Chapter 1.6

Helen sighed deeply.

“Just throw yourself at him. Who knows? He might see you as a woman.”

“Oh my gosh, Helen!”

Bestie was so startled that she shouted, which was rare for her. The idea of throwing oneself at someone was shocking. Even if purity and chastity weren’t as emphasized these days, there were limits.

Unless there was some foundational affection, seducing someone physically wasn’t something a proper lady would do.

“I’m just frustrated.”

“Still, how could you say that to a friend?”

“What’s more certain than the body to appear as a woman? Once undressed, he’ll know you’re a woman whether he wants to or not… mmph.”

“Did you hear that from your sisters? You have to know when to share such things!”

Finally, Bestie covered Helen’s mouth. The adult conversations Helen’s three sisters had were intriguing and amusing—Bestie had secretly listened in with Helen and Wendy before—but this was different. It was something that should never be said.

“Don’t take it to heart, Wendy. Understand? It’s far more embarrassing and humiliating than being rejected verbally!”

“Would the Duke of Devon really embrace a friend’s sister without any feelings? He’d refuse anyway…”

“I want to go home.”

Whether confessing verbally or physically, Wendy’s friends predicted the same outcome. With a darkened expression, Wendy stood up abruptly.

“Oh, Wendy. Are you mad?”

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Telling her to throw herself at him was too much, wasn’t it? 

Helen stood up to apologize, following Wendy. She hadn’t meant it seriously; she just wanted her friend to move on and start anew quickly.

It was a thoughtless remark that disregarded Wendy’s heartfelt feelings nurtured over years. Realizing this, Helen felt remorseful and flustered.

“No, there’s nothing wrong with what you said. I’m just being foolish.”

“Wendy…”

Seeing Wendy speak dejectedly, Bestie looked equally sorrowful. Feeling they shouldn’t let her leave like this, she gently grabbed Wendy’s sleeve as she turned away.

But Wendy shook off Bestie’s hand.

“It’s okay. I know you’re worried about me. I’ll think about it seriously this time.”

Wendy forced a smile and turned away.

***

On the carriage ride home, Wendy leaned her chin on her arm, staring endlessly out the window. She didn’t fail to understand what Helen and Bestie had said. Not only her friends but her parents, sister, and brother all told her to give up on Lucas.

Wendy knew. Why hadn’t she confessed, despite planning to do so as soon as she became an adult and imagining it countless times since childhood? Because she knew it wouldn’t work.

Yet, she found it regretful, disappointing, and difficult to dismiss the feelings she had built up over six years in just two months.

“How on earth can I give up? How can I make this feeling disappear?”

Love isn’t something that vanishes just because you decide to stop. It doesn’t work that way, which is why it’s so hard, painful, and distressing.

Wendy grumbled, frowning deeply.

“Sigh.”

Her forehead touched the cold glass. She thought cooling her heated mind would help, but no matter how much she pressed and rubbed her forehead, it didn’t get better.

“It’s all my brother’s fault. If he hadn’t brought Lucas back then…”

Her sorrow turned into misplaced resentment towards Jayden.

***

Six years ago, one day before Wendy’s birthday.

Wendy was excited by the snow that had fallen since morning. Perhaps because she was born in winter, she loved snow, though that wasn’t the only reason.

Good things always happened when it snowed, so just seeing it made her happy. Especially the untouched, pure white snow.

“But nothing good will happen today. My brother is coming back.”

Wendy crossed her arms and nodded mischievously.

Jayden, who was attending the Military Academy and living in a dormitory, was returning for vacation. He was a teasing brother who loved to annoy her, so Wendy felt relieved when he left for the dormitory. Yet, strangely, she found herself missing him.

So, although she didn’t want to admit it, Wendy decided to welcome Jayden warmly, expressing her longing.

“I’ll throw a snowball as big as his face.”

Just as Jayden had taught her, with intensity and sincerity.

Giggling, Wendy began to form a snowball with care. By the time she had made a solid snowball larger than her fist, she heard the distant sound of a carriage.

“It’s my brother.”

Holding the snowball carefully so it wouldn’t fall apart, Wendy jumped up and ran to the front door. The carriage had already arrived, and Jayden, wearing his Military Academy uniform, was just getting out.

“Brother!”

“Oh, Wen…”

“Welcome back!”

Jayden’s expression turned to shock as he turned his head with a grin.

