My stomach churned.

Frozen in place, I clamped a hand over my mouth.

The moment a retch rose uncontrollably, my body gave way.

“……”

“Vivi!”

D’hiver caught me before I could collapse.

His worried voice reached my ears.

“I told you not to look.”

“This… this… what is this supposed to—”

“……”

He said nothing, watching as I struggled to even form words.

Trembling violently, I finally lost consciousness.

***

Even in my dreams, the image of Honoré in his final moments flickered endlessly.

That horrifying image—something beyond words—drove me to scream as I jolted awake.

Clutching my pounding chest, I gasped for air.

“Violette.”

D’hiver, who had been right beside me, spoke.

Taking my cold hand, he whispered softly.

“Are you feeling a little better?”

Perhaps because of what I had seen, I couldn’t say a word.

When my lips only trembled without sound, he whispered with concern,

“That’s why I told you not to look.”

“……”

I only shook my head.

With a quiet sigh, D’hiver pulled me into a firm embrace.

Within that warm hold, I felt a fragile sense of relief—yet the shock and emptiness of losing someone burrowed deep inside me.

Only after some time had passed could I finally ask,

“What happened? Honoré… why…?”

“It seems he lost his footing.”

“That can’t be…”

At his calm reply, I wrapped my arms around myself.

A chill, from nowhere, pressed down on me.

“Vivi, there have always been people drawn to that lake. From the outside, you can’t tell how deep it is. They get captivated by its beauty and come too close. Once they slip, there’s no escaping it.”

“But Honoré has lived here for months. Nothing like that has ever happened before…”

“Accidents happen suddenly—when you least expect them.”

D’hiver’s voice was steady. Cold.

Gripping his chest, I asked,

“Aren’t you… sad?”

“Of course I am.”

I couldn’t see his face, but his answer made me regret asking.

His voice was heavy—painfully so.

“Even for me, losing someone is painful. And Honoré was someone I cared about a great deal… enough to place him by your side.”

“D’hiver…”

“But dwelling on something that cannot be undone only makes things harder for yourself. You have to forget what must be forgotten… and keep walking your path.”

Was that the wisdom of someone who had lived for so long?

Without thinking, I nodded.

But I couldn’t recover for a long time.

Unlike D’hiver, I wasn’t strong.

The shock of it—something I had never experienced before—slowly consumed me.

Suki and D’hiver could only watch me with worry.

Then, one day—

“Miss, why don’t you go out and lift your spirits a little?”

Suki pulled me to my feet as I sat there, blinking like someone hollowed out.

“…Lift my spirits?”

“Yes. It is the festival season of Saint Trinite. The master will accompany you.”

A festival…

I had never once seen one before.

When I lived with my family, there had been no reason to take me.

And after coming here, I hadn’t even known such things existed.

“…Then what about you, Suki?”

“I shall remain behind and guard the castle alone.”

She lowered her head as she said it.

For a moment, it looked as though tears shimmered in her eyes.

I froze, simply staring at her.

I didn’t know what to say.

To stay here alone, how lonely that must be.

Seeing my reaction, Suki quickly lifted her head.

Fortunately, her eyes were dry.

“I-It was a joke. Please don’t look at me like that. I am old and no longer have the strength for such things. I’ve seen plenty in my younger days—I have no desire to go now.”

“B-But…”

“If I had wanted to go to such noisy places, I would have taken you long ago.”

Her voice softened.

She pulled me into an embrace, stroking my hair as if I were a child.

“I… have been thoughtless. I should have taken you out more, shown you more places. But I am old… and tired. To me, this castle is my entire world. I failed to realize… that it is not the same for you.”

“No… half of my world is you, Suki.”

“Oh, my dear…”

She gave a faint, sorrowful smile.

“That should not be so. You must see more, hear more, experience more. I would be happy just to remain as a small dot somewhere in your heart.”

She murmured softly, then continued,

“Miss… you must live a long life. I wish to see you grow—one year from now, ten years from now… I want to see the beautiful woman you will become.”

“…Why would you say that?”

Perhaps she said that because the previous Psyches had all died so early.

Held in Suki’s arms, I whispered weakly,

“You should live a long life too, Suki.”

“Oh my… I’m grateful for the sentiment, but if I live any longer, I’ll lose my wits.”

