Episode 56. Don’t Go.
“Should I call this fortunate, or pitiful?”
The knight, seemingly unsure himself, handed over a warm cup after speaking.
“Here, drink this.”
“Th-thank you,” replied the foreigner, shivering from the cold as he accepted the cup.
Warnings were given to the greedy merchants trapped in the northern territory, but they hadn’t listened.
“By tomorrow, the transportation circle will close. Hurry if you need to buy anything! Once it closes, who knows when it will open again?”
Each time the knights warned them, the merchants would point at the clear, cloudless sky, laughing.
“Oh, surely not! You jest!”
They thought it was a joke.
“People should listen when they’re spoken to,” one knight grumbled.
“Indeed,” the foreigner muttered back.
“Stop arguing. This isn’t the first time outsiders have been this foolish,” another knight chimed in.
“Who’s arguing? It’s just frustrating that we have to bring them into the duke’s castle instead of an inn.”
The foreigners, stranded and with nowhere to go, had to be brought to the duke’s castle to avoid freezing to death.
Though the duchess kindly allowed it, the knights were far from pleased.
With tensions high due to the beasts wave, they were on edge. Pity only went so far, and their words came out sharper than intended.
“I’m sorry. I thought I had no other choice since the transportation circle might not open again anytime soon…”
The merchant, dripping wet from the heavy snowfall, repeatedly apologized. His black hair, soaked and drooping, added to his dejected appearance.
“If you’d been blonde, you might’ve looked a little better.”
A knight muttered under his breath, eyeing the miserable sight.
“Stop apologizing and drink your tea. If you fall ill and collapse, it’ll be our problem to deal with.”
Despite his grumbling, the knight couldn’t scold him further.
“Y-yes, my apologies.”
“Did you manage to get everything you needed?” asked the knight who had handed the tea earlier.
“Ah, yes, mostly,” the merchant replied hesitantly, his voice lacking confidence.
The knight gave his shoulder a reassuring pat.
“Stay strong,” he said.
Despite his lean appearance, the merchant’s frame felt solid, likely from carrying heavy loads. 1This isn’t a good sign(⊙_◎).
***
Bianca, watching the day’s events unfold, hadn’t done much herself.
The maids and stewards bustled around, while the knights worked tirelessly. All Bianca did was observe.
Occasionally, she gave instructions or received reports, but that was the extent of her involvement.
So why was she so exhausted?
She tried to review some documents but found herself too drained to concentrate. Finally, she gave up, setting the papers aside and retreating to her bed.
Her loyal maid, Julie, had already prepared everything without a sound.
Bianca shed her outer garments and hugged the heated blanket, letting out an involuntary groan.
“Ugh…”
“Shall I massage you?”
Julie offered.
“No, it’s fine. You must be tired too. Go and rest.”
Bianca replied kindly, dismissing her.
“But I’d rather stay by your side tonight.”
Julie said, her tone filled with concern.
“Why?”
Bianca asked, puzzled.
“The foreigners staying in the castle… they make me uneasy.”
“Aren’t they all on the first floor?”
“Yes, but still…”
“There are only knights on the third floor. Don’t worry.”
Bianca reassured her anxious maid.
Julie was young and full of worry, but Bianca soothed her gently.
“If this were just for a day or two, I’d say stay if it makes you feel better,” she added.
“But with Jillian and the commanders of the Seven Citadels here, there’s no need to wear yourself out.”
Julie hesitated before conceding.
“Goodnight, then. Wake me if Jillian leaves for any reason,” Bianca instructed.
“Of course, my lady.”
Finally alone, Bianca thought she’d fall asleep instantly. But sleep eluded her despite her exhaustion.
“Of course.”
She muttered to herself.
“How could I be tired when I’ve done nothing?”
Setting aside the documents she couldn’t focus on, she reached for a storybook she had borrowed earlier.
It wasn’t too long—she estimated she could finish it in a couple of hours.
Bianca started reading but soon found herself flipping back to the cover, her brows furrowed.
She reread a few pages, then checked the cover again.
“What… is this?”
She murmured, her cheeks flushing.
The story began as a typical myth—about the founding emperor of the Termina Empire and the dragon who had aided him. But midway through, the narrative took a strange turn.
The emperor and the dragon were depicted as a man and a woman entangled in a romantic relationship.
“Did I pick the wrong book?”
Bianca sighed. She had hoped for something more historically grounded, but it seemed she had stumbled upon a fanciful retelling.
Still, with few books left to read, she reluctantly continued.
As the story progressed, the emperor not only confessed his love to the dragon but also proposed to her.
Bianca blushed at the passionate declarations, feeling a strange secondhand embarrassment.
‘Folktales often exaggerate,’ she reasoned, trying to dismiss her discomfort.
After all, myths tended to evolve over time, embellished by storytellers.
Even in the empire, there were multiple versions of the founding myth. One even claimed the emperor had been aided by a demon rather than a dragon.
