Isabella, always attentive, would chew moss—said to have healing properties—and carefully place it on Clarissa’s wounds, while Sandra would tease her, calling her “green feet.”

That wasn’t the only memory that returned.

There were also voices, always tormenting her and whispering in the darkness. They said that Clarissa’s mother had taken her own life after being abandoned by a nobleman. They said that if she hadn’t been pregnant, she would never have died that way.

A cold, inexpressible anger boiled up inside her.

In an attempt to comfort her, Sandra began to dance. Her fiery red hair swirled around her as she moved atop a white rock at the edge of an emerald-coloured lake. A sliver of light slipped in.

The faces of the girls were reflected in a round mirror; each girl spoke about her own light.

Sandra and Isabella did not know this. They didn’t realise that valuable things were always scarce, and that in order for someone to have light, someone else had to be deprived of it.

In the darkness, Clarissa stared absently at the crown-shaped patterns formed by water droplets falling one by one.

Sandra gently stroked her cheek.

“I’ll always think of you. Then someday, we’ll meet again.”

Desperate, Clarissa tried to seize Sandra’s hand against her cheek. But she caught nothing.

“…!”

Waking from her dream, she looked down at her own hand.

There was a single drop of tear clinging to her fingertip.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

One early morning at the tail end of winter.

Helena woke as if someone had called out to her.

‘What…?’

Just as she was about to sit up, she realised that a heavy arm was holding her tightly.

When she turned her head, she saw that it was Benjamin, fast asleep with his arm draped over her shoulder.

His hair was tousled in every direction, and his sleeping face showed no trace of his usual sternness.

A gentle peace seemed to rest on his closed eyelids, and faint, even breaths escaped his slightly parted lips.

He looked so innocent, almost like a child sleeping soundly and wandering through dreams.

Helena couldn’t help herself.

‘He’s adorable.’

Just a few hours ago, the word adorable would never have fit the man who clung to her like a starving beast. But there he was, sleeping—utterly adorable.

Helena sighed.

‘They say it’s over once you start finding him cute. I guess that’s it for me.’

She gazed at his sleeping face for a moment, as if trying to imprint it in her memory, then carefully shifted to slip out of his embrace. But his arm was so heavy, it wasn’t easy.

‘Ugh… My honey husband, being a nuisance even at dawn…!’

After some effort, she managed to free herself from his embrace without waking him. The moment she left his warmth, she was enveloped in the crisp chill of the northern air. However, as winter was drawing to a close, she found the night air so refreshing that she didn’t want to go back to bed.

She draped the shawl hanging over the chair across her shoulders, opened the door, and stepped out onto the balcony.

Up in the black sky, the silvery moon poured its gentle light over everything, ensuring that the night would never be too dark.

‘Is this a dream?’

The moon looked so enormous that she almost thought it must be. But there was nothing frightening about it.

Staring up at it as if searching for a familiar face, Helena could make out faint grey shadows on its glowing surface. Those shadows seemed to whisper to her: Every light casts a shadow, and there is no such thing as flawless light. Every truth is like a sliver of gold drawn from the troubled mind of a wounded soul.

This meant that no life and no pain was ever meaningless.

In that moment of realisation, she suddenly felt as if someone were softly holding her hand.

She looked down. Nothing had changed, yet somehow she knew.

In that moment, she was not alone.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

“Oh, right! Sis, what did you get for your birthday?”

Just as Benjamin was about to step into the drawing room, he stopped in his tracks at Aira’s expectant question.

From inside, Helena’s indifferent voice floated out.

“What present?”

“Huh? You haven’t gotten one yet? Today’s your birthday, unnie.”

The moment he heard Aira’s guileless voice, Benjamin felt a shiver run down his spine—something even the Kraken couldn’t evoke in him.

Helena replied as if it were nothing.

“I told you already. With everything going on this year, let’s just keep things quiet.”

“I know, but… shouldn’t your husband at least do something for you?”

“He probably doesn’t even remember today is my birthday.”

At her words, there was the sound of a book closing, and Eliza’s voice piped up.

“No way. He can’t have forgotten. He saw your birthday written right under your name on the wedding contract.”

“Eliza and Aira, would you like me to let you in on a secret? I know a foolproof way to avoid disappointment from men.”

“Huh? What is it? Tell us!”

“…”

“The bigger your expectations, the bigger your disappointment. So, never expect anything to begin with!”

“Huh? What is that? I don’t like it…!”

“…”

Benjamin silently retreated, thinking to himself, ‘Thank you, sisters-in-law.’

He hurriedly grabbed his coat, tucked it under his arm, and flew down the stairs of the Winston estate. He almost collided with the Count himself, who was coming up the stairs.

“Oh, Lord Winston. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. But where are you rushing off to in such a hurry?”

“I’ll explain when I get back. I’m in a bit of a rush right now.”

The count, noticing the rare look of distress on Benjamin’s face, broke into a smile. As Benjamin raced down the stairs, Lord Winston called after him.