“Please don’t say things like that. A life without you would feel unbearably empty to me.”

At my murmur, Suki pulled me closer into her embrace.

When she spoke again, her voice trembled with tears.

“I feel the same. Without you, Miss, my life would have had no meaning.”

Gently, she eased me out of her arms and touched my swollen cheek.

“So please… show me a smiling face.”

“…Alright.”

“Then go on. The master must be waiting.”

I nodded.

If my gloom only saddened Suki, then I had to try—somehow—to smile.

***

Saint Trinite was the city of the Guardians.

Long ago, when D’Hiver made a pact with the king to protect the kingdom, he asked for a place to live.

The king gladly granted him an entire city.

The place he called home became known as Saint Trinité.

Not knowing much about the world, I had always believed that it was a city where D’Hiver lived alone.

Although he was responsible for protecting the kingdom, people called him a ‘monster’ and kept their distance out of fear.

But the moment I stepped into the bustling streets—

“…It’s cold.”

I murmured without realizing it.

It was only then that I realized how much time had passed.

My breath drifted into the air in pale clouds, and the world, blanketed in snow, appeared completely white.

D’Hiver’s castle had always remained in perpetual late spring, with an endless fall of lilacs, so I wasn’t used to the cold.

In response to my quiet whisper, he took off his coat and gently draped it over my shoulders.

The black fabric carried a scent that felt both familiar and unfamiliar.

“Aren’t you cold?”

His shirt looked far too thin for the weather.

D’hiver responded with his usual faint, captivating smile.

“I’m fine. I’ll have to say something to Suki later—dressing you so lightly.”

For some reason, I could almost picture Suki smiling slyly.

After all, she had insisted I wear nothing but a thin dress and shawl, claiming it was “perfect,” even if I protested.

“Come on. We’ll miss it if we’re late.”

“Miss what?”

“The blessing. The temple only stays open until evening.”

His sudden words made me ask,

“A blessing?”

“It’s a tradition of the festival. If you receive a blessing from the high priest on Azrael’s holy day, they say you’ll stay healthy for a year.”

I wasn’t sure what to make of that.

But more than anything, I found it strange hearing D’hiver speak like this.

“Do you believe in gods, D’hiver?”

“Hmm… that’s a difficult question.”

Walking along the snow-covered path, he seemed to think for a moment.

Crunch, crunch.

The sound of footsteps on snow echoed softly.

“I know that gods exist… but I don’t trust them. That would be the most accurate way to put it. It’s not something as simple as belief.”

“Then… does receiving the blessing have any meaning?”

“Whether it does or not, it’s worth trying at least once, isn’t it?”

It was a rather vague answer.

Then, quietly, he added,

“And we can pray for Honoré too.”

“……”

I fell silent.

For a moment, I wondered if such prayers held any real meaning, but ultimately, they were always intended for the living.

It was only then that I realized that he was trying to comfort me in his own way.

Slowly, I reached out and took his hand.

Though it was cold from the winter air, his hand didn’t feel cold to me.

At my touch, D’Hiver turned to look at me.

A radiant, mesmerizing smile touched his lips as his fingers tightened around mine.

In that moment, it felt as though the surrounding cold had completely disappeared.

My heart fluttered as I looked up at him.

Staring at him endlessly, I murmured without thinking —

“…It’s warm.”

“Hmm? What is?”

“Your hand, D’hiver.”

Holding hands, I felt as though the quiet, steady comfort I had lost was being given back to me.

At the end of the snow-covered path stood a temple that was whiter than the snow itself.

The moment we stepped inside, a high priest in pristine robes approached to greet us.

When D’Hiver made a donation, as though he were an ordinary man, the priest placed a hand over our heads.

“On this holy day of Azrael, may the blessings of the divine rest upon your lives.”

After murmuring the brief blessing, he offered a kind smile.

“Please, enjoy the festivities to your heart’s content.”

So, we stepped back out into the snow-covered streets.

This was my first time in a city.

I was captivated by everything I saw: merchants calling out to passing crowds; couples walking hand in hand; and performers putting on dazzling shows.

I wandered through it all, taking it all in, almost breathless with wonder.

Then, suddenly, something caught my eye and stopped me in my tracks.