The rather large snowball was flying toward him with force.

“What are you…!”

Before he could finish speaking, Jayden instinctively ducked, dodging the snowball, which instead hit the face of another young man in the same Military Academy uniform stepping out of the carriage.

“Ah…”

Wendy froze in the position she had thrown from.

Thud.

The loosely packed snowball shattered, falling from his face to his shoulders and then to the ground.

“Oh my, Wendy!”

The Countess of Rosewood, who had come out to greet her son, turned pale. She hadn’t expected Wendy, who hadn’t come inside despite knowing Jayden was arriving, to be plotting such mischief in the garden.

“Apologize immediately!”

“I’m really sorry!”

Wendy was startled and ran over in a hurry. The man casually brushed off the snow from his hair and uniform, then looked up. And then…

“……”

When their eyes met, Wendy felt as if time had stopped. His platinum hair, wet from the snow, sparkled dazzlingly in the sunlight. As he swept his bangs back, his forehead was revealed, along with a sharp nose beneath it. But most striking were his eyes, more clear and deep than the blue sky on a sunny day.

For a few seconds, while their eyes met, it felt like her heart had stopped, only to start pounding furiously. It seemed as if the world around them was fading, leaving only her and this man. Her mother and brother seemed to be saying something beside her, but their voices sounded muffled and slow.

‘Wow, what is this?’

This was a sensation she had never experienced before. It felt as if she was floating about a hand’s breadth above the ground. Despite the cold weather, her face felt hot, and she worried, ‘Is my face turning red?’ Just then, Jayden grabbed the back of her head, snapping her back to reality.

“Sorry, Lucas. Our family’s little troublemaker was rude.”

Jayden forced her to bow her head toward him. Caught off guard, Wendy could only flail awkwardly. The more she struggled, the more tightly Jayden held her, nearly bringing her to tears.

Although she had been through many things and gotten angry and annoyed often, she had never felt as murderous toward Jayden as she did now.

“Quite the enthusiastic welcome.”

“It’s the Rosewood way. Our family is, well, lively in every aspect.”

“Jayden. Would you let go of your sister now?”

The Countess of Rosewood handed Lucas a towel, glancing at Jayden with a playful smile.

“I’m really sorry. Please use this to dry off.”

“Thank you.”

While Lucas took the towel, Wendy managed to escape from Jayden. She wanted to kick her brother immediately, but now wasn’t the time.

Wendy quickly composed herself, adjusted her coat, and knelt on one knee to greet him like a ‘Lady.’

“I’m truly sorry. I was very rude.”

“Not at all, Miss Wendy. Thank you for welcoming me despite my sudden visit.”

Even his voice was a soft baritone that tickled her ears like a gentle caress. And despite her blunder, he smiled, making it impossible for her to look directly at him any longer.

Wendy bowed her head, clasping her hands together nervously.

“Come now, it must be cold. Let’s go inside and have some warm tea, shall we?”

The Countess ushered Jayden and Lucas inside first, and only then did Wendy lift her head to watch them walk away. Though it was the same cadet uniform as Jayden’s, it looked completely different on him.

The uniform, tailored to fit his solid build perfectly, looked splendid for the first time. Moreover, his elegant stride, created by his long legs, was impressive.

‘Today’s snow came because of Lucas.’

Wendy’s teal eyes began to sparkle. Of all the good things that happened when it snowed, this was by far the best.

“Fate finds you at unexpected moments.”

Karen’s words, when she had returned after receiving a proposal from her brother-in-law, were true.

That winter, Wendy felt destiny with the unexpected guest who came with the sudden snow.

“But Wendy, what are you wearing under your coat?”

The Countess’s question, like ice water in the middle of winter, suddenly doused Wendy’s excitement over the strong sense of destiny.

“Pardon?”

Only then did Wendy look down at herself. She remembered she had wasted time lounging in bed that morning and had rushed out to the garden wearing just a sweater and coat over her pajamas.

“Oh, what do I do!”

She had shown her worst side to the most handsome man she’d seen in her slightly over ten years of life. Her face flushed with embarrassment, and her shoulders slumped.

“My brother is such a fool…”

He should have told her he was bringing a guest.

The Countess, keeping her lips tightly shut, patted the sniffling Wendy. Though her daughter was still a child, showing her unsightly appearance to others was embarrassing, and she had to work hard to suppress her laughter.