Winter burst into laughter and picked up a small pebble. With a light tap, she gently placed it in front of the sandcastle wall.

“This stone is a magic key. Only the gatekeeper is allowed to have it.”

Watching with sparkling eyes, Lily clapped her hands and let out an excited squeal.

“Kyah!”

The bucket beside them was filled with seawater instead of sand, and her tiny feet kept wiggling in time with the sound of the waves.

Tilting her head slightly, Lily whispered,

“Gomgomi lives here too.”

“Really? Does Gomgomi have a room too?”

“Mhm. Because he’s a baby, he has to sleep.”

Winter brushed the damp sand from her palms and took in the simple beauty of the day quietly.

She felt as though this moment, sitting on the beach and laughing with Lily, would stay with her for a long time to come.

Inside a small picnic basket on the shore, there were neatly arranged ripe fruits, sandwiches, and pumpkin purée — Lily’s favorite.

Winter took out a bottle of juice and let Lily have a few sips before carefully covering everything again with a cloth.

The packed lunch would probably be best eaten in about an hour.

As she absentmindedly smoothed down her fluttering skirt in the sea breeze, her hand suddenly froze.

The bright smile on her face faded, replaced by a deep shadow.

If the baby had been born…

Could they have shared moments like this together?

They could have.

They truly could have.

The breath she swallowed lodged deep in her chest.

Emotions that she had never fully acknowledged or confided in anyone scattered through her mind like grains of sand carried by the wind.

As though drawn along by the endless sea breeze, a memory from long ago unfolded before her.

“Winter, shall we go to the sea together next summer?”

“The sea?”

“You said you’ve never been to the beach before. I’ll find somewhere that’s not too hot and perfect for painting.”

On a sweltering summer’s night, Eden broached the subject as though he had been thinking about it for some time.

At the time, there was still nearly a year to go until the following summer.

To Winter, those words felt like an unexpected gift.

It was as though he was promising that they would still be together by then.

And yet, she hesitated before answering.

“Would that really be alright? If I came with you?”

At her cautious question, Eden laughed, looking as though he couldn’t understand why she would even ask such a thing. Gently cupping her cheeks in his hands, he smiled.

“Why would you ask that? Of course I meant for us to go together.”

At his answer…

She had probably smiled as though she had been given the entire world.

The memories she wanted most desperately to forget had a habit of resurfacing without warning.

Just like now.

“Gomgomi, let’s eat.”

The young voice shattered the silence.

Winter smiled faintly as she sat back down beside the sandcastle.

The sun-warmed sand felt pleasant beneath her hands, and the gentle sounds of the waves and Lily’s soft humming drifted lazily through the air.

“The gatekeeper will protect the castle well, Princess Lily.”

Lily nodded enthusiastically and began scooping bucketfuls of sand.

Watching her, Winter decided to focus on this peaceful moment instead.

Together, beneath their fingertips, the young princess’s little kingdom slowly rose once more from the sand.

***

It was late autumn, and every corner of Vartz was packed with people enjoying the festive season.

Eden gazed at the bustling streets, her expression indifferent.

Winter had passed.

Then spring.

Then summer.

And now autumn.

Time had continued to move forward, indifferent to all that she had lost.

More than six months had passed since Winter left.

Sometimes, without warning, a suffocating pressure seized his chest, as if part of him still refused to accept the reality of it all.

This symptom had appeared sometime along the way.

Once again, his doctor gave the same diagnosis.

“Nervous exhaustion.”

“Please try to put your mind at ease, Your Grace. I’ve prescribed medication to calm your frayed nerves, but the underlying cause must be addressed before the other symptoms can truly improve.”

According to the doctor, all of Eden’s symptoms, including insomnia and headaches, were a result of his deteriorating mental state.

Eden didn’t even glance at the glass bottle the doctor handed him.

He simply tossed it into the corner of a drawer.

It wasn’t that he didn’t know the medicine could provide temporary relief.

He just didn’t believe he deserved it.

He had no desire to become someone who relied on medication to forget the pain they had caused themselves.

Regardless of whether his body and mind were suffering, his responsibilities as head of House Mayer never ceased.

Unlike before, when he had fulfilled every duty flawlessly, he now merely got through each day by doing the bare minimum required of him.

Outside the carriage window, something fluttered through his self-mocking gaze.