“The busiest street in Hodlin is Corvan Street!”

Benjamin’s eyes widened as he turned back. Only then did it occur to him that, to buy a present, he’d need to go to the shopping district.

“Thank you!”

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Watching Benjamin take the stairs two at a time with those long legs, Adrian Winston couldn’t help but smile in satisfaction.

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

At that time, the capital was in complete upheaval. The emancipation of the Arkein, the fall of Empress Clarissa, and the uncertainty surrounding the crown prince’s succession had thrown everything into chaos.

Helena, Benjamin and Isabella chose to leave the turmoil behind and remain in Hodlin. Helena was not at all interested in the question of the crown prince’s succession or the matter of welcoming a new empress.

What mattered to her was witnessing the end of the centuries-long persecution of the Arkein. Isabella seemed to share those feelings. This was why they had not yet returned south, but instead lingered in Hodlin.

One day, while Helena was in the study looking over the records of the noble assembly, someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”

A maid entered and handed her a small note.

“What’s this?”

Without much thought, Helena unfolded the note.

[Come to the terrace, Honeycomb.]

She couldn’t help but burst out laughing at the word ‘terrace’.

Wrapping a soft shawl around her shoulders, she left the study. As she reached the railing at the top of the stairs leading down to the ballroom, memories of the pre-wedding banquet flooded back to her.

She remembered Benjamin’s frozen expression when he first spotted her descending the stairs, the fluttering excitement of their very first dance and the anticipation in that moment. Everything came back so vividly.

Out on the terrace, Benjamin was waiting for her. Sensing her presence, he turned around and spoke.

“The architecture here really is something. I’m starting to think every word Aaron and I ever said out here must have carried perfectly.”

Helena laughed softly.

“Should we build a terrace like this at the Ishpern estate too?”

“Not a bad idea.”

Benjamin replied with a soft smile. As she walked over to him, she realised that he was dressed particularly well today. From the button-down shirt with the collar she’d picked out herself, to the vest that accentuated his broad chest perfectly, to the new coat, he was dressed to perfection.

He didn’t just look good; he resembled a work of art, too exquisite to touch. The sight made Helena feel unexpectedly flustered.

“What’s this? Are you planning some kind of event or something?”

Benjamin raised one eyebrow with a sly expression.

“Should I have arranged flower petals and a band, too?”

“Please don’t.”

At that, Benjamin gave her a crooked smile, then dropped to one knee without warning. With ruby-red eyes fixed on her, he took her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of it.

“No flower petals or orchestra… but happy birthday, my lady.”

Helena tried to act unaffected, but she couldn’t stop the laughter bubbling up inside her. In the end, she had to give in, breaking into a radiant smile as she nodded.

“So you remembered. Thank you.”

Benjamin blinked, looking just a bit bashful, but he didn’t let go of her hand. Instead, he rose to his feet and drew a small box from the inner pocket of his coat, placing it in her hand.

This time, Helena was genuinely surprised.

“You even got me a present?”

She stared down at the box with wide eyes.

To think,  a gift from Benjamin! She had received countless presents in her life, but she had never been so curious about what might be inside one before.

Seeing how excited she was, Benjamin smiled.

“Open it.”

She untied the ribbon and lifted the lid. Inside was a lady’s pocket watch adorned with emeralds and rubies. Helena stared in astonishment, blinking in disbelief.

The watch was small and light, beautifully crafted, and surprisingly well suited to her taste — especially for something chosen by Benjamin. However, it wasn’t jewellery, and she’d never received a watch as a gift before.

“A watch…? Why a watch, all of a sudden?”

At her question, Benjamin replied,

“Do you remember asking me about marriage once? You said that, in the process of fighting and compromising, people seemed to lose their individuality. Then you asked me what I thought about that.”

“Wait, I… I only said that when I was drunk, didn’t I? Right?”

“That’s right.”

“Ugh…”

Helena pressed her fingers to her brow, mortified. Watching her, Benjamin gave a quiet, amused laugh.

“You won’t lose anything, Helena. Ever since you asked me that question, I’ve been thinking about it. We both have our rough edges. There are things we can compromise on, things we’ll learn to live with, but there will always be parts of us that don’t fit. But don’t you think we’re a surprisingly good match?”

He pointed to the intricate gears spinning inside the pocket watch.

“While I was looking for a gift for you, I spotted this watch. It made me think that maybe our sharp edges will fit together and keep turning just like these gears.”

He met her eyes.

“This is my answer, Helena.”

Helena stroked her beloved husband’s cheek, feeling the deep loneliness that had always haunted her begin to fade away.

“Thank you, Benjamin.”

She knew she would live with him. From now on, they would support each other through good times and bad, sharing meals and beds, even on days when they argued. Despite their occasional disagreements, their days would still pass at the same pace, together.

Looking into his eyes, she said.

“I love you.”

Because they loved each other.

At her words, Benjamin smiled, a smile so full of pure joy that it could not be contained or concealed.

*** THE END***