Chapter 2 (Part 1)

Eventually, thunder and lightning began to rage violently.  

The window, with its curtains pushed entirely to the side, revealed the dark and chaotic scenery in stark detail. Dense, black clouds clashed together, occasionally flashing with bright light, followed by deafening booms that sounded as though an earthquake had struck.  

Suddenly, heavy rain began to fall, pounding relentlessly against the roof and windows. She climbed onto the bed in a panic, curling her body tightly. Covering her ears and squeezing her eyes shut, she tried to shut it all out.  

Her head spun. Perhaps because of this, all the sounds seemed to batter her consciousness like noise. It felt as if they were screaming at her, ‘Try to remember it properly!’  

She shook her head violently, murmuring, “No.”  

Instinctively, as if seeking comfort, she squeezed her eyes shut and conjured his face in her mind.  

Levin. Her husband, as beautiful as a painting, charming, loving, and tender.  

The man who stayed by her side whenever she was unwell, who embraced her when she cried, and who always made her happy.  

“No…”  

There was no way she could have cursed him like that. She couldn’t possibly have thought of his child as the seed of a devil. She couldn’t have wanted to kill him.  

Most importantly, Levin did not have blue eyes. He had lovely golden eyes. None of it added up from beginning to end.  

“That’s all nonsense. I must be mistaken. It has nothing to do with me. It has absolutely nothing to do with me…”  

Snapping her eyes open, she muttered to herself as she frantically gathered up the scraps of paper and threw them all into the hearth. Then, holding the box in one hand, she stormed out of the house.  

As soon as she opened the door, the fierce rain and wind lashed against her, as if trying to block her path. But she paid no attention, clutching the box tightly as she ran out beyond the fence. Reaching the forest, she hurled the box with all her strength.  

The object arced through the rain and disappeared into the darkness, landing somewhere with a faint thud.  

The torrential rain soaked her completely, and she felt her entire body grow cold. Even so, she stood frozen in place, breathing heavily. Her pounding heartbeat made her feel as though she had just finished running a race.  

Her hair, drenched and clinging messily to her face, was swept around by the fierce wind.  

“Levin… Levin is…”  

Suddenly, she thought of his well-being.  

She looked up at the dark sky, trying to estimate the time. It was impossible to tell whether the sun had set or if it was just obscured by the heavy rain clouds. To her eyes, it simply looked like a pitch-black evening. And so, this time, she grabbed an umbrella and began walking aimlessly.  

It was a reckless thought—she had decided to go fetch Levin.  

“Quickly, quickly…”  

She needed to see his face immediately. She had to confirm that all of this was just a delusion.  

That she couldn’t possibly think of him as a devilish man. That she couldn’t have hated him so much as to want to kill him.  

She loved him. Just thinking of him made her heart swell with affection to the point she couldn’t bear it. The idea that she had written such things about him in the past was utterly unbelievable, something she couldn’t accept. If anything, it must have been that her past self had gone mad.  

‘Yes! I must have been insane.’  

That’s the only way she could have hated such a kind and gentle man like Levin, treating him so strangely. Wasn’t the fact that she had written his golden eyes as blue proof of that? After all, a deranged person’s eyes see illusions, and their hands write nonsense.  

As she walked, the heavy rain quickly turned the ground into a muddy, slippery mess.  

She trudged along the path, now nearly indistinguishable from a pool of muddy water, hastening her increasingly heavy steps. She didn’t even notice that the hem of her skirt was already half-soaked from the water rising from below. Her shoes were filled with muddy water, and her feet sank deeply into the sticky ground with every step, but she didn’t stop. White breaths escaped her lips like clouds.  

Before long, her mind was entirely consumed by thoughts of him braving this rain to come to her.  

He had said he’d come early today because of me. What if he tried to rush for my sake? Skoll would surely try to gallop through this rain-soaked path in a hurry. What if he fell? What if Levin got thrown off and injured? If I lost him, what would I…  

Her imagination spiraled uncontrollably into the worst possible scenarios. Consumed by negative emotions, trembling with anxiety, she couldn’t think of any other possibilities. Her judgment clouded, her chest pounded with restless urgency. She was clearly in a state of panic.  

“…Ah!”  

Her thoughts broke off only after she fell.  

