.
“Uh-oh?”
For a moment, he felt a dizzying sensation, and then his view changed rapidly.
And the first thing he felt was pain.
His leg burned as if it were on fire. When he looked down, he saw that his leg was twisted at an unnatural angle.
Fortunately, the injury seemed minor considering the fall, but he couldn’t spare a thought for that at the moment
The pain erupted, and a scream escaped.
“Ah! Is anyone there?”
His scream echoed throughout the entire mountain. Other than the distant sound of a bird flapping its wings, there was no other sign of life.
“…No.”
The thought of dying so senselessly in a place like this made his eyes well up with tears.
Louis had only wanted to be helpful to his father, who assisted others instead of buying medicine for himself.
Since childhood, he had heard countless tales of the treacherous snowy mountains.
And now, a momentary lapse in memory had led to this outcome.
Snow began to fall, obscuring even the sun hidden behind the clouds. At night, no matter how familiar one was with the terrain, moving recklessly was unwise, especially during a snowstorm.
The situation felt desperate. Understanding the hopelessness after assessing the circumstances was even more disheartening than sheer panic.
“Ugh…Ack.”
Hot tears streamed down his face.
But what good would it do? He was only hastening his own demise…
Plop.
Just when he felt that even the faintest sign of life had vanished, a small bird flew toward him. The bird landed on Louis’s shoulder.
“Huh?”
Unlike the other birds, this one had turquoise eyes.
“You’re…?”
Carol, who couldn’t even fully transform into a human, was perched there.
“Chirp.”
The bird tilted its head as if reproaching him and then pecked Louis’s cheek with its beak.
As if it were trying to say something. Louis responded defensively.
“I was trying to find herbs… the ones that help with Father’s cough…”
The herbs were long gone, lost in the fall.
“What a mess I’ve made.”
Carol pecked his cheek again, then spread its wings after a sigh.
“Chirp, chirp, chirp!”
The sparrow didn’t immediately fly away; instead, it chirped near his ear. Although Louis couldn’t understand the words, he could guess what the bird was trying to convey.
“Got it. I’ll wait.”
The reason it didn’t leave right away was probably to assure Louis that it wasn’t just an ordinary sparrow and that it would return with someone who could help.
The sparrow nodded once in response to Louis’s words and then took flight. Despite wobbling in the wind, it soon regained its strength and soared upward.
And that was the last memory Louis had.
Somewhere in between, he had heard voices like, “I found it! It’s here!” But after that, consciousness had slipped away completely.
When he finally regained awareness, several days had passed. As he turned his head, he saw the small sparrow nestled against the pillow, its face buried in the fabric, fast asleep.
“Father.”
Beside the bed lay his father, who had been napping.
His father’s eyes reddened as he woke up, relieved to see Louis.
“Thank goodness.”
Instead of scolding him, his father hugged Louis tightly.
After receiving a stern warning not to do something like this again, Louis managed to coax his father back to sleep. The room regained its quietude.
Carol, with its ruffled feathers, looked up at Louis. He cautiously reached out and gently touched the bird’s cheek, expressing his gratitude.
“…I’m a bit late with my thanks.”
“Chirp?”
“Thank you for saving me.”
“Chirp…!” (Annoying.)
While Louis was fortunate to have survived the fall, he hadn’t retrieved the herbs he intended to bring back for his father. He sighed bitterly, covering his face with both hands.
“Only causing trouble.”
He felt pathetic.
Spending several nights as a guest in this small house wasn’t ideal, but exhaustion weighed heavily on him. He buried his face in the blanket, contemplating leaving early the next morning.
However, fatigue overtook him once again, and he fell into a deep slumber.
“…It’s gone.”
When he woke up again, it wasn’t the small sparrow by the bedside but the herbs he had tried so hard to find on the mountain.
The joy of having the herbs was overshadowed by a strange sense of regret—more about the absence of the small, warm creature than gratitude for the herbs.
Carol hadn’t returned until it was time to leave.
Louis had expressed his gratitude, but he still wanted to see Carol one more time before departing.
An unexpected pang of longing surfaced.
“…That….Carol?”
“She went out with her siblings for a moment. Is there something you want to say?”
Seeing the couple’s troubled expressions, Louis quickly lowered his head.
“…It’s nothing.”
“Shall we go then?”
“Thank you for taking care of me.”
“I’m glad you’re feeling better.”
As if revealing a secret, Louis hurriedly climbed onto the carriage. His ears were burning.
Afterward, he learned the truth: the winter sparrow had suffered from a fever because of him.
From that moment on, Carol became a distinct presence within Louis.
****
“Do you still remember what happened back then?”
“Of course. It’s how we became friends.”
Louis blushed and mumbled, “Forget about it.”
Carol couldn’t contain her laughter at his embarrassment.
“Hehe.”
She covered her mouth, laughing.
Although her figure had become more robust, and her face more radiant, some things remained unchanged.
“Why are you laughing like that?”
“Because you scrunch up your nose when you’re embarrassed, just like before.”
“Is that so?”
“Ever since then, whenever you came to visit and our eyes met, you’d scrunch up your nose.”
“I remember.”
Louis scratched his nose. He had thought he approached her casually back then, but in reality, it was quite obvious.
Despite the initial awkwardness, discussing old memories quickly eased the tension.
Louis knew that Carol’s intentions were never malicious.
“I’m sorry. Our relationship hasn’t changed, but…I’ve been distant, haven’t I?”
“…?”
Carol scratched the back of her neck, apologizing for being colder than necessary all this time.
“Why didn’t you say anything? Were you hurt by it?”
Thud.
The carriage hit a rock, jolting them both.
As the carriage swayed, Carol’s body moved with it. Faster than Louis could check on himself, he reached out toward Carol, supporting her shoulder.
“Aah.”
“Be careful.”
“The evening roads feel rougher.”
His large, sturdy hand held Carol protectively in his arms.
The cold air mixed with the scent of winter, contrasting with the warmth of his hand that she felt distinctly.
Even after the carriage stabilized, Louis didn’t let go.
“Maybe it’s better this way?”
He gazed at her with a contemplative expression. They were so close that avoiding eye contact was impossible.
“…Huh?”
Perplexed by Louis’s cryptic words, Carol lowered her head.
“Being as warm and familiar as before is nice, but, Carol…”
“…?”
Her face flushed. It was the scent of an adult man mixed with winter.
“I…”
His hair brushed against her forehead. Before she could push his shoulder reflexively, he moved away, returning to his seat.
“I’m hungry.”
He changed the topic of conversation. Whatever he had wanted to say remained unspoken. Carol peeked out through the curtain, looking outside.
She swallowed, her throat parched.
****
Louis had actually planned to confess today.
Even if it wasn’t love yet, he was confident he could persuade Carol. He believed he could coax her with words, considering her current situation.
If Louis had merely been a friendly companion, Carol wouldn’t have adapted so easily to the capital.
Even if the process seemed a bit underhanded, wouldn’t the result justify it?
“Here…!”
It was the most famous restaurant in Cardiff.
Reservations were always fully booked, and even influential figures had to wait a year after making a reservation.
“You’ve always wanted to come here.”
“How did you manage to get a reservation?”
The interior was quiet. Only one staff member remained to greet them. Louis handed Carol her coat, then shrugged his shoulders at the staff.
“I have a small stake here.”
