As the day came to an end, they gathered in the palace, drafting reports and discussing the schedule for the next day.
The northern region was quiet, with little entertainment available.
Because of this, the palace officials who had traveled for work all returned to their lodgings early.
Dana and Edwin were no exception.
“Senior, I have a thick blanket in my room. Should I bring it to you?”
“Are you worried I’ll be cold? I’m fine.”
“If you ever feel bored, feel free to visit me anytime.”
“Do I look like a child?”
Dana chuckled lightly.
Edwin felt a pang of disappointment at how casually she brushed off his words.
It seemed he was the only one yearning for their time together.
“Get some rest. See you tomorrow.”
Dana waved before disappearing into her room.
Edwin stood for a moment, staring at her closed door, then turned and headed downstairs.
As he stepped outside, the dark northern sky stretched endlessly before him.
In the north, the days were short, and darkness fell quickly.
Edwin made his way to the knights’ quarters, knowing that by this time, training would have ended and the knights would be relaxing.
“Commander, you’re here?”
Harriet, the night watchman on duty, greeted him with wide eyes.
Edwin silently gestured toward the quarters, and Harriet quickly led the way.
Inside, the knights were gathered in groups, either playing cards or chatting.
Bang!
The door burst open again, nearly shattering from the force.
Having experienced a similar incident at dinner earlier, the knights instinctively jumped to their feet.
“Commander!”
“If this is about the game, please—!”
Edwin opened his mouth as they anxiously waited.
“Good job.”
“……”
“Keep pretending you don’t know me.”
“……Yes, sir!”
Edwin slowly walked through the room, scanning the knights before stopping in front of Max.
“Next week, supplies from the capital will arrive, right?”
“Yes, sir!”
“At that time, I’ll send someone to treat Merida.”
“Wait, really?”
Max’s eyes lit up.
Edwin continued casually questioning his subordinates, checking if anything had been lacking in his absence.
Before long, the conversation turned into a full-on counseling session.
“The bread on someone else’s plate always looks bigger.”
“Then grab your bread with both hands and stretch it. It’ll get bigger.”
“As expected of our Commander!”
Finally, Vice-Commander Dante approached.
“We have to hunt a Fraken at dawn tomorrow… Will you come with us?”
At those words, the other knights chimed in.
“That’s right! We need you, Commander!”
A Fraken was a high-tier monster—massive and notoriously violent, making it difficult even for seasoned knights to handle.
Edwin responded indifferently.
“Sounds like a hassle. It’s not that hard, is it?”
“It is hard…”
“Just step on its face and stab the core in its forehead.”
“No, stepping on its face is already impossible!”
Edwin clicked his tongue. Useless.
“What time are we leaving?”
His words of agreement sparked cheers among the knights.
Ignoring them, Edwin glanced at the clock and prepared to leave.
The knights yawned and headed to their rooms.
“It’s too cold to see you off.”
“You never did anyway.”
As Edwin stepped out, Harriet called after him.
“Are you dating that woman you were with?”
“Does it look that way to you?”
There was a hint of amusement in his tone.
“You looked like you were smiling for real.”
“I’m always genuine.”
…That sounds fake.
Harriet swallowed his words and returned to his post.
Just then, a snowflake landed on Edwin’s shoulder.
It looked like it would snow tonight.
***
Meanwhile, after finishing her shower, Dana entered her room and shivered.
“Strange… It was warm just a moment ago.”
She checked the magical temperature control device on the wall.
No matter how many times she pressed the buttons, it didn’t respond.
She tried again and again, but the device remained unresponsive.
Outside the window, snowflakes swirled in the wind.
For some reason, she felt even colder.
“……….”
Dana lowered her gaze, a bitter expression on her face.
The dark sky and swirling snowstorm—this familiar scene pulled old memories from the depths of her mind.
Her parents, the Viscount and his wife, had lived extravagantly for as long as she could remember. And just like the ever-falling snow, their debts had piled up.
One day, when Dana was still a child, her family fled in the middle of the night to escape their creditors.
The villa they ended up in, supposedly offered by a distant relative, was old and cold.
Jamie wrinkled his nose at the cobwebs on the ceiling.
‘How are we supposed to live in a place like this?!’
‘My poor son, just bear with it a little. Mommy’s sorry.’
After soothing her son, the Viscountess turned to Dana and spoke coldly.
‘Go sleep in the basement.’
Obediently, Dana went down to a space that was more like a storage room than a bedroom.
That night, she woke up shivering from the cold.
Standing on tiptoe, she reached for the magical temperature control device—only to find it broken, just as she had expected.
Feeling the chill even in the hallway, she realized the entire villa’s heating system must have failed.
Hugging herself for warmth, she quietly climbed the stairs.
And what she saw there was…
‘Jamie, come here. Mommy will hold you.’
‘Are you cold, my son?’
Her parents and Jamie, huddled together in front of the fireplace.
Wrapped in a large blanket, the three of them shared warmth and concern for each other.
Without her.
“….……”
At that moment, Dana realized something.
There was no place for her in that circle.
Without a word, she turned and walked back down to the basement.
Dana sat on the floor, hugging her knees.
The scene she had just witnessed kept replaying in her mind.
Her warm family, gathered cheerfully around the fireplace…
Lowering her head, she murmured softly, as if speaking to herself.
‘Dana, are you cold?’
It’s fine. She reassured herself.
Even now, she wasn’t sure what she had been trying to convince herself of.
Was it the cold she had to endure? Or the loneliness?
Recalling the past, Dana let out a self-deprecating chuckle.
What was the point of remembering all this?
She was an adult now.
She had to take care of herself.
No matter what, finding the innkeeper to report the broken heater was the priority.
Maybe it was because her hair was still wet, but the cold felt even sharper against her skin.
She pulled her robe tighter around her and rummaged through her bag for clothes.
That was when she heard it.
Knock, knock—
For some reason, the sound made her uneasy.
When she didn’t respond, the knocking came again.
“…Who is it?”
“It’s me, Senior.”
Dana held her breath for a moment.
She blinked in surprise.
“I was worried about you.”
Slowly, she stepped toward the door and turned the handle.
As the door creaked open, time seemed to slow.
And then, Edwin’s figure came into view.
Bright blond hair, crimson eyes, and the sound of his slightly labored breathing…
Before she could say anything, he draped a thick blanket over her shoulders.
Warmth wrapped around her instantly.
“…You’re shivering.”
His expression was unusually serious.
Had she been trembling from the cold without realizing it?
“I heard from the innkeeper that some rooms have broken temperature controls.”
Dana gazed up at him, speechless.
His eyes, filled with concern, were fixed solely on her.
Even the way he carefully pulled the blanket tighter, as if shielding her from the cold…
A strange feeling welled up inside her.
Like a frozen tree sprouting new buds.
Like a still lake disturbed by a single falling petal.
Something warm was blooming in her chest.
Their eyes met, and Edwin quickly smoothed his expression.
Then, he gave her a gentle smile.
“Was it very cold?”
“……….”
Memories of her childhood flickered through her mind again.
The loneliness that occasionally surfaced to tap at her heart.
Edwin hesitated before softly cupping her cheek with his hand.
And in a gentle voice, he reassured her.
“It’s okay now.”
At those words…
Dana felt like she was about to cry.
