He buried his nose in her hair and inhaled her fragrance. It didn’t feel real.

“Leah.”

Breathing in her scent, feeling her warmth.

“Leah.”

He called her name urgently, pulled away, and gazed at her in wonder.

In the darkness. A night where light from the ground and starlight buried in red darkness were both faint. Only Leah’s face and platinum blonde hair before him shone brilliantly.

“How are you so beautiful?”

Leah smiled.

“I know I’m beautiful.”

“No. You don’t know.”

Helix reached out and stroked her cheek.

“How beautiful you are in my eyes. How brightly you shine.”

Helix exhaled a hot breath and whispered.

“How the world sparkles when I look at you.”

At that moment, something sparkling fell between them.

The first snow.

A snowflake floating like a feather landed on Helix’s eyebrow. Leah brushed his glittering eyebrow.

“You’re sparkling too.”

While Leah’s hand wiped his eyebrow, a snowflake stuck to Helix’s nose. White snow also settled on his cheeks.

“…”

The hazy darkness unique to snowy nights.

Only they floated in the sky that had grown heavy like water. Fine snow danced in the wind, wrapping around their world like a veil.

In this dreamlike moment, Helix’s large hand gently cupped the back of Leah’s neck. Laughter escaped from Leah’s lips at his careful touch, gentle enough to suggest she might break. Capturing that breath, Helix kissed her.

‘So hot…’

Leah thought dreamily.

The cold winter air on her cheeks and hands.

Frozen lips.

Only the nape of her neck where Helix held her and the breath inside her lips were hot.

Gasping from the hot breath, Leah clutched Helix’s clothes. His body tensed at the sight of her instinctively clinging to him.

‘Leah.’

He held her tight.

Squirming in his arms, breathing heavily like a small animal, Leah was incredibly lovable. Snowflakes landed on her eyes, which were wet with physiological tears. Helix stole those snowflakes with his lips.

“Ahh…”

At her moaning sound trying to endure the ticklish sensation, Helix captured her lips again. Leah abandoned her flying magic and slowly began to fall.

When she closed her eyes, only Helix’s body heat felt vivid.

When she opened her eyes, she saw only Helix with his back to the night.

A snow-white man who didn’t match this darkness was looking at her. Looking at her as though she were his entire world.

Leah hugged Helix tightly.

‘I won’t lose you again.’

***

The social circles of the Oken Empire were buzzing after the Crown Prince’s failed marriage proposal.

These nobles had already been supporting the second princess. For them, who had been displeased with Archaik’s ascension to Crown Prince without a proper foundation, this incident was good fodder for gossip.

“I wondered why he proposed to a lady from a small country like Peiren, but I hear she was a mage?”

“Exactly. The daughter of Peiren becoming the Oken Crown Princess? It would cause talk even if she were brought in as a concubine… I thought something seemed strange.”

“Crown Prince Archaik is more cunning than he appears. To know she was a mage and use a proposal as his strategy.”

Someone clicked their tongue and shook their head.

“What good is strategy? He returned without capturing such a precious mage.”

“That’s right. Hasn’t he just created enmity?”

It was a foolish ploy, he truly has the qualities of a tyrant, the cruelty of dragons never fades. The whispers never ceased.

‘…Like flies.’

Crown Prince Archaik rubbed his forehead.

He had expected the nobles to react this way. However, when bad things piled up, the impact was greater than anticipated.

The failed proposal to a mage, the severe injury to the dragon’s main body known as the covenant maker. These two incidents were shaking the Crown Prince’s position, which he had attained solely through magical ability and dragon affinity.

Humans were indeed not on the dragon’s side. And time was running out.

‘I don’t know how long Archaik’s soul will hold out in the dragon’s main body.’

It was the prince’s soul, enduring tenaciously with the sole determination to witness the empire’s downfall.

“Trow.”

“Yes.”

A member of the Snake Knights appeared like a shadow when called. The Crown Prince asked.

“Are the preparations going well?”

“Just give the order.”

“What about Count Trow of Peiren? Do you think he will follow well?”

“Isn’t he someone who barely saved his family thanks to Your Highness’s grace? We will make sure he follows well.”

While listening to this loyal response, the Crown Prince thought of the small kingdom to the west.

“It would be good to destroy Peiren first.”

It was a country full of insolent people. The child who dared throw stones at his delegation, commoners who insulted with both eyes and mouths, and his mage.

“…I could have spared you alone.”

But it was too late. The plan had already begun, and humanity had to end.

***

After the mage’s public announcement, the Piert family’s popularity soared.

The departure of the Oken delegation also contributed to their rising popularity.

“They fled after being caught trying to steal our mage!”

“Rotten imperial bastards!”

In truth, they returned because of more urgent internal affairs in the empire, but the timing aligned well, so people interpreted it favorably.

Of course, some occasionally viewed the situation with suspicious eyes.

