The fact that Sion found Selina at all was nothing short of luck.

He was the first to see her jump into the ravine, and he immediately set off to look for her.

Fortunately, she had not been swept away by the rapids. Instead, she had become caught on a tree branch.

When Sion tried to tell Calix where Selina was, she shook her head frantically, begging him not to tell anyone.

“That’s why I haven’t been able to say anything until now. But I thought I should finally tell you.”

Calix ground his teeth as he took the note from Sion.

Despite it being late at night, he mounted his horse and rode out alone. His destination was far from the Grand Ducal Castle, and by the time he arrived, it was already dawn, despite riding without rest.

After that relentless ride, he reached a snow-capped mountain.

He dismounted and began to climb the narrow mountain path. The snow was so deep that his feet sank with every step, but he paid it no attention.

How far had he gone?

Within the forest, buried entirely beneath the snow, signs of human passage slowly began to appear.

At the end of a path tightly lined with birch trees on both sides, he saw a small cabin. Smoke curled gently from its chimney.

Then, with a soft creak, the cabin door opened.

A woman with hair shining like freshly fallen snow stepped outside and drew her shawl closer around her shoulders to keep out the cold. Perhaps the air was especially bitter, because she blew warm breath onto her hands as she walked towards the fence behind the cabin.

Inside the fence were a small vegetable patch and a chicken coop, where chicks and hens scurried about.

For a moment, Calix could hardly believe what he was seeing.

Despite it being the depths of winter, green grass flourished within the fenced area, as if spring itself had taken root there.

She scattered feed from the basket in her hands.

Each time she did so, a gentle light flowed from her fingers. The particles of light mingled with the falling feed, warming the space within the fence.

This could only be possible with the power of spirits.

“Ha.”

Suddenly, it felt as though someone had grabbed Calix by the chest and was squeezing it tightly.

Before he could stop himself, he groaned.

Hearing this, the woman walking towards the fence flinched, her slender shoulders twitching. She slowly turned her head, searching for the source of the noise.

As the small figure standing in the snow turned around, her round, violet eyes came into view against her pale face.

They shone like jewels — luminous amethysts in a world of pure white.

The instant their gazes met, Calix froze in place, as though his breath had been stolen from him. He could not move so much as a finger.

Neither could she.

Selina stared at the man standing before her, her expression dazed and uncomprehending.

He was someone she had believed she would never see again.

‘Could it be that I’m still lying in bed, and this is just a dream?’

“Selina.”

But it wasn’t a dream.

The moment that low, husky voice reached her ears, it felt as though the haze clouding her mind shattered all at once.

‘It’s really Calix.’

Startled, Selina dropped the feed basket.

How had he managed to come all this way?

How did he know where she was?

This place was a long way from the Grand Ducal Castle.

Why had Calix come all the way here?

Selina hurriedly covered her face and turned away.

Behind her, she could hear Calix pushing his way through the deep snow as he approached.

‘No.’

Selina stepped backward, then began climbing the mountain path.

The snow lay so thick that even walking was difficult, but she ran with all the strength she had.

“Wait. Just—wait, Selina.”

Calix’s desperate voice came from behind her.

“You’ll fall. I won’t come any closer anymore… so please. Stop.”

The sound of pursuit had truly ceased.

Selina paused and turned back towards him, her face filled with wariness.

But the face she saw at that moment was very different from before.

The man who had always been immaculately groomed, regardless of time or place, now looked utterly disheveled.

Why did seeing him like that make her want to cry?

Selina didn’t want to show her tears, at least not to him.

So she pretended to look away and wiped them discreetly.

“If you don’t want me there, I won’t come. I’ll stay here. So—”

But perhaps Calix mistook her actions for another attempt to flee.

“Don’t try to go anywhere. You’ll get hurt.”

He muttered in a voice tinged with distress.

‘Why did you come here? Why do you look like this?’

She wanted to ask.

But it felt as though her throat had been tightly blocked, no sound able to escape.

As she desperately hoped that Calix wouldn’t realize the truth—that this moment would pass quickly—

“Selina.”

Suddenly, Calix dropped to his knees in front of her.

“I’m sorry.”

Cold snow poured down onto his body, but he spoke as though he didn’t feel it at all.

“I’m sorry for making you wait all this time… without knowing anything.”

“……”

“I promised I would come for you—and I’m sorry for not keeping that promise.”

So he had read the letter she had left behind.

“I’m sorry for putting you through so much… for hurting you so deeply.”

The man who had always looked down at her like the sun was now looking up at her for the first time, his voice trembling with tears.

“I don’t care how long it takes. I’ll wait until your heart softens. If you hate me, hit me. Curse me. That’s fine. So please—”

“So please, just give me one more chance.”

Selina stared at him blankly, then pressed her clenched fist against her chest.

Her heart felt so heavy that she felt as though it would swallow her whole if she didn’t do something — anything — to stop it.

In that moment, she wanted to step forward and pull Calix to his feet.

She wanted to tell him that he didn’t need to kneel and that he hadn’t done anything wrong.

But…

‘I can’t say that.’

Selina lightly struck her chest with her small hand.

She wanted to say something — anything — but she couldn’t make a sound.