[The Edge of Hell – Royal Academy of Arts Autumn Special Exhibition]

The black lettering on the banner hanging before the exhibition hall seemed to mock him as it swayed in the wind.

The banner quickly disappeared into the distance.

‘Hell.’

People said it was a place the living could never reach.

But was this place really any different?

It already felt as though he were standing in a darkness deeper than hell itself.

Quietly staring at his blurred reflection in the window, Eden slowly closed his eyes.

***

“Your Grace, we’ve arrived.”

After travelling at a steady pace for some time, the carriage began to slow down. Parker, who was seated beside the driver, spoke up.

As the attendant steered the carriage around a bend, Parker discreetly glanced at the duke.

Compared to the months he had spent completely shut away from the outside world, things seemed to be going well.

Eden no longer disappeared unexpectedly during official events.

At least, not anymore.

But in Parker’s eyes, the duke hadn’t improved at all.

Robert, the Mayer family’s butler, felt the same way.

“Stay by His Grace’s side at all times.”

Remembering Robert’s earnest request, Parker stepped out first and opened the carriage door.

For now, the best outcome was to ensure that no one discovered just how dangerously unstable the Duke’s physical and mental condition had become.

“I’ll escort you, Your Grace.”

Parker guided the duke towards the line of horses waiting to pull the ceremonial carriages reserved for distinguished guests.

The annual Autumn Review was a significant occasion, with attendance expected of all nobles, including members of the royal family.

To reach the square where the review was being held, guests first had to transfer to the carriages at this location.

As the Duke of Mayer approached, the attendants, dressed in formal ceremonial uniforms, bowed in unison.

Embroidered in gold thread on Eden’s shoulder was the royal crest of the kingdom.

The blue ribbon insignia pinned to his chest signified his royal lineage, enhancing his reserved dignity.

The Royal Military Square had been meticulously prepared for the event beneath the clear autumn sky.

Military bands and parade units stood in formation on either side of the square while members of the royal family and nobility took their places in the circular VIP seating area.

The Duke of Mayer arrived just as the military band’s fanfare echoed across the square.

Stepping down from the black carriage, he didn’t look around once before heading straight for his seat.

“Form ranks!”

At the officer’s shout of command, the soldier at the front of the formation raised his sabre high.

The next command followed immediately.

Holding their regimental colors aloft, the assembled troops began to march in unison.

The flags rippled in perfect formation, and the heavy rhythm of their boots thundered across the stone pavement.

Eden watched the procession in silence.

Every year, he sat in the same seat and watched the ceremony unfold exactly the same way.

This year was different.

The faces of the soldiers marching before him seemed blurred and indistinct.

Even the powerful military songs sounded distant, as though they belonged to another world.

“Eden.”

In response to the Crown Prince’s greeting, he nodded briefly.

Count Lindal, who was watching from behind, clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction.

The duke, who could have been his daughter’s husband, looked well from his seat.

People said he had fallen into despair after losing a woman.

Yet now, he appeared to have recovered well enough.

Then again, several months had already passed.

Count Lindal formed his own opinion of Eden’s condition.

It was not an unreasonable conclusion.

After all, affairs within House Mayer rarely, if ever, leaked beyond its high walls.

“Hmm.”

Clearing his throat, the Count lightly tapped the armrest of his chair.

The more he looked at the Duke, the more regrettable it seemed that such a desirable match had slipped away.

Over the past months, he had carefully evaluated one noble house after another, but none of the candidates had measured up to Eden Mayer.

‘Perhaps, if the timing is right, it wouldn’t hurt to arrange another meeting.’

Count Lindal quietly considered the possibility.

The duke had previously rejected the marriage proposal outright, but circumstances could always change.

After all, the woman the Duke had supposedly been seeing had died in a train accident.

Now that matter had been settled, there was no reason to hesitate.

There was no reason to hesitate.           

After all, marriage was ultimately a transaction, one in which both parties clearly understood what they stood to gain and what was expected of them in return.

‘Bringing up the past during a transaction like that would be foolish.’

The Count’s lips curled upward ever so slightly as he arrived at what he considered a perfectly rational and practical conclusion.

Behind Count Lindal, seated diagonally across from him, were the Marquis of Regner and his eldest son.

The two had departed from Santero Station and arrived in Vartz only the day before.

Unaware of the calculations occupying Count Lindal’s mind, they watched the ceremony unfold before them in silence.