“Wait, if she was a mage, why did she hide it and stay quiet until now?”

“With Ruyan Piert being a Swordmaster too, it’s all very suspicious. They only reveal one thing at a time when cornered…”

But public opinion in Peiren was already in a state of excitement.

The sword energy and magic that had only existed in legends throughout the continent. A Swordmaster and mage possessing such power had emerged from the Kingdom of Peiren!

It was power that neither the great Oken Empire nor the wealthy City Alliance possessed.

“She probably had to hide it because of people like you!”

“That’s right! Your slandering style is just like those from the Trow Count’s family!”

“What? Isn’t that going too far?”

The skeptical person flared up angrily. But others didn’t back down.

“Slandering the Piert Ducal family makes you just like those from the Trow Count’s family!”

“No matter what, to treat someone like Count Trow…!”

This popularity was somewhat unique.

Not only were social invitations pouring in, but the goods from their merchant company also sold better.

These days, the Piert Trading Company’s main products were cosmetics and medicines.

After Leah publicly revealed herself as a mage, the sparks flew in unexpected directions.

“Well, medicines made by a company with a mage! Of course they’d be good!”

“I wondered why the Piert Trading Company’s medicines were of such high quality. Was it the power of magic?”

It wasn’t.

The quality had been improved through good manufacturing and diligent research.

But Rikeil wasn’t one to miss this opportunity.

“Welcome. This is the Piert Trading Company with magical quality. What items would you like to trade?”

Rikeil was happily working overtime amid the flood of trade requests.

***

While popularity was soaring in Peiren, Leah herself felt frustrated.

“Sigh.”

She lay down to sleep but sat up abruptly. Sleep wouldn’t come.

On the surface, everything seemed good. The worrisome marriage proposal was resolved, and Helix had returned.

‘Our hearts connected and we had our first kiss, but…’

Leah’s eyes grew dreamy as she recalled their kiss in the snowy sky. She quickly gave her cheeks light taps.

‘But the important issue remains unresolved.’

Though they were more aware of each other after the kiss, they had been awkwardly keeping their distance when they met these days. The reason was clear.

‘Because I’m the Dragon’s Holy Maiden.’

The massive landmine of being the Dragon’s Holy Maiden. Both Leah and Helix were tiptoeing around that landmine, pretending not to notice while watching each other cautiously.

‘Because of that shock, the talk about changing my dragon mana to another dragon’s completely disappeared.’

Then again, with all the dragons sleeping and even Chirpy, who woke up earliest, being so young, it seemed impossible to obtain dragon mana.

‘So I remain the Dragon’s Holy Maiden, Helix pretends not to know, and Crown Prince Archaik can still threaten me?’

Feeling increasingly frustrated, Leah muttered.

“What’s going on?”

Tap.

“Huh?”

Tap tap.

She turned her head toward the sound. Chirpy was hanging on the terrace door, knocking with his front paws.

“You want me to open it?”

“Chirp.”

I should separate him for training from a young age. After a moment’s hesitation, Leah opened the door.

“Fine. Just for today.”

“Chirp chirp.”

Chirpy happily rolled in, scampering like a ball.

Plopping down on one side of her bed, Chirpy tapped the bed with his tail. The gesture seemed to say “hurry and sleep,” making Leah smile faintly.

“I can’t live like this, really.”

“Purr.”

“Alright, alright. I can’t sleep anyway, so I’ll hold you.”

She lay down, stroking Chirpy. Hugging the small body and fiddling with the cool, soft scales, she gradually became drowsy.

“…”

Slipping out of the sleeping Leah’s arms, Chirpy watched her sleeping face. Her pretty brow furrowed, she groaned, and then her lips parted.

“Helix…”

Chirpy watched Leah sleep-talking, his eye corners drooping. After being momentarily dejected, Chirpy tapped her with his front paws.

Thud thud. It was an affectionate gesture, seemingly telling her not to worry. Chirpy’s head, which had been nodding with determination, suddenly dropped.

“Coo…”

No matter how determined, the young hatchling couldn’t overcome sleepiness.

***

“Squawk!”

The next morning.

“Chirpy! Come down!”

“Squawk!”

Leah panted, trying to catch Chirpy who was flying around her reception room more energetically than usual. Helix, who had entered during the commotion, asked.

“Leah, your stamina seems worse… Have you not been training?”

She bristled, raising the corners of her eyes as she turned to look at him.

“How could I train? How could I feel like training when you weren’t here?”

“Still, if you stop training… Never mind.”

Helix quickly changed his words.

“It will be difficult to resume magic training this way. How about taking a walk?”

“…”

“…Tell me if you get tired during the walk. I’ll give you mana.”

Helix was roundabout in suggesting they walk together. Chirpy, hanging from the ceiling and looking down at him, cried out in frustration.

“Growl.”