On the day she and the duke fell into the ravine, Selina had barely survived — but she had lost her voice.

The doctor said she seemed to be suffering from aphasia caused by severe psychological shock. He said it might heal someday, but it might also last her entire life.

‘Calix must not find out.’

Selina knew Calix well.

Although he seemed cold on the surface, he was actually deeply compassionate.

If he found out how poorly she was doing, he would pity her and insist on her staying by his side.

However, Selina no longer wanted to be a burden to him.

This was why, when she had barely survived thanks to Sion, and Calix was about to reveal her existence to the soldiers, she desperately shook her head and begged him not to.

“Please. Never tell Calix that I’m alive.”

‘And yet… why now…’

She had finally convinced herself that she could live without remembering Calix.

So why had he appeared now, of all times?

Selina pounded her chest repeatedly, sobbing helplessly. No coherent sound came out, only painful, hoarse noises.

Trying to hide such a sight, she took a step back.

“It’s all right.”

At that moment, Calix slowly stepped toward her.

She should have run from him—but she couldn’t.

“It’s all right… everything’s fine, so—please… don’t cry.”

Before she knew it, he was standing close to her, pulling her tightly into his arms.

Held against his chest, Selina sobbed in broken gasps. Her cries were like those of a child, one after another, and Calix murmured in anguish.

“Please… when you cry, it feels like my entire world is collapsing.”

Holding her tightly so not even the cold wind could reach her, he whispered.

“You said it yourself. That you were the one who reached out to me first. That by taking your hand, I was ruined.”

“H—hngh…”

“But that wasn’t it.”

Calix slowly lifted his hand and brushed Selina’s forehead.

As his fingers traced her smooth brow and wiped gently beneath her eyes, his own eyes were red.

“From the very beginning, I cared about you. That’s right. I just hated seeing you put in danger.”

Although he had claimed to be using her, the truth was something else entirely.

She looked as though she might vanish at any moment, and he wanted to keep her in his sights.

He didn’t know why.

He just wanted her close; he wanted to watch over her whenever he saw her.

“I’m sorry. I hid my feelings for far too long.”

Carefully, as though she might break if handled wrongly, he lifted her chin and met her gaze.

“Taking your hand was my own choice. So none of this is your fault.”

At his confession, Selina let out a sound like a sob and collapsed fully into his arms.

Calix stroked her back again and again.

***

“While everyone else is busy working, His Grace looks rather happy, doesn’t he?”

Zenfri forced the corners of his mouth up as he cast a pointed look at Calix.

Feigning ignorance, Calix tilted his head—then asked with apparent curiosity.

“By the way, Sir Zenfri, are you planning to remain single for life? I know there are many who choose not to marry these days, but seeing how your skin grows rougher by the day living alone, I can’t help but worry.”

“Are you scolding me now, of all times?”

“It’s not scolding. It’s concern. You should look around you—there are plenty of decent people.”

“That’s enough. I’ll manage on my own. Your Grace should enjoy your time.”

Shaking his head, Zenfri stepped back.

Calix let out a quiet chuckle as he watched his retreating back—then turned and walked toward the wife waiting for him.

“Selina.”

“Ah.”

Selina, who had been strolling along the shore, lifted her head. Even after all this time, it was strangely touching how she still retained a hint of girlhood.

At that moment, the small figure holding her hand tightly turned towards Calix and cried out cheerfully.

“Daddy!”

A little girl with her hair neatly tied into two braids came running toward him, her steps light and eager.

“Daddy. Daddy.”

After running straight into his arms, the child began chattering excitedly.

“Tell me the story about the princess and the knight!”

“…Again?”

“Yes!”

Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at Calix. He glanced sideways at Selina, his expression full of doubt. She shook her head helplessly, as if to say that there was nothing that could be done.

“If the princess wants it, you have to tell her.”

Calix lifted the child with one arm and, with the other, laced his fingers over Selina’s hand.

“In the end, after following the starlight and climbing up the cliff, the knight went to rescue the princess.”

The three of them walked together along the shore.

Nearby stood a building that had once been a monastery. Now home to the Grand Ducal Couple, its beauty made it hard to imagine that it had ever seemed dreary.

“The knight, who had grown much stronger than before, easily defeated the dragon. And in the end, he rescued the princess.”

“And then? What happened after that? What happened to the knight and the princess?”

Judging by the unusual brightness of her eyes, the child seemed far more interested in romance than in the knight’s journey.

Calix smiled faintly and glanced at Selina.

“Well. I think Mom would know that part.”

“Mom!”

Caught off guard by the sudden handoff, Selina was flustered. The fairy tale she knew had ended there. But she couldn’t bear to disappoint the child looking at her with such expectant eyes.

“The princess…”

Selina pressed a gentle kiss to the child’s cheek and gave her the ending.

“She lived happily ever after—with the knight.”

“Just like I thought—”

The child smiled in satisfaction, her cheeks flushed.

As Selina gazed at that smile with affection, Calix’s eyes settled on her.

“That’s a good ending.”

He murmured as he leaned in and kissed Selina’s forehead.

Small lights drifted nearby, casting a brighter glow around them.

— The End. —