SWY 104

“……?!”

Just like Sharhan, Lestel had struggled to fall asleep. He’d simply closed his eyes and waited, eventually dozing off. Only to be awakened by an unfamiliar, irritating sound. He opened his eyes and sat up.

‘What was that? I’m sure I heard something…’

He moved carefully, not wanting to wake Sharhan, and approached the window. Peeking through the curtain, he saw snow drifting down faintly in the hazy moonlight.

‘Was it the sound of snow? No, that’s not it.’

As sensitive as Lestel’s ears were, they weren’t sharp enough to pick up the sound of snowfall.

Worried that perhaps the walking corpses had gathered nearby, he listened more intently while scanning the surroundings, but didn’t hear the predators’ characteristic wailing. The outside was eerily silent. And just from opening the curtain, the chill that hit him was enough to freeze his insides.

It seemed that along with the snow came an even more brutal cold. Whether they were the ones departing in the morning or those staying behind, Ardelle and the children alike, a harsh ordeal awaited them all. Lestel clicked his tongue in frustration.

‘Maybe I really misheard…’

Still uncertain, Lestel cautiously headed outside. The window didn’t offer enough clarity; he had to check for himself.

As he slipped through the door, a blast of cold wind hit him. Snow had accumulated more than he’d expected.

‘Snow again… How tiresome.’

With the snow piling up, travel would be harder. No matter how strong Thunder and Lightning were, even they had their limits.

He walked through the snow, which crunched softly beneath his feet, inspecting the perimeter of the villa. But just like it had seemed from inside, nothing appeared out of the ordinary. He also checked on Thunder and Lightning in the stable and left the door unlocked in case they needed to flee quickly.

It was just as he returned to the villa that he saw her, Ardelle, rising like a ghost from sleep. She flinched at the figure standing in the entrance, then relaxed upon recognizing Lestel and approached him.

“What are you doing out here?”

Her voice, hushed not to wake the others, turned into white puffs in the freezing air. Lestel looked down at Ardelle, who was shivering miserably from the cold. She’d grown quite a bit since becoming an adult, but with Lestel’s height, all he could see was the top of her head.

“I thought I heard something, so I came to check.”

“Did… did they come? The moving corpses?”

“No. I must’ve been mistaken. There’s nothing out there.”

Looking visibly relieved, Ardelle, just as he had earlier, parted the curtain to glance outside, then let out a quiet groan.

“It’s snowing. No wonder it felt so cold. The kids are going to have an even harder time now.”

“Sharhan and I searched the whole villa, but there’s nothing left to burn.”

“Yeah, we used it all up a long time ago.”

“All that’s left is to chop wood.”

“But what if they come while we’re out there? There’s nothing we can do about the cold, but at least we have some food. I’m grateful for that.”

Sharhan, Lestel, and Derry had decided to leave behind all the food they’d recovered from the burnt village. After seeing the children’s gaunt, starving faces, they couldn’t bring themselves to take any of it.

“Will you be okay alone?”

“I’ve been taking care of them on my own this whole time. And once in a while, someone like Parel or you guys shows up to help. I’ll hold on until the kids can protect themselves. That’s my responsibility, as the lord’s daughter and the adult here.”

She looked back at the children with eyes full of affection. She was small, but in that moment, she looked towering.

“Anyway…”

She gestured toward the stairs, telling him they should talk over there instead of standing around. Lestel watched her tiptoe like a cat, then reluctantly followed.

“Don’t just stand there. Sit. It’s a pain in the neck to look up at you. What the hell did you eat to get that tall? I’d noticed you’d been growing fast, but I never thought you’d end up taller than Sharhan. Has it been three years? Do you know how shocked I was the last time I saw you?”

Lestel finally sat down next to her and gave a small smirk.

“Of course I had to be taller than him. You don’t know how hard I worked for it.”

He had gone to desperate lengths where Sharhan couldn’t see, just to grow even an inch taller than him.

“You two competed over everything. I bet it hurt your pride a lot when you used to be way shorter than Shan.”

“Sharhan.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t call him Shan. Call him Sharhan.”

Lestel corrected her coldly, and Ardelle blinked in surprise, then scoffed.