“They’ve certainly spun this tale in a variety of ways,” Bianca muttered.
She managed to push through the emperor’s overly sentimental love story, albeit with a reddened face.
The paper kept turning with a soft rustle.
As the moon disappeared and the night grew darker, the last page finally turned.
Bianca set the book down, her eyes red and swollen from tears. It felt like she had just read a well-crafted romantic tragedy.
The ending was bittersweet, even bringing her to shed a few tears. Yet, the novel’s unique perspective made it worthwhile.
In the tale, the founding emperor was ultimately rejected by the dragon and passed away in solitude.
Fortunately, it was only a myth. Knowing that the emperor had a consort and heirs in reality made it less sorrowful.
Bianca pressed her tear-heated eyes and crawled into bed.
Perhaps the bitter ending lingered in her mind because she suddenly longed to see Jillian.
It was strange.
She was fully aware that the story was fictional, and the characters’ names were merely borrowed for the tale.
Her tears were stirred by the book’s elegant prose. Still, as soon as she thought of Jillian, an overwhelming wave of longing swept over her.
Once the thought entered her mind, it refused to leave. It felt unbearable, as though she might never see him again despite knowing he was in the same castle.
The sorrow choked her, and soft sobs escaped her lips.
“Ugh…”
The suffocating wave of grief made it hard to breathe, her vision darkened, and her body felt like it was burning from within.
Curled into herself, Bianca wept silently, unable to remember why she had started crying in the first place. All she wanted was for this harrowing moment to end.
Just then, a voice, tender and familiar, echoed in her mind.
‘Don’t cry, my queen.’
The gentle memory only made her tears fall faster, her emotions spiraling further. And then, an ominous, bone-chilling sound scratched through the air.
Creak.
It grew closer.
Creak.
It felt like something was about to snap when—
“Bianca.”
At the sound of Jillian’s voice, the precarious tension shattered, replaced by an immediate sense of relief.
“Jillian?”
Her vision blurred, and she couldn’t see him clearly, but she instinctively reached out for him.
Jillian didn’t hesitate, wrapping her in his strong embrace.
Within the secure warmth of his arms, her storm of emotions began to settle. The despair, resentment, and loneliness that had plagued her moments ago melted away in an instant.
“Why are you crying?”
“I missed you.”
“…”
“I’ve waited so long.”
Bianca’s voice was barely audible as she confessed.
She didn’t mention the book, finding it too ridiculous, but her murmured words wouldn’t stop.
Time passed until her tears finally subsided. Then, as a thought suddenly struck her, she asked.
“Do you have to go?”
“Yes,” Jillian replied softly.
A pang of anguish tore through her chest.
Perhaps it was the lingering emotions from the story she had just read, but her heart ached uncontrollably. The calm she had fought to regain was slipping through her fingers.
“You’re so cruel. How long has it even been since you came back?”
“I know.”
During the last wave of danger, Bianca had regretted not speaking up.
She had tried to act noble and selfless, pretending she was okay, but her heart had screamed otherwise.
She had resolved not to burden him but realized too late that expressing her feelings wasn’t the same as being a burden.
“Don’t go.”
“I must.”
“I know. I understand that. But my heart doesn’t want you to leave. I wish you wouldn’t go to such a dangerous place. I wish the Ice Wall would disappear entirely.”
“The Ice Wall, gone?”
“Yes, so that Baloch wouldn’t have to suffer anymore.”
“It’s not suffering.”
“I love you.”
“…What?”
Jillian froze, his response caught between disbelief and surprise.
“I’ve regretted not saying it. I should have told you sooner. I should have said it before I couldn’t anymore.”
Bianca reached up, her fingers tracing the sharp lines of his face, as if committing them to memory.
“I love you.”
Her voice trembled, a quiet plea layered beneath her words. She wanted him to stay by her side, safe and sound.
“I love you. Please, come back to me.”
“Ah…”
Jillian let out a soft sound that could have been a sigh or something deeper.
Bianca’s tear-streaked face tilted up toward him, a fragile smile lighting her features.
“I’ll wait for you. This time, too. So, please come back to me.”
“I’ll return faster than last time.”
“Last time was fast enough.”
“No, this time, I won’t be late.”
Their conversation was slightly misaligned, but Bianca didn’t mind.
From the moment they had met, Jillian Baloch had been like this—odd yet unfailingly tender in how he cared for her.
“All right. Then come back even sooner.”
Snow continued to fall outside, heavy and unrelenting.
The man who promised to return wore an expression of calm, even peace.
For the first time, Bianca noticed how pale his face had become, as though life itself was fading from him.
“Take Sir Creta with you,” she blurted suddenly.
“I’ll stay in the bedroom, I promise. So please, don’t worry about me and take the commander of the second fortress with you.”
Don’t overdo it.
The words she couldn’t say hung heavily in her heart.