Her body had tipped forward on the slippery, muddy road. With a splash, she caught herself with both arms against the ground. Thanks to that, she narrowly avoided the disaster of plunging her face into a puddle of rainwater.  

She thought it was fortunate.  

But that thought was immediately overturned when she tried to stand back up. No matter how much she struggled, her arms and legs refused to muster any strength. It seemed that once she fell, all the tension in her body had completely unraveled. And so, she ended up sitting there, her hands and feet submerged in the muddy water.  

“Hah… hah…”  

As she panted for breath amidst the cold rain and wind, she suddenly felt as though none of this was real. 

Why am I doing this? Could it be that I fell asleep in the bath and this entire situation is just a dream? 

She even wished it were true. If only all of this were just a dream.  

But at that moment, as if to shatter that hope, a vivid salvation appeared before her.  

“…Delia! …Cordelia!”  

A small figure could be seen running toward her from afar. Then, a familiar voice reached her ears. It was Levin, riding Skoll.  

He quickly closed the distance until his expression became clear. Pulling Skoll to an abrupt stop, he leapt off the horse and ran to her in a frenzy.  

“What are you doing? Why are you like this? Why did you come out here? Are you hurt? Are you in pain? Please, Cordelia. Are you okay?”  

He shouted as he helped her to her feet. Then, without hesitation, he untied the large cloak he was wearing and draped it over her, wrapping it around her like a blanket.  

Feeling Levin’s hurried touch, she responded in a faint voice. Her breathless panting made it hard for her to speak properly.  

“The rain… the rain started pouring so heavily all of a sudden… I was worried if you’d make it here safely… I came out to meet you. I thought you might fall if you were rushing…”  

“Oh, you fool. All of this just for something like that…”  

His voice carried the weight of heartbreak as he replied. Then, lifting her effortlessly, he placed her on Skoll’s back before climbing up himself. Skoll, perceptive as ever, immediately began galloping toward the house at its fastest pace, carrying the two of them. Contrary to her earlier fears, the ride was steady and smooth, without a single stumble or jolt.  

“Damn it, your body is so cold…”  

After arriving home, Levin was frantic as he tended to her.  

Cordelia had gone limp like a doll with its strings cut, which only made him more desperate. Muttering a steady stream of scolding remarks, he swiftly removed her soaked clothes and wrapped her in a thick winter blanket he had fetched in a hurry. Then, he went to fill the bathtub with hot water.  

Even though he planned to bathe her soon, he busily dried her hair with a towel. Holding her tightly in his embrace, he occasionally raised his hand to touch her cheeks and neck, checking her temperature. Judging by the warmth of his hands, it seemed the coldness was entirely on her side.  

“I’m cold…”  

Unconsciously, she rubbed her cheek against his hand as she spoke. At that, his expression grew even more urgent, and he began to strip off his own clothes. Removing the blanket that had been wrapped tightly around her, he pulled her bare body into his arms.  

In that instant, she felt the heat of his skin against hers. The warmth startled her, causing her to shiver. Seeing this, Levin’s expression turned desperate, and he suddenly pressed his lips to hers.  

“It’s okay, it’s okay. You’ll be fine soon, Cordelia.”  

It seemed the coldest part of her body was inside her lips. Feeling the warmth of his tongue, she found herself relaxing and responded to his kiss. Gradually, she began to feel warmth return to her body.  

Just then, the bathtub filled with water to the right level. Levin carried her into it without hesitation.  

The hot water enveloped her completely, and she felt as though her body, which had been shattered by the cold, was slowly being pieced back together. Or perhaps it was thanks to this man. Her ragged breathing, which had been her only sound, gradually steadied. The furious pounding of her heart also began to calm.  

Seeing this, Levin, who had been observing her reactions even more closely than she had, finally let out a sigh of relief and spoke.  

“You’re going to drive me insane.”  

With a long sigh, he hugged her tightly again. With his other hand, he repeatedly scooped the hot water and poured it over her neck and back, as if determined to erase every last trace of cold from her body. His gestures were so tender, they bordered on desperate.  

His kindness, so earnest and heartfelt, caused a sudden ache in her chest.  

‘…This is my husband.’  

‘He loves me so much. He cherishes me. And I love him too. So what I saw earlier must have been a lie. I must have misunderstood or seen it wrong. There’s no way I cursed him.’