“Is Shan a nickname only you get to use?”

“……”

His silence said yes. Ardelle opened her mouth, as if to argue, then scratched her neck instead. She looked like she was debating whether or not to say something that had risen to the tip of her tongue.

Lestel, indifferent to whatever she was about to say, looked down at the sleeping Sharhan. Now that the warmth from his arms was gone, Sharhan had curled up tightly, and it made Lestel ache.

‘I really should be the one next to Shan.’

Just as he lifted his hips, preparing to return to Sharhan’s side with a faint smile.

“You know, I wasn’t sure when we were kids… I was too young to get it. But the older I got, the more it started to feel weird.”

“What was? Be specific.”

“You. I mean… Shan–Sharhan… I mean…”

Once again, Ardelle couldn’t bring herself to say it outright. But Lestel could guess what words she was dancing around. He looked at her silently, and Ardelle fidgeted, her ears turning red. Eventually, she changed the subject.

“Remember the last time we saw each other? You were arguing with Sir Harrel. I didn’t mean to watch, it was by accident. Really.”

Sir Harrel was one of the marquis’s closest knights. During his school break, Lestel had returned to the estate and happened to learn what the marquis had done. Enraged, he’d gotten into a scuffle with Harrel, and it seemed she’d caught a glimpse of Lestel’s fight with him then.

“By accident… huh?”

“I swear it was! I didn’t even know you were back at the estate. My mom just sent me to Ailun Castle on an errand and–ugh, damn it. She must’ve known you were there.”

Ardelle rubbed at her scalp, which had gone greasy after being out of reach for a while. She’d thought her parents had given up on the engagement because the Ailun family had stopped responding, but now she realized that wasn’t the case.

Come to think of it, ever since she’d come of age, her mother or sometimes her father, kept making excuses to send her to Serman. At the time, she wondered why, especially when Lestel wasn’t even around. Now she knew, it was all to curry favor with the marquis’s wife.

Then, about three years ago… or rather, two and a half… she’d gone to Ailun Castle and seen Lestel arguing with Sir Harrel. After Harrel stormed off, she approached Lestel and exchanged a brief greeting. That was the last time.

“……”

“Why were you fighting? Sir Harrel has always been a loyal knight to House Ailun. He was your ally, right?”

“He was. But to be exact, he’s a knight who puts the interests of Ailun above all else.”

Sir Harrel served the marquis, but he believed Ailun would prosper more under Lestel than under one of the other twins. He was the type who would do anything for that belief. Thinking of what Harrel had done to the Kaios family under the marquis’s orders, Lestel’s face twisted.

He clenched his molars so hard they made a grinding sound.

‘If Sharhan ever finds out the truth, he’ll never forgive me.’

The weight of the secret made his heart lurch. It felt like seasickness, so strong it made him want to throw up. Clutching his stomach, Lestel once again turned his gaze to Sharhan.

It was strange how clearly he could see Sharhan in the dark. No matter where he was, no matter how deep the shadows or how many people were around, Lestel could always find him.

His heart only reacted to Sharhan. His eyes existed only to hold Sharhan. His life’s reason and purpose was Sharhan Kaios, and nothing else.

“Why would you fight someone like that?”

At Ardelle’s question, Lestel finally tore his gaze from Sharhan. His eyes were icy.

“Do I owe you an explanation?”

“No. I know you don’t, but… hey, Lestel.”

“……”

“I know it’s presumptuous, but… as someone who once was engaged to you, don’t I have the right to ask–”

“You were never my fiancée.”

Lestel cut her off firmly. Ardelle frowned, cheeks flushing.

“I was speaking figuratively! Ugh, you never give an inch. You’re impossible. Anyway, do you like Sharhan?”

“……”

“I know it’s a ridiculous question, but… between you two, there’s something I just can’t describe–”

“I like him.”

Lestel interrupted her fumbling.

“…What?”

“I like him. No–I love him.”

There wasn’t a trace of hesitation or denial in Lestel’s voice. Ardelle’s eyes widened in shock.

And then–

“What are you two doing?”

A large shadow suddenly appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

It was Sharhan.